Change in Metric Calculations for Scale

I also think there has been a recent change in the calculation algorithms, or something along those lines, particularly with regard to body fat and water.

Mid last year, after a mid-40s birthday, my scale suddenly started telling me I was 44% fat, 40% water. I am a ~57kg, average height, slim, fit and active woman, BMI ca. 20.5. There is no way in the world I am 44% fat and so little water. Garmin support were of little help and even used language that suggested I was trying to cheat, unless I could show them dexa scan results to prove otherwise.

After repeated attempts modifying the settings, eventually changing activity level to 10, it eventually settled back down to (probably realistic) 23% fat, 58% water. Incidentally, the body fat calculation method using my neck, waist and hip measurements also approximates to 23% body fat.

Since November it has gone the other way, telling me I am 3% fat, 70% water. Decreasing the activity level back down from 10 to a truthful 7 now gives me 5% fat.

At least now I can ignore it as it doesn’t negatively impact my fitness age, as it did with 44% fat and telling me I am unhealthy and to lose weight!

I think there are clearly problems in the algorithms, especially when it comes to determining between body fat and water content.

I suspected the earlier change to over-estimate body fat also had something to do with age-based assumptions built into the algorithms, since reducing my age in the settings also gave lower results (but then of course also reduced my VO2max rating to a lower, less than ‘superior’ category).