28.7% BF @ 240#?! Is it me or is that wrong...

kateauch

So I just checked out the fat2fit website to get my body fat and ideal weight. It told me with a 6 in wrist (I'm actually one of those people who is larger framed), at 240# with the rest of my body measurements plugged in that I'm only at 28.7% BF with ~66 pounds of fat on my body.

It then told me my ideal wieght was 219 for a goal of 22% BF (which is actually on the lower side according to them). How can that be right?! I've been 219 before and been active with some toning (not great) but I was still heavier and looked/felt fat.

Am I missing something? I'm a 5'11" 23 yo female. I've been told my ideal weight is around 175/180 by doctors and others. What's different here? Why is the fat2fit ideal weight so high?!

PS- I know it's not all about weight or the scale. I'm just trying to wrap my head around this.

CollegiateGrief

It could be that you also have a lot of lean mass, and you could lose both fat and lean mass to get to 180. Or it could be that the estimate is off. The estimate calculators online aren't always the most accurate.

JDBLY11

I had the same problem with the fat to fit website, more on what it estimated as my goal weight and body fat percentage. It was too high of a weight to be a really low body fat percentage.

ShannonMpls

Body fat estimates based on measurements/online calculators are not something I'd rely upon.

StarChanger

Unless you're 7+ feet tall, NO woman's bodyweight should be >200lbs, and be a "healthy" weight. Period. At 5'11, 175 would probably be pretty good/comfortable (and would certainly LOOK fine in clothes, more than likely), but even at that weight you could go quite a bit lower and still be in a normal weight range.

oex0duso

If you did the original body fat calculator, I just tried it as well and it seemed to be WAY off...

Try the Military Fat Calculator instead, it's a little more accurate.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/

Maggie_Pie1

I've used several different methods for determining body fat %, and I can get vastly different answers based on the method.

I have a scale that does body fat percentage, and even though I know it's probably off or wrong, I just use it as a measure to determine if it's increasing or decreasing. I don't pay attention to the number itself, just the direction the number is moving.

FFfitgirl

Did it think you were male??

brnsgrsbody

Bump...imma go do mine and come back...

CristinaL1983

That website (like any other online calculator) relies on measurements and certain equations. Those equations are only right under the best of circumstances and most people don't fit into those. I've found that online calculators often either over or underestimate my body fat. If you want to know and are willing to pay to find out, you can have a DeXA scan or BodyPod scan done. These would be much more accurate.

At higher weights, I have always had a small waist (and a "large" frame by both wrist and elbow breadth measurements) so they severely underestimated my body fat percentages. Now that I'm at lower weight and still have larger hips, they tend to overestimate my body fat percentage. I've had a couple DeXA scans done so I have a pretty good idea of where I am.

If it were me, I would shoot for where the doctors recommend (180ish) and just keep an eye on yourself as you get close. It's easy to shoot a bit lower and stop before you get there.

RobynLB83

Maybe the calculations are coming out funky because you're unusually tall for a woman? They are giving you a higher bf% goal because you are a woman, but maybe being a tall woman doesn't quite fit the calculations quite right? I've used calculations that gave me an "ideal" body weight of 145 for a 5'7" woman. Seriously, screw that. I may be "healthy," but I feel disgustingly fat and uncomfortable at 145.

BeachIron

I'm quite skeptical.

grantdumas7

There are many different online body fat calculators where you input your height, weight, age, waist, hips (female) big toe length, ect. Each one will give you different calculations. One has me at 12.8% and another at 9.7.

kateauch

Thanks for the help everyone! Sounds like I'm not the only one to have this issue and the only way to get anything accurate is to get a bodpod/scan done.

sammniamii

I just had to go see.... according to that site, I'm at 28.1% and my "goal weight" for 22% is 204.... (female, 221, 6.5" wrist, 43 waist, 47 hip and 11 forearm)

Really?

My monitor tells me my BF is 36.6%, my BMI says GW should be alot lower....like 125 (LOL)

Oh well, I'm just aiming for what I want..... less body fat, maybe a size 10 and under 200lbs.

LuHox

Did you look at the photos they have on their of bodies at different BF%? Which one of those most closely resembles you? If it's way far from 28.7% it could be inaccurate.
When I plugged my numbers in I got something similar on their BF% calculator, but I used all 3 calculators and got 3 totally different answers. Theirs put me around 29%, but the military calculator put me around 47%. Looking at the pictures, I look more like something between the 40% chick and the 50% chick, so I figured the military one is probably more accurate for me.

RobynLB83

I just checked your ideal weight. Without a formula relying on calculating your bf. And here's what I got:

Based on the healthy BMI recommendation, your recommended weight is 132.6 lbs - 179.2 lbs

And that was the highest result. It compared 6 different standard calculations. So yeah, that Fat2Fit one is way off.

BrentJulius

You are more than 28.7% BF. What method did they use to test this? Simply based off of your wrist size (6 inches is not a very large frame) and weight/height? Go to a gym and ask a trainer to do a 7 fold caliper test and you'll get a lot more accurate measurement. If you do have 170+ pounds of lean mass at 5'9 I would suggest going into bodybuilding

cwolfman13

No way....

Get some calipers or get it professionally tested. Measurements can be off, particularly if you're doing them yourself. I use calipers and let my trainer do my measurements and they come out pretty right on.

grantdumas7

Thanks for the help everyone! Sounds like I'm not the only one to have this issue and the only way to get anything accurate is to get a bodpod/scan done.

While that would be the most accurate it wouldn't be the most convenient or economical. The mirror, tape measure and bodyfat calipers would work. As these are economical and you can track your progression.

o0JenB0o

I am 5"3 and currently weigh 115 pounds according to the calculator my BFP is at 25.7 lol
My Measurements are 5.25 { wrist} 8.5 { forearm} 27.5 {waist} and 35 { hips}
I personally think this Calculator is WAY off, i used my Fat caliper a few days ago and got 17.7% Bodyfat

MissTattoo

I'm 5'11 and currently 292
The first calculator told me I have 27.8% BF
That is obviously wrong.

The military one
48.7%

The military one says my goal is 211 for 28% BF


It depends on a lot of things. I know 200 pound females who look better than 150 pound females. I wouldn't focus on the number too much. Check out http://www.mybodygallery.com/

Type in 5'11 at 200 and you will be surprised the different pictures you get.

grantdumas7

Wrist size has nothing to do with bodyfat %. It just gives an idea of frame size.

j6o4

online bodyfat calculators suck ****.

brnsgrsbody

I do believe it's off. I've been at 180 pounds and 21% bodyfat with skinfold calipers and looked GREAT!!! I don't think 175 pounds is a bad goal. Stick with that as your target.

kateauch

Just tried the military counter on fat2fit and it said I was 17.1% BF. HA! I wish!