online body fat calculators

SmellyHippy

Can anyone explain this to me?
I've been wanting to estimate my body fat as I try to diet and lose some weight. I used a tape measure and put the findings into several online calculators. They all came up with numbers close to about 30-35%. Then, I used the same tape measurements but replaced my age (33) with the age 23. The calculators now spit out a body fat of about 25%.
I know that people tend to lose body fat as they age as a general trend but I lift weights and I'm certain I have more lean mass than when I did in my twenties. I'd like to tell myself that my body fat is more in line with the readings I got when I fished the age bit how much am I kidding myself?

Azercord

All those measurements can be horribly inaccurate especially if you lift a lot. Many of them base things off of BMI which is designed for a populace and not the individual. The best thing I can recommend is to find a gym with a Bod Pod (most major gyms have one) and use that. It uses air displacement and is very accurate especially when accounting for things like age, height, and body build.

SmellyHippy

Thanks. Unfortunately the gyms use those handheld body fat readers. The only place in Alaska that has a bod pod is the college and isn't open to the public. I believe the hospital does a DEXA scan but it requires a doctors note and is pretty expensive.