Body fat % calculator are they accurate? Or relative?

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louise5779
louise5779 Posts: 82 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have just done a body fat % calculator at home. The one where you enter all your states and it works out an estimate. Mine came back incredibly low! A very silly rate that I don't believe! We also have a body fat % reading on our scales but I don't believe that either and it seems to be 7% higher then the calculator I just did.

Are any body fat% estimators correct? If so which is the most accurate way (not in a hospital) environment. Plus do they actually count towards or mean anything?

Replies

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Home bodyfat scales are useless. They send a pulse up one leg and down the other, then guesstimate your upper body. Plus they're thrown off by how hydrated you are.

    I have no experience with online calculators, but they're only estimates. The most accurate measurement is Bod Pod, but you have to go to a participating university or hospital. Calipers are only as good as the person wielding them.

    I use waist circumference, strength & endurance to gauge my progress. YMMV.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I think that looking at body fat calculations is interesting from the standpoint of seeing the changes, but not the absolute percentages. In the end, your body fat % is just a number though. What matters is whether or not you like what you see in the mirror. FWIW, I track all of the measurements that are required for the calculations in this article in a spreadsheet that calculates my BF according to each of these formulas. I do it once a month.
  • louise5779
    louise5779 Posts: 82 Member
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    Thank you so much this article is great!! I love spreadsheets. I even have one which I enter all my stats from mlp everyday and produce graphs. Crazy, I know but I like to see the calories in, calories burned the net calories and my weight all in a graph so I can spot trends etc. I look forward to this new little project.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I have an Omron bioelectrical impedence monitor - your accuracy depends on your consistency. If you are well hydrated and test at the optimal time (typically immediately after voiding in the morning) you'll get a better reading. You don't necessarily need it to be accurate, but precise to show if your strategy is effective in burning fat.

    I'm a data geek as well and this whole health quest I'm on is more of an excuse to generate new spreadsheets.
  • arb037
    arb037 Posts: 203 Member
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    Bio impedance BF testers are the most inaccurate. If your electrolytes are off, it could read 10% or more off. So if you follow a Ketogenic diet, it is useless.
    Bod Pod is ok, still has some fluctuations 2-5%, whereas Dexa scan is supposed to be the most accurate at the moment.
    But as others have said, the best gauge really is the mirror.
    But also can do calipers (skin fold) , measure with a tape and imsert numbers into online calculater ( navy method or similar).
    I like to check several methods and average em out.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    There is no method that will be 100% accurate. Something like the Bod Pod is going to be the most accurate, but it will still be off by a little bit. Calculators are probably going to be the least accurate, but if you do it the same way each time, at least it should be consistently inaccurate if you use the same one and measure things the same way, so you can at least see a trend.
  • KiltFuPanda
    KiltFuPanda Posts: 576 Member
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    I had a Bod Pod and an Omron test run the same day, and they were within 1% of each other. If you're going to go with the Omron (or any other impedance test), then definitely go with the "test when you wake up" to get consistent answers. Calipers are good to get an idea of your progress, but can be misleading if you haven't practiced with them.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I have access to a DEXA/DXA scanner and it aligns perfectly with my Omron, calipers, etc. The device isn't nearly as critical as the test methodology of the user.
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
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    My scale's BF% hasn't changed in months even though I have lost weight, my measurements have gone down, my lifts have improved, and I see much more muscle definition in my legs and upper body. It gives me a reading approx 4-5% higher than any other method I use.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,302 Member
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    mirrim52 wrote: »
    My scale's BF% hasn't changed in months even though I have lost weight, my measurements have gone down, my lifts have improved, and I see much more muscle definition in my legs and upper body. It gives me a reading approx 4-5% higher than any other method I use.
    You gained muscle?!?

  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
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    _Terrapin_ wrote: »
    mirrim52 wrote: »
    My scale's BF% hasn't changed in months even though I have lost weight, my measurements have gone down, my lifts have improved, and I see much more muscle definition in my legs and upper body. It gives me a reading approx 4-5% higher than any other method I use.
    You gained muscle?!?
    Most likely not a significant amount (eating at a deficit - it is just the fat going away and showing more definition underneath). Even if I did, the scale SHOULD should a decrease in BF. But it doesn't. Hasn't changed by even 0.1% in 3 months. It is garbage :P
  • earthnut
    earthnut Posts: 216 Member
    edited August 2015
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    jemhh wrote: »
    I think that looking at body fat calculations is interesting from the standpoint of seeing the changes, but not the absolute percentages. In the end, your body fat % is just a number though. What matters is whether or not you like what you see in the mirror. FWIW, I track all of the measurements that are required for the calculations in this article in a spreadsheet that calculates my BF according to each of these formulas. I do it once a month.

    The formulas give me a range from 26% with the modified YMCA formula to 42% with the Department of Defense formula. That's a 60% difference. And the DOD formula is supposed to underestimate?!

    Personally, I think simply measuring the waist circumference is the easiest way to measure health. You get the most bang for your buck. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waist-to-height_ratio
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    Hmm, the other night I ran my stats through a number of the sites:

    21.1 my home scale reading
    22.68 healthstatus.com
    25.5. BMI-calculator.net
    22.7. Linear-software.com
    22.7. Calculator.net.

    Conclusion, I am happy with any of those percentages. I will just know that my 'at home' scale reading is off by between 1.6 and 4.4%.
    It is the trend that I am more interested in, not the precise number.

    The docs office had me 3lb heavier than my own scale. I am sticking with the number I always use.

    Cheers, h.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Calipers are useless esp for visceral fat. 21% by caliper (experienced trainer) 29.9% by DEXA.

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