Another body fat question

debi_f
debi_f Posts: 330 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all,

I'm trying to figure out my body fat percentage and even managed to get my hands on calipers. I followed the instructions that came in the package, and the included chart says 19.4% (this is based on one abdominal measurement and my age).

Okay, fine, but I've seen websites that use caliper measurements in more than just one place, and I thought, "Hey! That may be more accurate." So, I took these handy dandy calipers, found a site and followed their instructions. The result? 12.2%.

Hmm. That's a bit of a difference.

So I found a couple of other sites, filled in the same numbers (they asked for the same measuring spots), and got results everywhere from 11% to 18.4%.

I even had my husband help me with the harder to reach measurements (such as the triceps... hard to reach that one on your own!).

How in the world am I supposed to figure out just what my body fat is? Yes, I can get the general "lean to extra lean," but the range is still sooooo wide! ;-)

Thanks.

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Might be worth stepping back and asking what the underlying question is ? If you're looking to use the number in some calculation then I would use an average.

    11 and 12% sound unlikely for a woman to be honest, below about 18% more stop ovulating etc.
  • debi_f
    debi_f Posts: 330 Member
    I also thought the 11 and 12% were a bit off. As for ovulating... well, I am 49 years old... That's not much of a worry at the moment. ;-)

    The reason I want to know is because my weight has been going up, though my measurements have been staying pretty much the same. I figured the only other real measurement to make check would be the BF% to make sure I'm not headed back toward obesity. I eat at a deficit, so I didn't think I could really build any more muscle (don't you have to eat excess cals to build muscle?).

    A trainer at my gym gave me a BF number back in November, but it was also based only on height, weight and measurements (not using calipers). At the time, she said 16%, which I thought was a bit low (I was just starting with non-cardio training and was more "skinny fat" than toned). Now that I'm more toned, I'm curious to see where I am.

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