Calculating body fat

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healthy491
healthy491 Posts: 384 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
As I posted in another thread, my body fat has been increasing while my muscle mass has been decreasing. This happened again this week and I am concerned. Can you please tell me whats an accurate and inexpensive way to measure body fat and muscle?

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  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    There isn't one

    Dexa scan and hydrostatic are the closest to accurate but still have margins for error

    BF is not something to measure weekly, if using a scale just throw it out
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    4 part series, worth reading http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/index.php/free-content/free-content/volume-1-issue-3-the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-parts-1-and-2/the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-part-1/
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
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    Stop worrying about it.
    Unless you are dead and can be dissected etc there is no accurate way.

    The small changes you keep seeing on your scale (I read your other thread and the answers will be the same here) can be down to a number of minuscule differences - foot placement, how moist your feet are, salt/water retention, bowel movement, or not. No scale is reliable but can be useful for tracking long term trends.

    Eat at a small deficit if you are losing, eat plenty of protein, and move some heavy weights to retain muscle mass and strength.

    Cheers, h.
  • JuicerLab
    JuicerLab Posts: 22 Member
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    As body fat testing, rather than simple scale weight, has become "the standard" in this new millennium, Hydrostatic Testing (Underwater Weighing) has become universally regarded by industry experts as the "Gold Standard" in body fat testing. Renowned author and fitness expert Covert Bailey, in the phenomenal best seller "Fit or Fat", states: "That hydrostatic testing (underwater immersion) is the most accurate method for body fat determination."

    The fact that bone, muscle, and connective tissue collectively known as lean mass sinks, while body fat floats is the main principle behind (hydro-densitometry) hydrostatic testing. By obtaining your land weight and water weight (based on buoyancy), our specialized computer program can scientifically calculate your body fat as a percentage of your total weight.

    Clinically speaking, the hydrostatic testing method has been around for over 50 years and is based on Archimedes principle which states "that when a body is submerged in water, there is a buoyant counter force equal to the weight of the water which is displaced". Again, because bone and muscle are denser than water, a person with a larger percentage of lean body mass will weigh more in the water and ultimately have a lower body fat percentage versus someone with less lean muscle mass. A person with more body fat will make the body lighter in water and will have a higher percentage of body fat. Body fat floats and lean tissue, muscle, connective tissue, bones, etc.

    Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing (Hydro-Densitometry):
    According to research, "Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing "is still the "Gold Standard" to which all methods of body fat testing still compare themselves. FitnessWave has been the pioneer in hydrostatic testing for over eleven years. We strive to provide accurate and affordable hydrostatic testing to our clients with a professional touch. Fitnesswave makes hydrostatic body fat testing a fun experience for the whole family. So come and get dunked today!
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