Accurate Body Fat

linds_nicole_

Whats the most accurate way to see your percentage of body fat through a weight loss journey?

Dogmom1978

Probably measuring yourself regularly and utilizing one of those online calculators. I have an app with them built in and I use the navy method.

None of the scales that measure it are remotely accurate. There are other ways, but they involve paying out money and I’m too cheap for that.

https://www.calculator.net/body-fat-calculator.html

westrich20940

There are scales (fairly inexpensive) that can measure a lot of different things, including giving an estimate of your body fat %. I don't know how actually accurate it is...but I have one called Renpho that has an app with it and it sends all that info to the app on your phone...which then you can connect with other apps (like the iOS health app or Runkeeper, etc.).

Dogmom1978

westrich20940 wrote: »

There are scales (fairly inexpensive) that can measure a lot of different things, including giving an estimate of your body fat %. I don't know how actually accurate it is...but I have one called Renpho that has an app with it and it sends all that info to the app on your phone...which then you can connect with other apps (like the iOS health app or Runkeeper, etc.).

They are wildly inaccurate and a waste of money.

djaxon1

That linked Body Fat Calculator site - Ouch !

Dogmom1978

Don’t know why you have issue with the US navy body fat calculator, but there are others available if you don’t like that one.

Also, the body fat calculators are free unlike those awful scales.😜

Dogmom1978

https://bmi-calories.com/body-fat-percentage-calculator.html

There’s another one, also free 😊

yirara

So, that calculator put my in the obese range at 32.3%, probably simply because I have wide hips (due to having wide pelvis bones) and a not superslim waist due to the wide hip bone and a not very long abdomen. This calculator tells me I need to lose 6kg of fat in order to be in the normal range - which would make me underweight. Btw, I do have padding here and there, but also a good amount of muscle mass. Maybe this kind of works for some kind of standard female body, but it doesn't for me.

sgt1372

DEXA and hydrostatic testing are the only commercially available only methods for meaduring BF w/any degree of accuracy and/or reliability.

Short of that, there are a variety of proxies that you can use to measure the TREND of your BF loss or gain, like BMI, bioelectric devices & body measurement rstios and calculators, if used condistently, but only DEXA or hydro will give you a reasonably accurate measurement.

Calipers using 12 pts of measurement can also yield relative accurate measurements but require a level of practice and skill to do so that few people possess.

Dogmom1978

sgt1372 wrote: »

DEXA and hydrostatic testing are the only commercially available only methods for meaduring BF w/any degree of accuracy and/or reliability.

Short of that, there are a variety of proxies that you can use to measure the TREND of your BF loss or gain, like BMI, bioelectric devices & body measurement rstios and calculators, if used condistently, but only DEXA or hydro will give you a reasonably accurate measurement.

Calipers using 12 pts of measurement can also yield relative accurate measurements but require a level of practice and skill to do so that few people possess.

^^^

This, but they aren’t free 😜

However, if you were going to spend money to calculate body fat percentage the above would be the way to go. Purchasing any of the scales that claim to do so is equivalent to flushing money down the toilet IMO. I’m super cheap and will just stick with the online calculator; at least you get consistent results even if they aren’t super accurate. Those body fat scales aren’t even consistent with their inaccurate info

heybales

BIA devices and measurement calculations may have great chance of being no where near accurate - but some can be consistently off by same amount (that has been tested) and tell a correct story of fat loss through your journey.

If you truly need "accurate" for some reason it'll cost as mentioned (though you never said looking for free) - in which case many will do spot checks every 3-6 months depending on amount to lose.
Just to know a figure.

But not really an actionable item at that point, as it'll be too late as it's slow moving.
Like if you lost way more LBM (Lean Body Mass) than expected and it appears to have been muscle mass (which is only a part of LBM) - well too late - that's gone, at least can improve things to prevent more loss.

Whereas inaccurate but consistent could give that suggestion before it's too late and a foolish level of extreme diet can be stopped.

sijomial

My experience;

DEXA and hydrostatic are too expensive where I live (UK).
BodPod - reasonably consistent, not too expensive unless you want high frequency, but I had one really obviously inaccurate reading which meant 3 months of progress couldn't be assessed.
Domestic four sensor BIA scale (Omron) - pretty consistent and believable if used sensibly (which might simply be discarding obviously poor quality data or going for a noisy trendline. Inexpensive and convenient, matched BodPod trend and numbers very closely.
Domestic quality two sensor units at home or gyms (hands only or feet only) - absolutely useless apart from comedy value.
Calipers when used by a trained operator - pretty accurate and repeatable.
Commercial quality BIA device (BodiTrax) with four sensors - pretty reasonable with usual caveats about using consistently. included in my gym membership so "free" to me.
Online calculators from wrist etc. measurements - absolutely useless. Enormous range depending which one or ones selected. Complete waste of time for me.
Sample picture online (such as Builtlean) - free and reasonable guide (perhaps moreso for men than women), descriptions as useful as the pictures IMHO.

In the end having a number can be useful for tracking while losing but eventually the mirror and exercise performance defines "good enough".

AnnPT77

For a person who isn't *profoundly* unusual, most weight loss at a sensibly moderate calorie deficit, with moderately decent nutrition, while staying active (especially strength exercise, but any exercise helps) . . . is going to be predominantly fat loss. The overwhelming majority of the pounds, in fact.

It's not worth obsessing over, IMO. Do sensible things, get sensible results.

Others have said the insightful things about accurate fat measurement options, trends vs. point in time, the semi-futility of post hoc measurement.

Lose relatively slowly.
Get good well-rounded nutrition, including adequate protein.
Do mildly challenging exercise (and keep adapting it as you get fitter, to keep a little challenge).
Ideally, include strength exercise to remind your body that keeping muscle mass is a priority, and adding some muscle might be a bonus.

Do that, you'll be fine. But that's just one li'l ol' lady's opinion.

age_is_just_a_number

Try this body fat calculator .. https://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator/
I like this one because it gives four different results based on common algorithms and tables.
I use these once per month plus I have a electronic body fat calculating scale. Then I take the average of the 5.
None are accurate.

richardgavel

One suggestion on Dexa or bodpod, ask if you can get a discount to buy a package of them.

yirara

tgillies003 wrote: »

Try this body fat calculator .. https://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator/
I like this one because it gives four different results based on common algorithms and tables.
I use these once per month plus I have a electronic body fat calculating scale. Then I take the average of the 5.
None are accurate.

So I just tried this. And got 4 results ranging from 25-34% I'm sure using 4 methodologies is more precise than just one, but it still doesn't tell me more. My guess is that I'm at the lower end, considering my abs are getting visible. But as there's very little space between my ribs and pelvis, and the pelvis bone is big (thanks, grannies) this can't really be taken into account with these calculators.

heybales

Regarding the sites that use several different calculators that use different measurement areas, it's the changes over time that really show what body part is likely throwing off one of the calcs.

I've seen this with many people, usually women, that I've helped use those multi-measurements (it's in my big spreadsheet).
So you might start with say values between them all within 5%.
Then as time goes by, you find 2 of them dropping quicker than say a 3rd site, and a 4th staying put.
When you look at what body sites they all use, almost always we discovered the non-moving or slow-moving result used a body part that was known to be out of proportion to the average.
Like say larger than avg hips that were never going to slim down, that measurement was used in 1 calc, but not in 2 of them. Or large calf.

Very interesting to say the least. And why even the amount of change can't be trusted always, but at least some change and what direction can be trusted.
And most people do know which measurement is of a body part not typical proportion to average.

heybales

I hate it when a site can't even get correct terms down.
Just bounced on that site to their BMR calc.
They are really calculating TDEE, but not once do they say that - keep saying BMR.
At least they use the newer Mifflin BMR as foundation to normal Harris TDEE calc from 1919 study.

Well, at least goofballs that must not understand correct terminology can hopefully do calculations correctly.
Maybe.

Theoldguy1

Autopsy of the corpse is the most accurate method. Not repeatable though.