Bodyfat Measurement

2»

Replies

  • mpkpbk2015
    mpkpbk2015 Posts: 766 Member
    mpkpbk2015 wrote: »
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    I’m 5’4” at 118lbs. My body weight scale puts me at 27% body fat and the app has me at 29% body fat. :'(

    Well, don't feel so bad. I'm 5'8, 145 and my scale says 24.9% body fat. I tried this app and it said 40% body fat!!!! I know my scale is widely inaccurate, but still,for someone who has been working out and strength training for quite a long time and consider myself to be decently strong, seeing that was very discouraging.

    I had been debating whether or not I should get a Dexa Fit scan,and I think seeing these numbers convinced me to do so. Although, if I pay $100 for them to tell me I still have 40% body fat, I'll be even more discouraged!

    Good luck. If it comes back higher than you'd like remember what they always say, what gets measured gets managed.
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    I’m 5’4” at 118lbs. My body weight scale puts me at 27% body fat and the app has me at 29% body fat. :'(

    Well, don't feel so bad. I'm 5'8, 145 and my scale says 24.9% body fat. I tried this app and it said 40% body fat!!!! I know my scale is widely inaccurate, but still,for someone who has been working out and strength training for quite a long time and consider myself to be decently strong, seeing that was very discouraging.

    I had been debating whether or not I should get a Dexa Fit scan,and I think seeing these numbers convinced me to do so. Although, if I pay $100 for them to tell me I still have 40% body fat, I'll be even more discouraged!

    Good luck. If it comes back higher than you'd like remember what they always say, what gets measured gets managed.
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    I’m 5’4” at 118lbs. My body weight scale puts me at 27% body fat and the app has me at 29% body fat. :'(

    Well, don't feel so bad. I'm 5'8, 145 and my scale says 24.9% body fat. I tried this app and it said 40% body fat!!!! I know my scale is widely inaccurate, but still,for someone who has been working out and strength training for quite a long time and consider myself to be decently strong, seeing that was very discouraging.

    I had been debating whether or not I should get a Dexa Fit scan,and I think seeing these numbers convinced me to do so. Although, if I pay $100 for them to tell me I still have 40% body fat, I'll be even more discouraged!

    Good luck. If it comes back higher than you'd like remember what they always say, what gets measured gets managed.

    I am with you my scale say 19.2 BF, this app said 26.53 and then 30.39 all on the same day. Same out fit. Who know.

    ok it's nice to know somebody else got similar results to mine. Have a great day. I am going to wait a week and try it again and see . Should be interesting to see if it comes back any different.
  • mpkpbk2015
    mpkpbk2015 Posts: 766 Member
    The obligatory chart that sometimes gets posted on this website/app needs updating. Lol

    pdxsoajgu5ak.jpeg

    Yeah, I don't look like the 40% picture. In all honesty, I look more like I'm between the 25-30% range. Maybe I'm delusional, but I don't know what I've been doing these past several years if my body fat really is at 40%. That would be way too depressing.

    I will say I took my picture in a sports bra and underwear, not "tight-fitting clothes" that were recommended. I also am doubly bloated today and already have a slightly protruding belly due to 2 sections and slight lordosis, anyway, which was definitely apparent in the picture. At any rate, I guess I'll just keep plugging away at trying lower my body fat while increasing muscle.

    Thanks for the photo - now I am depressed, just kidding . I had a 26 and a 30 wearing the same recommend tight outfit. Maybe next time I will wear a sports bra and underwear to get a more accurate assessment. LOL Have a great week and stay warm. Cold all over right now.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Based on your physique and the pics, I'd guess 20%-22% overall. And I'm usually pretty good at eyeing.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    So, not close to 60 %? In all honesty, these pants suck me in a bit and besides the triceps area, I carry must of my fat in the lower half of my body. These pictures are probably deceptive, but I appreciate the vote of confidence!

    Take another look at your picture and the picture I know you saw on page 1 because you reposted it. You are no where near 40%, let alone 60%.

    xp720wnc33tu.jpg

    To simplify matter, I'm using a picture from the same site of just women:

    body-fat-percentage-women.jpg
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Based on your physique and the pics, I'd guess 20%-22% overall. And I'm usually pretty good at eyeing.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    So, not close to 60 %? In all honesty, these pants suck me in a bit and besides the triceps area, I carry must of my fat in the lower half of my body. These pictures are probably deceptive, but I appreciate the vote of confidence!

    Take another look at your picture and the picture I know you saw on page 1 because you reposted it. You are no where near 40%, let alone 60%.

    xp720wnc33tu.jpg

    To simplify matter, I'm using a picture from the same site of just women:

    body-fat-percentage-women.jpg

    In all honesty, I looked at this picture and thought "Hey, I think my hard work is paying off" and that I look good for a 44-year old woman whose had 2 c-sections. After all, my top half is generally my "better half." Then,I took a picture in my sports bra and dance shorts and tried to take the picture as directed and got a BF percentage of 34-36, depending on the picture. Ouch 😣.

    That caused me to get seriously discouraged and led into that old thought pattern of focusing on all my flaws that needed to be "fixed." Then, I looked at the back of my thighs, what I had always considered my biggest problem area. I noticed there was a lot less cellulite then there used to be, and those fat "shelves" under my butt at the top of my thighs are almost gone! I never thought that would happen. I came to the conclusion that even if this app is accurate or even if it's off, it's just one number. I've made a lot of progress and am working pretty hard and the best I can to take care of my overall health.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,494 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Based on your physique and the pics, I'd guess 20%-22% overall. And I'm usually pretty good at eyeing.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    So, not close to 60 %? In all honesty, these pants suck me in a bit and besides the triceps area, I carry must of my fat in the lower half of my body. These pictures are probably deceptive, but I appreciate the vote of confidence!

    Take another look at your picture and the picture I know you saw on page 1 because you reposted it. You are no where near 40%, let alone 60%.

    xp720wnc33tu.jpg

    To simplify matter, I'm using a picture from the same site of just women:

    body-fat-percentage-women.jpg

    The directions tell the userto take the picture with arms to sides and against a plain background. The pictures @Speakeasy76 used is nowhere near what the directions say. No wonder the app gave a ridiculous answer.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    edited February 2021
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Based on your physique and the pics, I'd guess 20%-22% overall. And I'm usually pretty good at eyeing.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    So, not close to 60 %? In all honesty, these pants suck me in a bit and besides the triceps area, I carry must of my fat in the lower half of my body. These pictures are probably deceptive, but I appreciate the vote of confidence!

    Take another look at your picture and the picture I know you saw on page 1 because you reposted it. You are no where near 40%, let alone 60%.

    xp720wnc33tu.jpg

    To simplify matter, I'm using a picture from the same site of just women:

    body-fat-percentage-women.jpg

    The directions tell the userto take the picture with arms to sides and against a plain background. The pictures @Speakeasy76 used is nowhere near what the directions say. No wonder the app gave a ridiculous answer.

    Yes, I know that I'm not close to 60% bodyfat, I just thought this was kind of funny/interesting. I also know I didn't follow the directions as I am capable of reading instructions. I also don't really have an area in my house with a "plain background" and good lighting where I felt comfortable taking a picture in a sports bra and underwear. It was quite discouraging for me to see 40% bodyfat the first time when I posed correctly, especially when others who've had other BF measures said it was close, so honestly was hoping for a better number for my ego.

    As I said in the post above, I did take yet another picture following the directions as best as I could with more fat exposed, and got a BF between 34-36%, which was still quite discouraging. All in all, I decided this tool isn't helpful for me as it did nothing to encourage me as someone who has been on a fitness journey for quite some time and hasn't technically been overweight in 8-9 years, but I appreciate it can be a useful tool for others and seems to be an interesting concept.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,494 Member
    edited February 2021
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Based on your physique and the pics, I'd guess 20%-22% overall. And I'm usually pretty good at eyeing.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    So, not close to 60 %? In all honesty, these pants suck me in a bit and besides the triceps area, I carry must of my fat in the lower half of my body. These pictures are probably deceptive, but I appreciate the vote of confidence!

    Take another look at your picture and the picture I know you saw on page 1 because you reposted it. You are no where near 40%, let alone 60%.

    xp720wnc33tu.jpg

    To simplify matter, I'm using a picture from the same site of just women:

    body-fat-percentage-women.jpg

    The directions tell the userto take the picture with arms to sides and against a plain background. The pictures @Speakeasy76 used is nowhere near what the directions say. No wonder the app gave a ridiculous answer.

    Yes, I know that I'm not close to 60% bodyfat, I just thought this was kind of funny/interesting. I also know I didn't follow the directions as I am capable of reading instructions. I also don't really have an area in my house with a "plain background" and good lighting where I felt comfortable taking a picture in a sports bra and underwear. It was quite discouraging for me to see 40% bodyfat the first time when I posed correctly, especially when others who've had other BF measures said it was close, so honestly was hoping for a better number for my ego.

    As I said in the post above, I did take yet another picture following the directions as best as I could with more fat exposed, and got a BF between 34-36%, which was still quite discouraging. All in all, I decided this tool isn't helpful for me as it did nothing to encourage me as someone who has been on a fitness journey for quite some time and hasn't technically been overweight in 8-9 years, but I appreciate it can be a useful tool for others and seems to be an interesting concept.

    Would be interesting to see what answer you get if you can find a clear background and correctly posed.

    I don't think this tool (or any other BF % method for that matter) is designed to "encourage" anyone, suppose to show facts and data to give feedback on your diet/exercise progress.

    Good luck.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    I bookmarked this to try the app when I had time. I had hoped to be able to compare it to photos I had taken when I compared that accuracy of photos/BodPod/DEXA/scale several years ago. Unfortunately you have to stand in a certain pose, so those photos didn't work. And I haven't had another follow up scan in almost 5 years, so I have no idea what my BF is for real.

    What threw me with this app is that there seems to be a bug on the Fat Free Mass Calculation causing all the other numbers to be negative. They added my Fat Mass value to my reported weight instead of subtracting it. Anyone else have that issue?

    I will say the BF% it gave were really close to my scans 5 years ago, but I just realized the Android/Gynoid numbers do not add up to the total fat mass, so not really sure what's going on with this app.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    I played around with it some more. There was a splash of sunlight on the wall when I took the initial photo. I tried it later in the day and I got normal looking numbers then. And a more realistic BF measurement and I've lost muscle and gained some BF since my last scan. Shorts/underwear seemed OK. Solid black leggings seemed to confuse it and I got negative numbers again. If you get the background/pose/clothes right it does seem to be pretty accurate, or at least close enough for most people's needs.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    I was wearing my slippers not barefooted, maybe this will change things. Lol
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    I was wearing my slippers not barefooted, maybe this will change things. Lol

    I logged a bug with the developer and he said the negative numbers are frequently when heads or feet are not present in the photo. My hands were kind of over an indentation on the wall, so that may have thrown it off in some. The directions do say to not wear shoes. Although one of mine with shoes worked.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Thank you, good to know.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,494 Member
    I played around with it some more. There was a splash of sunlight on the wall when I took the initial photo. I tried it later in the day and I got normal looking numbers then. And a more realistic BF measurement and I've lost muscle and gained some BF since my last scan. Shorts/underwear seemed OK. Solid black leggings seemed to confuse it and I got negative numbers again. If you get the background/pose/clothes right it does seem to be pretty accurate, or at least close enough for most people's needs.

    Yeah if you have a lot of colors/patterns in your house/apartment maybe drape a light color sheet over a door for the picture.