Guess my body fat before hydrostatic testing tommorrow

ncahill77

I am curious how many of those that guessed over 23% are runner/cardio people?

Mr_Knight

From the scanned document, this looks like a two-compartment model, which allows for significant error, especially for individuals low in musculature.

I remain dubious.

But much respect to the OP for sharing this!

pavrg

I am curious how many of those that guessed over 23% are runner/cardio people?

I simply compared his photo to others of known bodyfat on the web.

SteveStedge1

From the scanned document, this looks like a two-compartment model, which allows for significant error, especially for individuals low in musculature.

I remain dubious.

But much respect to the OP for sharing this!

What a response. Just admit you were wrong...WAY wrong.

"Oh look at me. Instead of admitting I was wrong, I'll pretend to sound like some sort of expert and claim the test was wrong"

Really dude. You couldn't just remain quiet? Or accept being wrong like a man?

To sum up your response: You think the test was wrong, and the OP is really much fatter than the numbers provide after seeing his picture. Then you tell him "much respect".

I'd say telling a man he is up to 30% bodyfat and then when he proves otherwise calling the results "dubious" isn't very "respectful"

emilyisbonkers

23%

Cortelli

Just admit you were wrong [. . .]

Thanks, but I'd cut Mr. Wright and everyone else some slack. I didn't take any predictions of fat % as endorsements of my body shape or criticisms - it is what it is today (but getting better!). I wouldn't post pics like that if I didn't want to get a series of honest opinions. And I was curious enough myself that I assumed lots of other folks would be really curious too. The other available options -- online calculators, calipers, DEXA -- are either wildly random or expensive, and I thought a cheap hydro would help me reassess my real goals and maybe provide others on the forums who are curious with an interesting experiment. I wasn't prescient enough to take "before" pics when I started losing (well before joining MFP) but I thought doing so before the test would be a cool experiment.

I will admit that I thought anyone saying 23 or 24%+ was probably off considerably -- I actually thought I'd be between 20% and 21% but was prepared to be surprised by 19% or so and 22% or so. That was just based on a bunch of online research and Google image searches for body fat for males. Maybe my posted pics don't have great angles or lighting, but I think I actually have decent musculature and didn't think I'd come in at 23%+ myself.

Anyway, I thought it'd be a cool experiment if people actually responded (and they did!) and I was anxious myself to get a better sense of where I need to be. I actually took great heart from the very first reply from Sidestep who guessed 19-20% in part because I had found a thread by searching where Sidestep and a female poster (whose user name escapes me) would share their estimates on posted user pics and I thought they were pretty good.

I'm just happy that I think I need to go only another 10 or 15 pounds before starting to try and add some lean body mass (assuming my stubborn tummy cooperates - some of this is of course driven by vanity). Hopefully this was interesting and helpful to those who read through the thread.

Cheers!

TpocketT60

I'm shocked at all the high responses. +1 to the comment about being interested how many of them are runners/cardio bunnies. I was going to guess 17.5%-18% based off the pictures but got to the results before posting.

AleciaG724

Ha - I was right on the button! What do I win??

Fabulous job - you look great! Best wishes!

TpocketT60

Hah, this is awesome. I'd say 20% max, possibly 18%.

So he's got your avatar's bodyfat %? I think they look fairly different, and your avatar is not sub 15%.

Wow, you were not even close to right. And I would bet based on his avatar he is below 15%. Apparently you don't know what muscle looks like...

Cortelli

Ha - I was right on the button! What do I win??

You were indeed right on the button! You win a better picture of the unicorn pillow pet sitting on a button. (you can't actually see the button).

pavrg

Wow, you were not even close to right. And I would bet based on his avatar he is below 15%. Apparently you don't know what muscle looks like...

People @ 18-19% bodyfat tend not to have an inch or two of belly overhang over their drawers, but hey, maybe he was just wearing shorts way too small for him and that distorted the picture.

Muscular men @ 15% or lower start showing signs of having a 6-pack. I would have put that avatar at ~18% bodyfat.

But someone called the test taking off 3 points on the first page...any source on why you say that?

V0lver

Wow, you were not even close to right. And I would bet based on his avatar he is below 15%. Apparently you don't know what muscle looks like...

People @ 18-19% bodyfat tend not to have an inch or two of belly overhang over their drawers, but hey, maybe he was just wearing shorts way too small for him and that distorted the picture.

Muscular men @ 15% or lower start showing signs of having a 6-pack. I would have put that avatar at ~18% bodyfat.

But someone called the test taking off 3 points on the first page...any source on why you say that?

There is not one set rule to fat distribution. I have seen people with a belly overhang at 15 % bf and bodybuilders with all there 6 packs showing at 15 % bf also. And remember because he is a little older, that overhang can be just loose skin. Most men dont see their 6 packs untill they get down to 8-10% bf.

As for taking 3 percentage points off, In my experience from the mfp forums hydrostatic weighing measurements are always off and on the lower side than the actual value.

AleciaG724

Ha - I was right on the button! What do I win??

You were indeed right on the button! You win a better picture of the unicorn pillow pet sitting on a button. (you can't actually see the button).

Awww gee thanks!! Now I actually have TWO purple unicorn pillow pets!! Hahah, my daughter has one too!

bonjalandoni

Im a cardio guy but i thought his body fat was 20%, Im off by 1.11% but still within margin of error i bet... Not all cardio people are dumb... ;-) Congrats OP for a job well done.

PriceK01

Thanks for sharing your results with us! It's really interesting to see all of the numbers they gave you. I don't recall getting such a detailed report when I did the same test 20+ years ago.

And my apologies for the high 23% guesstimate. Can I qualify it by saying I'm a girl with a bit of dysmorphia? I always guess high, even on myself

Will you do another test and share your results when you get closer to goal? I'd love to be able to compare the two!

FrnkLft

18.89%.

And the detailed results:


"Personalized" Calorie Burn per Activity:

Hah! Nailed it. I had a feeling he was sub 20%...

Hah, this is awesome. I'd say 20% max, possibly 18%.

So he's got your avatar's bodyfat %? I think they look fairly different, and your avatar is not sub 15%.

My bodyfat in that photo was higher, probably around the same.

haroon_awan

21-22%?

Your left leg is also longer than your right leg by 0.5-1cm or so. You may also have an issue at the hip socket. Are you wearing orthaheel insoles and have you seen a physio about this?

Edit:18.89?! Wow I was way off!

jwdieter

As for taking 3 percentage points off, In my experience from the mfp forums hydrostatic weighing measurements are always off and on the lower side than the actual value.

How do you determine "actual value" from mfp forums reports?

Hydro is generally slightly lower than 4-compartment models:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11248873
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11864850

koing

I would have guessed 18%.

OP keep up the fat loss and you will be in great shape.

Koing

ncahill77

Im a cardio guy but i thought his body fat was 20%, Im off by 1.11% but still within margin of error i bet... Not all cardio people are dumb... ;-) Congrats OP for a job well done.

haha I really didn't mean it like that, i wasn't implying cardio people are dumb at all, they just tend to be less compact than lifters, much like 20% body fat on a woman looks much different than 20% body fat on a man. Runners and lifters just "look" different if that makes any sense at all.

Cortelli

And my apologies for the high 23% guesstimate.

No apologies necessary - this wasn't an effort to solicit "underguesses" or implied praise. Just was very curious myself and figured others might find it an interesting experiment.

Will you do another test and share your results when you get closer to goal? I'd love to be able to compare the two!

I plan to do the same thing 3 months from now when they come around again!

Cortelli

Your left leg is also longer than your right leg by 0.5-1cm or so. You may also have an issue at the hip socket. Are you wearing orthaheel insoles and have you seen a physio about this?

Seriously - how can you tell that from the photos? Not wearing any insoles and no hip issues yet. I'll talk to my GP at next annual physical.

haroon_awan

Your left leg is also longer than your right leg by 0.5-1cm or so. You may also have an issue at the hip socket. Are you wearing orthaheel insoles and have you seen a physio about this?

Seriously - how can you tell that from the photos? Not wearing any insoles and no hip issues yet. I'll talk to my GP at next annual physical.

It's quite common and easy to spot when you know what to look for.

Take the first picture: the image is reversed because it's in a mirror, so you are of course actually holding the camera in your right hand. But anyway, look at the left side of your stomach (the side next to the window). You see that extra little roundness/ball of skin? And then look at both your shoulders. They're not even - and no it's not because you are holding a camera, and no the second photo does not reject this point. Essentially, the left side of your body is sightly higher than your right. That's caused, either by a longer tibia, the larger bone in your lower leg (or on some occasions a longer femur, the bone in your upper leg) or by a irregular connection at the hip socket. In this case, I'd say say it's a longer tibia because your left kneecap is ever so slightly higher than the right. A better look would be needed (especially a rear photo) and an in-person check but it's likely to be the case. Also, your feet appear flat footed but it's hard to tell from the photos as I'm not an expert (please bear this in mind I'm just interested in this) but based on the first one I would say this is also likely.

You should not wait for an annual check up. Just make an appointment with your doctor to get her to refer you to a physio. If you don't want to do this then to Amazon or a local pharmacy store and get something like this for your shoes. They're cheap and last about 12 months assuming you wear them every day.