Body Fat Percent

coffeen14
coffeen14 Posts: 27 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am interested at taking a look at my BFP and gauging my success over the course of this journey on that. I started out at 152lbs and I'm 5'3", this was a result of my senior year of HS eating whatever whenever, so here I am about a year out of hs and 6 months into my weightloss at 134lbs and I definitely notice a change but I'm a lot larger than other people I see my weight/height I still have a decent sized belly and I'm tired of feeling like I have to suck in all the time. I'm thinking that instead of focusing on a scale number I want to work on my BFP, anyone have tips on how to do this? Or any how to's on BFP measurements?

Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    There are tests you can do in medical facilities.

    Dexa scan is the most accurate
    Bod Pod and hydrostatic test (water tank)
    There are calipers but are prone to error.

    Last but not least there are websites that will give it based on measurments...but if you are the least bit off the norm...it does give an off reading...ie I have a big butt...so mine reads higher than it really lunch.
  • coffeen14
    coffeen14 Posts: 27 Member
    So if this is something I wanted to pursue I would have to go to a medical facility to get the most accurate reading?
  • DavidSTC
    DavidSTC Posts: 173 Member
    There are tests you can do in medical facilities.

    Dexa scan is the most accurate
    Bod Pod and hydrostatic test (water tank)
    There are calipers but are prone to error.

    Last but not least there are websites that will give it based on measurments...but if you are the least bit off the norm...it does give an off reading...ie I have a big butt...so mine reads higher than it really lunch.

    Wait a second. Was that last word some kind of subliminal message? :happy:
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    There are tests you can do in medical facilities.

    Dexa scan is the most accurate
    Bod Pod and hydrostatic test (water tank)
    There are calipers but are prone to error.

    Last but not least there are websites that will give it based on measurments...but if you are the least bit off the norm...it does give an off reading...ie I have a big butt...so mine reads higher than it really lunch.

    actually never thought about the 'off the norm' thing but i guess thats true.

    here is the thing tho, no matter what method you use to test body fat, its NOT going to be 100% accurate.

    If money and time is no object, then the hydrostatic weighing is the best.

    Most people arent going to bother with that and settle for a caliper, bio-impedance scale, or the websites where you take body measurements and put them into a formula. Of these, i highly recommend the websites. reason being that with the other two methods, things that are difficult to control, and have nothing to do with BF%, can dramatically effect the results. Water retention can throw the scale off, using the calipers on a slightly different spot on your body can produce a differetn result.

    Even tho the BF% you get from the website is most likely the least accurate, you can be far more sure that CHANGES to that inaccurate number are based on actually differences in the amount of fat in your body... and not on variables that have nothing to do with gain or loss of BF.

    Therefore when it comes to tracking progress, if you dont' want to pay for hydrostatic wieghting, i'd use the website.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    So if this is something I wanted to pursue I would have to go to a medical facility to get the most accurate reading?

    do you really care if you get the number right? or is the goal to make sure that the BF is going down? please see my other post
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    I use a bio-impedance scale. I'm sure it's not totally accurate, but it is fairly consistent and usually fluctuates no more than 1% from day to day, with most days fluctuating just a few tenths of one percent. Since I've been using it I've seen my BF slowly drop from 22% to 14%. One of these days I might get a DEXA to use as a benchmark or as an idea of how much my scale is off, but it's not a big deal. As long as my scale is fairly consistent and the long term trend is in the right direction, I'm happy.
  • danwood2
    danwood2 Posts: 291 Member
    Easiest way to do it at home, and the method that I use...
    In addition to needing your weight you will also need to take measurements

    Take measurements of your:
    Neck
    Thigh
    Wrist
    Waste at navel
    Hips
    Calf
    Thigh
    *Forearm

    and take note of them...

    Then go to the Body fat calculators online here:
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bf/
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/

    Do the average of all 3 for a round number!

    ETA: You will need to measure your forearm on one of the websites mentioned above
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
    InBody... InBody... InBody...
  • gorange
    gorange Posts: 7 Member
    The university near me offers both hydrostatic and bod pod at fairly reasonable rates. I got a bod pod for $30. If there is a college / university near you with an Exercise and Sport Science (or similar) program, check with them. This place also offers RMR testing, personal training and nutrition counseling at lower rates because you are working with (supervised) students -- also, they use your results for studies, with your permission, of course.
    Getting a bod pod was really eye-opening for me, because even though I am in a normal weight range, I have a higher body fat %. This has been a good challenge for me.

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