Measurements: Help me make sense of my numbers!

Nedra19455

So I've been tracking measurements for about 4 weeks now and I'm ready to bang my head on a wall. I'm so confused.

I'm a woman, first of all. I know that that makes a difference as far as where you measure and what's a healthy body fat percentage, etc.

MFP says to track: Neck, Waist and Hips

I was hoping to see losses in a few more areas so I also added Upper Left Thigh and Chest (Under the armpits) and because I wasn't sure where to measure my waist, I counted the MFP "waist" as my natural waistline and then added an Across-the-Naval Waist measurement.

Then today I wanted to use the body fat calculators at http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bf/ and so I ended up also collecting my wrist at the widest part and my wrist just below the wristbone, my forearm, and my calf.

SO, using all these measurements, I get 43.5% body fat with the military measurement and I also get 42% body fat on my BIA scale, (which I know is supposed to be less accurate). But then I get 27% body fat with the others that include your wrist and forearm and whatnot. (I do have a pretty big wrist. My fingers can't touch unless I squeeze pretty hard and then they barely touch.) Which of the measurement methods is more accurate? I'd love to believe that I am 27% BF, but I think that the 42-43% range is probably more accurate? Especially since that's what my BIA scale also says?

Then to confuse matters further, I also looked up instructions for doing your waist-hip-ratio (http://www.healthcalculators.org/calculators/waist_hip.asp) and it said to measure your hips at the widest part around your buttocks! My hip measurements had previously all been at the widest part when looking straight in the mirror (which, for me, is higher than my butt). I had been looking at pictures like this: http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/navy_mf.gif to see where to measure and the widest part of my hips when looking straight on is definitely not around my butt.

So then now I'm wondering if that's how I was supposed to have been measuring my hips for all those other calculators too. Have I been taking the wrong hip measurements for the last 4 weeks and should I be using the around-the-butt measurement for the other BF calculators? It's currently a difference of about 2 inches when I look at myself from the side and measure straight around my butt rather than the way I had been doing it looking at myself from the front.

Help! I just did all the work of putting my measurements into inches from centimeters and now I feel like I want to throw my tape measure out the window entirely. (I had previously been using centimeters because I thought I'd like to see the numbers go down faster and because MFP rounds whatever number you have to the nearest 10th anyway, but really it just confused me.)

Also, adding to my frustration is the fact that I seem to be going up in some measurements despite the fact that I FEEL and LOOK slimmer. Is this possible? Everyone recommended doing measurements as a better indicator of progress, but if they're a better indicator, then I'm even sadder because they seem to be telling a very different (and confusing) story than my scale. I am measuring every Saturday morning, after using the restroom and before eating or drinking anything.

Cherimoose

If you must track your bodyfat using methods other than a mirror, use an accurate method - bodyfat calipers, hydrostatic weighing, Bod Pod, etc.

3dogsrunning

I haven't found any of those online calculators to be accurate. When I competed in a bodybuilding show it was still showing me way over 20% BF and I had visible abs.
It doesn't really matter where you take your measurements so long as you measure the same spot each time. I always do the narrowest part of my waist, and the biggest part of my buttocks for my hips.

Take pictures, use the mirror and how your clothes fit. Most methods of estimating bodyfat aren't accurate to be relied upon.


ETA - I should say, for tracking purposes, where you take it is irrelevant as long as you stay consistent. For using calculators you have to follow their directions.