Why I hate Body Fat Percentage!

ilfaith

My issue with body fat is that it is so difficult to measure properly. I know when I step on my Tanita scale, depending on time of day and what I've eaten and how much I have exercised, it can be anywhere from 19-23%. If I use the various tape measure techniques, I actually get in the 16-17% range, which I know cannot be accurate, since I am just not that lean. Years ago (in my mid-20s) I was measured with calipers and think that I got somewhere around 20%. Comparing myself to photos, I would estimate my body fat to be around 20-22%. I know that water testing or "BodPod" type scans promise to be better at pinpointing an actual number, but they aren't something you can really do on a regular basis to measure progress.

Sigh.

likitisplit

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

LOL

osothefinn

My issue with body fat is that it is so difficult to measure properly. I know when I step on my Tanita scale, depending on time of day and what I've eaten and how much I have exercised, it can be anywhere from 19-23%. If I use the various tape measure techniques, I actually get in the 16-17% range, which I know cannot be accurate, since I am just not that lean. Years ago (in my mid-20s) I was measured with calipers and think that I got somewhere around 20%. Comparing myself to photos, I would estimate my body fat to be around 20-22%. I know that water testing or "BodPod" type scans promise to be better at pinpointing an actual number, but they aren't something you can really do on a regular basis to measure progress.

Sigh.

Right. Like the original poster said, go with a combination of multiple points of reference so a single number isn't the hinge point for your feelings of success.

No_Finish_Line

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

well the good news is, should such a tragedy befall you, there is an ease fix for that.

congrats on being the first male i've head say on MFP that they were affraid of looking too muscular

likitisplit

My issue with body fat is that it is so difficult to measure properly. I know when I step on my Tanita scale, depending on time of day and what I've eaten and how much I have exercised, it can be anywhere from 19-23%. If I use the various tape measure techniques, I actually get in the 16-17% range, which I know cannot be accurate, since I am just not that lean. Years ago (in my mid-20s) I was measured with calipers and think that I got somewhere around 20%. Comparing myself to photos, I would estimate my body fat to be around 20-22%. I know that water testing or "BodPod" type scans promise to be better at pinpointing an actual number, but they aren't something you can really do on a regular basis to measure progress.

Sigh.

I do water testing twice a year. Check around. It'll put your mind at rest and help you calibrate your other measuring devices.

No_Finish_Line

My issue with body fat is that it is so difficult to measure properly. I know when I step on my Tanita scale, depending on time of day and what I've eaten and how much I have exercised, it can be anywhere from 19-23%. If I use the various tape measure techniques, I actually get in the 16-17% range, which I know cannot be accurate, since I am just not that lean. Years ago (in my mid-20s) I was measured with calipers and think that I got somewhere around 20%. Comparing myself to photos, I would estimate my body fat to be around 20-22%. I know that water testing or "BodPod" type scans promise to be better at pinpointing an actual number, but they aren't something you can really do on a regular basis to measure progress.

Sigh.

I do water testing twice a year. Check around. It'll put your mind at rest and help you calibrate your other measuring devices.

how much is it?

krawhitham

I haven't lost a lb for two months, and my clothes fit the same as they did when I was 15 lbs heavier in January. This makes me want to take a body fat test (hydrostatic testing) just once to see where I'm at.

I agree though, once I find out that baseline number, I'm not going to go back every month or maybe at all ever again. I'm just curious how much I have to lose, and if I'm on the right track.

dixiewhiskey

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

LOL

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

Or fail to eat because they want to lose weight at all costs...and don't care if it's muscle, bone density, etc.

True.. that **** is disturbing. Ah well...

likitisplit

My issue with body fat is that it is so difficult to measure properly. I know when I step on my Tanita scale, depending on time of day and what I've eaten and how much I have exercised, it can be anywhere from 19-23%. If I use the various tape measure techniques, I actually get in the 16-17% range, which I know cannot be accurate, since I am just not that lean. Years ago (in my mid-20s) I was measured with calipers and think that I got somewhere around 20%. Comparing myself to photos, I would estimate my body fat to be around 20-22%. I know that water testing or "BodPod" type scans promise to be better at pinpointing an actual number, but they aren't something you can really do on a regular basis to measure progress.

Sigh.

I do water testing twice a year. Check around. It'll put your mind at rest and help you calibrate your other measuring devices.

how much is it?

My gym runs a competition, so it's $75 for everything including the two tests. I think it's about $50 normally. It's pretty awesome seeing the year over year results.

dixiewhiskey

I kind of read the first post then commented... can someone break down the accuracy of the different methods of measuing BF% please?

Is water testing the most accurate of all other methods available?

tialynn1

Very well said. I agree. I don't follow my BF%. I do follow the scale, more as a guide. When people ask how much weight I want to lose, I always say a goal, but it will depend on how I feel when I get to that point or near that point. Then I will reassess.

yopeeps025

I kind of read the first post then commented... can someone break down the accuracy of the different methods of measuing BF% please?

Is water testing the most accurate of all other methods available?

Underwater weighing is most accurate also most expensive. Next comes I guess Dexa scan. I don't know wha that is. Next up is Bod Pod which I did close to a month ago. It tells you body fat% and everthing else, water, bone density, organs, and muscle as fat free %. It was 50 in my area. Next would be i guess the mirror and tape measurements.

likitisplit

I kind of read the first post then commented... can someone break down the accuracy of the different methods of measuing BF% please?

Is water testing the most accurate of all other methods available?

http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/5-ways-to-test-your-body-composition

DEXA scanning is the most accurate.

Azdak

I kind of read the first post then commented... can someone break down the accuracy of the different methods of measuing BF% please?

Is water testing the most accurate of all other methods available?

If done properly, it was always consider the "reference standard" in body fat testing. In that regard, it has been supplanted by DEXA scans.

The biggest issue w/hydrostatic weighing is that it is a more difficult methodology. You have to blow out all air and then remain underwater until an accurate scale reading is determined. The official protocol also requires that you do 10 different measurements (which I doubt anyone does). Finally, to be completely accurate, you have to measure actual residual volume (which no one does) instead of using a reference table.

Put all that together and you have a number of variables that can introduce error into the readings.

No_Finish_Line

i've read that the hydrostatic weighting is still supposedly most accurate, or they are about the same

Dexa scan was created to measure bone density but also can be used to determine BF%. i believe it uses xrays

do not know what they do with the 'body pod'

Azdak

It is human nature to look more favorably on the tools that you use professionally. So I come down on the side of finding that body fat % measurements are vital tools for working with people to counsel them on weight loss, general fitness, or overall health. I understand the OPs arguments as well.

For all the shortcomings, valid body fat measuring tools do provide concrete bits of information that make the discussion more meaningful for most people. I am usually able to work through the variables and place them in the proper context. Rather than using vague, descriptive terms, I am able to clearly identify body frame types, fat distribution patterns, etc, that most clients find extremely helpful. I can't tell you how many people I have been able to help-people who are being told they are "obese" based on BMI when they actually have large frames, people who are at long-term risk of osteoporosis because they are small with little muscle mass, people who are wasting time doing hundreds of crunches when they have a body type that is genetically predisposed to accumulate fat in the midsection, etc, etc, etc. It makes a difference.

For example: Saying "HCG is a crap weight loss plan" has limited effect. Showing someone that 35%-40% of their weight loss was lean mass is much more persuasive. Another: showing someone frustrated by slow-changing scale weight that they have lost twice as much fat as they thought is very reassuring.

No_Finish_Line

wouldn't really say its a vital tool. i'm sure many have arrived at thier goal weight without ever being tested

albayin

I kind of read the first post then commented... can someone break down the accuracy of the different methods of measuing BF% please?

Is water testing the most accurate of all other methods available?

Underwater weighing is most accurate also most expensive. Next comes I guess Dexa scan. I don't know wha that is. Next up is Bod Pod which I did close to a month ago. It tells you body fat% and everthing else, water, bone density, organs, and muscle as fat free %. It was 50 in my area. Next would be i guess the mirror and tape measurements.

From what I read, I think you got the two backward...underwater is not as accurate as we are told...everyone expels differently, which impacts the result clearly.

bravid98

No kidding, that's why we have trend lines... :laugh:



I weigh in every day at the same time and about the same hydration level. I'm a satisfied customer of body fat %.

is that graph part of some tracking software? or you just plotted your results. been toying with the idea of getting the scale that wireless connects to your computer

I have a Withings scale (first gen model) that does it. The graph I posted came from their HealthMate website, but they have smartphone apps as well. It also syncs to MFP, but the graphs on MFP don't have trend lines so I don't bother with them.

http://vitrine.withings.com/smart-body-analyzer.html

monthly fee for the Healthmate website?

Nope. I bought my scale about 3 or 4 years ago and it's still free to sync up.

ilfaith

Feh! I give up. Pass the cheesecake.

albayin

Feh! I give up. Pass the cheesecake.

I already had one yesterday after reading this thread...

albayin

wouldn't really say its a vital tool. i'm sure many have arrived at thier goal weight without ever being tested

yeah...my goal is if someday when I do jump jacks in front of a full length mirror and see nothing jiggling around that's the day I meet my goal...even a fancy scale says I had 30% bodyfat...

bravid98

No kidding, that's why we have trend lines... :laugh:



I weigh in every day at the same time and about the same hydration level. I'm a satisfied customer of body fat %.

is that graph part of some tracking software? or you just plotted your results. been toying with the idea of getting the scale that wireless connects to your computer

I have a Withings scale (first gen model) that does it. The graph I posted came from their HealthMate website, but they have smartphone apps as well. It also syncs to MFP, but the graphs on MFP don't have trend lines so I don't bother with them.

http://vitrine.withings.com/smart-body-analyzer.html

I'm not suggesting you should change anything you're doing since it seems to be working for you, but can't you see the trend from the data points alone? I can. Not so much on a day-to-day basis, but over the course of three or four weeks, you have a clearly visible trend, and it seems to be pretty consistent month after month.

I think a lot of people here must agree with you though. I don't think I've seen anyone talking about using MFP's graphs. Other than me, that is.

Yup, the trend is easy to see if you weigh in everyday like I do. However, it seems like a majority of people on here weigh in weekly. It would be even worse if you did a monthly weigh in for fat %.

I guess what I'm saying is, the more data points you have, the better your trend line looks and the easier it becomes to "ignore" the fluctuations on a day to day basis that are inherent to calculating BF%.

No_Finish_Line

I kind of read the first post then commented... can someone break down the accuracy of the different methods of measuing BF% please?

Is water testing the most accurate of all other methods available?

Underwater weighing is most accurate also most expensive. Next comes I guess Dexa scan. I don't know wha that is. Next up is Bod Pod which I did close to a month ago. It tells you body fat% and everthing else, water, bone density, organs, and muscle as fat free %. It was 50 in my area. Next would be i guess the mirror and tape measurements.

From what I read, I think you got the two backward...underwater is not as accurate as we are told...everyone expels differently, which impacts the result clearly.

i've read they are both potentially flawed and that hydrostatic was still somehow better or at least not any worse.

but i'm really just going by wikipedia

jim180155

Yup, the trend is easy to see if you weigh in everyday like I do. However, it seems like a majority of people on here weigh in weekly. It would be even worse if you did a monthly weigh in for fat %.

I guess what I'm saying is, the more data points you have, the better your trend line looks and the easier it becomes to "ignore" the fluctuations on a day to day basis that are inherent to calculating BF%.

I couldn't agree with you more.

albayin

I kind of read the first post then commented... can someone break down the accuracy of the different methods of measuing BF% please?

Is water testing the most accurate of all other methods available?

Underwater weighing is most accurate also most expensive. Next comes I guess Dexa scan. I don't know wha that is. Next up is Bod Pod which I did close to a month ago. It tells you body fat% and everthing else, water, bone density, organs, and muscle as fat free %. It was 50 in my area. Next would be i guess the mirror and tape measurements.

From what I read, I think you got the two backward...underwater is not as accurate as we are told...everyone expels differently, which impacts the result clearly.

i've read they are both potentially flawed and that hydrostatic was still somehow better or at least not any worse.

but i'm really just going by wikipedia

Well, the reason I said that is a person I know recently had 3 methods done and her number varies big time. Actually the underwater reads the lowest and in fact she's no way near 20% visually speaking...

but one case can't speak for all. so going with wiki probably is the more credible way, anyhow.

usmcmp

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

CA_Underdog

My issue with body fat is that it is so difficult to measure properly. I know when I step on my Tanita scale, depending on time of day and what I've eaten and how much I have exercised, it can be anywhere from 19-23%.

A couple people, myself included, posted body fat % graphs on here they got from BIA scales which showed the consistent trends t hey can track. Tanita scales s hould be consistent and +/- 3% accurate with hydrostatic weighing. It sounds like you're not following the recommended usage guidelines--

*** Weigh first thing in the morning, after peeing! ***

If you want the full and more official sounding version from Georgia State, here you go--

Abstain from eating and drinking within 4 hours of the test
Avoid exercising within 12 hours of the test
Void (urinate) completely prior to testing
Do not drink alcohol within 48 hours of the test
Avoid taking diuretics prior to testing unless instructed by your physician

No_Finish_Line

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

and dave draper in the middle. i'm not sure what your driving at here

likitisplit

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

and dave draper in the middle. i'm not sure what your driving at here

Basically, the guy who doesn't want to be 200 pounds at low body fat doesn't want to look like either of these athletes without doing any of the work that they put in.

Kind of like accidentally getting bulky on an elliptical.