most accurate body fat measurement?

suzycreamcheese

I bought a lloyds pharmacy electronic body fat measurer off ebay which said my bodyfat was 26.9%
I also tried to measure it with callipers, which said 13%

I always heard callipers were more accurate but the place they say to measure - above your hip, i dont have any fat really at all there. All my fat is on my bum and thighs.

Id really like to have a better idea

fteale

I had mine done in one of those resistance machines in Boots, which put me at 28, which is miles higher than any of the other measures I have tried. I just don't know! People do say callipers are the best, but to do it accurately you need 14 different measurements taken, and someone else has to do it on you.

taso42_DELETED

See if there is a Bod Pod near you. I understand these are currently considered the most accurate. http://www.bodpod.com/

erickirb

I bought a lloyds pharmacy electronic body fat measurer off ebay which said my bodyfat was 26.9%
I also tried to measure it with callipers, which said 13%

I always heard callipers were more accurate but the place they say to measure - above your hip, i dont have any fat really at all there. All my fat is on my bum and thighs.

Id really like to have a better idea

Calipers are only accurate when used by a trained professional, and they are very difficult/inaccurate when taking your own measurements. See the body fat chart below. Unless you are a body builder or figure competitor 13% is hard to achieve.

Description Women Men
Essential fat 10–13% 2–5%
Athletes 14–20% 6–13%
Fitness 21–24% 14–17%
Average 25–31% 18–24%
Obese 32%+ 25%+

The most accurate measuring for body fat % is Hydrostatic Weighing

Driagnor

With calipers, a lot depends on the type and quality of them. It's also a bit of a science getting the point right where you're accurate - you should measure in the same place 3 times in a row, and if you're getting within 1 or 2 mm three readings in a row, you know you've got the technique right.

The 14 measurements gives you a higher degree of accuracy (assuming the tester knows what they're doing) but something like the accu-measure only needs a single skinfold measure, and is usually within 2-3% of a full caliper test.

Even if you don't have a lot of fat on your hip, that spot is indicative of the subcutaneous fat throughout your body. Also, the important thing isn't really whether it's completely accurate down to the last percentage point. It's whether, using the same method, you're seeing a downward trend over time.

ArchyJill

Calipers are horribly inaccurate, I suspect your gadget is more on track. I got a DEXA scan not too long ago and it generally agrees with my hand held and scale fat monitors. It's important to note that the handheld monitors really only provide feedback for the upper body and the scale-type (where you just stand on it) are really only giving data for hips downward.

Home fat monitors are good, the Bod Pod is better, and DEXA scans are the best.

erickirb

Calipers are horribly inaccurate, I suspect your gadget is more on track. I got a DEXA scan not too long ago and it generally agrees with my hand held and scale fat monitors. It's important to note that the handheld monitors really only provide feedback for the upper body and the scale-type (where you just stand on it) are really only giving data for hips downward.

Home fat monitors are good, the Bod Pod is better, and DEXA scans are the best.

Actually the most accurate measuring for body fat % is Hydrostatic Weighing. Expensive and hard to find a place that does this testing as the equipment is very expensive.

ArchyJill

Calipers are horribly inaccurate, I suspect your gadget is more on track. I got a DEXA scan not too long ago and it generally agrees with my hand held and scale fat monitors. It's important to note that the handheld monitors really only provide feedback for the upper body and the scale-type (where you just stand on it) are really only giving data for hips downward.

Home fat monitors are good, the Bod Pod is better, and DEXA scans are the best.

Actually the most accurate measuring for body fat % is Hydrostatic Weighing. Expensive and hard to find a place that does this testing as the equipment is very expensive.

Um...well, no. A three level DEXA scan can separate out visceral fat, subcutaneous fat, bone mass, and muscle mass...hydrostatic testing just gives you fat vs. non-fat.

PoleBoy

I bought a lloyds pharmacy electronic body fat measurer off ebay which said my bodyfat was 26.9%
I also tried to measure it with callipers, which said 13%

Complete waste of money I'm afraid - it basically uses your BMI and hydration level. We monitored 8 people with one of these, and everyone's fat/non fat changed in exactly the same proportion as their weight changed.

There needs to be 2 pads per hand/foot for them to be any good. a "tetrapole" BFA (hands and feet, two pads each) is the gold standard

PoleBoy

Actually the most accurate measuring for body fat % is Hydrostatic Weighing. Expensive and hard to find a place that does this testing as the equipment is very expensive.

Technically we're talking about predicting body fat measurements, not actually measuring them. to measure them you're talking MRI scanning with human verification of classification - but that's horribly expensive and time consuming, or dissection - but that's a bit of a one time thing