Body fat calculator? accurate?

hollyeverhart

I'm 117-120 pounds & 5'4 I did the body fat measurement calculator but I don't know the accuracy of it. Does anyone know how those things work? Mine said :

Body Fat Estimation:

Results:
Using your measurements of a 25 inches waist and weight of 120 pounds your body fat percentage is estimated to be % using the U.S. Army body fat algorithm, or % using the U.S. Marine body fat algorithm, or 20.95 % using the U.S. Navy body fat algorithm, or 17.75 % using the formula developed by the YMCA.

Is that correct or close to correct? is that healthy/normal?

Waist at the narrowest point - 25
navel-26
hips at widest- 36
neck at smallest- 12
weight- 117-120
height- 5'4


http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator

Thanks I have always been confused by this

AnarchoGen

Being a Marine veteran, I can tell you their method of a body fat calculator is NOT accurate.
measurements done at neck, waist, and hips. Add it all together and divide by 3, that is your body fat % according to the Marine Corps. There is one on here, it asks for measurements on your wrist, forearm, bicep, waist, neck, hips & legs. I think that would be more accurate, even those calipers aren't accurate.

Sublog

Body fat testing is not a "measurement." Intead, it is a prediction. It is a prediction with significant error...an error larger than most people realize.

AnarchoGen

I think this is the one I've used before, it will tell you whether or not you're at a healthy body fat % I can say that you are at a healthy %, but it just depends on your goals. Do you want healthy? athletic? etc... it all depends

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

AnarchoGen

Body fat testing is not a "measurement." Intead, it is a prediction. It is a prediction with significant error...an error larger than most people realize.

^THIS - also do you feel good? clothes comfortable? that is the best way to tell.

hollyeverhart

Do you know of any websites that have the calculator with forearms/wrist/etc? I have never seen that one. I just think I am 'skinny fat' I keep hearing that term. I have a small frame and small waist/small arms/small chest but I am all butt/thigh, not in a hugely obese way just noticeably bigger. But my weight is always 117-120 at 5'4 I thought that was healthy and 'thin' when I was at a higher weight and now I don't feel that way anymore because I still feel like I have 'fat'... I exercise and eat very healthy, nothing seems to help

Rae6503

I've heard the Navy one is good:

http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-calculator-navy

*Nevermind, you already did that one...

ninerbuff

I'm 117-120 pounds & 5'4 I did the body fat measurement calculator but I don't know the accuracy of it. Does anyone know how those things work? Mine said :

Body Fat Estimation:

Results:
Using your measurements of a 25 inches waist and weight of 120 pounds your body fat percentage is estimated to be % using the U.S. Army body fat algorithm, or % using the U.S. Marine body fat algorithm, or 20.95 % using the U.S. Navy body fat algorithm, or 17.75 % using the formula developed by the YMCA.

Is that correct or close to correct? is that healthy/normal?

Waist at the narrowest point - 25
navel-26
hips at widest- 36
neck at smallest- 12
weight- 117-120
height- 5'4


http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator

Thanks I have always been confused by this

Looking at your pics, I would ESTIMATE your body fat at being 19-20%.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

AnarchoGen

Are you lifting free weights? That's seems to help women out more than cardio ever could. & women don't get all big & bulky like men do from lifting weights, unless you take creatine or something.

hollyeverhart

Body fat testing is not a "measurement." Intead, it is a prediction. It is a prediction with significant error...an error larger than most people realize.

^THIS - also do you feel good? clothes comfortable? that is the best way to tell.

Well thats a hard question for me, my doctor has told me he thinks I have body dysmorphic disorder and I go from being happy and feeling comfortable to feeling horrible about myself and thinking I need to lose more weight. I wear a size 5 (juniors) a small in tops, but I always feel self conscious I just want to be more firm feeling/toned I guess not sure how to describe it. lol I need to find a workout plan that I can handle and stick with.

AnarchoGen

I'm doing this one right now

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html

I didn't sign up on the emailing list. I just go to it every day to see what I gotta do. It has nutrition, calculators etc so you can monitor your macros. It's completely free, and it's for beginners

ETA: monitor your macros on MFP - exercises, nutrition is on the LiveFit program

Nopedotjpeg

People are looking for an objective measure though, and seeing as how BMI barely tells you anything, bf% is the next best thing. Also, the Bod Pod test can be expensive depending on where you live.

hollyeverhart

Are you lifting free weights? That's seems to help women out more than cardio ever could. & women don't get all big & bulky like men do from lifting weights, unless you take creatine or something.

Maybe I should try that, Cardio has NEVER seemed to help me. I used to go to the gym 3-4 times a week and do about an hour on the treadmill and I didn't really notice a difference. I went steadily for about 6 month's, but I am a exotic dancer so gym 3-4 times a week and dancing 3-4 times a week was to much on me. Does anyone know what type of free weights reps/weight would be the best for me to start out with, Also what exercises? I want to work on my arms/legs/stomach a little bit, I don't really want a 'athletic' look just healthy slender & toned.

tangal88

creatine won't make a women bulky, nor will protein -- even when lifting heavy. (I take it, as do many women lifters) I am not bulky, except where I still have some fat left.

Steroids, and other hormone adjusting drugs can add bulk to women however.

hollyeverhart

People are looking for an objective measure though, and seeing as how BMI barely tells you anything, bf% is the next best thing. Also, the Bod Pod test can be expensive depending on where you live.

Yeah I don't really trust bmi at all. I just wish there was some test to tell me if I was a healthy weight for my height. Healthy amount of body fat etc...

hollyeverhart

creatine won't make a women bulky, nor will protein -- even when lifting heavy. (I take it, as do many women lifters) I am not bulky, except where I still have some fat left.

Steroids, and other hormone adjusting drugs can add bulk to women however.

I have never tried any supplements, but I do try to get enough protein, I am vegetarian, 90% vegan, so I always have to keep a eye on my protein, I always get the amount mfp suggests. Also I don't feel like I have my diet/food diary goals set up correctly. I just need someone who knows about fitness/weightloss to say "Hey here is the best way to do this: eat x amount of calories x amount of workouts x amount of pounds per week" Its hard to do when you don't really know much about it.

Any help is appreciated! feel free to add me, always looking for/giving support!

LorinaLynn

I'd have to agree with your doctor. You're tiny and gorgeous, and blessed with a curvy figure. If you think your hips are wide, it's because of the size of your pelvic bone, not from excess fat.

davecreed

I'm 117-120 pounds & 5'4 I did the body fat measurement calculator but I don't know the accuracy of it. Does anyone know how those things work? Mine said :

Body Fat Estimation:

Results:
Using your measurements of a 25 inches waist and weight of 120 pounds your body fat percentage is estimated to be % using the U.S. Army body fat algorithm, or % using the U.S. Marine body fat algorithm, or 20.95 % using the U.S. Navy body fat algorithm, or 17.75 % using the formula developed by the YMCA.

Is that correct or close to correct? is that healthy/normal?

Waist at the narrowest point - 25
navel-26
hips at widest- 36
neck at smallest- 12
weight- 117-120
height- 5'4


http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator

Thanks I have always been confused by this

somewhere between 17 and 20 look about right...and that's lean! for a girl. girls are usually supposed to be about 5% more then men...so a lean man would be 8-14% (really lean) any leaner than that an all you have is fat on your organs. Women have more organs then men and more other stuff :P. So you're in a really lean range for sure.

It's my understanding that the most accurate way of determining body fat percent is to be submerged into water. Ive never done this...i did the 7 caliber electrode method. a lot of gyms have it.

heybales

Comment was made for a body fat estimator that used more stats for potentially better estimate.

Covert Bailey's does.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/

After you use this, save the figures, and click on BMR link on right.

This gives a BMR estimate using the BF% instead of just age, weight, height. So potential for more accuracy.
It also gives a goal calorie suggestion for different activity levels, which could manually be put in here.

Just be aware if you select higher activity levels, do NOT record your exercise calories on MFP and then eat them back.
That increased activity level includes them already, just better do the workouts.

Now, take the figures you measured and used, and on MFP you can create other measurements to track besides weight, and you can enter all those, and have the great feeling of seeing stats shrink, even if weight doesn't seem to move as much as desired.

heybales

Regarding accuracy of BF% figure, at least in its use to calculate BMR.

Enter different BF% and see that the BMR really doesn't change much at all.

So as a basis for calculating other figures, not enterily important to be dead on. Exercise calories will have more inaccuracy in them, or even food entry and calorie value compared to label could easily be higher than the difference a few % points would cause.

For a better estimate of BMR, many suggest using the Katch-McArdle formula.

Here is a calculator that uses that formula, if you supply the body fat % obtained from where ever you can.

The nice thing here is, you can also enter better estimates of time at each activity level, and get a much better maintenance figure, and then base your goal calories off that.

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

AnarchoGen

creatine won't make a women bulky, nor will protein -- even when lifting heavy. (I take it, as do many women lifters) I am not bulky, except where I still have some fat left.

Steroids, and other hormone adjusting drugs can add bulk to women however.

Creatine bulked me up! LOL Well, maybe more than what I wanted

hollyeverhart

I'm 117-120 pounds & 5'4 I did the body fat measurement calculator but I don't know the accuracy of it. Does anyone know how those things work? Mine said :

Body Fat Estimation:

Results:
Using your measurements of a 25 inches waist and weight of 120 pounds your body fat percentage is estimated to be % using the U.S. Army body fat algorithm, or % using the U.S. Marine body fat algorithm, or 20.95 % using the U.S. Navy body fat algorithm, or 17.75 % using the formula developed by the YMCA.

Is that correct or close to correct? is that healthy/normal?

Waist at the narrowest point - 25
navel-26
hips at widest- 36
neck at smallest- 12
weight- 117-120
height- 5'4


http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator

Thanks I have always been confused by this

Looking at your pics, I would ESTIMATE your body fat at being 19-20%.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Thats what the body fat calculator said, is that a healthy percentage?

hollyeverhart

Thanks for the suggestions everybody c: I'm checking out some of the websites now.

ninerbuff

Thats what the body fat calculator said, is that a healthy percentage?

You're pretty lean and more athletic looking than the average female and with all the dancing you do, I'd say you're fine as long as your getting in your exercise and essential macros and micros along with rest.
BTW, I could do a better assessment with some "personal"pics! Feel free to pm to my anytime!




And just to verify, I do kid a lot when asking for pictures.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

PrincessMom08

I have found that there is A HUGE difference in my results depending on which type I use. I am short (only 5' 2") and weigh about 160. I would say that 85-90 % of my "problem area" is my stomach. Not my hips or my butt or arms or legs....all stomach. So when I do the standard height/weight/waist/hips measurement, my percentage runs around 35% (waist 33 and hips are 37.75). Then I try the calculators that ask for other measurements, such as wrist (4 1/2) and forearm (8 1/2) and I get a percentage of 27.16%. Huge, huge difference.

dirtyxrotten

This is a super late reply but the US Navy body fat algorithm is by far the most accurate for measurements; it matched my bodyfat percentage when I got pinched with callipers at my gym; of course, it is not 100% accurate, but it does the job.

heybales

This is a super late reply but the US Navy body fat algorithm is by far the most accurate for measurements; it matched my bodyfat percentage when I got pinched with callipers at my gym; of course, it is not 100% accurate, but it does the job.

That would be assuming the pinch method was dead-on correct.

In the hands of an experienced person, it can be decent if the 7 site method, for woman, either 7 or 3 about the same.

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/BodyComp.html

Up to 3.9% accurate.

Also, you have to have the proportions the measurement method is expecting. Bigger measurements than average and you'll throw the calc off.

But mix the Navy with Covert Bailey which uses mostly other measurements to balance it out.