Checking Body Fat

crazedcujo

Anyone have experience with the most accurate way to measure body fat? I tried online stuff, calipers and my friend has a hand held digial one - everyone seems to give huge different numbers.

jhardenbergh

I haven't done this but I want to it's called the Bod Pod, try googling it and see if there are any sites around you that offer it.

rileysowner

The best you are likely to have available easily are the Bod Pod or the Underwater Weighing methods. The best is DEXA (Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) but it is not that likely you can find a place that will do it for you. Body Pods are getting more common though. The ones you hold in your hands (or stand on in the case where they are built into a scale) are not accurate at all as the numbers they give will change a lot based on how hydrated you are. Calipers can be somewhat accurate in the hands of some with lots of experience, but even then they are not that precise and have a large margin of error.

MaximalLife

I use this which relies on body measurements.
There is nothing better than that.
Here: http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

The thing I like about this is that it's free, and you can easily track progress yourself - no need for expensive devices or water dunks or other such foolishness:bigsmile:

MaximalLife

The best you are likely to have available easily are the Bod Pod or the Underwater Weighing methods. The best is DEXA (Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) but it is not that likely you can find a place that will do it for you. Body Pods are getting more common though. The ones you hold in your hands (or stand on in the case where they are built into a scale) are not accurate at all as the numbers they give will change a lot based on how hydrated you are. Calipers can be somewhat accurate in the hands of some with lots of experience, but even then they are not that precise and have a large margin of error.

^^^^^^^^^
Waste of money
And every time you need to track body fat, you'll have to return, go through the whole thing again, and the results are no better than simple body measurements.

Hayesgang

I have to respectfully disagree with the above poster, I did the BodPod last month and it was very informational.

I had calipers and the handheld device done and they were much lower then the BodPod. The calipers are only as good as the person performing the measurements.

It not only gives your BF% but also your RMR and TDEE which I found very helpful because I wasn't eating enough.

If you do a seach on here under "bodpod" you will see all my result and what you could expect to find out.

Check your local college they may have one.

MaximalLife

Here is a site comparing all the different methods and the costs
http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/bodycomp.html

MaximalLife

I have to respectfully disagree with the above poster, I did the BodPod last month and it was very informational.

I had calipers and the handheld device done and they were much lower then the BodPod. The calipers are only as good as the person performing the measurements.

It not only gives your BF% but also your RMR and TDEE which I found very helpful because I wasn't eating enough.

If you do a seach on here under "bodpod" you will see all my result and what you could expect to find out.

Check your local college they may have one.

A friend spent $50 on one of these - a lot of trouble, but to each his own.