Body Fat

midnightryder
midnightryder Posts: 47
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
What is the best way to determine body fat other than body pod or underwater weighing? I bought a caliper from GNC which states it is as accurate as underwater weighing. It concerns me of the accuracy though because it only requires a one site measurement. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • albinogorilla
    albinogorilla Posts: 1,056 Member
    A good rule of thumb I was told once was, once you can see your whole six pack, not just the top 4, you are at 10%.

    Thats my goal.
  • vade43113
    vade43113 Posts: 836 Member
    What is the best way to determine body fat other than body pod or underwater weighing? I bought a caliper from GNC which states it is as accurate as underwater weighing. It concerns me of the accuracy though because it only requires a one site measurement. Any thoughts?

    Um here,

    this might help

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

    the idea is that you can check what your reading is to this thing to determine accuracy
  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
    I too would be reluctant to count on a single measurement. There are lots of formulas out there to use that take into account other measurement points.

    I can't personally recommend any one formula over another, but some popular ones are Jackson/Pollock, Parrillo, and Durnin/Womersley. There are probably others if you Google "body fat calculator".
  • DFWTT
    DFWTT Posts: 374
    You need at least a 3 site measurement for accuracy. There is also a 7 site test. The body pod is accurate to +- 1.5% whereas the the research grade calipers are in the 2% range and cost upward of $300. They are accurate to less than 2mm and have a resolution of 1mm. The ones from GNC, I can only assume, will be less accurate to ~3.5%. That is a guess. Some numbers in this report are inaccurate when reading on the surface, please note the r=validity variable.VVV

    http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/bodycomp.html
  • Anayalata
    Anayalata Posts: 391 Member
    A good rule of thumb I was told once was, once you can see your whole six pack, not just the top 4, you are at 10%.

    Thats my goal.

    I've tested myself with a caliper, measurements and a fancy scale. Every test I've done has come to 10% and I can still only see my top 4. It seems I store almost all of that 10% in my lower belly.
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