Body Fat Percentage - Most Accurate??

HodderAL
HodderAL Posts: 358 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently used http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ to try to find my BMR. This site was one of the most recommended calculators that I have seen on MFP.

In an attempt to find my BMR, I also calculated my body fat percentage. The only problem is, the site provides three calculators, which give me three completely different percentages! Their original calculator gives me 26.5%, while the military body fat calculator gives me 49.1%!!!!! and the Covert Bailey calculator gives me 19.4%.

Does anyone know which method is the most accurate? I'd really like to try to figure out the best way to continue my weight loss journey and set realistic goals for myself. I also want to lose in the healthiest way possible, and being still somewhat new to the site, I think I am eatting way under my BMR. (MFP set me at 1200 calories).
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Replies

  • HodderAL
    HodderAL Posts: 358 Member
    Does anyone have any input?
  • elastar33
    elastar33 Posts: 6
    I've found that most of the online calculators aren't the most accurate. Especially that military one! I think the original one is probably the most accurate, but the best way is to go to a gym and have a personal trainer use calipers to measure it.
  • HodderAL
    HodderAL Posts: 358 Member
    Thanks :) I was thinking the best way was to get it done through a professional. My only problem is I live in the woods (lol) and there are no gyms close to me. I was hoping to get a rough idea now, and try to line something up with a gym the next time I travel.
  • antnterrsmommy
    antnterrsmommy Posts: 22
    Im glad that you posted that site...i'm gonna check it out! Thanks!
  • HodderAL
    HodderAL Posts: 358 Member
    Im glad that you posted that site...i'm gonna check it out! Thanks!

    You're welcome! :happy: It seems to be highly recommended lol
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Holy cow your results are far apart :D I thought it was bad that mine were like 6% apart. original 27%, covert-bailey 26%, military 32%

    No real advice. I bought some calipers (accu-measure) on amazon and got a friend to try them on me and if our calculations were accurate it's 28% with those. The chart that came with the calipers said 22% but I *know* that's crap, so I plugged the measurements into an online calculator that took more than one site. They are pretty nifty cheap little calipers though.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I've noticed most doing the military calc jump right in to the place to enter info, and don't read the info there.

    And this makes a huge difference.

    Note: Men should take their waist measurement at the navel. Women should measure the natural waist circumference at the point of minimal abdominal circumference, usually located about halfway between the navel and the lower end of the sternum (breast bone).
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
    BodPod or Water displacement are the way to go, I think.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    Water displacement is the most accurate I understand. The new sonar type should be pretty good as well.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/556733-body-fat
  • reneegee23
    reneegee23 Posts: 232 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/556733-body-fat

    This ^^^ :)
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 336 Member
    Hey,

    My old trainer is old skool!! He uses the 'skin fold test'....they use this device that pinches your skin and measures how much fat is on your body and do a calculation to find the percentage. There is also the electronic one you hold out infront of you, but not the most accurate, but very common these days.

    I would see if a trainer at your gym can do a skin fold for you. They may harras you to train w/them for the next 3 mts., but may be worth it. You want to measure your inches and body fat to see your true progress vs. just the scale. :)

    Good luck!
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    There is also the electronic one you hold out infront of you, but not the most accurate, but very common these days.
    ...They may harras you to train w/them for the next 3 mts., but may be worth it. You want to measure your inches and body fat to see your true progress vs. just the scale. :)...

    I think the trainers at the gym count on you having no idea what these numbers mean.

    After I'd been on line looking at a couple of different chart for BODY FAT PERCENTAGE GOALS.
    I asked a trainer at my gym to test me with the electronic thing you hold out in front of you

    He entered my stats 5'7" 143 lbs 50 y.o. I measured 28.2%
    He said he wanted to get me down to 19%

    I'm well within the health range for my height, weight and age on all the different charts I checked out on line.
    Really, I'd like to firm up a bit and get to someplace between 24%-26%, but there is no cause for panic.
  • DFWTT
    DFWTT Posts: 374
    Water displacement / Fat floats test. Most major Universities will do it on the cheap or free if part of a study.
  • Joestotn
    Joestotn Posts: 5
    The calipers can be had from amazon or other health sites. Then their are gobs or websites with multiple methods of calculations to plug in your measurements. Some use 3 measurements and others use 5 and 6. I don't have any where near by that can do a Water displacement test. The calipers are pretty close
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
    That's odd, mine were not that apart. The original one says 25.3, the military at 23.2 and the covert-bailey said its 19.5. At the gym, they had me use the BIA scale and there it said 23 (most probably between 21-22 range since I drank water a few hours before)
  • HodderAL
    HodderAL Posts: 358 Member
    I double checked my measurements, and again used the calculators and still got that crazy range. Oh well! C'est la vie :)

    I will try getting it done at a gym, the only problem is there are no gyms close to me (none within a 1.5hr drive! besides one little one that only has the equipment - no trained fitness staff) When I travel again, I'll make an appointment with a gym and have it done.

    Thanks everyone :)
  • lynette111
    lynette111 Posts: 77 Member
    All three of mine were crazy different too. I have an hourglass shape. One was 27%, one was 41.2% and the other 28% so I thought I should be somewhere in the middle of them say around 35. I asked heybales (smart guy here on mfp:) and he told me that usually your body fat % is close to your waist measurement. My waist is 35 inches so right on what I was thinking.
  • christinehetz80
    christinehetz80 Posts: 490 Member
    I had my body fat done at the gym caliper method and it was closest to the original calculator. I LOVE fat2fitradio.com and I LOVE their philosophy. It makes so much sense...Lose weight the easy eay, which is just to eat like the thinner person you want to become and do it slowly. LOVE that! :) Best of luck in your journey.
  • Kattarra
    Kattarra Posts: 190 Member
    BodPod or Water displacement are the way to go, I think.

    I'm doing the bodpod on Friday. Can't wait!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I double checked my measurements, and again used the calculators and still got that crazy range. Oh well! C'est la vie :)

    I will try getting it done at a gym, the only problem is there are no gyms close to me (none within a 1.5hr drive! besides one little one that only has the equipment - no trained fitness staff) When I travel again, I'll make an appointment with a gym and have it done.

    Thanks everyone :)

    Our county community center will actually do it for about $10-15. Check in to that too. Several city community centers have gyms too, wouldn't be surprised if they did too.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    All three of mine were crazy different too. I have an hourglass shape. One was 27%, one was 41.2% and the other 28% so I thought I should be somewhere in the middle of them say around 35. I asked heybales (smart guy here on mfp:) and he told me that usually your body fat % is close to your waist measurement. My waist is 35 inches so right on what I was thinking.

    Hrm, I wonder if this varies by height.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    All three of mine were crazy different too. I have an hourglass shape. One was 27%, one was 41.2% and the other 28% so I thought I should be somewhere in the middle of them say around 35. I asked heybales (smart guy here on mfp:) and he told me that usually your body fat % is close to your waist measurement. My waist is 35 inches so right on what I was thinking.

    Hrm, I wonder if this varies by height.

    Here's the really weird thing as to what the calc's use as measurements to do estimate on.
    http://www.gymgoal.com/dtool_fat.html

    Military/Navy - gender, height, neck, waist (women minimum), hips (women only)

    Navy women - gender, weight, height, neck, forearm, waist, hips, wrist

    Covert - gender, wrist (men & women), forearm (men), abdomen (men), hip (men & women), waist (women), thigh (women), calf (women)

    Regarding the Covert method,

    "How Accurate Is This Body Fat Test?

    This tape-measure test is used to estimate your percent body fat. It is usually quite accurate-- so if a man got 17 percent from this test, he could expect his true percent body fat to be anywhere between 15 and 19 percent.

    For some people, however, the results of the tape measure test may not come so close to their true percent body fat. People who are very, very fit can get numbers 3 to 5 percent higher than their true percent body fat. Because they don't have a lot of fat inside their muscles, very fit people may be lower in body fat than this tape measure test indicates.

    Conversely, if a person is skinny but not fit, this body fat test may yield a number 3 to 5 percent lower than his or her true percent body fat. Though they look thin, unfit skinny people really have more than the usual amount of fat inside their muscles, which you can't see from the outside.

    So, what's the bottom line? For many people, this tape measure test is quite accurate, it puts you in control, it can be done frequently and it costs nothing."
  • clairyfairy247
    clairyfairy247 Posts: 425 Member
    I got similar results when I did it!

    25.2
    25.7
    18.4
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    BodPod or Water displacement are the way to go, I think.

    I'm doing the bodpod on Friday. Can't wait!

    How did your BodPod compare?

    Mine was 0.6% higher than the measurement method avg between Covert and Navy methods.

    Considering PodBod says their's is 2% accurate either direction, or 4% total, that encompassed both Covert and Navy method separately, and made that avg almost nail it.

    So probably won't waste $35 on that again. But probably would have been nice at beginning of journey to know how far off the measuring method was, and then just kept doing that.

    It changed my BMR calc by Katch comp method by whole 25 calories.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    I like the Covert Bailey one, because (if I'm not mistaken) it takes the greatest number of circumference measurements into consideration. Also, between the three of them, the Covert Bailey puts me at ~21% which looks about right to me when I compare myself to photos of women with different percentages of body fat.

    I have ordered calipers, which I have used successfully in the past. Looking forward to how they compare.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I like the Covert Bailey one, because (if I'm not mistaken) it takes the greatest number of circumference measurements into consideration. Also, between the three of them, the Covert Bailey puts me at ~21% which looks about right to me when I compare myself to photos of women with different percentages of body fat.

    I have ordered calipers, which I have used successfully in the past. Looking forward to how they compare.

    Covert for Women uses:
    age, hips, thigh, calf, wrist

    Military/Navy for Women uses:
    waist, hips, neck, height

    So they use mainly different ones but still 4 measurements each, except for hips is the same. Hence the reason an average between them is probably more accurate.

    Calipers being another 5% possible accurate method in the hands of a skilled person using the 7-site method (which you can't hit some by yourself), it should be averaged with those other measurement methods.

    Bunch of 5% methods better than 1.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Covert for Women uses:
    age, hips, thigh, calf, wrist

    Covert Bailey uses 7 measurements for women:

    age
    wrist
    waist
    hip
    thigh
    calf
    forearm
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Covert for Women uses:
    age, hips, thigh, calf, wrist

    Covert Bailey uses 7 measurements for women:

    age
    wrist
    waist
    hip
    thigh
    calf
    forearm

    No, sites that do it, along with my spreadsheet, ask for all those, but they are not all used in the calculation.

    http://hubpages.com/hub/Five-Methods-to-Calculate-your-Body-Fat-Percentage-by-Using-a-Tape-Measure
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Covert for Women uses:
    age, hips, thigh, calf, wrist

    Covert Bailey uses 7 measurements for women:

    age
    wrist
    waist
    hip
    thigh
    calf
    forearm

    No, sites that do it, along with my spreadsheet, ask for all those, but they are not all used in the calculation.

    http://hubpages.com/hub/Five-Methods-to-Calculate-your-Body-Fat-Percentage-by-Using-a-Tape-Measure

    Really? I'm using this site. And you are saying that they are asking for, but not using all those measurements?

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

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