Body Fat % Measuring

karensoxfan

I see some talk about body fat % on the chat thread and in the 10-week challenge thread, so I figured I'd start another one to ask my questions about it:

1. What do you use to measure it? I know there are 3 basic ways: immersion (water displacement), scales & hand-held monitors, and calipers. Which one do you use, and do you usually see it consistenly decrease?

I ask b/c I used a hand-held one when I joined a gym in March, and it said my body fat % when I weighed 196.5 was 35.8%. After a month of cardio every day and 1 week of NROL4W, the same hand-held device said my body fat % had INCREASED (significantly) to 39.2% which was very discouraging. Both were taken around 5:30 am without anything to eat or drink first. I'm hopeful that the higher reading was a result of water retention because I was sore from lifting, but now I'm skeptical about how reliable the device is at all.

2. How often do you measure body fat? I was thinking of doing it monthly, knowing it takes time to see a reduction, but I'm curious what other people do.

3. If you've seen a reduction in body fat %, what was your starting % and what's your current? Also, what's your goal body fat %

As I mentioned, my starting body fat is maybe somewhere between 35.8 - 39.2%, but I don't really know for sure. I'd love to have it be below 25%, but my short-term goal is for it to be below 30% (maybe by the time I finish NROL4W)?

JustACaJen

Have you been to this site? http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

Specifically I use the Military Body Fat Calculator. I also have a bathroom scale that gives me a body fat percentage and the numbers on that compared with the numbers I get from the calculator on the website are usually pretty close.

karensoxfan

Have you been to this site? http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

Specifically I use the Military Body Fat Calculator. I also have a bathroom scale that gives me a body fat percentage and the numbers on that compared with the numbers I get from the calculator on the website are usually pretty close.

No, I'd never seen that, but now that I have, I'm not sure if I'm glad I did or not. I'll have to measure my neck, but guesstimating 15-18" my body fat is OVER 40%.

I'll have to measure everything @ home and run it with exact measurements though, but even if I don't like the result, thanks for posting this link.

jody75

I'm not sure I'm glad I went either. Boy was that a wake up call.

Actually, I'm glad I went. Thanks for the link.

cirka2002

I have a home scale that I use. It usually reads lower than any online calculator that I've used. I figure that as long as you continue to use the same thing to measure each time, you can set your goals accordingly.

For example:

My scale reads 27%...so my goal is 20%

online I come up with 31%...so my goal is 24%

karensoxfan

Well, it's 3 AM, and I'm awake, so I just measured myself and ran the calculations. I wasn't sure whether to use my waist at the belly button or smallest part (much higher on me since I'm apple-shaped), so I split the difference, and got this horrifying result. I don't understand how this calculation can be nearly 10% higher than the hand-held analyzer, and I still have no idea which one is right.

Here's the information that you entered:
•Sex: female
•Weight: 190 pounds
•Neck: 14 inches
•Waist: 38 inches
•Hip: 45 inches

Based on this information, you have a lean body mass of 105.2 pounds. Your lean body mass includes everything in your body that's not fat. Now that we know your lean body mass, let's find out how much fat you're carrying around. We'll subtract your lean body mass from your weight and find you currently have 84.8 pounds of fat on your body.

Your body fat percentage is 44.6%.

But if I use the Covert Bailey Body Fat Calculation, it specifies to use my waist at the widest part, and I get a much lower result.

Here's the information that you entered:
•Sex: female
•Age: 39 years old
•Wrist: 6.5 inches
•Waist: 40 inches
•Hip: 45 inches
•Forearm: 10 inches
•Thigh: 26 inches
•Calf: 15.5 inches

Based on this information, you have a lean body mass of 126 pounds. Your lean body mass includes everything in your body that's not fat. Now that we know your lean body mass, let's find out how much fat you're carrying around. We'll subtract your lean body mass from your weight and find you currently have 64 pounds of fat on your body.

Your body fat percentage is 33.5%.

ellie78

I ordered hand held monitor off Amazon that arrived just this week. I saw it recommended by someone who works in the health field, but can't say I really have anything to compare it to except another handheld monitor that was used to measure my body fat at a health fair. The two measures were more or less the same so I'm making an assumption of accuracy. I was thinking of checking once a week, but that may be too often. It does give me a measure to tenths of a %, though, so I was hoping I many see some small change.

Kcham817

I just got the hand held Omron fat loss monitor, within a week my body fat dropped from 28.1% to 27.1% with the bmi the same at 27.1.

nickm21

I have seen that certain body types can measure differently using different methods, but someone posted this link which gives you an average. http://www.gymgoal.com/dtool_fat.html
Hope this will make you feel alittle better

karensoxfan

@nickm21 - thanks. When I try that one, this is what I get:

Results:

42.53% (U.S. Navy Circumference Method #1 - men and women)

40.79% (U.S. Navy Circumference Method #2 - women only)

33.5% (book by Covert Bailey "Fit or Fat")

38.9% Average

Perswaysion

If it makes you feel any better my husband was navy for 9 years. He failed the test every year. He's had his body fat measured professionally. The navy would fail him and the test would come back at 12-16 percent. He's a body builder. The navy method says I'm 30 percent, the scale says I'm 30 percent. Calipers, and most other tests say around 20 percent. I have a large dislike of the miltiary assements. I"m apple shaped.

karensoxfan

If it makes you feel any better my husband was navy for 9 years. He failed the test every year. He's had his body fat measured professionally. The navy would fail him and the test would come back at 12-16 percent. He's a body builder. The navy method says I'm 30 percent, the scale says I'm 30 percent. Calipers, and most other tests say around 20 percent. I have a large dislike of the miltiary assements. I"m apple shaped.

Thanks. I'm apple-shaped too, and it sucks. Esp. b/c so many studies show being an apple is worse for your heart than being a pear. I'll be thrilled if I can get my 40" waist (at the belly button) down to 35" or less. The smallest I remember it being was 30" back when I weighed 125 in high school.

wowmom23

I've been using the Tanita body fat scale at my gym and for the last year, I've hovered between 25.5%-28% bodyfat, but usually sit around 26%. I used the fat-to-fit tool and the first one (original) I get 26.6%, Military gave me 31.2 HA! and the last one gave me 29.9%. I'm going with the 26.6% . I am pretty sure I'm not 30% bodyfat.

My goal is 21% or at least 23% as a primary goal.

I'm interested in how others measure. Thanks for asking the ?!

jpfrimmer

Have you been to this site? http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

Specifically I use the Military Body Fat Calculator. I also have a bathroom scale that gives me a body fat percentage and the numbers on that compared with the numbers I get from the calculator on the website are usually pretty close.

I tried all three of the calculators on this website and I got 26% body fat calculation from the original and military calculator, but I got 19% from the covert bailey calculator! Which one should I trust? I don't think I am 19% body fat, but I think because that one asks for leg measurements was the reason...I have very lean and muscular legs. But I also wear a size 2-4, however, I'm no where close to seeing my abs. There is definitely some work I need to do in my mid-section.