body fat % calculator

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Ange_
Ange_ Posts: 324 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

I've been listening to a podcast called 'Fat to Fit Radio'. They advocate using body fat % as a better way of calculating what you should weigh rather than BMI or just what you weight.

They have several things where you input some tape measure measurements and it calculates it from that. They are here:

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

I did all of the options they had and they came up with somewhere between 22-25% body fat. For my gender and age this puts me very much in the healthy range according to their site. But i really don't believe this. According to my BMI i'm still about 13kg overweight! And i'm really not happy where i'm at right now either.
I do have big bones, including particularly my wrists which were part of the calculation (and i think how they tell how big your bones are).

Just wondering what people think about these kinds of calculations. How accurate really are the scales that calculate it. i'd heard they weren't too good so i don't want to spend money one one unless they are really great.

I also don't go to a gym so can't get them to do it for me.

Any advice?

Replies

  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    Forget the idea of BMI.
    It's not very accurate,

    If you want to go lower in BF% look into eating closer to TDEE.
    What youll want to do is use the BMR calc on Fat 2 Fit.
    Plug in your info and it will spit out a bunch of numbers at the bottom.
    Eat exactly the amount posted for you depending on your weekly activity.
    Youll lose fat that way and maintain most LBM.

    PM me if you need any help!
  • sugarsquare
    sugarsquare Posts: 60 Member
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    Do you suggest going all in and eating the suggested amount right away or building up to that level? Is it better to go all in and adjust lower if needed later? Fat2Fit says I should be eating 2221 calories I have bumped to 1950 this week and plan on 2100 next week, but I am not sure if that is a good idea. Fat2fit also said it is ok to eat 200-300 less if you are close to your goal weight, I only have 8-10 lbs left but I had been on WW and wrecked my metabolism since Jan 1st.
  • RoanneRed
    RoanneRed Posts: 429 Member
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    My understanding of body fat scales is that they are not accurate but, if you are consistent about time of day/day of week/etc they will give you consistent feedback on progress. From the information that came with my expensive set, the most accurate time of day is probably mid-afternoon - you don't want to be dehydrated, shouldn't use them within a couple of hours of eating or after an intense workout. These days you can get cheaper versions - I got some on the internet for under $30.

    Did you try using the goal body weight calculator on Fat2Fit?

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