Body fat percent

dbevisjr

Using a body fat caliper purchased at GNC for $20. Started around 32%, about 27% now, targeting under 20% to start and probably pick a more defined target once I get there. Most every online calculator uses weigh as a measurement to calculate and weight can fluctuate 5 pounds on any given day. Caliper measurement doesn't do that, it's much more consistent.

skylark94

My ultimate goal is 20% BF, which I believe based on current measurements will happen around 125 pounds.

I use the number from my scale for my official number and use other measurements to verify what my scale tells me. I am scheduled for a body composition test next week and may make adjustments based on what those results are, but I feel my numbers are pretty accurate at this point.

CentralCaliCycling

I have a scale that measures body fat along with water content. It seems to be fairly consistent with what I have been doing and the way I look. I noticed that when I went to a gym on a fitness challenge that they had me at about 17% with calipers when the scale said 10%. Over the next six weeks I did pretty much what I had been before but in a gym environment. My scale did not change much but at the end they claimed I had dropped from 17% to 12%. My belief is that the calipers can and do change depending on who is holding them and if there is a benefit the the holder of your having more or less. Personally, I am happy with the scale which runs electricity through to find an amount.

Elen_Sia

I use a measuring tape and Fat 2 Fit Radio's military body fat calculator: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/

rkr22401

My belief is that the calipers can and do change depending on who is holding them and if there is a benefit the the holder of your having more or less.

This is why you want the same person taking the measurements each time and why I prefer to do it myself. I know I am measuring the same spots each time, which gives consistent readings.

CentralCaliCycling

My belief is that the calipers can and do change depending on who is holding them and if there is a benefit the the holder of your having more or less.

This is why you want the same person taking the measurements each time and why I prefer to do it myself. I know I am measuring the same spots each time, which gives consistent readings.

And you don't have a bias to measure it light to claim a higher body fat at the beginning of a program and then tight later to claim a great loss after it is over... I might be wrong but that is what I suspect happened.

mfpcopine

I take my BF readings daily but then average out the readings for a fortnight.

I plug in my scale's bf readings into a couple of online sites. Every now and then I'll run a report to get a graph that shows the direction in which my percentage is moving.