Body Fat % Calculator Question

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elorawood
elorawood Posts: 68 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,

I was wondering, do the online body fat calculators work at all or come at least close to the truth?

If so, why do some ask for height and some don´t? Shouldn´t it be important how tall you are?

I get really mixed results, with this calculator: http://www.fitwatch.com/qkcalc/body-fat-percentage-calculator.php (no height) I have 25.7% BF
With these (Military ones, with height): http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ , http://www.linear-software.com/online.html I get 20.7 %.

I mean that is a pretty big difference - so which one is more accurate? I would like to just believe the Military ones :p But I don´t want to cheat myself.

Any option / help is appreciated!

Replies

  • closenre
    closenre Posts: 225 Member
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    The best way I have found is to look for pictures that are certified. Builtlean.com Has some pictures you can compare yourself to. Unless you have a caliper, it is hard to know your bf%. Tape works but can be off..
  • fisherlassie
    fisherlassie Posts: 542 Member
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    bump
  • ptjolsen
    ptjolsen Posts: 365 Member
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    If all they are asking for is; height and weight, you are just getting your BMI. something that differs from fat %
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    They are all estimates, some better than others. When I started tracking it, I simply picked a calculator, and I continue to use the same one, just to track the trend. The poster above mentioned the pictures...

    body-fat-percentage-picture-men-women.jpg

    The calculator I have been using indicates my body fat is over 50%, but if I compare to the pictures above, I am closer to 45%. But I would rather consider myself higher in order to stay motivated to shed the fat. Then maybe at some point I'll get some calipers or do a bod pod and get a better estimation.
  • jrmartinezb
    jrmartinezb Posts: 147 Member
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    The military calculator said I'm 22, my handheld BIA thingy says I'm 23, from pictures I've seen I judge myself to be between 20% and 25%. So I guess the military one works more or less fine with me.
  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
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    I have gotten equally mixed results with these calculators. In my case I'd say the fat2fitradio military calculator is the most accurate. If I compare the numbers I get with the pictures here:

    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

    The numbers fat2fit gives me matches the picture that most resembles me. The Fit Watch calculator is way off.

    If you are simply looking for a change in body fat, then just keep using the same calculator each time. You should see a change as your body changes even if the absolute number you get isn't correct. If you really want to know your exact bf% you'll need to use a more sophisticated method in order to get it.

    Also, pay attention to where it tells you to take the measurements (if it tells you). Some of them tell you what they consider to be the waist (at the navel, at the narrowest part etc.) and some don't. If they don't, and you're measuring in a different spot then they intended, then that could throw the whole calculation off.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    For me, it depends on what body part measurement they use, as I carry all my extra weight in the midsection. If they use the wrist and forearm, I have only 22% body fat. Since I am 5'6" and still 200 pounds, I highly doubt that is accurate! The Army calculator that uses neck, waist, and hip (for women), measurements, says I am around 46%, down from well over 50% when I started 3 months ago. That one is much more accurate as I still need to lose another 50 pounds.
  • VitVit18
    VitVit18 Posts: 103 Member
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    (bumping for links)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    The other thing I would add is that the calculators that give me around 55% BF also state that my lean body mass in less than 100 pounds. I find that to be ridiculously low. I have read other things that suggested that my lean body mass could be as high as 160 pounds. That figure seems to be an extreme in the opposite direction, but I think that was talking about people that 100 pounds or so more than my highest weight. Another calculator had me input several measurements, along with height, weight, and age, and suggested that my LBM is about 118 pounds, which would put my BF% at 44% at my starting weight. If I assume that I have lost 5% of my LBM, then my LBM would be roughly 112 pounds, making my BF% about 52%. That number is actually the median between the low and high extremes and probably more accurate. I wish I could find that calculator again, but I didn't bookmark it. I was about 15 pounds heavier when I ran those numbers.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    Those pictures are pretty accurate. They also confirm the theory that women with over 30% BF should NOT wear bikinis! :bigsmile:

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