Conflicting % body fat numbers. Confused!

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sraffel
sraffel Posts: 66 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I recently hit a plateau & decided to increase my calorie intake. I think I've been mistakenly eating too few for my activity level for a while now! I started using the TDEE-15% method just using my height & weight and added 350-400 cal to my day a week and a half ago. I'm down half a pound, which is all I'm trying to lose per week as I want to maintain my lean muscle, so I'm happy with that.

Anyway! I decided to try to calculate my body fat percentage using http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ to track that as well as my weight. The military calculator says I'm currently at 32.5% and my goal weight for 25% should be 127 lb, which seems about right, but the Covert Bailey calculator says I'm at 20.7%!?!? What the heck! Is it normal to get such varied results? The only thing I can think that would be skewing the numbers like this...is that I carry almost all of my extra weight in my midsection. My legs are already slim from running and my wrists are tiny. Can that throw the number off that much? Should I just forget about Covert Bailey?

Thanks!

Replies

  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    i did mine and it showed on military 23.1 %, on convert it was 24 and on original it was 25.....
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
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    I always go by the military number...mainly because I am military and used to it....but also because it takes into account actual measurements rather than weight itself. Just because someone weighs 130 lbs that doesn't mean they have low body fat...the same goes for someone who weighs 200 pounds, it doesn't mean they have high body fat (look at wrestlers, etc....)
  • proudandprejudiced
    proudandprejudiced Posts: 127
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    I don't feel that the calculators work very well. Not for me anyway. Some gyms have scales with BF% calculating systems (I think it uses electrical impulses). Doctors will have a way to tell you, too, either the scales or a caliper measuring thing I think? I have the scales, and I get consistent readings. The most it varies is from 17-18% for me.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,205 Member
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    Yes, that sort of variation is normal unless you get a dexa scan. The margin of error in things like the calculators you used and the scales that measure it are quite large and they are inconsistent.
  • RunningRichelle
    RunningRichelle Posts: 346 Member
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    I have a scale that measures BF% with electrical impedance, and it matches the military number pretty well. I bought it at Aldi for about $15, so I can't imagine that it would be more than $20-$25 at somewhere like Target or similar.. worth it to not have to measure and input all those numbers each time! And the scale tracks my progress too which is nice.
  • sraffel
    sraffel Posts: 66 Member
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    Well that's good to know, thanks. I think I'll just stick to the pounds and inches system, since it's been working, and take the % with a grain of salt.
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
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    I don't think that military calculator is all that accurate. I don't see how it could be when you only put in like 5 measurements, and it doesn't know if you have fat or muscle making your circumfrence larger. That being said, the military calculator and my bf scale seem to line up for me with a varience about about 2%. Frustrating when I feel like that 2% is the difference I'm looking for, but it is what it is. I'm not so obsessed that I'm going to shell out for a more accurate test. The calipers seem even trickier, and you need someone to help you measure some of the points. My caliper measurements are consistently a full 3% lower than the lowest of the other two.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    i like the ones that have the height measurement in them, i think it would be more accurate. i have stepped on scales with bf% in the stores and it adds like 5 % in for me, so on fat 2 fit i was 23% and in the store it showed 28%... that is a huge difference in my eyes.... i don't think i am 28%, but maybe i am not seeing myself accurately in my eyes anymore? i don't know.
  • JazzieSmith
    JazzieSmith Posts: 9 Member
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    I've found that BMI calculators aren't accurate for us military folks since we tend to have more muscle mass. Try going to your health and wellness center (HAWK) and asking if they have a "bod pod". You'll need to wear a swimsuit in the pod but you'll get an accurate body composition.
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    hi ya i am 180lbs and have body fat of 19.7% :blushing: :bigsmile:
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
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    The Haybaler excel sheet on the infamous "In Place of a Road Map" post calculates it four different ways (if you have calipers), then averages them. That seems to get close to what I'd guess. "

    There is still an inordinate difference between most of the military calculators and my calipers. I've testing it maximum, minimum, googled videos to make sure I'm doing it correctly, but the calipers still seem much lower than I think I am compared to pics of other tested women online.

    On the other hand, the highest measurements I've found seem inordinately high and do not match photos either.

    Perhaps the best way is to look at pics of women online with known body fats and pic one that looks similar to you to get a ballpark of what you probably are, then look at which numbers seem to trend correctly for you (or get an average).

    The discrepancies are odd to me as well.

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