Body fat %, which one to go by?

angmarie28

so doing the measuring tape method it said my body fat % is 27, which I didnt really believe because I have huge hips (I will never wear smaller than a 9 in jeans), so then I did the method that came with calipers where you only check 1 inch above your hip (suprailiac) that came to 23.8, which I find believable, then I decided to use this site http://www.linear-software.com/online.html, and did the JP/7 method, and it came to 20.02% which I dont think I believe it, my upper body (arms, chest, ect) is thin, not much fat, but my upper thighs, butt and stomach still have quite a bit of jiggly fat, so which one should I believe, I really dont see how I could have a close to athletic body fat %, so which do I go by?

concordancia

If it is important to you, go get a dunk test, a bod pod test or a dexa scan.

Kanuenue

I agree with concordancia. The three that user named are the most accurate but a dexa scan is rarely done (expensive equipment) and bod pods are not available everywhere. Check your local University- their athletics or kinesiology may have access to one of these items if your health provider does not.

Also, caliper tests are very difficult to do by yourself, they are finicky devices and the angles are awkward- both can throw off measurements. Try to get a friend to do it next time and do the multiple location version instead of a single spot, it will give you a better picture of distribution etc.

rose313

I took an average of 3 calculators and the picture method. I'm sure it's not spot-on accurate but as long as I use it for comparisons it will be fine. For example, if the Navy calc says I'm 33% now, and in a few months it says 30%, then I know I have lost about 3% regardless of if the numbers were accurate or not...it could have really been 30% and 27%, who knows.

angmarie28

I agree with concordancia. The three that user named are the most accurate but a dexa scan is rarely done (expensive equipment) and bod pods are not available everywhere. Check your local University- their athletics or kinesiology may have access to one of these items if your health provider does not.

Also, caliper tests are very difficult to do by yourself, they are finicky devices and the angles are awkward- both can throw off measurements. Try to get a friend to do it next time and do the multiple location version instead of a single spot, it will give you a better picture of distribution etc.

the JP/7 method is checked in 7 locations, thats the one that came out to 20.02%, and I tripple checked every measurment to be sure

bumblebums

Here is a fairly comprehensive overview of the different ways of estimating body fat percentage. (Make sure to read both articles; the methods he discusses get more precise/cumbersome towards the end.)

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/measuring-body-composition-part-1.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/measuring-body-composition-part-2.html

There are different online calculators, but, as he says, tape measure methods give you only a rough estimate compared to more precise methods.

Brad805

Many people that do not have access to a bodpod or dexascan refer to pictures. Here are women at differing bf levels.

chrisdavey

if you are trying to measure progress just use your calipers on your stubborn fat areas and see how that changes. No real need to know the exact %. However, if you are just curious I would recommend a dexa scan.

concordancia

Many people that do not have access to a bodpod or dexascan refer to pictures. Here are women at differing bf levels.

That isn't actually very helpful - there are lots of ways to be at 20%.

And how is it possible that they could find someone at 50% who has a bikini that fits her, but not 45%

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Many people that do not have access to a bodpod or dexascan refer to pictures. Here are women at differing bf levels.

That isn't actually very helpful - there are lots of ways to be at 20%.

And how is it possible that they could find someone at 50% who has a bikini that fits her, but not 45%

Lol at the bikini comment, but I do think pictures like this help to get a rough estimate on what different levels of BF% look like. You might hear 25% body fat and think that's huge since 1/4 of your weight is fat, but in reality 25% is just "sort of thick" or "curvy" if you prefer that term. It certainly isn't "huge" like it might sound if you have no knowledge of appropriate body fat %.

chrisdavey

That isn't actually very helpful - there are lots of ways to be at 20%.

And how is it possible that they could find someone at 50% who has a bikini that fits her, but not 45%

:laugh:

e.g. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/899940-don-t-just-rely-on-bf