Borderline obese?!?

tschaff04
tschaff04 Posts: 296 Member
in Motivation and Support
I know scales can be deceiving, and are just numbers, etc. But how accurate are the bf% numbers on scales? Mine gives you your weight, bf%, water%, and bmi.

I am 5'5 and weigh 160 pounds according to my scale. But it also says my bf% is 39!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :noway: :cry:

I went and looked up %'s and what's normal, over, under etc. and apparently I am borderline obese at 160 pounds?!?! Anything above 39% is obese. I don't feel obese, I don't look obese( I HOPE!), and I would never guess someone who is 5'5 and 160 is obese.

So what gives? Are the bf% numbers even close to accurate on scales? I know the only way to get an accurate number is to use those little measuring tools, but I also know people say the next best thing is to use calculators(all give me way different numbers), and scales.

What's your experience?

Replies

  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    Have a look at a few websites until you find an "average" answer - most measure your height as well.

    ETA I'm about the same and NHS website says I WAS obese but now I'm overweight. :ohwell:
  • tschaff04
    tschaff04 Posts: 296 Member
    F2FR Original calculator says 27.1%
    F2FR Military calculator says 38.7%
    F2FR Covert Bailey calc says 18.2% :laugh: :laugh:
  • TammyKeaten
    TammyKeaten Posts: 61 Member
    In your pictures you are far from obese! Don't worry!
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    I'm 160 as well, and I am considered obese...but I'm only 5'1''. Different measuring tools will yield different results (in my case, one measuring tool measured different results each time, and it was an online tool!)
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    I'm no longer "morbidly obese", just regular, boring obese. Yay! Haha
  • dsmpunk
    dsmpunk Posts: 262 Member
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10054519/Waist-to-height-ratio-more-accurate-than-BMI.html

    This is what I go off of. According to this (at 74") I should have a 37" or smaller waist. Currently at 39 which will be very close to my "normal weight" BMI.
  • tschaff04
    tschaff04 Posts: 296 Member
    dsmpunk, I read your link. I just have one question. The top of my waist(where most people would measure at their belly button), the crease when I bend sideways is 33 inches. That would be half my height. So yay, right! But then here is where I get confused. I have a saggy belly(three children, large weight loss, and just dna/genes I suppose. It's always been hangy). It's gotten better since losing the weight but still slightly hangs over my pants. So do I measure at my belly button, which because of saggy skin/flab would make my measurement 40 inches, or do I measure at the top of my waist where it creases, which is 33. This always confuses me.

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