body fat %

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julie737
julie737 Posts: 406 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I had my body fat tested today at a women's show. The tech used a sensor that she attached to my right foot, right hand, and forehead. It came up with 16.1%, which is under the 18-24% that is normal for a woman between the ages of 31-45, like me.

16.1%??? :noway:

That seems extremely low. I was planning on losing about 7 more pounds, but now I'm not sure.

Does anyone know the accuracy of these kinds of tests?

Thanks--Julie

Replies

  • julie737
    julie737 Posts: 406 Member
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    I had my body fat tested today at a women's show. The tech used a sensor that she attached to my right foot, right hand, and forehead. It came up with 16.1%, which is under the 18-24% that is normal for a woman between the ages of 31-45, like me.

    16.1%??? :noway:

    That seems extremely low. I was planning on losing about 7 more pounds, but now I'm not sure.

    Does anyone know the accuracy of these kinds of tests?

    Thanks--Julie
  • LokiFae
    LokiFae Posts: 774 Member
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    I had my body fat tested a couple of weeks ago like that too, and it came out to 21%. Now, I weigh 243 pounds, so my body fat is definitely NOT in the normal range.

    Don't know if that helps, but that's what mine said, which made me really happy at first, and then I thought, "Wait a minute...That's not right..."

    If it was accurate though, good job!!!!!! :drinker:
  • cwjett
    cwjett Posts: 189 Member
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    I'm not sure how those sensor things would really work, one time at my gym they had me hold something and squeeze the handles and it gave my body fat %..... " I was like, how in the hell could that work?" i think the most accurate way to check your body fat is in water but we don't all have access to that so i think the next best thing would actually be the calipers. Where they actually pinch all of these different areas on your body(they always check the fatest areas!) LOL

    I had mine checked about 1 month ago and it was about 18%.... that was before i joined MFP, maybe its better now!!! :bigsmile:
  • MisdemeanorM
    MisdemeanorM Posts: 3,493 Member
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    Here is a link that is supposed to give you the results by tape measuring certain parts of your body... you can try it and compare...

    http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    I don't know. . .

    that's crazy low for a lady. Here's a chart for "healthy" ranges.

    clicky:

    http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm

    once upon a great while ago, I got down to 17% and quit getting my "special lady time" every month. I'd try the tape-measure test link above, but the only way to know for sure is the underwater weight. The bad news is, unless the technician is super-well-trained, these tests are always somewhat inaccurate.
  • julie737
    julie737 Posts: 406 Member
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    Thanks for your help, everyone. I think I'm closer to about 25% body fat, according to the online tests I tried. I'll certainly be on task to lose a few more pounds.

    And that's what I thought, anyway...
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    hey, that's the quote I almost used for my "forum signature." One of my favorites.:flowerforyou:
  • dandersson2
    dandersson2 Posts: 13 Member
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    I do not trust the body fat testing machines. I have been working out six to seven days a week for an hour at a time. Three nights in boot camp class and the other days I use cardio machines. I have been watching my calorie intake and getting more than the recommended amount of water.

    The gym uses one of the hand held machines to measure the percentage of body fat. At the beginning of the boot camp I took a test that said I was 34.4%. I knew I was out of shape, but that bad surprised me.

    The boot camp class is the hardest physical work out I have ever had in my life, I have pushed myself harder than I ever imagined I could. Three weeks into the boot camp I had another weigh in and check of my percentage of body fat. They had to do it three times. The first said I gained 3%, second gained 1%, and third lost .3%... I do not know how you lose 6 lbs and gain fat?

    I think it is best to judge if you are losing fat, by the way you look and feel.
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    There IS a pretty wide margin for error with the Bio-impedance tests, but also, 16% isn't unhealthy for a woman. If you REALLLLLLLY want to know there is a test that is within 1% but it is relatively expensive. It does a scan similar to an XRAY. It's called DEXA. Your doctor should be able to tell you where you can have one done.

    here is a link that has the %'s as a scale for women and men It shows that 15 to 20% Body fat are actually very good for women in their 30s

    http://www.getdunked.com/pages/default.asp?page_id=KGZPA03134&sid=DAOVL55323
  • julie737
    julie737 Posts: 406 Member
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    I had my body fat tested a couple of weeks ago like that too, and it came out to 21%. Now, I weigh 243 pounds, so my body fat is definitely NOT in the normal range.

    Don't know if that helps, but that's what mine said, which made me really happy at first, and then I thought, "Wait a minute...That's not right..."

    That's kinda how I felt...

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