Body fat percent confusion

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DexterDarko
DexterDarko Posts: 235
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so I'm pretty confused on this.... my BMI is around 47 but my body fat % comes out to 22.83?

I just measured everything on this http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

Is it normal for someone as big as me to have this much body fat or did I do it wrong O.o...

Measured everything in the right spots... I always thought I looked alot less then I weighed but I just want to make sure I'm correct.

after research I'm seriously doubting this lol
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Replies

  • PrincessLou71186
    PrincessLou71186 Posts: 747 Member
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    The last time I measured my BF, my BMI was 24.44 and my BF was 30.6%. I used a handheld device that sends things round your body to measure. I've been measuring my BF since my BMI was at 27.96 and the higher my BMI, the higher my BF.

    Do you have a particularly large frame? People with larger than average frames are going to have a higher BMI but that doesn't necessarily mean a higher BF percentage.

    Calipers are the most accurate way of measuring BF. You can get them from as little £4.99 on UK Amazon and $4.20 on US Amazon.

    Sorry I've not been much help, but I don't know a great deal on BF.
  • Zylahe
    Zylahe Posts: 772 Member
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    that doesn't sound quite right to me.
    Its possible you got some units wrong, so used m instead of ft, or Kg instead of lb.
    whats your height and weight?

    i. abotu 170 cm, and 76 Kg,
    and my BMI is 26% and BF (measured on my scales at home is usually 27% but this morning was 25%.
  • NJL13500
    NJL13500 Posts: 433 Member
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    I don't know if this helps, but I used the website to calculate and I came out at 25.92%. On my scale at home (which calculates body fat) I am 20.9%. So for me the website is quite a bit higher than my scale. My BMI is currently 22.4 and I'm 5'6" and weigh 139 pounds. I've also heard that calipers are the best method for accuracy other than hydrostatic weighing, which is inconvenient and expensive.

    If your BMI is around 47 it doesn't seem logical that you would have such a low percentage of body fat, but everyone is different so who knows. Good luck!
  • DexterDarko
    DexterDarko Posts: 235
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    that doesn't sound quite right to me.
    Its possible you got some units wrong, so used m instead of ft, or Kg instead of lb.
    whats your height and weight?

    i. abotu 170 cm, and 76 Kg,
    and my BMI is 26% and BF (measured on my scales at home is usually 27% but this morning was 25%.

    my height is around 6ft+ (not completely sure, it's definitely above 6ft, so I just put 6.) And my weight is at 351.... so the idea of my BF being so low makes no sense, all the measurements were correct and I measured them correct.
  • kiachu
    kiachu Posts: 409 Member
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    Unless your getting a 5-9 point caliper test its probably not accurate. And even those aren't accurate. Most people underestimate their bodyfat.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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  • DexterDarko
    DexterDarko Posts: 235
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    It sounds about right to me. If you weigh close to 360, and your goal weigh is around 190, 360 divided by 47% would be 169. So 169 pounds is the amount of fat, so yeah, that's right.

    Yes, thats my bmi, but it says my body fat is 22%..... that whats confusing me.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    It sounds about right to me. If you weigh close to 360, and your goal weigh is around 190, 360 divided by 47% would be 169. So 169 pounds is the amount of fat, so yeah, that's right.

    Yes, thats my bmi, but it says my body fat is 22%..... that whats confusing me.

    Yeah, I just saw that....your math is off somewhere.
  • DexterDarko
    DexterDarko Posts: 235
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    It sounds about right to me. If you weigh close to 360, and your goal weigh is around 190, 360 divided by 47% would be 169. So 169 pounds is the amount of fat, so yeah, that's right.

    Yes, thats my bmi, but it says my body fat is 22%..... that whats confusing me.

    Yeah, I just saw that....your math is off somewhere.

    I don't know..... I used just a regular tape measure and these were the measurements I came out with

    Weight: 351
    Height: 6"0+
    waist 49
    wrist 8
    hips 54
    forearm 15

    Am I completely wrong or something? O.o
  • trumpeter26
    trumpeter26 Posts: 9 Member
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    If you are 35 pounds or more overweight, it is not recommended to use calipers as that too could negatively effect the reading. Scales are not always accurate (nor are the equations), they could be quite a bit off. But I do understand that is what most have access too. You could see if a doctor or nurse in your area has bioelectric impedance analysis, they sends an electric wave through your body "Muscle has high water content, and is highly conductive, while fat has lower water content and is not highly conductive. Based on the strength of the impedance along with height and weight metrics, the BIA scale will estimate fat-free body mass and body fat percentage." But even that could vary. Best shot...go with measurements. Unless of course you could get hydrostatic testing.
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
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    That doesn't sound right unless you're a bodybuilder, whose BMIs will be way out of proportion to their BF. I'm 5'7", 135, BMI of 21%-ish and body fat by caliper was roughly 22% at last measure.

    I keep hearing suprailiac caliper method is most accurate but I'm not totally sure my 22% is "right" either. As long as I see it go lower than last measure i"m happy lol
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    I checked many different BF calculators from different sites I found online. They ranged from 22%-78% for me. Yeah, that much of a difference. As a 5'6" female at 216, I do NOT have a 22% BF. I doubt I would be able to get a completely accurate reading without going into a clinic to have it done. But it doesn't matter to me at this point, I've got at least 50 more pounds to lose before I start worrying about my BF%.
  • BonJody
    BonJody Posts: 25 Member
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    I just had a BodPod body composition test done because I had the same question about my body fat percentage.

    My handheld Omron gadget measures me in the 34-percent BF range.

    As I expected would be the case, the more accurate BodPod test showed that I'm actually in the 43-percent BF range.

    Big difference. By the way, my BMI is 40.
  • DexterDarko
    DexterDarko Posts: 235
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    Well I guess I'm going to have to go somewhere professional for this then :C

    That's too bad
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,121 Member
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    It sounds about right to me. If you weigh close to 360, and your goal weigh is around 190, 360 divided by 47% would be 169. So 169 pounds is the amount of fat, so yeah, that's right.

    Yes, thats my bmi, but it says my body fat is 22%..... that whats confusing me.

    Yeah, I just saw that....your math is off somewhere.

    I don't know..... I used just a regular tape measure and these were the measurements I came out with

    Weight: 351
    Height: 6"0+
    waist 49
    wrist 8
    hips 54
    forearm 15

    Am I completely wrong or something? O.o

    Well, I think your are over-analyzing this. You really can't get an exact number without a more scientific method. 47% of 360 is 169. That's pretty much it. Obviously you have more than 22% body fat at your weight.

    Don't get too hung up on these numbers. It's pretty much a safe assumption that you have a very high body fat percentage. Getting obsessed about the exact number won't help you at this point. Just start losing weight, keep taking measurements, see the results. If at some point in the future you want to know more accurately, ask your doctor to refer you to a Bod Pod, or go to one on your own.
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
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    Well I guess I'm going to have to go somewhere professional for this then :C

    That's too bad

    Try this one: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-calculator-army
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    I'm a nutrition science student, and I don't even feel like I can measure body fat accurately after all the practice in the lab! I'd recommend going to someone who knows what they are doing
  • DexterDarko
    DexterDarko Posts: 235
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    Remeasured everything, which was the same, minus my waist. My tape measure must of went in a bit before locking last night. I'm not a 49 waist, im 54. Still, that site is extremely wrong after that XD

    So, after doing http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-calculator-army

    Male
    351 LBs
    6"
    54 waist
    20 neck
    8 wrist
    15 forearm
    54 hips


    And it gave me 39.62% body fat. This is WAY more correct. I don't care if it's right or wrong, I got my measurements and I'll be using this site so I'll know when it goes down anyway. Thanksss. ;D
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    It's best to get a body scan done if you can afford to do it. I did when I started, and it was really nice to see all the changes as I moved along in my weight loss goals.

    The online calculators were WAY off for me also.

    Good luck to you! :smile:
  • KiltFuPanda
    KiltFuPanda Posts: 574 Member
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    It is possible to have a high BMI with lower BF% than expected.

    I'm somewhere around 22-23% (caliper measured), and I'm 340 lbs. I'm an amateur strongman, not a bodybuilder, and a fairly lazy one at that. My BMI is 42.5.

    My stats are:

    Waist: 50"
    Calves: 21"
    Neck: 21"
    Wrists: 8.5"
    Height: 6'3"

    I still say BMI is not a end-all measure for all people - go get yourself professionally measured for a more accurate count.

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