fat %

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liawilliams123
liawilliams123 Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
How do u know your body fat % ?

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  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    My scale tells me.
  • Rum_Runner
    Rum_Runner Posts: 617 Member
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    Measurements or caliper
    http://fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Body-Fat-Navy
  • PamelaDe1323
    PamelaDe1323 Posts: 33 Member
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    This is pretty accurate. http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
  • 75Juniper
    75Juniper Posts: 376
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    This is pretty accurate. http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

    This is for BMI, not body fat. Something like this would calculate body fat: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/
  • stephv38
    stephv38 Posts: 203 Member
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    bump
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    It can't be measured, everything is an estimate with varying degrees of accuracy.

    I've never really seen the point of knowing your specific number, a mirror guesstimate seems to work well enough for most purposes.
  • OddChoices
    OddChoices Posts: 244 Member
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    The only accurate way to get body fat % is to get a scale or calipher measurement or a bodpod test. Websites calculators can only show best estimates.
  • kaervaak
    kaervaak Posts: 274 Member
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    The best way to measure it is to get a DEXA scan, after that bod-pod is the most accurate. Calipers and resistive (what your scale does) measures are less accurate but much cheaper on average. Visual approximation is very hit or miss depending on your body type and what your current fat% is.
  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
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    BUY A CALIPER OR HAVE A PT AT A GYM MEASURE IT FOR YOU.
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    This is pretty accurate. http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

    #1, that's not body fat percentage.

    #2, that is pretty much the opposite of accurate.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    The only accurate way to get body fat % is to get a scale or calipher measurement or a bodpod test. Websites calculators can only show best estimates.

    The methods you note also have varying degrees of inaccuracy - some very inaccurate.
  • helga205
    helga205 Posts: 6 Member
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    A DEXA body scan seems to be the most accurate way of calculating body fat (along with lean muscle mass and bone mass). Unfortunately it's also a bit expensive and therefore unless you have lots of cash to burn, you won't be measuring every week.

    In Australia, my local place charges $88 for the first scan and then $66 for subsequent scans.

    It also tells you handy information like an estimate of your bone density, and distribution of fat. So for example, my fat percentage has stayed the same between scan 1 and scan 2, but some fat from my stomach has reduced = a healthier distribution of fat compared to the previous scan. I'm no longer in a moderate health risk category!
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    This is pretty accurate. http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

    This is for BMI, not body fat. Something like this would calculate body fat: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

    the bmi calculator put me at a bmi of 21

    the body fat calculator tells me that I have a body fat percentage of 25.45%
    Somehow I do not believe that is an accurate number... though it did not ask me my height either... which is 6'1.

    The last time I checked, I believe I was around 15 - 17%
  • JenKillough
    JenKillough Posts: 474 Member
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    Although using a caliper can be tricky because there is a high degree of room for user error, I use one of these to measure the change in millimeters. As long as the number is going down and not up, it's all good. Mirror is the best method for most purposes.
  • LittleMissRainey
    LittleMissRainey Posts: 440 Member
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    This is pretty accurate. http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

    This is for BMI, not body fat. Something like this would calculate body fat: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

    At 200+lbs that thing told me I'm 26.87% body fat.

    LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL I'd like to believe that but hell to the no!
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
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    If you want the most accurate body fat % currently available, get a DEXA scan. If you want to get frequent rough estimates at home, buy calipers and a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis device and take the average. With enough data points over time, the average from the inferior methods will come remarkably close to your DEXA scan results.
  • 75Juniper
    75Juniper Posts: 376
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    This is pretty accurate. http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

    This is for BMI, not body fat. Something like this would calculate body fat: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

    At 200+lbs that thing told me I'm 26.87% body fat.

    LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL I'd like to believe that but hell to the no!

    I wasn't implying that the website I linked was accurate, just trying to point out that BMI is not the same as body fat.
  • xxthoroughbred
    xxthoroughbred Posts: 346 Member
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    It can't be measured, everything is an estimate with varying degrees of accuracy.

    I've never really seen the point of knowing your specific number, a mirror guesstimate seems to work well enough for most purposes.

    This.

    To help guesstimate your number, look here: http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

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