measuring body fat

Sarahsue94
Sarahsue94 Posts: 96
in Health and Weight Loss
How does everyone measure body fat? Computer? Caterpillar? special scale (If so what brand and how do you like it)?

I am just curious, I got mine taken today while I was at the Chiropractor.

Replies

  • mattagascar
    mattagascar Posts: 708 Member
    I use an Omron body fat analyzer. Cheap and easy.
  • Sarahsue94
    Sarahsue94 Posts: 96
    I use an Omron body fat analyzer. Cheap and easy.

    Thats what she used on me today. Do you find it to be pretty accurate? Some of the reviews I read said it varied depending on how much water you had
  • sozisfitnow
    sozisfitnow Posts: 209 Member
    My gym told me I was 43% fat at my gym test lol.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Caliper is only accurate in the hands of someone trained to do it. Most bioimpedance scales give you totally different readings depending on your hydration levels and that is a particular issue for women, I once 'lost' several percentage points of bodyfat over the course of a single shift. Really all you can use most of them for is tracking trends by weighing yourself at the same time of day and month and hopefully hydration level. There are medical grade meters like the BodyStat but they are very expensive so you don't see them much, you lay on the floor and have pads put on your wrists and ankles.
  • lucasriggs
    lucasriggs Posts: 131
    I use an Omron body fat analyzer. Cheap and easy.

    I use this. It works pretty well at higher and average body fats(apparently), but when you get down to athletic levels it gets a bit dodgy(again apparently).

    Also since its sending small electrical impulses through your body it changes depending on hydration levels, but this can be eliminated if you do it at the same time everyday and you drink the same amount of fluid the night before...I guess.
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
    DXA scan is really accurate.
  • mattagascar
    mattagascar Posts: 708 Member
    [/quote]

    Thats what she used on me today. Do you find it to be pretty accurate? Some of the reviews I read said it varied depending on how much water you had
    [/quote]

    It works good for me. I use it at the same time of day in the same circumstances every time i measure. I've also compared the results with various online bf estimators that ask for body measurements to give an estimate, and they have been within decimal points of each other. It might not be 100% accurate but at the very least it is good for tracking changes, especially if it is going down. My tip, don't take it after you get out of the shower.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/830595-body-fat-estimation-methods
  • oeagleo
    oeagleo Posts: 70 Member
    I have a Withings scale that computes body fat, along with BMI, but have recently purchased a caliper to try to do this myself with the "3 Measurement Method". I decided to give this a try since I've read that the calculation using the bioimpendence method depends on your body water content, and that your muscles retain water in the repairing process when one lifts weights, or does other types of weight oriented exercise. I'm no expert at the caliper measurements, but I picked up an AccuFit caliper for less than $5 on E-bay, so it's going to be a cheap experiment.
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
    Thats what she used on me today. Do you find it to be pretty accurate? Some of the reviews I read said it varied depending on how much water you had
    I'm not sure if this was directed at me, but it wouldn't have been a DXA scan if she 'used it on you'. A DXA scan is a full body x-ray, I think originally used to look at bone density of people with osteoporosis. Here in Aus you can only get it done in a few places and it costs $100ish.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    DXA scan is really accurate.
    Aaaaaand really exoensive. Most people don't want to drop the money on something like that just because they're curious about their BF%.
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    I have one of the trainers at my gym check with the calipers.
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
    DXA scan is really accurate.
    Aaaaaand really exoensive. Most people don't want to drop the money on something like that just because they're curious about their BF%.

    That might be true, but I don't know whether the OP is one of those people or not. Alot of people waste a whole lot more money than that on weight related nonsense...

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