US Navy Body Fat Calculator

khannickwechanged
khannickwechanged Posts: 77 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How accurate is this? I entered in my stats, and it's telling me I'm at 19% body fat...which I have a hard time believing. I've always been skinny fat. Definitely skinny, but hardly much muscle at all. I'd like to gain muscle.

My stats:
Female
5'9", 127 lbs
Waist: 26"
Hips: 37"
Neck: 13"

Stats that I didn't have to enter into the calculator:
Bicep: 9"
Thigh: 20"

If this isn't accurate, what is the easiest accurate way to measure body fat? Nothing complicated, just something to give me an idea of where I'm at.

Replies

  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    i think it is... i am 5.2 and similar in stats. 25.5 waist hips 36,etc and for me i am around 22-23%
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    From what I've read, the best way to measure body fat at home is to use calipers. You can get them online at a decent price.

    I personally have not used calipers yet. For what it's worth, my BF % has come out relatively consistently using either the calculations or BF scales/measuring devices that use electrical resistance (in a range of about +/- 5%. That is good enough for my goals, but if I wanted to be as exact as possible without spending a lot of money for displacement tests, I would use calipers.
  • darkguardian419
    darkguardian419 Posts: 1,302 Member
    Being in the Navy I can tell you, it's not very accurate. Best use would be as a general guide, as it's REALLY easy to track and see trends in what you're doing. Of course, you would be better off just maintaining measurements of your body overall.
  • nadz6012
    nadz6012 Posts: 126 Member
    If that's a pic of your tummy OP I'd have to say I think it's pretty accurate. Just because you're not very muscular doesn't mean that your body fat is high. I'm 5'4", 155 lbs waist 28", hips 41", neck 13" and it tells me I'm 30%, which I think may be just a touch high by 3 or 4 percent.
  • chasetwins
    chasetwins Posts: 702 Member
    I just started using this one - however with previous poster eeek I thought it would be the most accurate LOL

    I have tried the calipers..word of advice have someone else do it and measure 3 times for accuracy. I can never do it right myself :(

    I also have a scale with the BF% - between calipers - navy and scale they range in difference by about 5%

    I keep track of scale % as this was the very first one I used and go by trend rather than focus on the exact number it gives me. The navy one does give me the highest %
  • khannickwechanged
    khannickwechanged Posts: 77 Member
    If that's a pic of your tummy OP I'd have to say I think it's pretty accurate. Just because you're not very muscular doesn't mean that your body fat is high. I'm 5'4", 155 lbs waist 28", hips 41", neck 13" and it tells me I'm 30%, which I think may be just a touch high by 3 or 4 percent.

    That is my stomach. I do feel like I have pretty low body fat, I'm cold most of the time and I am pretty thin in general. I just wasn't sure if being as low as 19% was realistic.

    I guess my focus should be on gaining muscle and not necessarily losing any more fat? I'd like some abs and actual muscle in my arms especially...my upper arms are literally smaller than my 6-month-old's thighs.
  • jcs0530
    jcs0530 Posts: 70 Member
    23 years in the Navy and I never agreed with the Body Fat calculations. I used to screw with them to prove my point. One time i would suck in my gut and flex out my neck, the next time I would push out my gut and hold my neck up straight. My Body fay would fluctuate 20% in either direction. The corpsman thought I had an eating disorder. I hear the best way to measure Body Fat is emersion although I have never done it. I just bought me a really good body fat scale. EMCS/SW Retired.
  • SarahRose35
    SarahRose35 Posts: 127 Member
    It tells me I'm 13%, most online calculators have me at 11-13%.

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