body fat percentage is weird?

I did an online calculator which put me at 28% body fat. That does not seem right. I'm about 250 pounds and 5'6. It asked me to put in my waist, hips, forearm, and wrist (41, 53, 9,7) and it says my bodyfat is 28.6%? That doesn't seem right does it?

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    no, I would say 50% off the top of my head.
  • see that makes a LOT more sense
  • Definitely not right. I am 5'6" at 258 I am at 50.6 percent body fat at a US suze 18/20
  • The best way to get a semi accurate reading is a body fat caliper pinch test
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    if you're 250 lbs and could conceivably be 125 lb (your "ideal twin" perhaps) then that's 125lb of excess fat hence the 50%. Within the 125lb there's probably 25 lb of fat too, so 60% isn't inconceivable at 250 lbs with 100 lbs of lean body mass - unless you're very athletic in there somewhere.

    I wonder how many of these body fat things were developed on military recruits or Italian conscripts in the 30s or whatever where there were no obese people and the large arms and thighs would point to large muscles.
  • I wouldn't put myself as very athletic. But I am large framed, have high testosterone and do walk about 1.5 hours a day briskly. So maybe I have a slightly lower bodyfat percentage than average for my size....but it wouldn't be by much. certainly not THAT much.
  • You are more than welcome to check out my photos and compare. They were all taken at 250 lbs and we are about the same height.