fat percent confused

Ms90seka
Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone
I understand that the scale dosent show you how much you gained muscles and how much fat have you lost...
I have measured my body fat % at clinic 6 months ago it was 40.4 % (using Inbody 720 scale)
yesterday i have measured at the gym and it showed 38.9% (using omron body fat analyzer)
giving that I weight 6 months ago 79.1 kg
now am 75 kg
so dose it mean i have lost my musles??
i have calculated my bf% using military calculator and it give me 26% bf ( age 23 , 169cm height, 75 kg ,68 cm waist, 101 cm hips,31 cm neck)
so which one should i rely on ??HELP PLEASE

Replies

  • Doctorpurple
    Doctorpurple Posts: 507 Member
    unfortunately the online calculators as well as the scale and body fat analyzer are all not very accurate way of determining percent body fat. A good way is DEXA scan or Hydrostatic body fat testing both will cost about $50-$100. It is however normal to lose lean body mass as well as fat when you lose weight. It is unlikely to lose 100% fat. A good way to prevent this is by lifting heavy to minimize any lean body loss.
  • Ms90seka
    Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member
    Am afraid that we dont have DEXA or Hydrostatic testing method in my country :/
    I do lifet heavy and following good nutritional plan but its disspointing not being able to measure your progress.
    thanks for your help though!
  • NaoyukiTai
    NaoyukiTai Posts: 39 Member
    Hello everyone
    I understand that the scale dosent show you how much you gained muscles and how much fat have you lost...
    I have measured my body fat % at clinic 6 months ago it was 40.4 % (using Inbody 720 scale)
    yesterday i have measured at the gym and it showed 38.9% (using omron body fat analyzer)
    giving that I weight 6 months ago 79.1 kg
    now am 75 kg
    so dose it mean i have lost my musles??
    i have calculated my bf% using military calculator and it give me 26% bf ( age 23 , 169cm height, 75 kg ,68 cm waist, 101 cm hips,31 cm neck)
    so which one should i rely on ??HELP PLEASE

    I have a Omron gizmo. Very inaccurate. It says I'm 13%. Total BS.
    I also have a Fitbit scale that has the fat%. Also pretty inaccurate. It says 16%. Not sure.

    I don't pay attention to either but I pay attention that both are coming down.
    I just compare myself with those body fat % pictures on the web and guess.
    Unless you have a reason to know, like you did a bet with friend about body fat %, how you look and feel are the only factor you should care.

    I look at my jiggles and just put a hard hat on and keep working on the diet and exercise to get rid of it.
    Numbers don't make you skinny. Food and exercise do.
  • wwritza
    wwritza Posts: 43 Member
    I very accurate and inexpensive method is using a body fat caliper. It's a very cheap plastic device and it comes with instructions on how to use it and a chart that will show you what your body fat % is based on your measurements and your age. It's actually really simple to use, you pinch a skin fold in different areas of your body (for women I think it is abs, biceps and thighs) on the right side of your body and the device will measure the thickness of the skin fold in mm and then you just have to add all those numbers together and look on the chart. It's actually the most accurate and accessible method :)

    Here is a link so you can get a better idea
    http://ca.bodybuilding.com/store/bbcom/metacalbodyfatcaliper.html?_requestid=1591497
  • Doctorpurple
    Doctorpurple Posts: 507 Member
    I very accurate and inexpensive method is using a body fat caliper. It's a very cheap plastic device and it comes with instructions on how to use it and a chart that will show you what your body fat % is based on your measurements and your age. It's actually really simple to use, you pinch a skin fold in different areas of your body (for women I think it is abs, biceps and thighs) on the right side of your body and the device will measure the thickness of the skin fold in mm and then you just have to add all those numbers together and look on the chart. It's actually the most accurate and accessible method :)

    Here is a link so you can get a better idea
    http://ca.bodybuilding.com/store/bbcom/metacalbodyfatcaliper.html?_requestid=1591497

    I think that the caliper method under estimates body fat since it only takes into account subcutaneous fat and not visceral fat. Everytime I get measured for caliper they always put me at 16% body fat which I know I'm not. Dexa and hydrostatic are both significantly higher than my caliper measurements.
  • wwritza
    wwritza Posts: 43 Member
    I very accurate and inexpensive method is using a body fat caliper. It's a very cheap plastic device and it comes with instructions on how to use it and a chart that will show you what your body fat % is based on your measurements and your age. It's actually really simple to use, you pinch a skin fold in different areas of your body (for women I think it is abs, biceps and thighs) on the right side of your body and the device will measure the thickness of the skin fold in mm and then you just have to add all those numbers together and look on the chart. It's actually the most accurate and accessible method :)

    Here is a link so you can get a better idea
    http://ca.bodybuilding.com/store/bbcom/metacalbodyfatcaliper.html?_requestid=1591497

    I think that the caliper method under estimates body fat since it only takes into account subcutaneous fat and not visceral fat. Everytime I get measured for caliper they always put me at 16% body fat which I know I'm not. Dexa and hydrostatic are both significantly higher than my caliper measurements.

    Yes but what are the chances of a person being fit and having a giant amount of visceral fat? if you exercise and eat right you won't have visceral fat...Then again with the electronic devices you can get as much as 10% over only by having a glass of water before measuring yourself or 10% less by not having enough water...so i think they are a lot less reliable. And we are talking easy and affordable options because you can also go and do an under water measurement but that's both rare and expensive.
  • Ms90seka
    Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member
    Hello everyone
    I understand that the scale dosent show you how much you gained muscles and how much fat have you lost...
    I have measured my body fat % at clinic 6 months ago it was 40.4 % (using Inbody 720 scale)
    yesterday i have measured at the gym and it showed 38.9% (using omron body fat analyzer)
    giving that I weight 6 months ago 79.1 kg
    now am 75 kg
    so dose it mean i have lost my musles??
    i have calculated my bf% using military calculator and it give me 26% bf ( age 23 , 169cm height, 75 kg ,68 cm waist, 101 cm hips,31 cm neck)
    so which one should i rely on ??HELP PLEASE

    I have a Omron gizmo. Very inaccurate. It says I'm 13%. Total BS.
    I also have a Fitbit scale that has the fat%. Also pretty inaccurate. It says 16%. Not sure.

    I don't pay attention to either but I pay attention that both are coming down.
    I just compare myself with those body fat % pictures on the web and guess.
    Unless you have a reason to know, like you did a bet with friend about body fat %, how you look and feel are the only factor you should care.

    I look at my jiggles and just put a hard hat on and keep working on the diet and exercise to get rid of it.
    Numbers don't make you skinny. Food and exercise do.

    I didn't make a bet :) comparing myself to photos of women fat percent I would say I look like am between 25% and 30% but as I can read from scales is not!
    And one more thing I don't wanna be SKINNY I want to be lean and strong . I can be skinny ver easy by starving myself and do cardio.

    Thanks for your help :) !
  • Ms90seka
    Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member
    I very accurate and inexpensive method is using a body fat caliper. It's a very cheap plastic device and it comes with instructions on how to use it and a chart that will show you what your body fat % is based on your measurements and your age. It's actually really simple to use, you pinch a skin fold in different areas of your body (for women I think it is abs, biceps and thighs) on the right side of your body and the device will measure the thickness of the skin fold in mm and then you just have to add all those numbers together and look on the chart. It's actually the most accurate and accessible method :)

    Here is a link so you can get a better idea
    http://ca.bodybuilding.com/store/bbcom/metacalbodyfatcaliper.html?_requestid=1591497

    I am trying to buy one but as I said I live in Jordan so it's hard to find fitness related equipments:)
  • NaoyukiTai
    NaoyukiTai Posts: 39 Member

    I didn't make a bet :) comparing myself to photos of women fat percent I would say I look like am between 25% and 30% but as I can read from scales is not!
    And one more thing I don't wanna be SKINNY I want to be lean and strong . I can be skinny ver easy by starving myself and do cardio.

    Thanks for your help :) !

    I also get pissed off people saying me "you got skinny". I'm done with "skinny fat".
    I want to think I have enough lean meat on my body as a result of patient/consistent strength training.
    You are welcome and put your hard hat on.
  • Ms90seka
    Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member

    I didn't make a bet :) comparing myself to photos of women fat percent I would say I look like am between 25% and 30% but as I can read from scales is not!
    And one more thing I don't wanna be SKINNY I want to be lean and strong . I can be skinny ver easy by starving myself and do cardio.

    Thanks for your help :) !

    I also get pissed off people saying me "you got skinny". I'm done with "skinny fat".
    I want to think I have enough lean meat on my body as a result of patient/consistent strength training.
    You are welcome and put your hard hat on.

    Exactly :D:D
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    When your body fat is that high it's harder to measure. Keep losing and then worry about accuracy as you are no longer overweight.
  • SteveStedge1
    SteveStedge1 Posts: 149 Member
    Hello everyone
    I understand that the scale dosent show you how much you gained muscles and how much fat have you lost...
    I have measured my body fat % at clinic 6 months ago it was 40.4 % (using Inbody 720 scale)
    yesterday i have measured at the gym and it showed 38.9% (using omron body fat analyzer)
    giving that I weight 6 months ago 79.1 kg
    now am 75 kg
    so dose it mean i have lost my musles??
    i have calculated my bf% using military calculator and it give me 26% bf ( age 23 , 169cm height, 75 kg ,68 cm waist, 101 cm hips,31 cm neck)
    so which one should i rely on ??HELP PLEASE

    OK, I apologize I'm going to break this into pounds so I can understand. 79.1=174.4lbs
    75kg=165.3lbs
    174.4X40.4=70.46lbs fat
    165.3X38.9=64.3lbs fat

    so you lost 9.1 lbs, and 6.16lbs was fat. So you lost about 2/3 fat and 1/3 lean mass.

    Thats pretty reasonable. I would say those numbers are fairly accurate.
    When we run a calorie deficit, our body attempts to preserve FAT as much as possible and will "eat" your muscle mass if you dont work out and eats plenty of protein to protect that lean mass.

    I know, its the opposite of what we want. Ideally 100% of weight lost would be fat but our bodies think we are in danger and will preserve fat the most it can.

    I have an OMRON and it is very accurate. I have tested it against professional (hosptial) machines and for most of my life ive been around 170 lean lbs of mass whoever is measuring it.

    Calipers are a complete waste of time as are online calculators.

    PS-according to your numbers...to be lean if you would want to be about 18% bodyfat
    Your lean weight is 101lbs.= 45.8kg
    123lbs would put you at 18% bodyfat. Thats 55.8kg assuming not much more lean lass lost

    Looking at your profile pic..assuming its recent...and how lean your legs are..it doesnt seem possible that you could be 39% bodyfat since your legs are so fit. just sayin..
  • Ms90seka
    Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member
    When your body fat is that high it's harder to measure. Keep losing and then worry about accuracy as you are no longer overweight.
    haha somehow you made me laugh ,i feel like i should say yes sir :)
    its important for me to know so I make sure that am doing it the right way . i dont want to end up losing my muscles rather than my fat.
    thanks:)
  • Ms90seka
    Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member
    Hello everyone
    I understand that the scale dosent show you how much you gained muscles and how much fat have you lost...
    I have measured my body fat % at clinic 6 months ago it was 40.4 % (using Inbody 720 scale)
    yesterday i have measured at the gym and it showed 38.9% (using omron body fat analyzer)
    giving that I weight 6 months ago 79.1 kg
    now am 75 kg
    so dose it mean i have lost my musles??
    i have calculated my bf% using military calculator and it give me 26% bf ( age 23 , 169cm height, 75 kg ,68 cm waist, 101 cm hips,31 cm neck)
    so which one should i rely on ??HELP PLEASE

    OK, I apologize I'm going to break this into pounds so I can understand. 79.1=174.4lbs
    75kg=165.3lbs
    174.4X40.4=70.46lbs fat
    165.3X38.9=64.3lbs fat

    so you lost 9.1 lbs, and 6.16lbs was fat. So you lost about 2/3 fat and 1/3 lean mass.

    Thats pretty reasonable. I would say those numbers are fairly accurate.
    When we run a calorie deficit, our body attempts to preserve FAT as much as possible and will "eat" your muscle mass if you dont work out and eats plenty of protein to protect that lean mass.

    I know, its the opposite of what we want. Ideally 100% of weight lost would be fat but our bodies think we are in danger and will preserve fat the most it can.

    I have an OMRON and it is very accurate. I have tested it against professional (hosptial) machines and for most of my life ive been around 170 lean lbs of mass whoever is measuring it.

    Calipers are a complete waste of time as are online calculators.

    PS-according to your numbers...to be lean if you would want to be about 18% bodyfat
    Your lean weight is 101lbs.= 45.8kg
    123lbs would put you at 18% bodyfat. Thats 55.8kg assuming not much more lean lass lost

    Looking at your profile pic..assuming its recent...and how lean your legs are..it doesnt seem possible that you could be 39% bodyfat since your legs are so fit. just sayin..

    Thank you :))!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    When your body fat is that high it's harder to measure. Keep losing and then worry about accuracy as you are no longer overweight.
    haha somehow you made me laugh ,i feel like i should say yes sir :)
    its important for me to know so I make sure that am doing it the right way . i dont want to end up losing my muscles rather than my fat.
    thanks:)

    I started where you are. 42% body fat. You will lose some lean mass BUT it doesn't mean you are losing muscle. There are other types of lean mass that your body won't need and will break down as you lose fat. Strength training, adequate protein and not crash dieting (super low calories) are the key to maintaining what you have for muscle. Being overweight and under trained means you could potentially put on lean mass through strength training.

    Edit to add: The military online calculators are off +/-15%. Handheld devices like Omron are off +/-8%.

    This took 3 years. 42% to around 20%.
    IMG_20130924_060656_zpsc30772ab.jpg
    PhotoGrid_1380639685183_zps218147ba.jpg
  • Ms90seka
    Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member
    When your body fat is that high it's harder to measure. Keep losing and then worry about accuracy as you are no longer overweight.
    haha somehow you made me laugh ,i feel like i should say yes sir :)
    its important for me to know so I make sure that am doing it the right way . i dont want to end up losing my muscles rather than my fat.
    thanks:)


    I started where you are. 42% body fat. You will lose some lean mass BUT it doesn't mean you are losing muscle. There are other types of lean mass that your body won't need and will break down as you lose fat. Strength training, adequate protein and not crash dieting (super low calories) are the key to maintaining what you have for muscle. Being overweight and under trained means you could potentially put on lean mass through strength training.

    Edit to add: The military online calculators are off +/-15%. Handheld devices like Omron are off +/-8%.

    This took 3 years. 42% to around 20%.
    IMG_20130924_060656_zpsc30772ab.jpg
    PhotoGrid_1380639685183_zps218147ba.jpg

    WOW amazing transformation thank you for sharing!!
    looking at your before photos I dont think am 40 % body fat ...
    and sure I dont look like after photos lean like you :D
    " There are other types of lean mass that your body won't need and will break down as you lose fat. " thats a new info for me .
    Am trying to limit my calorie to 1300-1400 kcal a day(healthy food,measured portions by scale,marcos are considered ) , I finished colloge 5 months ago and i dont work so basically i spend most of the time at home and am afraid to gain weight.
    I go to the gym 5 days a week for two hours and accourding to my HRM polar ft7 I burn 800kcal (i do cardio and weight training).
    As I wrote before those numbers are important for me because my weight is not changing significanlty .so I want to understand behind the numbers :)
    Thanks again for sharing your photos ! it is so motivating!!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Check out: http://www.builtlean.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/body-fat-percentage-women.jpg

    I think estimating body fat based on picture comparison is easier.

    Not knowing any of your stats I can't tell you how much I think you should be eating, but consider finding your TDEE then subtracting 20%.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    you said you have a 68 cm waist ... 3 cm = 1 in ... 68/3= 23 (rounded up) .. you are pretty tiny ... 31 cm neck 11 1/3 in and 101 cm hips, approx. 33 in ... You probably have a fairly normal to low normal bf %

    ETA: Really slim for 5'6 and 165 LBs ... You have my measurements and I'm 5'2 and 104 LBs (15.9 % BF) ...
  • Ms90seka
    Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member
    Check out: http://www.builtlean.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/body-fat-percentage-women.jpg

    I think estimating body fat based on picture comparison is easier.

    Not knowing any of your stats I can't tell you how much I think you should be eating, but consider finding your TDEE then subtracting 20%.
    Thank you :)
  • Ms90seka
    Ms90seka Posts: 28 Member
    you said you have a 68 cm waist ... 3 cm = 1 in ... 68/3= 23 (rounded up) .. you are pretty tiny ... 31 cm neck 11 1/3 in and 101 cm hips, approx. 33 in ... You probably have a fairly normal to low normal bf %

    Waist 68 cm = 26.7 in
    Hips 101cm = 39.7 in
    Neck 31cm = 12.2 in
    Thighs 61cm=24 in
    Arms 27 cm= 10.6 in
    Am not tiny lol :)

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