BF %

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jessocoppo1
jessocoppo1 Posts: 11
in Getting Started
This may be a stupid question but what is the best way to calculate body fat percentage?

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  • rileyhall00
    rileyhall00 Posts: 98
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    Tests via the doctors is the way to go.

    I've got an app that calcs but its a ballpark figure, with just measurements of your body.

    You can get calipers as well. I haven't done this yet or the doctors, just the app.
  • michellewmarin
    michellewmarin Posts: 8 Member
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    I use a Withings scale that tells you your body fat mass and from that you can calculate your body fat percentage.

    However, if you don't have a Withings scale, you can always go to a local fitness center and they might have a Body Composition Analysis in which they calculate your body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, etc.

    If they don't, they sell a body fat calculator that looks like this: http://extremebodyfit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/omrons-hbf-360-electronic-body-fat-percentage-analyzer.jpg

    Good luck!
  • Flex382
    Flex382 Posts: 257
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    #1: Skin Fold Caliper
    #2: Bioelectric Impedance Analysis
    #3: Anthropometric
  • david_swinstead
    david_swinstead Posts: 271 Member
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    Calipers can be accurate but depend very much on the skill of the person using them, so usually two different people doing it for you will give massively different readings.

    Tests at a doctor or even in a lab will be more accurate.

    But your best bet in the home is to pick up some bio-impedence scales that measure it. They're not massively accurate but they're a good trade off between cost, convenience and accuracy.
  • sammieloft91
    sammieloft91 Posts: 29
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    To get an accurate result u need to get a body fat percentage scan done which u can get done at gyms depending on whre u live. I got one done at at gym where i live (australia) when i was 60kg and my body fat at the time was 15%
  • littleknownblogger
    littleknownblogger Posts: 67 Member
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    That depends on what you mean by "best". The most accurate is hydrostatic weighing; but it's usually expensive and difficult to coordinate. Bioelectric impedance can be accurate, but is still fairly expensive and can be a bit finicky. Calipers are an excellent compromise between accuracy and expense, and are quite easy to use.
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Sometimes visual comparison can be quite accurate.

    This link should help as the people who run the group are fantastic at what they do...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1105598-bodyfat-estimation-thread

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