Body Fat Calculators and Hip Measurement

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cricket_77
cricket_77 Posts: 165 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know online body fat calculators are not 100% accurate, but I would assume they would give you a decent estimate? I naturally have wide hips and I am wondering if that is skewing my numbers somewhat. Or if I am perhaps measuring in the wrong spot.

It states to take your hip measurement at the widest part of your hips. For me, that is right around my pelvic line. So does the widest spot count as being the widest area from the top of your hip bone down to below your pelvic line?

Using my pelvic line, that gives me a body fat % of 33% (US Navy Circumference Method is 33% and Covert Bailey is 32%). I can see my abs, my legs and arms are fairly lean, but I have wide hips. Some of the online calculators state that I am entering the obese range, but I'm 5'7" and weight 145 lbs. so I don't see how that could be correct?

I know there is more accurate testing out there, but I'm just curious in regard to using the online calculators and whether or not naturally or genetically wide hips will skew that number?

Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I have heard the same thing...

    If you have some visible abs...no way you are 33%

    bf_zps872b3872.jpg
  • cricket_77
    cricket_77 Posts: 165 Member
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    It states to take your hip measurement at the widest part of your hips. For me, that is right around my pelvic line. So does the widest spot count as being the widest area from the top of your hip bone down to below your pelvic line?


    Bumping to see if anyone can shed some light on where exactly to take the hip measurement?
  • justformel
    justformel Posts: 193 Member
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    I also have wider hips than anything else and 2 yrs ago while I was in triathlon mode, I was measuring 19% body fat with the calipers at the gym, but when I did the scale at the hospital where you grip the handles and it analyzes everything, I was showing 26%, only because my lower region was larger, but it also broke down how much muscle I had. That was pretty cool to see. It showed me, that although my lower half is bigger, it is also very strong. Which way is the correct way to measure and does it really matter? Who knows, but if you're happy with the way you look, I wouldn't worry too much about it since you know thats how your body is built.
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
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    I wouldn't view any of these things as absolute measurements, but as a way to monitor the trend in your body fat %. If you want to know your true bodyfat, some thing like a BodPod or Dexa Scan would be needed.

    Waldo has a really in depth write up on this if you want to read it: http://strengthunbound.com/measure-body-fat-easily-accurately-home/
  • Deb_622
    Deb_622 Posts: 694
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    It sounds like you are taking the measurement at the right spot...that's where I usually measure my hips, and when I was in the military, that's where it was taken as well...

    As for the accuracy of any of the BF% methods that only use circumference measurements...they can be 10%+ wrong...calipers are more accurate than most of the measurement based ones, but to get the most accurate you really need to do BodPod or Dexa Scan, but these can be expensive from what I've heard...

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