Body Fat % - Realism?

dus1988
dus1988 Posts: 4 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,
I have been using MFP for 36 days now and have lost 13.6 pounds and losing inches on my midsection. I am 5'9". My main question is if anyone else has lost 10+lbs AND lost about 1-2 inches on their midsection but not see it reflected in the body fat % calculator? It could be a problem specific to the calculator Im using (which is a excel file). It basically only takes into account my sex, weight and circumference of waist at the umbilical cord. The website I got it from also has a online calculator on it that uses the same info but adds height and neck circumference at the collar.

Over the weeks, I have seen my stomach go down and even though I did not measure it the first 3 weeks (my weight either), since then I have lost about an inch. So in all, considering my weight and waist circumference have been going down simultaneously, the body fat % remains relatively the same.

I should note that I am 5 weeks through a 7 week 1000 calorie deficit plan with 1 planned day of mild surplus. After I will be going to maintenance for 1 week, then to a more mild 500 cal deficit till I am happy with the result of the cutting. In the gym I do 5x5's and 30 mins of arc trainer cardio at 80% max HR. Cardio 3 times a week and lifting 3-4.

Thank you for your opinions :)

Replies

  • dus1988
    dus1988 Posts: 4 Member
    edited November 2014
    Some specific numbers:
    5'9"
    male
    age 26

    start:
    190lbs
    waist: ???
    body fat %: ???

    2 weeks ago:
    183 lbs
    38.25 waist
    Body fat %: 26.9

    Today
    176.4 lbs
    37.5 waist
    BF%: 26.5

    Am I crazy for thinking a .4 difference is low?
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
    Sounds like you need to find a more accurate calculation method but again, 13lbs in a one month period is probably not going to make a very huge difference in your body fat calculations. You'll still be somewhere within 1-2% of your starting body fat even though you may notice a difference in your overall appearance.
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,227 Member
    It's certainly possible that you could be losing more lean body mass than fat mass. Heck, with a 1,000 calorie/day deficit and a 6.6 pound loss in a time frame where you would expect 4 lbs, it even seems plausible.

    But, the truth is, no one can say anything useful. Calculations based on measurements (especially single measurements) are essentially useless. They are based on assumptions that are almost certainly not accurate.
  • dus1988
    dus1988 Posts: 4 Member
    Well my arm and chest measures are up. The bf% calcs I used can be found at http://www.davedraper.com/bodyfat-calculation.html (both the online and the excel). So is the online one that takes into account my height and neck more accurate? And if anyone has a suggestion on most accurate formula, thatd be awesome. I know the electrode ones are horrible.

    The real problem is I have no idea what my bf% was when I started. I instituted a 3 week no weighing, nor measuring rule because I didnt want to see the results until they accumulated into something. I see now how thats biting me, but mentality wise it helped.
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,227 Member
    Well, it says I am at 15.379% ... which I like. LOL

    The various methods I have run the same numbers with give me:
    Method from (http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/): 15.8
    Military: 15
    Covert-Bailey: 16.3
    Bio-Electrical Device (hand-held): 19.9
    BMI Formulas: 22.18 (from 21.07 - 23.46 depending on with of the 5 formulas I use)

    Now, the site you use does say it is +/- 3% ... so keep that in mind. You are well within the margin of error. You should probably just focus on the fact that it's moving in the right direction, and not worry too much about the amount of change just yet. Give it time before you look at that.

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