Body Fat Percentage
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Hey everyone, I'm new to the group. I was reading about everyone body fat testing. I recently did this myself. The gold standard for testing body fat is hydrostatic body fat testing. That's where they submerge you in a warm tank of water to measure displacement. It's highly accurate. I was frustrated b/c my scale has only changed 3lbs in 7 months. But I've lost 8lbs of fat and gained 5lbs of muscle. Scales can be very inaccurate. There are companies who do mobile testing with big trucks. Hope this might help for those really wanting to know!
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In my opinion it is hard to tell from the pictures, because we all distribute fat differently. My arms and legs look like the 15-22% pictures. But my tummy looks more like 30%. I carry NO FAT AT ALL on my legs and arms. Even when I was at my largest, they were still pretty slim. And then there is the bust issue. I carry a good bit of fat there.
I have calipers and have used several different calculators with those. I get a range of 16-25%, depending on how many sites measured. (If they include legs and arms, I get 16%. 25% for ab fat only.). Tape measure calculators give me 27-28%. And my scales say 35%.
So, basically, this is all worthless, except perhaps to track changes.
I've decided to forget about the numbers and go by what I like in the mirror. But that makes it tougher to track progress for sure!0 -
Actually, the most accurate way to get your body composition tested is by having it done in a "Bod Pod". It is the gold standard. And is within 1% accuracy! No other method is this concise. Depending on where you live, you may not have access to this method of testing. But, I highly recommend it if you want the accurate results.0
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The Bod Pod is not the Gold Standard. For one thing, it has shown about a 3% accuracy in tests, not the 1% you claim. It's about as accurate as hydrostatic testing, but in one study it was found to vary more per person which makes it harder to track trends. So while hydrostatic testing might be off for you by 2%, it is off by 2% every time. While BodPod might be off by 2% one time and 5% another and 1% another.
The absolute best method is a DEXA scan but they can be hard to find and expensive. A lot of places that do DEXA scanning for bone density don't do the rest of it. So just getting your regularly scheduled DEXA scan (if you are over 50 and get them every couple of years like I do) won't tell you what your body fat % is.
The interesting thing about calipers is that they can be the most accurate or the least! It totally depends on the skill of the tester. So if you have a great tester, this method is fine and very cheap. But if the tester isn't very good then this is the worst method. It also tends to underestimate visceral fat.
Another method is bio-impedence. This is the method many scales use. It's a decent method but it's impacted quite a bit by how hydrated you are. I find my scale is off by quite a bit. When I had around 17% body fat, it was saying I had 9-11%! (This is below essential body fat for a woman so since I had visible body fat, it was clearly not correct.) The other thing is that it really is an estimate more than the others. I can get different readings on my scale if I say I'm younger or say I'm a man!0 -
I had a DEXA scan done last week and I have 13bf but my BMI is 15.6 or something ridiculous like that (I have AN and Addison's disease). I also suffer from Osteoporosis
And I still look flabby because of the lack of bone density and the daily steroids I take. If I were at a healthy weight right now I think I'd be so happy at 25% bf or something like that. I don't get menses anymore and it's just stupid when you look at my body because the prednisone/hydrocortisone changed where the actual fat deposits, regardless of the low amount of actual essential fat I still hold due to the anorexia and the Addison's.
If you have an Endocrinologist, they can refer you to exercise science/sport science testing centers with the DEXA and other tests tailored for exact measurements, inc the body pod. Cardiologists, too. I have to get DEXAs every 3 months for Addison's and when my endo won't ask, my cardiologist does.0 -
I have no idea what I am0
