Fat percentage?
Replies
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Marilynrene, we know that neither is 100% accurate, but it probably is an indication that your bodyfat is high.
As ghartleroad1 said above, weight lifting/ resistance training is the direction you need to go.
You could pick any of the progressive weight lifting programmes that are talked about on this forum. Start easy and use hand weights when needed.
You could also do bodyweight exercises.
Either would do depending on your fitness level.
Cheers, h.
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marilynrene wrote: »Thank you, I I'll try that. The Aria scale was quite expensive. It is quite annoying that it might not be accurate.
All methods (including calipers, dexa, dunk tank) suck for absolute repeatable numbers. But they are good for relative change. If your bf % is going down, great. Just try and measure under the same conditions (dry, morning, whatever). Don't worry if it's 20 or 25. Just lower than two weeks ago.
And BMI, as a screen, is perfectly accurate for saying "If you are normal or below, you are absolutely not fat. If you are over the normal line, you might or might not be - have a closer look". That's it.
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middlehaitch wrote: »Try one of these sites that do body fat % from your measurements.
healthstatus.com
Calculator.net
Linear-software.com
They are probably more acurate than your scale.
Compare them anyway and average it out.
I know my scale is wrong, but at least it tells me if my BF is moving up or down.
Cheers, h.
online calculators are useless. Get a bod pod or a hydrostatic test done. You can do once or twice a year.0 -
My trainer measured me with calipers snd came up with 29.5% body fat. I had a DEXA scan the next day and my reading was 28.5%. I was surprised at how accurate the calipers were. The woman who explained my Dexa results said that for pear shapes who are not obese this is not unusual, as the thing calipers really suck at is measuring visceral fat, but they are not too bad at meauring subcutaneous fat. If I'd known that I would have skipped the Dexa!0
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Going for a bod pod/Dexa Scan is not within everyone's means, budget or distance.
It would cost me $ 75 for 1 test, and $200 plus 8-10 hr travel including a ferry.
Booking a whole day out of my life to spend $300 just to satisfy my curiosity is not an option for me.
Most people know that the other methods are not acurate but having a couple of different methods of measuring gives one an idea of where they are in the BF% scale.
I was quite happy using the scale, tape measure, and on line calculators take me from 31%+ to a 23% average.
To many the progress matters more than an exact number.
I would love a scan when I am rich.
Cheers, h.0 -
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[quthank yote="ExRelaySprinter;33853948"]middlehaitch wrote: »Marilynrene, we know that neither is 100% accurate, but it probably is an indication that your bodyfat is high.
As ghartleroad1 said above, weight lifting/ resistance training is the direction you need to go.
You could pick any of the progressive weight lifting programmes that are talked about on this forum. Start easy and use hand weights when needed.
You could also do bodyweight exercises.
Either would do depending on your fitness level.
Thank you middlehaitch. I do Zumba fitness core now,but I will add body bar exercises to that. I don't look obese, but 37% fat is obese .
Cheers, h.0 -
Thank you. I do Zumba fitness core now, but I will add body bar exercises as well . I don't look obese as I am down to a size 8. But I have no waist, so I guess that's where the 37% of fat is! I wonder if I could hoola hoop it away? Probably not.0
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ghartleroad1 wrote: »Same here. I was at 19.4 BMI with 27.5% body fat. All everyone keeps telling me is to focus on weightlifting (instead of cardio). I'm a few weeks into the New Rules regime.
I think I really need to start New Rules.
I used a machine in the gym two weeks ago. It said my body fat % was 20%. An online calculater has just told me 12.8% lol.0 -
_bellator_ wrote: »BMI is an outdated and not-very-useful tool, particularly for those of us who lift weights. Bodyfat scales are not very inaccurate. You'll be better off not getting too freaked out by either ot these numbers, and instead gauging your progress with a) progress photos and b) how your clothes fit.
BMI is a pretty accurate measure for 80-90% of the population As you mentioned not good for those that do resistance work but not many in the population do resistance work.
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Test for men. Remove clothes, look down, if you can't see your junk without bending or using a mirror probably obese.
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middlehaitch wrote: »Going for a bod pod/Dexa Scan is not within everyone's means, budget or distance.
It would cost me $ 75 for 1 test, and $200 plus 8-10 hr travel including a ferry.
Booking a whole day out of my life to spend $300 just to satisfy my curiosity is not an option for me.
Most people know that the other methods are not acurate but having a couple of different methods of measuring gives one an idea of where they are in the BF% scale.
I was quite happy using the scale, tape measure, and on line calculators take me from 31%+ to a 23% average.
To many the progress matters more than an exact number.
I would love a scan when I am rich.
Cheers, h.
My scan was $45. Without the travel costs.0 -
Uhhh wut? Dexa, bod pod, and dunk tank have a 2%+/- margin of error. That's as accurate as you're going to get without doing an autopsy.marilynrene wrote: »Thank you, I I'll try that. The Aria scale was quite expensive. It is quite annoying that it might not be accurate.
All methods (including calipers, dexa, dunk tank) suck for absolute repeatable numbers. But they are good for relative change. If your bf % is going down, great. Just try and measure under the same conditions (dry, morning, whatever). Don't worry if it's 20 or 25. Just lower than two weeks ago.
And BMI, as a screen, is perfectly accurate for saying "If you are normal or below, you are absolutely not fat. If you are over the normal line, you might or might not be - have a closer look". That's it.
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Uhhh wut? Dexa, bod pod, and dunk tank have a 2%+/- margin of error. That's as accurate as you're going to get without doing an autopsy.marilynrene wrote: »Thank you, I I'll try that. The Aria scale was quite expensive. It is quite annoying that it might not be accurate.
All methods (including calipers, dexa, dunk tank) suck for absolute repeatable numbers. But they are good for relative change. If your bf % is going down, great. Just try and measure under the same conditions (dry, morning, whatever). Don't worry if it's 20 or 25. Just lower than two weeks ago.
And BMI, as a screen, is perfectly accurate for saying "If you are normal or below, you are absolutely not fat. If you are over the normal line, you might or might not be - have a closer look". That's it.
Your hydration level alone can muck it up by 20-30%. A dunk requires a complete exhale which most people cannot do consistently (they always retain a variable amount of air in their lungs, which floats).
This study did Dexa scans over 3 days on a group and there was body fat variance 3-5% based on their carb/water load:
http://suppversity.blogspot.ca/2015/07/three-days-on-pasta-muffin-bread-diet.html
So if you can swing it by 5+ percent with just your glycogen stores and water.
I've also read of results of dudes having 5% variance on the same DAY on the same machine. Let alone introducing different machines with different calibrations.
Bottom line, there is no absolute way. Save your money, measure, and take pictures.
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