Measuring body fat

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avatiach
avatiach Posts: 292 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What are the best ways to measure body fat percentage changes over time?

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  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    Dexa scan, hydro static weighing, Bodpod, body calipers, etc.

    or a less expensive and convenient alternative; a mirror.
  • amberlyda1
    amberlyda1 Posts: 154 Member
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    The best and cheapest way is to track your measurements.
  • Working2BLean
    Working2BLean Posts: 386 Member
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    A scale or tape measure will tell you numbers

    But really, how you feel about how you look is gonna be the determining factor

    I'm good per a number goal but not to how I want to look.

    So at the end of the day...

    It really does not matter much what your number is unless you are trying to need a medical goal.
  • avatiach
    avatiach Posts: 292 Member
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    Well sure. I use a tape measure. But I see people on here saying they were at 40% body fat and now they are at 28%, and I don't get that off my tape measure!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    avatiach wrote: »
    Well sure. I use a tape measure. But I see people on here saying they were at 40% body fat and now they are at 28%, and I don't get that off my tape measure!

    Yes but really the most accurate measure is usually expensive. All have degrees of error. I've seen people post stats for the expensive methods and they were clearly off. A lot of people rely on scales that measure it. I use one for trends but I went way for a weekend and had a lot of food and some drinks and was almost double my BF%. Hydration levels and other things affect those. They must be taken with a grain of salt.
  • McCloud33
    McCloud33 Posts: 959 Member
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    http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Body-Fat-With-a-Tape-Measure

    If you've been tracking your measurements from the start, you can go back and estimate what you were.
  • avatiach
    avatiach Posts: 292 Member
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    McCloud33 wrote: »
    http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Body-Fat-With-a-Tape-Measure

    If you've been tracking your measurements from the start, you can go back and estimate what you were.

    Thanks! That is useful!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,709 Member
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    Also the more defined your physique (muscles) the less body fat you'll be carrying. Mirror helps a lot if you know what to look for.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • PeterJX
    PeterJX Posts: 9 Member
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    Here's a great article on how to measure your body fat percentage:

    http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-measure-body-fat-percentage/
  • avatiach
    avatiach Posts: 292 Member
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    PeterJX wrote: »
    Here's a great article on how to measure your body fat percentage:

    http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-to-measure-body-fat-percentage/

    Very helpful! Thank you.

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