BMI Vs Body Fat%
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zutier
Posts: 8 Member
What is the better of the two, I understand BMI is fastest, and draws a very broad outline of your fitness level, however, for people like me who were military or formerly athletic, it can be fairly inaccurate, as muscle is 18% denser than fat (notice I didn't say "muscle weighs more than fat" both weight the same, just take up different volumes of space). Body fat percentages, (I use the tape method) seems to be more accurate because it isn't saying "you are 228 pounds of homogeneous goo in a skin bag," but measuring Muscle and fat in various locations around the body. What are your opinions on this? = FULL DISCLOSURE, I am a little biased. My weight and height in BMI is "obese" but in body fat% I am healthy
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The problem with bf% is that there aren't as many studies done to determine what is healthy. There's also the problem that most of us can't measure our body fat easily.2
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I was a medic in the army and that was the method we used, so i am fairly proficient in it, but yeah it is a harder test to produce results from0
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What is the better of the two, I understand BMI is fastest, and draws a very broad outline of your fitness level, however, for people like me who were military or formerly athletic, it can be fairly inaccurate, as muscle is 18% denser than fat (notice I didn't say "muscle weighs more than fat" both weight the same, just take up different volumes of space). Body fat percentages, (I use the tape method) seems to be more accurate because it isn't saying "you are 228 pounds of homogeneous goo in a skin bag," but measuring Muscle and fat in various locations around the body. What are your opinions on this? = FULL DISCLOSURE, I am a little biased. My weight and height in BMI is "obese" but in body fat% I am healthy
No.
It's accurate enough. Don't kid yourself.
For all but the tail ends of the Gaussian "normal" curve ... the outliers... it's a solid metric.
Odds are that ain't you. Since you've skipped over Overweight and we're talking in Obese terms... I'm betting strongly that ain't you.
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Ive been wondering too about how to messure body fat. becuase my weight is fluctuating so much , as I cut calloires and increase exersize. I am wondering how to tell if those callorie increases are fat or muscle?0
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I see BMIs are a useful tool when talking about averages among a large population, but depending on your bodytype, it can be bunk. I know a shorter gal that has viking-levels of muscle, and her BMI says she is overweight because she is a bodybuilder. Same goes for taller, willowy people with light frames being called underweight because they have a smaller build at a greater height.
These are outliers, but they exist. The best way to determine health imo is to ask your doctor.0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »What is the better of the two, I understand BMI is fastest, and draws a very broad outline of your fitness level, however, for people like me who were military or formerly athletic, it can be fairly inaccurate, as muscle is 18% denser than fat (notice I didn't say "muscle weighs more than fat" both weight the same, just take up different volumes of space). Body fat percentages, (I use the tape method) seems to be more accurate because it isn't saying "you are 228 pounds of homogeneous goo in a skin bag," but measuring Muscle and fat in various locations around the body. What are your opinions on this? = FULL DISCLOSURE, I am a little biased. My weight and height in BMI is "obese" but in body fat% I am healthy
No.
It's accurate enough. Don't kid yourself.
For all but the tail ends of the Gaussian "normal" curve ... the outliers... it's a solid metric.
Odds are that ain't you. Since you've skipped over Overweight and we're talking in Obese terms... I'm betting strongly that ain't you.
I'd agree. The OP talks about people like him who WERE in the military or FORMERLY athletic.
I would assume we're looking at the current situation.
There are a few that can be obese on BMI and normal or low bodyfat but start thinking people build like NFL linebackers0 -
Well my bmi just left the obese range for the overweight range, and I had my body fat checked last week and while I lost 6% since July, my body is still more than 50% fat. I'm hoping that as I continue to lose weight, I will also build muscle and lose more body fat.0
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Well my bmi just left the obese range for the overweight range, and I had my body fat checked last week and while I lost 6% since July, my body is still more than 50% fat. I'm hoping that as I continue to lose weight, I will also build muscle and lose more body fat.
Yeah, I have my body fat checked pretty regularly and it's never fair off from my BMI. My body fast is 23% and my BMI is 23. I think it's only drastically different for elite athletes.0 -
I am the same... My BMI has me at Obese, but my body fat percentage is in the perfectly acceptable range. Same when I was at my smallest.. I was only "just" in the ideal category for BMI but my body fat was low.. and I looked absolutely fine so I would always go by body fat and not BMI.0
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BMI is a average number so you can be categorised but if your not average (who is) them bf will always give a clearer personal picture. For instance according to my BMI I am overweight yet my bf% is 12%0
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Bf%.0
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Well my bmi just left the obese range for the overweight range, and I had my body fat checked last week and while I lost 6% since July, my body is still more than 50% fat. I'm hoping that as I continue to lose weight, I will also build muscle and lose more body fat.
Yeah, I have my body fat checked pretty regularly and it's never fair off from my BMI. My body fast is 23% and my BMI is 23. I think it's only drastically different for elite athletes.
I have never seen a direct correlation in BF% & BMI although I guess there is some logical formula behind it though I think 23 & 23% is a bit of a fluke though. It makes sense that for most people a higher BMI indicates a higher BF% though it wouldnt be 1 for 1. My BMI is 31.2 and BF% about 37-38%, calculators can put me anywhere between 30%-45% depending on how many points of reference they use for their calculations.
I personally would take BF% over BMI because for me its more about the look/size/feeling as not many people see your actual weight. Realistically I still need to be a lot closer to that BMI healthy range then I am now to be a healthy BF%. As a teen I was heavy for my size but who knows what the case is now since I havent been that weight for 15 years or more. ATM I am working on bf% though, I want to see that come down to 30% as a start, which will be another 8kg or so and probably a BMI of 27.0
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