So I got my body fat measured today

halimaiqbal00
halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
edited November 21 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
By a Dr with calipers. He told me my bf% was 23. I was under the impression that it was around 28% but before I do a victory dance, how accurate are callipers in measuring body fat? Most of my fat is deposited around my tummy and he didn't use the calipers on there. It was on bicep, triceps, upper back and hips.

My aim has always been to get my bf% to around 20% and it definitely looks like I have a long way to go but I don't, based on the calipers reading so I'm confused!

Can anyone shed any light?

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    The more sites measured, the more accurate. With only 4 sites, I wouldn't put a much stake into it, especially since he didn't do thigh or stomach.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Bodyfat measurement aside... How do you feel about your physique? Do you feel like you are closer or farther from what you feel is to be 20% ?
  • halimaiqbal00
    halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    The more sites measured, the more accurate. With only 4 sites, I wouldn't put a much stake into it, especially since he didn't do thigh or stomach.

    Exactly. This is why I was sceptical as I carry most my fat around my stomach which he didn't measure!

  • halimaiqbal00
    halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Bodyfat measurement aside... How do you feel about your physique? Do you feel like you are closer or farther from what you feel is to be 20% ?

    I watch fitness youtubers who have disclosed their body fat and have showed pictures of how they looked at certain body fat percentages and I look nowhere near as lean as they do at 23%

    I inputted these measurements into another site, using the same formula and it came out at 31% so I'll take the reading with a pinch of salt
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Accuracy of measurement in the hands of an experienced person - guessing they were if they do it frequently.

    But skipping a main site used for women and so few sites - not good accuracy on resulting calculations.

    Otherwise study has shown not too bad for accuracy - better than BIA scale or handhelds. But combine them all and average.

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/BodyComp.html

  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    BF measurement w/calipers is only as good as the person using them and there are few people are properly trained and experienced in their use.

    The last person I would trust to do a caliper measurement is a doctor.

    A nurse, physical therapist or certified personal trainer maybe but definitely NOT a doctor simply because a doctor probably has not done that many and is not inclined to devote enough time/attn to do it right.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Good point, unless a weight loss specialist Dr, why would a Dr take extra time to do that?

    I'd bet $10 of someone else's money that it's because they can charge a higher rate for the visit to the insurance.
    Like when they take my weight, blood pressure and temperature and tag the visit as a full screening higher charge.
  • halimaiqbal00
    halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
    The dr was conducting research on hearth health for people on my age bracket and needs a sample of 500 participants. The body fat caliper check I sort of the routine, alone with an ECG, weight/height check. He said I was the 300th person to particular so he’s well versed in how to use the callipers I would’ve thought.

    Anyway, I will be booking a DEXA scan for a few weeks time to give me a better indication. I’ll go and repeat the scan in a year to see progress.
  • halimaiqbal00
    halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
    Thanks for all your suggestions and advice!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Now that would be interesting to be informed about when the research is done.
    Just in case you happen to be one of the outlayers for something - you could point to a stat that was way off from normal and say - hey, that's me!
  • rdl81
    rdl81 Posts: 220 Member
    I would say 7 sites is minimum, also depends a lot on who is measuring them there are two PT at my gym that have done me and they differ by a few % the reading on my tricep for one where I know the fat is very minimal. If he has only done 30 measurements prob not that accuate also did he take two or three per site and average them? The DEXA scan is the best way if you want an accurate reading or a bod pod which is less accurate but normally cheaper
  • amakenm
    amakenm Posts: 18 Member
    Everything You Need to Know About Body Fat Percentage (Pics at bottom of page)

    https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/body-fat-percentage/
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Something to keep in mind is that all methods of body fat analysis are measuring something other than body-fat and using it to make estimations about your body fat percentage.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    halimaiqbal00 wrote: »
    The dr was conducting research on hearth health for people on my age bracket and needs a sample of 500 participants. The body fat caliper check I sort of the routine, alone with an ECG, weight/height check. He said I was the 300th person to particular so he’s well versed in how to use the callipers I would’ve thought.

    Anyway, I will be booking a DEXA scan for a few weeks time to give me a better indication. I’ll go and repeat the scan in a year to see progress.

    Depends on how he was trained. You can do something incorrectly 300 times just like you can do it correctly 300 times. LOL.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    amakenm wrote: »
    Everything You Need to Know About Body Fat Percentage (Pics at bottom of page)

    https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/body-fat-percentage/
    I have NEVER seen documentation about what the BF% in the pics is based on. Did all these models get a hydrotank or DEXA exam under the same conditions and done by the same person? Was BIA used? Someone's SWAG? Similar pics are often put out for comparison to assess one's body fat, but they are based on nothing.
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  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
    Just remember, in every graduating medical class...one of those 'future doctors' was at the bottom of the class! :smile:
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited September 2017
    LizethChavez10 wrote: »
    halimaiqbal00 wrote: »
    By a Dr with calipers. He told me my bf% was 23. I was under the impression that it was around 28% but before I do a victory dance, how accurate are callipers in measuring body fat? Most of my fat is deposited around my tummy and he didn't use the calipers on there. It was on bicep, triceps, upper back and hips.

    My aim has always been to get my bf% to around 20% and it definitely looks like I have a long way to go but I don't, based on the calipers reading so I'm confused!

    Can anyone shed any light?

    Calipers are the second most effective way to know your body fat. The first one is the bioimpedance, try to find somewhere in your city where you can take this test

    ^ Nope. Bioimpedance is one of the least accurate methods of body fat testing. It's somewhere right above throwing a dart at a dart board. Calipers and BIA are two of the least accurate methods.

    The gold standard is autopsy, but that's not recommended for obvious reasons. Next up would be a four compartment model, where they use hydrostatic testing to measure body density, deuterium dilution to measure total body water, and DEXA to measure bone mineral content. Beyond that, hydrostatic testing and DEXA are considered the most accurate two-compartment methods, followed by BodPod, calipers, and finally BIA and/or anthropomorphic measurements (tape measure).
  • amakenm
    amakenm Posts: 18 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    amakenm wrote: »
    Everything You Need to Know About Body Fat Percentage (Pics at bottom of page)

    https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/body-fat-percentage/
    I have NEVER seen documentation about what the BF% in the pics is based on. Did all these models get a hydrotank or DEXA exam under the same conditions and done by the same person? Was BIA used? Someone's SWAG? Similar pics are often put out for comparison to assess one's body fat, but they are based on nothing.

    While they do not specify the method used, based on visual observation, these pics appear accurate. There are sites you can view DEXA pics, these are just nice for side by side comparison. If you're looking for fractional accuracy, you would need to pursue one of the several other methods discussed on the page.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    amakenm wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    amakenm wrote: »
    Everything You Need to Know About Body Fat Percentage (Pics at bottom of page)

    https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/body-fat-percentage/
    I have NEVER seen documentation about what the BF% in the pics is based on. Did all these models get a hydrotank or DEXA exam under the same conditions and done by the same person? Was BIA used? Someone's SWAG? Similar pics are often put out for comparison to assess one's body fat, but they are based on nothing.

    While they do not specify the method used, based on visual observation, these pics appear accurate. There are sites you can view DEXA pics, these are just nice for side by side comparison. If you're looking for fractional accuracy, you would need to pursue one of the several other methods discussed on the page.
    If you’re looking for fractional accuracy, you’ll have to submit to an autopsy. Any and every other method of measuring body fat percentage will have margins of error much greater than that.
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