Anybody monitor progress by bf% only?

Tubby2Toned
Tubby2Toned Posts: 130 Member
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss
I see a lot of paying attention to actually poundage on this site, which I totally get.
However, I know personally that my weight can fluctuate quite a bit due to hydration, food in the stomach, etc. I've lost 6-7 lbs just working in the sun for a couple hours (pure water weight).
I also know that getting into the weight room will add some muscle pounds also (not a lot, but still).

With that in mind I've decided to just watch my body fat %. I have a pretty decent bf% digital scale that seems to be fairly consistent each time I weigh in.

That said, I'm still curious if anyone knows of a good way to calculate what each percentage of body fat equals for an individual.
My buddy is my height, age, and body weight. He lost 13 pounds and 3% body fat. That's about 4.3 lbs per bf%. I'm assuming that's pretty close for me also.

Anybody else prefer watching bf% over pounds?

Replies

  • Tubby2Toned
    Tubby2Toned Posts: 130 Member
    Oh, I'm 29% right now. My goal is 19%, which using my buddy as the template, is about 40 lbs. That seems like A LOT.
    I think my math is off.
  • Seaver3409
    Seaver3409 Posts: 4
    (Start Weight - Finish Weight) X 100 / Start Weight = % lost
  • PuliGT
    PuliGT Posts: 10
    Your math is probably off. Remember that just because your friend lost 13 pounds and 3% BF it doesn't mean that he actually lost 13 pounds of fat..

    I don't know exactly how it works but I think an alright estimate would be that if you want to lower your BF by 10% you'll need to lose (your weight) * .1 pounds of fat. That said it is very unlikely that you will only lose weight from fat loss.
  • Tubby2Toned
    Tubby2Toned Posts: 130 Member
    (Start Weight - Finish Weight) X 100 / Start Weight = % lost

    Thanks. That puts me at needing to lose about 13% bf to reach 169, at 16% bf. That's 26 pounds, at 2 lbs of fat equaling a single % point.
    Think that's accurate? I have no idea.

    Thanks!
  • Tubby2Toned
    Tubby2Toned Posts: 130 Member
    Your math is probably off. Remember that just because your friend lost 13 pounds and 3% BF it doesn't mean that he actually lost 13 pounds of fat..

    I don't know exactly how it works but I think an alright estimate would be that if you want to lower your BF by 10% you'll need to lose (your weight) * .1 pounds of fat. That said it is very unlikely that you will only lose weight from fat loss.

    Thank you. That's 19.5 pounds, which again is about 2lbs per %.
  • futbolkt21
    futbolkt21 Posts: 57
    (Start Weight - Finish Weight) X 100 / Start Weight = % lost

    This formula calculates your percentage of weight lost--not percentage of body fat.

    For measuring body fat % you're best off with a skin fold test or body fat % monitor (my friend bought be an Omron Body Fat Analyzer, which I know they use in a lot of gyms). There are calculators online that you can use also to determine your body fat %--but they will give you more of an estimate.
  • futbolkt21
    futbolkt21 Posts: 57
    But to answer your questions, I like to watch both :o) It's nice to see a difference in your body fat percentage when you're not seeing a difference on the scale even though you're busting your butt.
  • amart17
    amart17 Posts: 21
    Personally, I'm a huge fan of the visual tests. Like all body fat measurements, they are inaccurate, but they do give you a general idea of where you're at. Best of all (I'm a broke university student), they're free to use.

    A guide to characteristics of each fat % level:

    http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979216981

    And a guide to compare yourself to some other guys in various states of fitness.

    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

    Like almost everything about fitness, these obviously vary from person to person, so take them with more than a grain of salt, but they're still a decent frame to work with.
  • Tubby2Toned
    Tubby2Toned Posts: 130 Member
    @futbolk- thanks for your comments.I actually watch both also (my scale shows both so it's hard to miss), but I only really care about the bf% I think.

    @amart -Those links are AWESOME! The first one is hilarious...
    Sadly, I am at the almost 30% pictures of the second one, but I got inspired seeing the difference. I'd like to hit 19% by June (my 47th Birthday). It'll be a battle.

    Thanks ya'll!
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