Accu-Measure Calipers vs Omron

mmapags
mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I have both and as I'm getting leaner, the gap between them seems to getting bigger. According to the Accu-Measure calipers, I get a consistent 10 to 11mm. That means 19% according to their chart for men. On the Omron, I get reading from 23.4% to 24.7%. Very inconnsistent. Using the Accu-Measure calipers, I've seen a steady decline over 3 months. Without getting more expensive testing, I'm just trying to get a resonable gauge on where I sit.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    I believe calipers better. I've done jostling to see the highest and lowest I can get and the highest calipers can give me is far lower than my scale. Calipers put me at 22% and scale puts me between 25 and 28 depending on the day. And that figure doesn't change with weight lost consistently. At this point I trust calipers more, and only partly because that's the more flattering number lol I also would have had to lose 10 pounds of muscle mass (in my 32 pounds lost) for the scale to be close... Which seems improbable.

    Anyways, one thing I have found is that the difference it makes to my goal weight is only a few pounds... So while I wish I knew for sure, meh, doesn't really matter
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Thanks. I'm not really working toward a goal weight but toward a body fat goal. Thus the desire for greater accuracy. I'm getting leaner as I can tell by the mirror, clothes and measurements but would like to know really where bf sits.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    With an untrained person using the calipers (IE: using them on yourself instead of having a certified or degreed trainer doing the measurements), they are not as accurate as bioelectrical impedance via the Omron because the user isn't trained in the proper pressure to apply for measurements. Also, the Accu-Measure formula doesn't use enough measurement sites to be very accurate. However, the Omron is only as accurate as your body water allows. If you have large fluctuations in your body water then it will throw off the calculations for the body fat %. So, when using the bioelectrical impedance, only compare body fat %'s with the same body water %. Also, know that if you carry your body fat lower in the body (like in the belly, hips, or thighs), then a hand held bioelectrical impedance machine will read the body fat lower then is actually accurate because it is sending the electrical current through only the upper half of the body.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    ThanksTonya. I actully carry all my fat above my hips. From my hips down, I am very lean. I carry some in back over my hips and some in front aound my middle. Then up around my chest. As I get leaner, first my bottom half loses fat, then belly then the other spots. The Acu-Measure is only one spot about an inch above the point of the right hip. What you said did make sense regarding the Omron and body water. That may be why I get such varied measurements. Whether the percentage is right or not, with the Accu-Measure at least the steady reduction in measurements is an indication that things are moving in the right direction. It's just be great to know what the ballpark is that my bf% is in. I guess I could take the middle of the Omron variance as the ballpark at about 24%? On the Omron though, it's been stuck in that neighborhood for awhile while the Accu-Measure keeps going down. Also i introduced regular strength training about 60 days ago and that will have an influence on body water. Maybe average the 2? I dunno. Would love to get a Bod Pod or Hydrostatic test as a base line but don't know where to find that locally and don't have any idea of cost. Any ideas?
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    ThanksTonya. I actully carry all my fat above my hips. From my hips down, I am very lean. I carry some in back over my hips and some in front aound my middle. Then up around my chest. As I get leaner, first my bottom half loses fat, then belly then the other spots. The Acu-Measure is only one spot about an inch above the point of the right hip. What you said did make sense regarding the Omron and body water. That may be why I get such varied measurements. Whether the percentage is right or not, with the Accu-Measure at least the steady reduction in measurements is an indication that things are moving in the right direction. It's just be great to know what the ballpark is that my bf% is in. I guess I could take the middle of the Omron variance as the ballpark at about 24%? On the Omron though, it's been stuck in that neighborhood for awhile while the Accu-Measure keeps going down. Also i introduced regular strength training about 60 days ago and that will have an influence on body water. Maybe average the 2? I dunno. Would love to get a Bod Pod or Hydrostatic test as a base line but don't know where to find that locally and don't have any idea of cost. Any ideas?

    Call your local university and ask for their exercise physiology or exercise science department. Our program has had a BodPod for years and just got a DEXA the semester I graduated. We didn't get many requests from outside the university to do a body fat assessment, but when we did, we did them for free for anyone willing to be the practice dummy for our practicum class. The assessment was supervised by our professor so it was still accurate and done correctly, it just gives the students practice running the machines.

    The only other places I've seen the more accurate tests are hospitals but they use the DEXA primarily for bone density and not body fat. You might be able to request one from your doctor but I don't know how much your insurance would cover on that cost.

    Some high end gyms will have a Bod Pod but most use calipers or bioelectric impedance. You can call around and ask, though, and may get lucky enough to find one.
  • Drastiic
    Drastiic Posts: 322 Member
    Call your local university and ask for their exercise physiology or exercise science department. Our program has had a BodPod for years and just got a DEXA the semester I graduated. We didn't get many requests from outside the university to do a body fat assessment, but when we did, we did them for free for anyone willing to be the practice dummy for our practicum class. The assessment was supervised by our professor so it was still accurate and done correctly, it just gives the students practice running the machines.

    The only other places I've seen the more accurate tests are hospitals but they use the DEXA primarily for bone density and not body fat. You might be able to request one from your doctor but I don't know how much your insurance would cover on that cost.

    Some high end gyms will have a Bod Pod but most use calipers or bioelectric impedance. You can call around and ask, though, and may get lucky enough to find one.

    That would be my suggestion as well. I'm not a member of a gym, and I was looking for a place where I could get tested. I looked up a university nearby and found they offered some tests for a fee. For an example, here's a university in my city offering some: http://www.memphis.edu/hss/crml/testing-services.htm I'm getting my resting metabolic rate and body composition analysis (7-point) next week. I didn't find any affordable DEXA scans in my area that offered just the body fat. Most are the full-fledged bone density, which at a hospital near me wanted $627. No thanks.

    Here's a BodPod locator: http://www.cosmed.com/locator

    This is the closest place for you in Malvern, PA: http://www.areufithealthservices.com/services.php
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Thanks guys. I think I'll give the University route a shot. I'm guessing Penn may have a program seeing as how they have a full fledged medical school.
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