Riddle me this...body fat %, need honesty

stephanie1133
stephanie1133 Posts: 211
in Health and Weight Loss
I went to have my monthly fitness assessment done today, at my gym. It was just my 2nd one, my last one was May 8th, so exactly a month.

I lost 13.8 pounds, but my body fat was only down 1/2% (from 33.8% to 33.2%). This seems impossible to me.

Now, it was a different guy that did the fitness assessment, so my theory is that the 1st measurement wasn't exactly accurate. It's a 7 point caliper test, and the 1st guy took several of my measurements through my clothes, I felt like maybe he didn't get a hold of all the fat he could've.

At 203.6 lbs on May 8th I find it hard to believe my body fat was *only* 33.8%, I was expecting around 40% give or take a percent or 2. In fact, I was utterly shocked when he told me what it was.

I weight train 3 to 4 times a week. In fact, the last 2 weeks that's all I've been doing, because of my ankle sprain cardio has been sidelined. I eat 120 to 140 grams of protein per day, and ALWAYS eat or drink protein after weight training workouts.

I've been trying not to dwell on it, and focus on that improvements I DID make, but it is bothering the crap out of me that I could be losing that much muscle with all that I'm doing.

Truth please!!!

Replies

  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    Many BF% tests are wildly inaccurate, and as far as I know, you can't do caliper tests through clothing. Some things you can just take on faith or common sense: if you're strength training and still losing weight, then it's mostly fat that's coming off.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Ignore it. Calipers aren't all that precise, and gym dudes aren't all that skilled. I also suspect some of them are told to inflate your numbers, as a business tool. If your clothes fit better, you're doing the right thing. You're not losing gobs of muscle.

    You can buy a set of calipers on Amazon for like $6 and measure at home, too. It's such a tiny increment that it's really hard to see changes over many months, much less one month.
  • jealous_loser
    jealous_loser Posts: 395
    I think the only way to do that really is the electric current one. you know, the one you hold onto for like 30 sec and it spits out a BF%. That or the real one the doctor does with the tank of water and stuff.

    The measurement ones can be off like woah. Especially if it is not the same person doing it every time or if you are wearing different clothes/.
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
    It might be worth getting a hydrostatic body fat test (if there is a place near you).
  • dunlunicor
    dunlunicor Posts: 189 Member
    Body fat scales can run fairly cheap (mine was about $40), and while they aren't wildly accurate as far as the exact percentage goes, a general downward trend can let you know that you are consistently losing bodyfat.
  • stephanie1133
    stephanie1133 Posts: 211
    Thanks guys!

    I do have the electro one, I just figure it is accurate to itself, and according to that I AM losing body fat monthly. That's exactly why I was so shocked at their measurements. I was 41% at that time (203.6) with my hand held. Now I'm around 36%. I do trust that a little more as far as being higher than what they say. I'm 189.8 pounds and 5'6". I just find it very hard to believe I'm 33% body fat and that I'm not losing body fat hardly.

    I'll just ignore it. Thanks again.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    I suggest trying one of the calculator sites -- they're pretty simple, no calipers required.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

    For successive measures, try to make sure you are in the same location -- so the forearm measure is the same number of inches above the wrist each time.
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
    Oh nos if bf% isn't accurate too and bmi isn't either now what????
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 994 Member
    seems a bit ridiculous that someone would measure on top of clothes when the width matters immensely in this measurement.
  • bizgirl26
    bizgirl26 Posts: 1,795 Member
    It might be worth getting a hydrostatic body fat test (if there is a place near you).

    This!! I've done it . Check at the Universities or colleges
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    I was told the margin for error on those tests is about 5% either way for the electro and a little less for calipers but they say you should use the same person for each.
    I don't think anything is accurate...
    I think they did it over my clothes for the caliper test too!
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
    I suggest trying one of the calculator sites -- they're pretty simple, no calipers required.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

    For successive measures, try to make sure you are in the same location -- so the forearm measure is the same number of inches above the wrist each time.

    I'm not sure I trust that link. It gave me a % body fat that was too high by about 5-6%..so, as a test, I left my weight the same and input 20" waist, 20" hips, 4" wrist and 4" forearm, and it put me at 25% body fat! :laugh:
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Okay... so let's look at the math.

    At 203.6 lbs and 33.8% body fat you were carrying 68.8168 lbs of actual fat. At 189.8 lbs and 33.2% body fat you are carrying around 63.0136 lbs of actual fat.

    That is a difference of 5.8032 lbs of fat. This means that you lost 7.7968 lbs of lean mass. Remember that water is calculated in with lean mass. Now, I really don't know how much of your lost lean mass could have been water. Maybe someone with a degree can clue us in, but I'm willing to bet that at least half of your lean mass lost was water. Either way, 5 lbs of fat loss is pretty damn good so I'm going to give you the internet high five on that one! ^5

    WOOT! NSV!!
  • stephanie1133
    stephanie1133 Posts: 211
    Thanks so much for all the responses!!!

    I guess when it comes down to it, all that matters is I'm looking and feel better, and I know I'm losing weight. I'm getting stronger, and can see more muscle all over my body (mainly due to fat coming off).

    I will definitely get a hydro measure if I can. I've always wanted to do that!
  • freezerburn2012
    freezerburn2012 Posts: 273 Member
    Here's a good blog post with pictures depicting different bodyfat % and explinations of the differences.

    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    the device at my gym (the hand held resistance thing) claimed that after I'd lost 40 lbs, I had only gone down in BF% by 2%. :huh:

    I say BULL.

    You're making progress, don't let numbers trip you up. Just stick to it.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Unless you're shooting for body competitions, I wouldn't bother getting any more sophisticated tests, unless you have money to burn and just want to keep watching it over time for fun. It's not necessary for general health. If you're losing weight and exercising, your muscle level is going to be fine.
  • stephanie1133
    stephanie1133 Posts: 211
    Thanks Lucky!

    @Freezerburn - Thanks for thank link! Love it!
  • gogophers
    gogophers Posts: 190 Member
    I've heard that the tests at the gym are not only imprecise, but sometimes they are calibrated to give you inaccurate numbers. You shouldn't have your body fat percentage tested by someone who has a financial incentive to ensure you aren't happy with the results.

    I've heard the most accurate method to test body fat percentage is doing something in a pool (not familiar with the specifics). However, I don't think you should really focus at all on body fat percentage and if you do, it shouldn't be until significantly later in your diet plan.
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
    How were the measurements taken? How much experience in measuring (in both cases) CORRECTLY did they have? Did they forget a measurement? Were the conditions almost identical at the time of measurements - Day, Time, food/water ingestion, pre/post-workout, and being female.. TOM?

    Edit: If any of this varies, your readings will.
  • stephanie1133
    stephanie1133 Posts: 211
    You 2 are probably right about not worrying about it at all. As long as I'm losing weight, exercising, and my strength isn't going down, it probably isn't something I need to worry about.
  • propskat
    propskat Posts: 191 Member
    I suggest trying one of the calculator sites -- they're pretty simple, no calipers required.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

    For successive measures, try to make sure you are in the same location -- so the forearm measure is the same number of inches above the wrist each time.

    I'm not sure I trust that link. It gave me a % body fat that was too high by about 5-6%..so, as a test, I left my weight the same and input 20" waist, 20" hips, 4" wrist and 4" forearm, and it put me at 25% body fat! :laugh:

    LOL, at 90 lbs, with 20" waist and 20" hips, and 3" wrist and forearm, it gave me 23.3% body fat. Then I switched it from Female to Male and got MINUS 20.89%!

    And shouldn't height be one of the measurements? I think it matters if you're 5'2" and 210 or 5' 9".
  • pkfrankel
    pkfrankel Posts: 171 Member
    The Center for Disease Control calculates BMI as follows:

    Weight x 703 / height (inches) / height (inches)

    190 x 703 / 66 / 66 = 30.7%.
  • Carmato1
    Carmato1 Posts: 1
    Have you tried the online BMI calculators? They are consistent at least...
  • jtintx
    jtintx Posts: 445 Member
    The BodPod is on par with hydrostatic (underwater) weighing and is cheaper and easier to find. You can Google it to find out more about it. It is very accurate. I'd suggest getting a baseline done asap and then again in 6 months to a year.
  • tarheelfj40
    tarheelfj40 Posts: 3
    While it is easy to get caught up on "tests" , your real focus should be practical measurements and not calipers. I would venture to say that the test was pretty accurate. HOWEVER, the thing is about the BF% pinch tests are the actual test points. I have lost just over 60 pounds since Jan 2nd. My BF% has slowly come down, and I trust the guy who has been doing my tests. HOWEVER, what I put value in is that I went from an XL Jacket down to a medium. I went from a size 38 pant size and now I am rocking 32's! Focus less on the plastic judgement devices (Scales and Calipers) and focus more on how you feel, how your clothes fit, and best of all, the response you get from people around you who are witnessing your fitness transformation.

    On another note, I suggest that you up your protein to equal at least 1 gram per pound of your body weight. I am no expert, but based on what you shared, it seems to be too low if you are doing that much weight training. Good luck and keep up the good work!

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