Body Fat Questions

CynthiaCollin · July 2012

Hey Everyone !

Was hoping for some help. I have been on MFP for 2 years. I have lost 52lbs... Now I that I have gotten the weight off I want to work on different aspects of my body including lowering my body fat %, I want to tone my muscles and perhaps a bit of defintion in the ab area (if possible after 2 children....lol)

How can I figure out what my body fat % is? I do not go to the gym or have any fancy equipment or a trainer... I work out at home with workout videos and I jog as well.

This fall we are going to set ourselves up with a mini home gym.

So what should/can do? Any good websites to find out my body fat %? Or should I really consult with someone?

As a busy mother of two, what do you reccommend for lowering my body fat % ? What do I have to do? Pounds was my major concern for the past year and I am proud of my accomplishment, but now I want to bring myself to the next level.

Thanks everyone !

surlydave · July 2012

Hey stranger! There are many tools on the internet to calculate body fat percentage. They generally involve taking various measurements and making a calculation based on that and your height and weight.

cordianet · July 2012

There are also body composition monitors you can buy. They're not that expensive either. Some are built into scales and some are handheld. They aren't terribly accurate (they can vary by several percentage points), from your "real" BF%, but they do tend to be fairly consistent over time. What I mean is that they can vary quite a bit day to day based on when you've last eaten, how dehydrated you are, when you last, ahem, visited the restroom, etc.), but if you try to keep those things as consistent as you can you should be able to see if you're making progress.

jugar · July 2012

This is a great question. I am within 10 pounds of goal, and muscle definition is starting to happen! Eeee hah! However, keeping on track will mean tracking something other than just weight. I am looking forward to the suggestions here.

drewols · July 2012

I would try googling your location to see if there are any clinics or businesses that offer hydrostatic testing. This is one of the most accurate ways to get your body fat %, though can sometimes be tricky to find where to get it done

meshashesha2012 · July 2012

i think you can get a pair of skin calipers and plug your measurements into one of the formula on a site like this
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

skin calipers as pretty cheap.

CynthiaCollin · July 2012

I don`t even know where I can buy skin calipers....lol....

acr0bat · July 2012

I picked up some scales that calculate it (same as teh composition monitors mentioned earlier in the thread). Not sure they are 100% accurate but it gives me a measurement which I can measure.

At the very least I have a measurement I can track a trend, e.g. so long as the body fat percentage is dropping I am happy, even if it turns out (not sure how I'd know!) that what I beleive to be 17% fat is actually 16.34% fat.

Smuterella · July 2012

To be honest it doesn't matter what method you use as long as you are consistent with using only that method and can therefore track trends with it. :-)

getsveltEagain · July 2012

Great job losing the weight!!! :bigsmile:

I don't know if you do this already but a great way to burn fat is to lift. Lift heavy to see results. Another option would be HIIT to help burn the fat. Plus diet (not in the limiting sense but the overall food sense) is important too.

For body fat I agree with everyone here... pick a way to measure either with a scale, calipers, admisitered test, or website with measurements, then be consistant with how you track your progress

Best of luck to you!!!

girlie100 · July 2012

To be honest it doesn't matter what method you use as long as you are consistent with using only that method and can therefore track trends with it. :-)

^^ this, search military body fat calculator, you can plug in your tape measurements and it will estimate BF%

look into doing some weight lifting, New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great place to start, invest in a barbell and some dumbbells and you are away

good luck

dr3wman · July 2012

There are many methods of measuring BF, with the most accurate ones being the most expensive. Calipers will give you a rough estimate and are pretty cheap. If you want a very accurate measurement, I would suggest contacting the nearest University with a Kinesiology department. Many of them will have a "Bod Pod" and may let you use it for little money (or free if its a learning experience for students). I've always believed the best way to measure your BF% is the mirror! Take a picture of yourself now, and then another in a month and compare. Good luck!

azalais7 · July 2012

To be honest it doesn't matter what method you use as long as you are consistent with using only that method and can therefore track trends with it. :-)

^^ this, search military body fat calculator, you can plug in your tape measurements and it will estimate BF%

look into doing some weight lifting, New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great place to start, invest in a barbell and some dumbbells and you are away good luck

^^All this. If you use the military body fat calculator, don't panic--it tends to overestimate by quite a bit. However, it will also give you that basic measurement, even if the number on its own is mostly useless.

There was a great article about body fat percentage just the other day here:

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/

And YES to the heavy lifting! New Rules of Lifting for Women is awesome. There's a group here on MFP if you want to check it out.

Body Fat Questions

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