Body Fat

[femaveeick]

Well said. I do the caliper method, but it is strictly for checking my trends with myself. Essentially, evaluating the effectiveness of how I eat. I'd give just about anything but a DEXA scan 2% error. And I'd give BIA scales a 3-4% error margin for me. Anything smaller than that is, as you've pointed out: bull.

[peterbrown77]

Right - absolute BF percentage I really only care about to establish a caloric baseline using Klatch-McCardle or Harris-Benedict. Even that has to be adjusted based on actual results. After that, it is just for evaluating whether you're progressing or getting fatter!

[Shanu82]

Not to sure where to log this so thought I'd try here.

Trying to reduce my body fat but in terms of measurement I've only got a set of scales that measure weight, BF and hydration. I've seen some BF calipers and wondered how are these in terms of accuracy? Are they a worthwhile investment?

The scales seem very erractic in their measurement so I'm looking for something more accurate or consistent.

Thanks.

[OptikaNET]

Hi Shanu,

I have merged your post with an existing discussion on BodyFat and I have moved that discussion from the "Welcome" section of the forum because I felt that it was in the wrong place. I hope the previous posts will help answer some of the questions you have and I hope you enjoy the discussion.

Kind Regards
Dave

[Shanu82]

Been a good informative read guys. I've managed to learn that no method is exact and should only be used for tending purposes providing the measurement method is consistent.
Think I'll have a go with the calipers as well as the scales and believe which ever gives me the smaller number.

[OptikaNET]

Believe whichever gives you a consistent number!!!

Kind Regards
Dave

[OptikaNET]

My cheap and nasty skinfold calipers say my bodyfat% today is 13-14%. With the spare tyre I still have around my waist (a good 5kg worth I'd say...) this is clearly incorrect. My Tanita puts me in the 18-19% which seems more realistic.

I'm still convinced that, of the two, the Tanita is the more accurate.

Kind Regards
Dave

[peterbrown77]

Okay, so here are some real-world results from my Tanita. I started using the BFFM program combined with P90X2 on Christmas Day. I weighed 188 lbs. My Tanita said I was 23.5% body fat. Now, two months later, I weigh 172 lbs, for a loss of 16 lbs. My Tanita this morning said my body fat is 21%.

Patently, the Tanita is full of crap. I've lost 16 lbs from a total of 188 lbs, or over 8% of my total body weight. Assuming the Tanita was correct at 23.5% initially, that meant I had 44 lbs of fat and 143 lbs of lean mass. Now I have 44 - 16, or 28 lbs of fat from a total of 172 and we'll assume my lean has not increased, so my body fat percentage is about 16%. However, the Tanita consistently puts me at 20% - 22%.

Empirically, the Tanita is not even close to accurate.

[Saint78]

Soooo, jumping in here.

First off, I'm not working out to get as low body fat % as possible or keeping track of it for any other reason than keeping track of it. Now it would be stupid to say that it's NOT important to me, it is to some extent, but it's not my motivation for working out. I'm kind of nerdy and all those numbers talk to me hehe.

I have a Tanita at home which I use regularly. As it's not exactly accurate (there are a LOT of variables), but it IS great for one thing. Measuring change over time and finding your trend. Going up or going down? If you want accurate % then this is almost as good as looking in the mirror. But it gives you your weight accurate and the rest is "nice to have". I use this with an app on my smartphone to track the numbers.

I also go to a rehab facility for sports injuries, they have a GE InBody720. It's quite expensive, so it's not that common. But it's the most accurate out there. It also measures visceral fat (the dangerous stuff) quite accurately, but this also has some variables. I know for a fact that the hospital in my area use this on patients with medical issues because thay are obese. It's supposedly "medical accurate" It gives you fat, water, muscle in each limb, bone etc. You get a nice printout to keep track of your progress.

The InBody (or Tanita to a lesser extent) is great for keeping track of nutritional changes or changes to your workout. I do a lot of seasonal specific sports and the InBody shows me that during winter, the muscles in my legs increase quite dramatically and in summer my upper body/arms do the same. Vice versa, my legs go skinny in the summer.

Again, why you choose to keep THIS much control over details is up to you. If it motivates you, then good for you. I use it to find out when I should cut back on the pizza.

http://inbody.gehealthcare.com/products/inbody-720