At home body fat measurement

[Kraken]

For those of you who somehow measure your body fat percentage, how do you do it?

 

[In2Deep]

I use a very basic digital skinfold meter in conjunction with a skin fold app on my phone. Seems to do the trick but many will argue which is best. This thing cost me 10 bucks and the app was free. The key is consistency. We're not pros and dont need exact +/- fractions of a percent.as long as you have something do it the same way each time you will be able to effectively monitor your fat loss.

 

[Kraken]

I'm just thinking I'll screwup skin fold measuring.

 

[andy]

I use a very basic digital skinfold meter in conjunction with a skin fold app on my phone. Seems to do the trick but many will argue which is best. This thing cost me 10 bucks and the app was free. The key is consistency. We're not pros and dont need exact +/- fractions of a percent.as long as you have something do it the same way each time you will be able to effectively monitor your fat loss.

yup im using same one. theres a formula I use on app(forgot its name but theres a bunch of them)- u measure your bf at three spots - belly , tittie and thigh add in the numbers and it gives u the approx bf%

 

[CJ]

You can NOT get a bodyfat percentage accurately. It's simply not possible.

Best is to measure the bf THICKNESS with calipers at a few sites, and see if it's going up or down during weight loss/gain, or compare those bf measurements to previous numbers at the same bodyweight.

 

[Gadawg]

Simply a mirror

 

[Kraken]

yup im using same one. theres a formula I use on app(forgot its name but theres a bunch of them)- u measure your bf at three spots - belly , tittie and thigh add in the numbers and it gives u the approx bf%

Yeah I have seen several methods, with 3, 4 or 7 measuring sites. I guess I'll need to learn to be consistent. I know @CJ is right, but if I can be consistent at least I'll be able to track changes.

Simply a mirror

Yeah and I keep comparing myself to the many pictures I see online. I find that hard to do.

There used to be some gadget but I think it's been discontinued, which makes me think it never worked.

I also know there are scales that run a small electric current up through your legs, but it seems to me they must miss most of your body. Electricity takes the path of least resistance.

 

[CJ]

Yeah I have seen several methods, with 3, 4 or 7 measuring sites. I guess I'll need to learn to be consistent. I know @CJ is right, but if I can be consistent at least I'll be able to track changes.

Yes, but save the meaningless calculations. Add up the total mm's from the sites, and use that to track.

I also know there are scales that run a small electric current up through your legs, but it seems to me they must miss most of your body. Electricity takes the path of least resistance.

They're junk.

 

[Reader591]

I also use calipers with a basic three site measurement already mentioned at the chest, stomach, and thigh. The number isn’t super accurate (I don’t think) BUT it’s consistent and you will see the trend, so who cares.

 

[BRICKS]

I use a very basic digital skinfold meter in conjunction with a skin fold app on my phone. Seems to do the trick but many will argue which is best. This thing cost me 10 bucks and the app was free. The key is consistency. We're not pros and dont need exact +/- fractions of a percent.as long as you have something do it the same way each time you will be able to effectively monitor your fat loss.

Pros don't need an exact, or even any, bodyfat measurement. When was the last show, pro or amature, that somebody asked a competitor in stage what their bodyfat percentage was? You're either conditioned or you're not.

 

[Cloaca Devil]

I have quite a lot of loose skin in the belly and side boob regions from losing a huge amount of weight rapidly when I was younger. Anyone know how that might impact caliper measurements? I assume it will just make them really inaccurate.

 

[In2Deep]

Intertesting question. Some nutrition stores have the eletronic device you stand on and grab the handles. The body fat is test using some type of electric frequency or current. I did it once and didnt feel anything. The downside to that is you have to go somewhere and deal with someone is trying to sell you something or you dont have the convenience and privacy of doing it in your bathroom.

 

[Reader591]

I have quite a lot of loose skin in the belly and side boob regions from losing a huge amount of weight rapidly when I was younger. Anyone know how that might impact caliper measurements? I assume it will just make them really inaccurate.

It may make it falsely high. But it doesn’t matter. It’s still gonna be consistent and you can see if you’re trending up or down. Just don’t get hung up on the percentage itself, but the trend of it going up or down.

 

[Send0]

Intertesting question. Some nutrition stores have the eletronic device you stand on and grab the handles. The body fat is test using some type of electric frequency or current. I did it once and didnt feel anything. The downside to that is you have to go somewhere and deal with someone is trying to sell you something or you dont have the convenience and privacy of doing it in your bathroom.

that is biometric impedance; which is a complete bullshit way of measuring body fat. It's meaningless due to the way it calculated body fat

 

[Reader591]

Intertesting question. Some nutrition stores have the eletronic device you stand on and grab the handles. The body fat is test using some type of electric frequency or current. I did it once and didnt feel anything. The downside to that is you have to go somewhere and deal with someone is trying to sell you something or you dont have the convenience and privacy of doing it in your bathroom.

You can buy these for at home.

I don’t like them because they seem very inconsistent. Not at the fault of them necessarily, but just how they work. Hydration levels can make them fluctuate by A LOT and makes it hard to see a trend. Some will give a hydration percentage. Don’t know how accurate that is. But if you can write down hydration percentage and body fat along with it, maybe then you can see a trend…..

Or go a cheaper more reliable route of calipers…..

 

[Send0]

You can buy these for at home.

I don’t like them because they seem very inconsistent. Not at the fault of them necessarily, but just how they work. Hydration levels can make them fluctuate by A LOT and makes it hard to see a trend. Some will give a hydration percentage. Don’t know how accurate that is. But if you can write down hydration percentage and body fat along with it, maybe then you can see a trend…..

Or go a cheaper more reliable route of calipers…..

they aren't close to accurate at measuring anything. Calipers are definitely better once a person gets consistent in how they measure their skin folds.

With that said, IMO people shouldn't really obsess over body fat unless they're trying to get stage ready. The mirror and scale is a better and easier method to gauge progress for 99% of people.

 

[Reader591]

they aren't close to accurate at measuring anything. Calipers are definitely better once a person gets consistent in how they measure their skin folds.

With that said, IMO people shouldn't really obsess over body fat unless they're trying to get stage ready. The mirror and scale is a better and easier method to gauge progress for 99% of people.

I wasn’t sure about the hydration part. I don’t trust the body fat measurement as far as I can throw it. I had one at one time but I could stand on it back to back and get different readings each time.

I’d disagree somewhat with your second part though. Mirror can trick you if you look too often. Over time yes pictures would be your friend though. But calipers to me are the best to see if you’re shrinking down or fluffing up. Again not for the number itself, but for consistency of measurement (also up to the user) AND a trend. Not the actually number it spits out as a truth.

If you get 18% body fat. I’m not worried about you actually being 18%. I’m worried about that number (by measurement) going down if trying to lean out.

 

[Send0]

I wasn’t sure about the hydration part. I don’t trust the body fat measurement as far as I can throw it. I had one at one time but I could stand on it back to back and get different readings each time.

I’d disagree somewhat with your second part though. Mirror can trick you if you look too often. Over time yes pictures would be your friend though. But calipers to me are the best to see if you’re shrinking down or fluffing up. Again not for the number itself, but for consistency of measurement (also up to the user) AND a trend. Not the actually number it spits out as a truth.

If you get 18% body fat. I’m not worried about you actually being 18%. I’m worried about that number (by measurement) going down if trying to lean out.

then we agree to disagree. I mean your reasoning as to why the mirror is a bad method also applies to calipers. If you are holding water then it's going to give you false readings.

As long as my diet is on point, then I find that the mirror and scale doesn't lie to me. Especially since I plot it out and flatten the peaks and valleys by taking a rolling 7 day average.

 

[Thrawn]

For entertainment purposes after you do your measurements click on the link and see how the army does theirs. Try old and new method. It will take less than 10 seconds each. It's entertaining to see government logic.

Army Body Fat Calculator (incl. New 2023 Tape Test)

Calculate the percentage of body fat based on the U.S. Army formula with this free online Army body fat calculator. Uses the new army tape test introduced in 2023 (one-site test), as well as the old multiple-site tape test. For the 2023 tape test enter your age, weight, and abdominal...

www.gigacalculator.com

 

[Kraken]

And I think I saw the Army and Navy have different methods. I used several of the online calculators that just work with a tape measure (I don't have calipers) and get from 14.7 to 17 percent. But yes I'm more concerned about the results being consistent.

I want to get to the point where most of the comparison pictures show 12 to 13 percent, regardless of what the actual percentage is. I think I need to drop an additional 5 to 7 pounds.

Which brings me to the next post I'll make, seeking y'all to give me some generous advice...