What's a rough way to measure the percentage of body fat?
The Army Body Fat Calculator is accurate +- 3% for 95% of the population.The only really accurate way to measure body fat percentage is weighing fat taken from cadavers-which is what they used to evaluate/train different ways to measure body fat percentage.Here is an article discussing some of the different methods.Methods Of Measuring Body Fat: Unlock The Mystery Of Testing!I live in an area where I can get hydrostatic measures of body fat percentage $50-which I will spend every 10–15 lbs of body fat or 4–5 years whichever comes first. I track my waist/hip/neck measurements along with caliper measurements for relative purposes. A myotape costs $6 and a caliper about $12. Eyeballing yourself I think is also useful along with just getting a sense of what different body fat percentages look like. Those are the approaches that I can honestly suggest have decent accuracy relative to cost/accessibility.What I also found was that my blood pressure made a notable shift downward when I got below 28% bodyfat. Keeping a log of these things is a way of making a note of what is important to you.I think that if we had a large enough sample of pictures and measurements along with hydrostatic body fat measures, we could get much more accurate measures from those cheaper approaches than we have now-which would make body fat testing more broadly accessible. I would like to see body fat testing as part of a physicians physical. Many doctors are stuck back in the BMI which I consider obsolete.
I have 60% body fat is it good?
NOT 60%! LOL http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e250/m... YIKs, I guess at 60% body fat you can be stunt double for the Pillsbury Dough Boy! "whats the best body fat percentage to get an 8 pack and for a 6 pack?" "8 pack" or "6 pack" of what? Pizza, beer, snacks, what? Why don't you just try loosing a few pounds first? Heck, the military won't take you in if your over weight and over 25% body fat. You're confused, you need to get you "head" straightened out before you get anywhere close to buffed abs!
I'm 5'3, 129 lbs, but have high body fat & large measurements...?
I'm 5'3 and 129 lbs. I used to be 5'3 and 137, with measurements of 37-36.5-39.5. Now I am 129 lbs with measurements of 36.5-34-38.5. My body fat is 28%! Are these large measurements for my weight? Why is my body fat so high? I'd like my body fat down to 24, and my waist down to 30 inches. Note, I have been working out for 9 months, and do a lot of abdominal exercises, cardio, and jogging. What else can I do to get rid of my excess belly and side fat?
Is 14.7% body fat too low?
Obviously, you confuse BMI (Body Mass Index) with body fat percentage; they are not the same thing...BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters, whereas body fat percentage is the percentage of your body weight composed of fat....That is why BMI is expressed in kilograms per square meter whereas body fat percentage is just a pure number expressed as a percentage... There are several ways to measure body fat percentage; the skin fold thickness measurement (what you described as "pinching your fat under your upper arm, upper thigh, and hip area) is one of them although not the most reliable.It is a common method of body fat measurement used by many fitness leaders/instructors since it simple and easy. Bioelectrical impedance is the quickest method for measuring body fat percentage. It is non invasive and is better suited for people with higher percentages of body fat or those who would feel uncomfortable with having Skin-fold measurements taken. The Hydrostatic Weighing method is the most accurate measurement, it is also the most uncomfortable and most expensive. There are a few other methods for measuring body fat but these are too complex and very expensive. You need to keep in mind the margin of error of each method before you interpret your results. The normal range for women is traditionally in the 20-25% range (this is what we were taught in medical school) and women tend to start having menstruation irregularities if they fall under 16-17% (although many women in professional sports fall under this limit and are still in good health). On the other hand your BMI is 20.2 (I calculated it) which is in the normal range.... At the end of the day it is all about how you feel....After all, if you feel great and do not have any health problems, this is the most important indicator of well being. There is no reason to measure things in your body unless there is a medical reason behind it (although sometimes we are just curious which is understandable)....Enjoy life!
Do I look like my body fat percentage? (pics)?
I had my body fat tested today by a doctor. I am a little shocked by the results... 34.8%. I am 5'5 and 150, so not exactly skinny, but apparently I am very fat even though I'm not really overweight... I am starting dieting/working out tomorrow, and want to double check that my starting measurements seem correct... do I look like I have 34.8% body fat?? Thanks for your input :)