What is your % body fat?

BossArky

In the gym last night I did a % body fat and BMI test. The results were

11.7% body fat, 24.1 BMI.

Apparently that % body fat puts me in the "athlete" range, whilst the BMI is just within acceptable levels (due to more muscle than average giving inaccurate readings I presume), based upon results on pages such as

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm

This, however, was after the workout which I read may give inaccurate readings. Why exactly is that? What does that machine actually do in your body when held at arms length? The machine I refer to is

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/omronbf.htm

Flex

> 10 and <= 15%

I did one of those BMI tests over the net and I was 27 or something, which makes me 'overweight'

Iv got one of those scales that measures bodyfat aswel as weight. Its unbelievably inaccurate, but the way it works (as far as i remember) is that it sends an electric pulse through your body, and then the electrric pulse returns down your body to the scales, and it measures fat depending on how much resistance the pulse meets while going through your body. Maybe that device works in a similar way?

Gaillimhtaibhse

> 15 and <= 20%

I'm athletic. Tend to hover around 10. Measurement varies plus or minus 1. Why?

:rolleyes: Instrument calibration may be at issue. For example, there may be some measurement variation between one instrument and another.

When the measurement is taken may affect the outcome. I'm on tour Stateside and sometimes miss workouts. When home, never miss.

I'm sure there are other measurement issues besides these two.

BossArky

> 15 and <= 20%

By the way, a rough calculation for BMI which the gym instructor gave me is:

BMI = (weight in kg) / (height in metres)2

.....weight in KG's divided by height in metres squared.

So for myself:

(69.5)/(1.7)2 = 24.048 BMI.

casper-

> 25 and <= 30%

Gaillimhtaibhse wrote:

I'm athletic. Tend to hover around 10. Measurement varies plus or minus 1. Why?

10 eh? Damn you all to hell You probably have abs too ... *grumble*

My goal is by Canada Day to see at least one or two of the supposed-six pack that lies under my belly. Only 10% more b.f left to lose ...

Hank_Scorpio

Them things are gimics. I know gym instructors and they don't work. That thing about electronic pulses and the resistance it meets is balony. What about when it hits bones or organs or anything else. In my opinion they don't work. Them gadgets can give high readouts if you eat alot of sugar before hand.

Just my opinion.

There's a health chart done by doctors that gives height and the approx. weight you should be. Follow that to see if you're medically overweight

casper-

> 25 and <= 30%

Hank_Scorpio wrote:

Them things are gimics. I know gym instructors and they don't work. That thing about electronic pulses and the resistance it meets is balony. What about when it hits bones or organs or anything else. In my opinion they don't work. Them gadgets can give high readouts if you eat alot of sugar before hand.

Just my opinion.

There's a health chart done by doctors that gives height and the approx. weight you should be. Follow that to see if you're medically overweight

Surely you have to agree that even body fat analyzers don't give consistent readings, or are necessarily accurate (even to with 2-3% of actual body fat), that a _reduction_ over time in their reading has to be a good thing. I'm talking about measurements taken over a couple months here and a trend extrapolated from that.

Also, there are some guidelines as to when to use them - when you wake up, before you eat, etc. so that at least your body composition is somewhat similar every time you measure.

The height/weight chart for doctors is still awfully close to BMI - it doesn't take into account skinny people who have extra weight solely in their midsection (like me), and how unhealthy that can be.

I'm not saying body fat analyzers are the end-all and be-all of fitness, nor that height-weight charts aren't useful , just that I think a combination of various measurements (waist/hip ratio comes to mind as well) are probably needed to determine if you're ok, or putting yourself at some kind of health risk.

BossArky

> 15 and <= 20%

BossArky wrote:

In the gym last night I did a % body fat and BMI test. The results were

11.7% body fat, 24.1 BMI.

Last night I did a similar test using a different method. The instructor took out a few cables that looked like jump leads and made me take off my right sock. He then stuck the black and red patchs on the end of the leads to my foot, and two more to my right hand, before switching on some sort of hand held device.

This time the results which came back were 13.1% body fat, 23.9 BMI.

This machine also told him that I was approx 62% water, had eaten 1800-ish kcal....and should aim for 3300 per day if I wanted to bulk up. 85% lean muscle and 9 kg of pure fat on my body were other interesting facts.

Interesting machines those.

BrianD3

> 10 and <= 15%

Never measured mine. Based on waist measurement, presence of six pack and plenty of veins I'd say <10%.

casper-

> 25 and <= 30%

BrianD3 wrote:

Never measured mine. Based on waist measurement, presence of six pack and plenty of veins I'd say <10%.

YuP .. the second I can see abs I'll stop worrying about any measurements You know you've done something right once you hit that stages I'd say...

irish-anabel

Yes BMI also doesnt take into account people who have almost no body fat but alot of muscle making them heavier than everyone else, but probably healthier.
BMI also become yet more innaccurate for very small or very tall people.

Hanley

irish-anabel wrote: »

Yes BMI also doesnt take into account people who have almost no body fat but alot of muscle making them heavier than everyone else, but probably healthier.
BMI also become yet more innaccurate for very small or very tall people.

What about people who resurrect two and a half year old threads....?? :D:D

easyontheeye

mega bump! :eek:

irish-anabel

what? but the..... but, oh.

this site is confusing

ahem... sorry

Wood

Necro-bump

Dragan

Zombie threads for the win!!!

Irish-Anabel, if you would like to discuss BMI by all means start a new thread but be warned, it IS a passionate subject about these parts.

I'm gonna close this, no one likes a zombie thread shambling about.