MetaFilter - How do you get your body fat percentage measured?

AdmiralHaddock — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:49:08 -0500

Yeah, the calipers say that you should not use them if you're "obese" (likely based on medical metrics, but the instructions don't elaborate). Instead, it suggests using Myotape:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/acc/myotape.html

I Figured It Out

SteveTheRed — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:39:38 -0500

Since I don't need a really accurate measurement at at this point, I just used the old neck and waist measurement method.

The bad news is that I'm at 30%. The good news is that I float like a bobber in the swimming pool!

Upper Limit?

SteveTheRed — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:19:38 -0500

Do you know what the upper limit is for those calipers? My BMI is 45.5, and I'm sure that my BF% is extremely high. I'm not sure if there is a point over which calipers won't work and one must go to the dunk tank.

I'm more interested in losing weight right now than anthing else, but for when I do get down to my target weight, it would be interesting to see how my BF% will have changed.

afterthought

ubu — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:40:10 -0500

oh, and i'd recommend only checking weight and/or body fat weekly, preferably at the exact same point each week.

there's a lot of variability day-to-day (say, at least +/- 1kg in weight) depending on hydration, food in your belly etc, which overshadow any "base" changes, so weekly is about the smallest level of granularity to realistically monitor any trend over time.

also, taking daily readings can lead to false optimism or pessimism.

measuring body fat

ubu — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:31:30 -0500

i understand that calipers are the more 'scientific' way of doing it, but i've always used some of those scales (maybe like the ones you mention) that send electric pulses through your body & time the echoes (after you input your height, sex & classify yourself as 'adult' or 'athlete').

probably not as accurate, but as long as i'm comparing apples with apples, that's ok (i always take my weight & bf% readings before lunch on a friday, for consistency)

AdmiralHaddock — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 12:24:36 -0500

The easiest way is to get a set of body fat calipers. I bought a set from GNC on my way to work today. Here's the one I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1262107396&sr=8-1

It's very easy to measure.