In the Absence of Calipers, how do *you* Measure your Body Fat %? page

[Oria]

I understand that calipers are probably the most accurate way to measure body fat, but in the absence of them which method have you guys found to be the most accurate?

To illustrate my problem, I measure 28.6% on my electric scale, and 21% from tape measurements on this calculator: Body Fat Calculator

That's a big difference, so, considering I don't have access to a gym, I'm wondering which I should go by?
Taking an average would probably be the most sensible, but I still don't think this would be particularly helpful considering the massive difference between the percentages.

I guess I'm wondering if anyone has had the 'proper' caliper body fat % and compared it to either the electric scale's % or the tape measure %, to see how much they deviate?

[Wanderlust]

OK first, calipers aren't that accurate. They are a decently accurate and easily accessible though. A "accurate" measurement requires a "BodPod," water tank, an Xray or an Autopsy (seriously).

The electronic scale is completely worthless and shouldn't even be looked at, except to provide amusement.

Tape tests when properly administered are fairly accurate.

My results:
HealthCentral Tape Test: 4.6%
Army Tape: 4%
Caliper Test: 5.5%
Electronic Scale: 18%, yeah worthless.

Actual is probably closer to 7% because of fat distribution. So all the tape test and caliper tests are fairly close and a good way to track your progress.

GNC has a plastic caliper for about $15, comes with directions and a chart. It's OK, but can be tricky to get repeatable results.

[magicmerl]

Feed your measurements into a website like this one.

[Dirlot]

The impedance scales deviate a lot from calipers. The impedance ones can also change based on hydration levels etc. They can be used to give you a trend but not accurate. I have found the site that magicmerl posted and others like it are more accurate than scales.
or check out this site http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-p...nd-percentages

[JoeyA]

I guess it depends a little on what your goals are.

Visual comparison through pictures, tape measurements, and weight can all help you see whether or not weight gained/lost is fat or muscle.

This is probably about as accurate as anyone needs to get for practical purposes (if you do have a reason for needing more accuracy, I'd be interested in knowing if you are willing to share -- curiosity only). You can use these tools to make sure that your body fat percentage is moving in the right direction and that you're not dropping too much muscle mass.

[Gravyboat]

I use online calculators, but ONLY the ones that call for wrist/calf measurements. For my body personally, I can get a spread from 27% to over 40% depending on what measurements they (don't) ask for. My bones are huge, so if they don't specifically ask for a wrist measurement I know they are going to just assume I am built like an "average woman" with just gobs and gobs of fat, instead of a large, solid woman with a moderate amount of fat.

So basically, some measurement-calculators are decent, but I would only recommend the ones that want a wide variety of measurements, including lean/bony parts. This one is my go-to.

[sbhikes]

I use online calculators, but ONLY the ones that call for wrist/calf measurements. For my body personally, I can get a spread from 27% to over 40% depending on what measurements they (don't) ask for. My bones are huge, so if they don't specifically ask for a wrist measurement I know they are going to just assume I am built like an "average woman" with just gobs and gobs of fat, instead of a large, solid woman with a moderate amount of fat.

So basically, some measurement-calculators are decent, but I would only recommend the ones that want a wide variety of measurements, including lean/bony parts. This one is my go-to.

Me too. I use online calculators that ask for lots of measurements. I'm on the higher side for bone size and pretty darn sturdy. I do lots of weight-bearing exercise so I'm sure my bone density is also quite high. I've never broken a bone in my life. I don't even see how it could be done.

[RichMahogany]

I just use the mirror. I count the number of clearly-visible abdominal muscles (If this number is less than 2 or greater than 8 for me, I take it as a sign that something is terribly wrong).

Subtract the result of the count from 16. If I get super fighting shape lean (8 visible abs), I consider that to be in the 8-ish range. If I loosen up my 80/20 standards, miss gym time due to injuries, and my size 30 pants start to get tight, (2 visible abs), I call it 14. This number is consistently lower than my Tanita scale, but higher than the online tape-measure calculators. (with 2-3 percent of either). It's close to the calipers. So I don't bother with the calipers anymore.

[NicMcCool]

Scientifically proven: Put on a swimsuit and walk in front of me. If I follow you home you have low bodyfat.

[primalswan]

Interesting. All of the online measurement tools say 21%, my scale says 26-27% depending on the day! I have calipers and they fall around 25%, but have not moved at all during the last 10lbs of weight loss so I am not sure I am doing it right. The scale says 14% for my hubby and he looks identical to the example of the male with 14% body fat in that blog post. I fall somewhere in between her photos of 21 and 25%. Interestingly he is a medium frame and I am a large frame (we have the same size wrists and I am a 5'2" female LOL) so I wonder if body frame size impacts accuracy of impedance readings. Our silly gym only offers the handheld impedance readings.