Best way to measure body fat page

[Traderjodie]

Hi everyone,

I am looking for an accurate way to measure body fat at home. I want to change my body composition far more then I want to change my actual weight -- In my case, I'm sure that will entail losing fat as well as gaining muscle but I just dont want to measure by the scale any more.

Are there any good ways to do this conveniently at home? I don't belong to a gym and can't afford to do so, but I would not be apposed to buying a device if it will really work. I have tried calipers but can't really figure out how to use them right so any suggestions there would be of great help as well.

Thanks for any suggestions you can give me.

Jodie

[Wanderlust]

Linear Software - Male Body Fat Caliper Sites

[Tribal Rob]

Body fat calipers are fairly cheap for nasty plastic ones, and probably more for good ones, I kinda think you need an assistant to get good results and it's hard to measure the back of your shoulder-blade yourself, or even your tricep for that matter, and the more measurements you get the better. You can get a rough idea just from waist fat measuring, but to be honest you are probably as well to just look in a mirror

There are also sights on the internet where you plug in your weight, height, gender, age and then a load of other measurement, like waist, calf, thigh, wrist, etc etc, the more the better and it calculates your bodyfat, I don't any to reccomend, and I'm sure you are just as as capable of using google as me, maybe even better as most people can spell better than me

[Kochin]

Good quality scales have a low error margin assuming normal hydration (not dehydrated or retaining). Calipers are second best to clinical tests, but you may want to find a formula specific to your ethnicity, due to differences in fat distribution and density.
Tony Gruber and US Navy Circumference calculations are OK for an idea of where you are, but can make quite large errors, especially when the person in question is naturally wide in the hip and rib areas due to slightly wider bones and less dense musculature (like Eastern European populations are, for example).

[Kochin]

For example: my scales put me at 23.3% (+/-2%), Gruber at 25.9% (+/-3%), Navy at 25.4% (+/-5%). I've done a provisional finger-pinch test while I'm waiting for my calipers and that put me at 20.3% (+/-5%). I have a feeling calipers will put me somewhere between finger-pinch and scales.

[CiKi90]

Aside from struggling with confusing calipers, you could purchase a measuring tape and just go by that! See how many inches you lose rather than how much overall weight. Another device I saw (at Best Buy) was a scale that measured your body weight, water weight, and body fat percentage. Not sure how accurate it is. There ate also those body fat calculators outside of GNC at some malls I go to.

Here's a link to a body fat scale: Tanita BF680W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor with Athletic Mode and Body Water:Amazon:Health & Personal Care

Another idea is to maybe go for a trip to the gym every so often with a friend who does have a membership. My gym allows me to bring up to two guests, and I have endless 3-day free trials to give out to my friends. I use LA Fitness, and had to pay extra for the 2 free guests pass... But always having a work out buddy is worth it! So I'd say ask around.

[jmsmall]

The "gold standard" is a DEXA scan at a local radiology place. You have to be a bit careful to get the body composition DEXA rather than the bone density DEXA which is a lot more common. It is an Xray so probably best not to get it too often, but this is the most accurate of all.

[magicmerl]

I'd just visually estimate it from a site.

[RichMahogany]

Aside from struggling with confusing calipers, you could purchase a measuring tape and just go by that!

I agree. Or go by how many fingers you can fit in the waistband of your favorite pair of pants. Anything's more accurate than home-measures of body fat percentage.

[PeaceKaren]

The Tanita body scales are not perfectly accurate but they tend to be reasonably precise. If you use them at the same time daily under similar hydration conditions you should be able to note trends over time. Combine that with taking regular measurements and photos and you should be able to reasonably track changes in body composition. I take daily measurements but I only pay attention to changes week over week and don't get caught up in the daily fluctuations.

ETA: And the Tanita scales hold up very well over time. I've had mine for over 20 years and it still works great!