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How accurate would an online Body Fat% calculator be?


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I'm feeling a bit discouraged about my weight right now....

 

I typed in a few of my measurements into the boxes, and apparently my Body Fat % is quite high, maybe from 32 to 33 % (i've tried more than one calculator). In some charts it says that 32 is okay, and in others is said overweight. The thing is, I really don't see myself as being overweight when i look at myself. I'm starting to think that my perception is off I asked a friend of mine, and he had difficulty believing that i weigh this much from looking at me..

 

 

I'm 5 ft 2, and i weigh 130-131 lbs.

 

I don't even know what it is that i'm asking for..i just feel discouraged

I'm sorry for being incoherent..

 

thanks for any help!

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I think those calculators are a bunch of bull. I am 5'2" as well and weighed 135 pounds. Fit as a fiddel, liked the way clothes looked on me, etc.

 

I'm the same height and currently weight closer to 160. Could I stand to lose some weight? Sure. Am I "morbidly obese" as those calculators say? Absolutely not.

 

Those calculators don't take into a bunch of factors. I am am extremely strong and havev a lot of mucle mass. I also carry my weight in different places. Some calculators have you say your gender, but I really don't think they take into account gender at all.

 

To summarize: I think they are a load of crock. If you think you are overweight and are wondering how much to lose talk to your doctor or a nutritionist.

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not very. the only accurate way is to go to a higher end gym and get them to put you on this machine where it actually measures your body fat... but i've heard that even then, it's not that accurate.

 

i'm 5'5 and weigh roughly 145-150lbs. i don't feel overweight but certainly, many BMI/etc have told me that i am. everybody's body composition is different. ironically, i also have a small frame but carry my weight well (in my opinion!)...

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According to BMI scales I'm about 25.5, which would put me at .5 for overweight? I think it's accurate for myself. I don't look like I weigh what I do (years of working out on and off), but I definitely could stand to lose 15 pounds no problem. I look best when my BMI is 21.

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thanks guys : ].

 

In the past i've never actually payed much attention to BMI charts and I never even thought to calculate my BF%..I mostly just focussed on eating well and exercising until i felt comfortable with my body. Recently someone asked me what my BF% is, and out of curiosity I decided to try out one of these online calculators.

I've been feeling very discouraged since yesterday..and I'm just getting carried away right now

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I'm feeling a bit discouraged about my weight right now....

 

I typed in a few of my measurements into the boxes, and apparently my Body Fat % is quite high, maybe from 32 to 33 % (i've tried more than one calculator). In some charts it says that 32 is okay, and in others is said overweight. The thing is, I really don't see myself as being overweight when i look at myself. I'm starting to think that my perception is off I asked a friend of mine, and he had difficulty believing that i weigh this much from looking at me..

 

 

I'm 5 ft 2, and i weigh 130-131 lbs.

 

I don't even know what it is that i'm asking for..i just feel discouraged

I'm sorry for being incoherent..

 

thanks for any help!

 

 

Well, you're an inch taller than me and 20 pounds heavier. My BMI is about 18.5. I have a medium frame.

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The online ones are not very accurate. They always my BF% is much lower than I think it actually is. Body fat scales are not very accurate either. I've used two different sets on the same day and there was a 5% difference, which is huge. I'm 5'5 and 115 lbs right now and I've gotten anywhere between 17% and 25% at this weight. I have no idea which one it's actually closer to.

 

I've heard that calipers are a better way to measure, but they need to be used by someone who knows what they are doing.

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I read that if you're a woman and divide hips by waist (in inches), you should be under .8 to keep risks of heart disease and related overweight complications at bay. Men should be under 1.0

At least this way they're calculating something specificially related to health, whereas BMI just tells you *how* fat you are

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.75 for me (24 divided by 32) That should improve - my trainer says I'll be back at 23/32 by the end of the year. So that's good (being short waisted is a challenge, sigh... at least I get longer legs than a lot of women my height

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I can't imagine an online calculator being remotely accurate. And those electronic scales are unreliable. OP, if you're really interested in figuring out bodyfat %, get calipers (pretty inexpensive) and learn how to use them. Or you could just go by how you look naked.

 

Edit to respond to JenniferSNJ's post below this one: Yes, for some people the calculator will give a figure that agrees with a caliper measurement. But for others it will not, and there's really no way for you to be certain in advance whether the calculator will be accurate for your build.

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Depends on the person. My personal trainer and the online calculator agreed

 

Which one did you use?

 

I got:

 

20.37%- link removed

 

20.29%- link removed

 

11.8%- link removed

 

18.9%- link removed

 

15%- link removed

 

 

Quite a variation, as you can see. I honestly do not think my body fat is that low. I think I have a pretty accurate perception of what I look like. I have hips, boobs, thighs! I'm definitely not 20 or under.

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.75 for me (24 divided by 32) That should improve - my trainer says I'll be back at 23/32 by the end of the year. So that's good (being short waisted is a challenge, sigh... at least I get longer legs than a lot of women my height

 

i'm short waisted too. i feel your pain!

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Which one did you use?

 

I got:

 

20.37%- link removed

 

20.29%- link removed

 

11.8%- link removed

 

18.9%- link removed

 

15%- link removed

 

 

Quite a variation, as you can see. I honestly do not think my body fat is that low. I think I have a pretty accurate perception of what I look like. I have hips, boobs, thighs! I'm definitely not 20 or under.

 

If you are only 115lbs, it might make sense that you are 20 or under. I average around 135lbs for the same height and I have around 22.

It might just be that you are carrying the fat in all the right spots so you appear more curvy.

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If you are only 115lbs, it might make sense that you are 20 or under. I average around 135lbs for the same height and I have around 22.

It might just be that you are carrying the fat in all the right spots so you appear more curvy.

 

Hmm...I don't think so. I do have quite a small frame (my wrist is a bit under 6 inches) and I'm not very muscly. Quite the opposite. I should not be in the athletic category! I even have rolls when I bend over.

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