Ok, a week or so ago I saw the movie, "Supersize me," where a guy eats nothing but McDonald's for a month. When he started, he was 6'2, 185#, and had a body fat % of about 11%. When he finished, he was still 6'2", but about 215#, body fat 18%. This got me thinking about my own body fat (and also more about what I eat).
So other than going to a special doctor or whatever and paying a huge amount of money, does anyone know an easier way to calculate your body fat? I found this calculator through Google:
www.he.net/.../prothd2.html
However, I think it is being too generous for me (body fat about 9%).
I did find this one too:
www.linear-software.com/online.html
It seems that the caliper method is the most accurate. Has anyone done this, what was the cost??
Thanks.
I agree you should be consistent when you test yourself because I have had the same experiences using my tanita scale. Time of day, hydration level, proximity to your workout, time since last meal affect the body fat percent displayed. One thing I don't understand is the "athlete vs adult" option. When you program the scale you enter height, gender, and whether you're an athlete or adult (I believe the manual says you chose adult if you don't exercise). The first two options are clearly defined but the activity level choice seems a bit arbitrary. I'm 6'4" ~185 lbs and if I use the athlete setting I range between 6.0 and 8.0 percent body fat whereas if I use the adult setting I'm 13.0 to 15.0 percent. Whether I'm 6.0 or 15.0 who knows but I think the scaleis useful if you stick to the same setting and are consistent with when you test yourself, then you can determine if you're becoming more fit or less fit.
I agree you should be consistent when you test yourself because I have had the same experiences using my tanita scale. Time of day, hydration level, proximity to your workout, time since last meal affect the body fat percent displayed. One thing I don't understand is the "athlete vs adult" option. When you program the scale you enter height, gender, and whether you're an athlete or adult (I believe the manual says you chose adult if you don't exercise). The first two options are clearly defined but the activity level choice seems a bit arbitrary. I'm 6'4" ~185 lbs and if I use the athlete setting I range between 6.0 and 8.0 percent body fat whereas if I use the adult setting I'm 13.0 to 15.0 percent. Whether I'm 6.0 or 15.0 who knows but I think the scaleis useful if you stick to the same setting and are consistent with when you test yourself, then you can determine if you're becoming more fit or less fit.
