How can I measure my body fat %?

[penismith]

Hello,
I would like to drop 10 lb. this summer but I would like it to be fat and not muscle. How can I easily measure my body fat at home?
Thanks,
Penismith

[AtlantaGuy]

Consider a body fat scale by Tanita. I bought one at Service Merchandise, but if you prefer they are available online at www.tanita.com/ (http://www.tanita.com/)

[penismith]

Hi,
Do those things work? I don't know about this brand but a number of different brands that sell simular products were exposed as frouds a couple of years ago by either Dateline, 60 min or 20/20. I don't remember which news magazine did the story but the brands they covered were shown to be grosly inacurate. What are the other ways to measue yourself?
Thanks for the reply,
Penismith

[CONAN]

you could go and get a real reading by finding a doctor and/or health center that does underwater body fat testing - really accurate but you have to pay

look for a good pair of body fat caliphers - cheap

[penismith]

Hi Conan,
Does anyone here measure their own body fat with a pair of caliphers? Why pay a doctor when I could measure myself and plug the values into a formula? Does anyone here know the formula. I could problably make a pair of caliphers.
Thanks,
Penismith

[CONAN]

Buy the plastic caliphers - they are cheap and accurate and come with instructions on how to measure.... would be better and cheaper than trying to build your own... I haven't done it in a while, but I need to as well.. hope this helps!

[AtlantaGuy]

The Tanita 2001 bodyfat monitor seems pretty accurate (or at least consistent) to me, though I haven't verified it against another type of measurement. You might look at the digital calipers since they do everything without need for a chart to convert measurements to a BF %. A good link is www.bodytrends.com

[penismith]

Hello,
I really appreciate you guys answering my question!
Penismith

[Bigger Daddy Shinryuu]

I nabbed this from a document...

"Here is a simple formula for estimating your bodyfat (in pounds).

For men: Bodyfat = -98.42 + 4.15*waist - .082*bodyweight,
For women: Bodyfat = -76.76 + 4.15*waist - .082*bodyweight,

where "waist" is your waist measurement in inches, and "bodyweight" is your total body weight in pounds. Divide your bodyfat by your total weight to get your bodyfat percentage.

Regardless of which test you use, record the %BF and have it tested after a few months, using the same method and person, if possible, to make sure what you're doing is having the right effect. If involved in resistance training your weight should go up or stay the same while your BF goes down. (An increase in LBM is a good thing).

For men < 15% is considered athletic, 25 being about average. For women < 22% is considered athletic, 30 being about average."

Now, that's the formula... But does anyone know what LBM is?

[AtlantaGuy]

Lean body mass (LBM) is simply the difference between your total body weight and the weight of your body fat. So, determine your %BF, multiply that times your total weight to get the weight of your bodyfat, then subtract that number from your total weight to get your LBM.

(totalweight) - (%BF)*(totalweight) = LeanBodyMass

ex:
totalweight = 200 lbs
%BodyFat = 20%

200 lbs - (20%)*(200 lbs) = 160 lbs LeanBodyMass

You have 160 lbs of muscle and bone & 40 lbs of fat.