My BF%, pics included...confused

[spinningblade]

I've always felt that I was around 20% body fat...but I've been measured twice, by two different people, and come between 13-15% body fat according to their calipers. I would like to know what yall think according to the pics...

 

[Deleted member 33117]

20% sounds a lot closer. There is no way you are 13% in those pictures. Who took your your measurements with calipers and are they qualified?

 

[ohashi]

Probably the 3-point. You are definitely not even close to 13%.

 

[Deleted member 33117]

Ditto what BBF said...........

although you are not grossly overweight, you are definitely around 24% from what I would say. I've seen a lot of people have quite a bit of experience to judge from, for what that's worth.

Bodyfat readings are hard to get accurate anyhow, and you have two people who are completely off.

~SC~

True enough. I have been test at 8% by one person, then 14.5% in the same week by another. Both were certified trainers using fairly expensive calipers. A 6.5% bf difference between two individuals with practice gives a fairly good idea of how inaccurate this can be.

 

[~SC~]

Ditto what BBF said...........

although you are not grossly overweight, you are definitely around 24% from what I would say. I've seen a lot of people have quite a bit of experience to judge from, for what that's worth.

Bodyfat readings are hard to get accurate anyhow, and you have two people who are completely off.

~SC~

 

[Sydneyboy]

Why does everyone worry about bodyfat percentages? As others have stated it seems very hard to get an accurate reading. I personally think that bodypart measurements are a much better way to gauge progress and also the way you look in a mirror. You have to make yourself happy with the body that you have!( in saying that though there are people who will never be happy even though others might think they look fantastic).

 

[OfimNedu]

You're 20% or higher. A big part of BF with a caliper is that it is largely dependant on skin type. For instance, I have extremely tight skin. Even at 13 or 14% my skin is so taut that you can't pinch a damn thing without bruising the hell out of me. Consequently I was getting readings of 8-10% when I was def. not that lean. On the other hand a colleague of mine was extremely lean, former gymnast, probably in the 4-5% range and had very loose skin. He often tested 3-4% higher than he should have.

 

[spinningblade]

Two of the athletic directors at the school are the ones who took the measurments, 3point with digital calipers (chest, abdomen and thigh.) When they said their readings, I just said "uh, that can't be right" which is why they tested again. I wonder if they measured anyone correctly. I've been losing weight slowly for the past four months, down from 235 to 200 right now (in the pics.) What's gonna be funny is at the end of the semester when we do the readings again, if they do them correctly, I'll be leaner and record a higher reading on the calipers. I knew I had a higher BF% than what the calipers read, I just wonder how many people have been mislead.

 

[F117A Active Stealth]

You're 200lbs? How tall are you?

 

[spinningblade]

5'10 or 5'11

 

[Him1]

Are you just dieting, or are you hitting the weights hard, too? Are you eating enough protein? I congratulate you on the weight loss, but, you wanna have some muscle there when you get to your goal weight. Eat enough protein and train hard, man.

 

[spinningblade]

I've been dieting, eating 1900-2100 cals/day now, I used to eat more. I just try to do 10x my weight, mainly protein and carbs during the day, and protein with supplemented fats after 5. I've also been doing some full-body workouts with dumbells 2-3x per week (for the past couple of months) and calisthenics. Only cardio I've been doing is what I get from recreational swimming and occasional day of hockey.

 

[kentucky]

looking at the pics, it looks like you have some serious loose/sagging skin, from rapid weight loss.

Is that true?

I say that b/c your nipples are so low on your chest.

 

[spinningblade]

I've got some loose skin on my lower stomach, but not really on my chest.

 

[sawastea]

make sure you're getting enough water

You're 20%+

 

[Deleted member 33117]

spinning blade, to give you a better idea, back when I took my avatar picture (the one you can see under Bodybyfinaplix), I' was 200 ibs about 10-11% if I had to guess. Thats only a few ibs fat difference at the same weight, if you are 200 13%.

 

[Taps]

I'd say above 20%, but it's hard to tell.

I've been there before and so have a lot of other people here. You can lose it, but it'll take some work.

If I can suggest one thing, check out www.swolecat.com
Sign up for SGX...it'll change your whole approach to fitness, bro.

 

[spinningblade]

Oh, I know I'm at least 20, and probably some more than that based on all the responses. I knew the 13% was wrong, just trying to get some feedback. Thanks for the encouragment guys, I'm gonna keep it up. Ever since I changed my diet and started doing some exercise, I feel more energetic and sleep a lot better at night.

 

[eurorides]

where can you get the water boyancy tests done, i need to be lean by new years, because im going to mexico, and i want to know the exact amount of fat i need to lose. do most hospitals have the water boyancy tests, or will i have to go to a sports medicine center?

 

[jinxx]

I'd say you're about 25%.

Keep up the good work though. If you keep this up you could easily get around 10-15%. And remember, once you build more muscle, you also burn more calories (and fat). So keep lifting those weights and keep doing that cardio.