Body fat % question

San2

San2

Mod
Right, after my own scales, which can actually measure body fat, or so it says on the box, decided to show me a big error message, I went out and had my body fat measured on a scale in the pharmacy. The result was 49.5 %. OUCH!

Then, a week later, I weighed myself on some different scales that measure body fat, so I thought 'What the heck', and measured again. 65.9 %. :confused:

Two days ago, my scales finally decided to show me a body fat percentage, after I managed to get under the seemingly magical weight of 330 lbs (150 kg). now my scales at home say 79.5 % !!! :eek:

I am pretty tall, with broad shoulders and a heavy bone structure (according to my doctor), so I am pretty sure that the 79.5 % are nonsense. According to that, I'd consist of fat and water, nothing else. I admit there's piles of fat on me, but that's pushing it!

Now I wonder though, how can I get a half way precise measurement, and more importantly, how can I be sure that what the scales or whatever tell me is actually accurate? Is there any way at all, or am I doomed to guess or believe whatever comes up on the display??
 
this is the third time today I've said this :)

I have a scale that measures body fat/muscle/etc -and the instructions state that the measurement is not going to be accurate but it's the trend over time that you want to note...

Pick one scale and use that
get a tape measure and record those measurements.
 
I know, I know....;) And I realise that those scales aren't always accurate, I was just confused because the differences were so big! So I guess I'll just take the 79.5 % and just watch it going down...well, hopefully going down anyway.

And I do measure. Because I am so big, I can't really see the difference in pictures or anything, that's why I started measuring...and I lost a few inches from various places. So...things are happening. Slowly, but they are happening.

Thanks for being so patient with me...:)
 
I use as a reference to find out my body fat %, it wont be all that dead on pinpoint but it gives me a consistant number as I go along. But I agree with Male, you can go by your scale and watch the % number change. Either or. There is also the option of going to your doctor or a local gym and asking them to measure your body fat % for you and checking in once every 2 to 4 weeks. =)
 
San said:
And I do measure. Because I am so big, I can't really see the difference in pictures or anything, that's why I started measuring...and I lost a few inches from various places. So...things are happening. Slowly, but they are happening.
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I understand the slowness... but you will see results...

For the first 90 or so pounds for me - I saw no difference in what I was seeing - and i felt so flabby I saw little difference in measurements - What was more "motivating" for m e -was buying an article of clothing a size smaller than I was currently wearing and trying it on once a week -and eventually it would fit.. that seemed more real than anything else
 
maleficent said:
I understand the slowness... but you will see results...

For the first 90 or so pounds for me - I saw no difference in what I was seeing - and i felt so flabby I saw little difference in measurements - What was more "motivating" for m e -was buying an article of clothing a size smaller than I was currently wearing and trying it on once a week -and eventually it would fit.. that seemed more real than anything else
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Mal is bang on,for me it was 70lbs,before I could see minor changes but I am now wearing XXL t shirts where as when I started I was 5XL,and XXL would not even go near me,to me I cant see the loss but my clothes are now really showing it.When I look in the mirror I see pretty much the same body as before,but clothes and a tape measure dont lie.

I also pick up T shirts a size too small that I like and try them on once a fortnight,its surprising after the initial major loss where you have no visible progress in looks or sizes, how quickly things start to fit.The T-shirt I am wearing now 4 weeks ago was skin tight, now its a roomy fit,yet like I say To me I cant see a difference over those 4 weeks.Its like an illusion.

If you are measuring your success by what you see in the mirror you will be disappointed for a few more pounds yet.
 
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PaperAirPlanes said:
I use as a reference to find out my body fat %, it wont be all that dead on pinpoint but it gives me a consistant number as I go along. But I agree with Male, you can go by your scale and watch the % number change. Either or. There is also the option of going to your doctor or a local gym and asking them to measure your body fat % for you and checking in once every 2 to 4 weeks. =)
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Okay, I did that body fat test and here are the results ( I did it twice, checking on everything I put in to make sure it was correct):

Your Results

You have 114% body fat.

You have 373.9 Pounds of fat and -45.9 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).

WTF?

So I have 373.9 lbs of body fat, while weighing only 328 lbs? How does that work? And I have a minus figure in muscle mass? So I have no muscles at all? I must be a medical miracle....*lol*

I think I'll give up on the body fat since it seems impossible to get a result that at least makes sense from anywhere. I'll just stick with my scales, the tape measure, and clothes for the time being.
 
did you do your measurements in lbs or kg? sounds like something is amiss...

this one is pretty low level - but you will see results over time
 
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I know I'm losing weight, don't get me wrong, and I do notice differences in my clothes. It's just weird that I don't seem to actually see a difference when I look into the mirror. Maybe I am so used to what I see in there that the picture in my head is different from reality?

Anyway, I will stick with the tape measure, and I actually have found some clothes that I haven't been able to wear for a while and that I can get into now. I try things every 2 weeks to see if anything fits better, and low and behold, it does! :)

Another way of measuring, and this might sound weird, but it's actually my husband's arms....he was never able to actually put them 'around' me because I was so big...now his hands actually touch in my back. So, something must have changed. And I am nearly at 40 lbs loss...if I look at that in packets of butter, that's a hell of an amount.
 
maleficent said:
did you do your measurements in lbs or kg? sounds like something is amiss...

this one is pretty low level - but you will see results over time
Click to expand...

lbs and inches....oooh....uh-oh....I might have used cm instead of inches....back to try again....:leaving:
 
When I use the above calculator -it lists my body fat at 30 percent - my scale at home lists it at 39 percent -

based on comments from people - some say that the above test is fairly accurate -if a person has an out of proportion behind -then the results may vary...
 
San said:
I know I'm losing weight, don't get me wrong, and I do notice differences in my clothes. It's just weird that I don't seem to actually see a difference when I look into the mirror. Maybe I am so used to what I see in there that the picture in my head is different from reality?
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Part of it is perception... and that should change over time...
 
Okay, I'm an idiot, but we already know that. Of course it was me who screwed up, not the test. I put lbs in, but my measurements in cms instead of inches.:blush5:

So, this is what came out of that one:

You have 40% body fat.

You have 131.2 Pounds of fat and 196.8 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).

And the other one gave me these results:

Body Fat 64 %
Fat Mass 210 lbs
Lean Mass 118 lbs
Body Fat Category Obese

So, still two pretty different results. But something that I can have an eye on and hopefully see them going down, slowly but surely.

Thanks for the links!
 
doesnt matter how much I've lost I stilllook in the mirror and see old, fat and ugly...

but one thing that does help when i'm away from the mirror - is making sure that my clothes fit -I feel better about myself when I'm not wearing frumpy ill fitting clothes... Find a tailor and make sure you're clothes are fitting the body you currently have -don't wait til you get to your goal weight before getting a new wardrobe.. get pieces that make you feel good about what you're wearing now..
 
maleficent said:
doesnt matter how much I've lost I stilllook in the mirror and see old, fat and ugly...

but one thing that does help when i'm away from the mirror - is making sure that my clothes fit -I feel better about myself when I'm not wearing frumpy ill fitting clothes... Find a tailor and make sure you're clothes are fitting the body you currently have -don't wait til you get to your goal weight before getting a new wardrobe.. get pieces that make you feel good about what you're wearing now..
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Funny you should say that because not an hour ago I was looking into the mirror thinking 'It's great that these jeans are loose and everything, but they look baggy and ugly now...'. I have a tendency to wear baggy stuff and buy the biggest size available regardless of if it actually fits me or not. I think I'll have to start being more picky, and pay more attention to what I wear. No point in losing weight if I keep wearing old, baggy and ugly, right?
 
'zackly...

One of the things that you'll probably find -least I did -you'll stop wearing just 'what fits' and start wearing what looks good... While I still hate shopping -makes it a lot less irritating now that I have more choices...

Tailors and secondhand/thrift store/clearance racks will become your best friend -and if your clothes are fitting -- and you don't have 'growing room' you have absolutely NO excuse to backslide (not that you would :D
 
Mal,

Question for you on the whole mind thing.

First off, dont know if i have ever told you this but you have done an amazing job with your weightloss. You are such and inspiration to me and everyone on this board. Thanks for the time you put into this forum.

Do you think the mind ever catches up to the picture in the mirror?

Also, what is the most amount of weight you have put on during your weight loss? Lets say, have you put on ten lbs then refocused and lost more? Just curious.

Matt
 
Thank you - but Im honestly not worthy of the word inspiration.. and i've heard it used in my direction on this and other sites and it bothers me - people who inspire shouldn't be near as whiny as i am... and their reasons for doing something shouldn't be near as selfish as mine are.... yeah, I haven't given up on the dream that someday -I might be hot - it's a delusion that I choose to live with :D

Do you think the mind ever catches up to the picture in the mirror?
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as long as i stay away from the mirror - on some days I can feel pretty good about myself - but the reality is - i look what i look like and no amount of weight loss will change that - all those people who said -you'd be so pretty if only you'd lose some weight - were wrong... There are a lot of things - i still want more improvement on - fitness wise mainly -but I'm working with a semi-broken inside body... so that makes it more of a challenge - doesnt stop me -but it makes the path more difficult.

Also, what is the most amount of weight you have put on during your weight loss? Lets say, have you put on ten lbs then refocused and lost more? Just curious.
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I've never considered myself ' on a diet' so there was never really anything to get back to- this has always been a lifestyle change for me - and I've never really deprived myself of anything - there are things I don't like -and won't eat... and I'm much more selective now about not eating just becuase it's there.. THe past 8 months or so i've kind of lost forward momentum - and haven't really lost anything -but also haven't gained anything - so I''ve figured out maintenance... and need to get a new motivation to go forward again.
 
I hate shopping as well, but maybe once I make it to a size range that I can get in 'normal' stores, it will get better. I would love to just go and grab something from a clearance table, but at the moment, things in my size are never on it...hopefully soon. I am moving towards a range that you can get pretty much everywhere over here. I used to wear a 32 (no clue what that is in the US, sorry), and now I fit into size 28 pants. The normal stores here usually go up to 24/26, so maybe in a couple of months I won't have to go into the 'fat people' shop anymore. Not that I have anything against that per se, the problem is that they only seem to cater for fat people who are no taller than 5"3', and no younger than about 75 years of age. I am so fed up with wearing ugly clothes, I tell you!!

Anyway, enough whining, and I have to agree with Matt....okay, so you might not like the word inspiration, but look at it that way...you have achieved something really great, something that most of the people on this board are still trying to achieve, and you're sticking around to help others, showing them that it can be done, and giving them encouragment. It's always easier to believe that I can do it if I see somebody else who has already done it, who knows what it's like, hence being on this forum. So, call it what you want, but it's people like you who actually help me a lot to stick with what I'm doing, and not give up on it. Thanks for that!! :)
 
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