Body fat calculators- waaa (cross-post)
OK---does anyone know much about the body fat calculators?? I'm not happy.
Here are my stats:
5' 7"
145
wrist 5.5
waist 29
hips 39
forearm 8.25
age 44 (soon to be 45--so I think I plugged in 45)
My BMI is 22.71
My BMR 1389
according to one body fat calculator I my fat was 31.72--normail being up to 30 anything over 30 being termed "obese"
according to a different one (they asked for different info) I was 32.2 - normal was up to 31--anything over 32 was overweight.
My BMI is in the normal range. I work out 5 days a week. My eating is only so so--I know I could be better, I eat what I want-- (within reason) making sure I get enough protein. I do ALL my vitamins etc.
What's going on here? What else can I do to get my bodyfat down???Lift more weights?
Thanks.
Body fat calculators are not really accurate for one person--they give you averages... For most people, who are ___ age, and ___ height, and ___ weight, their BMI is ___. But if you really want the most accurate assessment, you would have to do the fat analysis that involves getting weighed underwater... You can also have someone use callipers--but she would have to be really good at it and know how to deal with our excess skin issues...
I know my BMI ranges all over the place, depending on how it's measured. How's your muscle tone? How do you feel? I know that when I look in the mirror I've got muscles all over, I've run a marathon, two half marathons, and a ton of 5K's, I wear "cute" clothes, and can shop pretty much where ever I want!
If you want to increase your muscle mass, lifting weights is certainly one way to go. Plus the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. You can also shed pounds with more cardio work (which will also build muscles)...
All of the above are just personal opinions... Hope they might help!
Amy
Have you just done calculators or have you used an actual machine that measures fat%?
Some weight scales can measure the fat % or I've got a handy little gasget that does it. The way it works is you put in the stats, ie female, weight height age, then put your thumbs on two metal pads. It then sends a very small electrical charge around your body (you don't feel it) and it measures the amount of time it takes - it takes longer through muscle than fat (I think - it might be the other way round?!)
I think this way is more acurate. The scales what do it have the pads that you stand on.
Hope this helps you get a more acurate figure. Of course the other way is to look in a mirror - how do you feel, how do you think you look? Sometimes we get caught up in numbers and where the line comes between normal and obese...I know I certainly do. But at the end of the day, someone has made that judgement as to where the line gets drawn - in no way can it apply to the whole of population in the same way - we are all different, and should only use these things as guides.
