Firefly, are you perhaps talking about body fat percentage and not BMI? BMI is a simple height-weight correlation on a chart - we have one here at 3FC.

Yuppers you are right not BMi the percentage. That is what Iant to buy something to measure that or how is a good way to do it,

OK, got it. If you belong to a gym, you can ask a trainer to measure your body fat %. They'll use either calipers or a bioelectrical impedance device, like a Omron handheld. For at home use, you could use a Tanita body fat scale or a handheld device like an Omron. Those aren't extremely accurate but are very good at tracking changes over time. Your least accurate option are online body fat calculators where you input measurements. I've never found one that's even close to being accurate.

I have an Omron handheld and though it reads a little high on me compared to calipers, it's a good way to track any changes up or down.

Good luck on your BFL Challenge! Bofy fat % is a great way to measure your progress, along with tape measure measurements. I'll bet you're going to see some fabulous changes!

Thank you. I was thinking of getting a hand held for home. I call gym. There elctronic on is rike they don't have a caloper. I use to hve one not sure if it is around. I don't really know what you measure. Is there a good place to tell you the spots to pinch on line. Thanks again.

What do you think about someting glike this






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My understanding is that using calipers to measure body fat does require some skill. You want to be measured by someone who's done thousands of body fat measures, otherwise the readings won't be accurate and won't be accurate enough for periodic comparisons. I think you'd be better going to a gym and asking to buy a body fat test (it's $5 at my Y and I bet they'd do it for non-members too) or calling doctors to see if they can do it for you. If you do it yourself, your desire to see results might, ahem, influence how accurately you take your measurements.

The other thing is that I don't know how helpful it would be to 'constantly' check your body fat. At most, you'd want to do it every 4-6 weeks. You have to allow yourself time to lose fat and gain muscle.

It's also very difficult to take some of the readings for a 7-site pinch test by yourself. Elbows aren't meant to bend that way. There's also a three site protocol, but it's less accurate.

I agree with baffled: see if your gym can do it, or call around to various gyms. (I've had it done for a nominal fee at a commercial gym when my university gym didn't offer the service.) I'd say every 3 months is plenty, and you want to get tested by the same person and at the same time of day each time.

Good luck. Tracking BF% is fun, especially if you're a quantoid like me.

BTW, I'd say about 15% for visible abs is right for women on average. But, as with so much of this weight/fat loss stuff, there's a lot of variation across people, and the BF% you need to reach in order to see ab definition is going to depend on where you tend to store fat.

Kim

Thank you guys for your advice. This is why I asked. we don't have tomany big gym places around here. But I will try to figure soehting. out.

If you don't have access to a gym with someone well trained in doing caliper testing and GOOD calipers, I think the Tanita scale is your best bet. It's not accurate in an absolute sense, but if you use it at the same time of day, at the same level of hydration, the % change is pretty accurate.

pssst....Meg.....put your age into the OMRON as about 24 and then it matches a 7 point caliper test Really!

Mel

Mel, isn't that carrying this whole age denial thing a little too far?

I'll try that - it will be interesting to see if it works.