Hi all
There has been alot of discussion lately about how to MEASURE yourself and the accuracy of various measurement styles.
So I found this
http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/
on the internet.
It outlines the most frequently used methods of measuring and assessing body fat --

edited to add: Please please PLEASE NOTE: The point of posting this link is to use the online calculator for a side-by-side comparison of weight/composition measurements. Please take or leave the results interpretations as you see fit. I posted this because the side-by-side comparison is interesting!

Body-Mass Index (BMI)
Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR)
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Body Fat & Surface Area
Willoughby Ideal Weight & Waist

I thought in particular the waist to height ratio was significant because IMHO height is a factor when considering waist size (someone 4 foot 11 with a 32 inch waist certainly has a different body composition that someone 5 foot 11 with a 32 inch waist).



Kira

I'm not sure about waist-to-height ratio, but waist (as an absolute) number is affected by race. There are different norms for different groups.

Too bad waist to height ratio has the same initials as waist to hips ratio.

Not sure I believe I have a BF of 23%, but I know from previously testing several different BF calculators how much that varies by the formula used.

My Willoughby Athlete weight is 158, which frankly I can't imagine for me. That would be a heck of a lot more muscle on me, and I assume it's not supposed to be an extreme. I'm sure it's quite normal for many, but clearly it's an average or something, because I'd have to make bodybuilding my life to maintain that.

Thanks for posting that Kira. I think the waist to height is interesting too.

Ugh, I sometimes hate sites like these. From the description of BMI:

"A BMI of 40 or more; severely overweight, you are in great danger of dying early. 80% eat in frequent binges. Secret eating is common. Best weight loss technique is often a fasting diet. Benefits of losing weight clearly outstrip any dangers."

So it's better that I use fasting techniques because ****, nothing is worse than having a BMI over 40? Sheesh, the last time I tried to lose weight by eating FAR too little for my activity level I ended up in the hospital for 17 days. And anyone from Canada will tell you that's a long time. Let me put it this way, the guy with the heart attack went home first!

I posted this link because I thought the multiple calculations that you can make at the same time, for comparison's sake was of interest.

I think if one focuses just on the measurement tools and not the author's personal views on HOW to lose the weight, the info is of value.

Author X can tell me to chop off my right hand so I stop eating: it doesn't affect my BMI calculation.

PLEASE take this link in the spirit in which it was posted, and NOT on the personal views of weight loss provided by one interpreter of the results. On the page, there are more than just one interpretation of what the numbers mean. Take what you like; ditch the rest. Please??? I'm not trying to open any controversy about HOW to lose weight. I just thought it would be interesting to be able to compare various weight measurement results side-by-side, so to speak...



Kira

Any time a link is posted, I read the -whole- of the advice and consider the credentials of the author, and it does make the entire site seem less reliable when the author is spouting unhealthy or unsupported weight loss recommendations.

Apparently, though, I'm a perfect Willoughby Athlete in weight, waist measurement...meaning I'm the perfect weight and size for a male bodybuilder. Oh well. I'd never heard of that measure before so it was interesting.

There are a ton of calculators to estimate body fat percentage out there - I'm pretty fond of the U.S. Navy formula, which takes into account not only waist, but also forearm, wrist, and hips measurements.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

Absolutely, Ms Mandalinn, but the advice offered in the article is simply one MD's input and interpretation of the information. Several other interpretations are also given. The point of posting the link was to use the online calculator. The opinions/interpretations of the results are something you can take or leave.

I just thought it was of interest as I haven't seen a side-by-side calculator like this.

I edited the original post to reflect this. I didn't think I would have to, but clearly, I need to...

Sigh...

Kira

Wow, that one says I have 31% BF even at my lowest weight and measurements ever, when I was weight training 10 years ago (130#, 26" waist). That's just impossible. But ... there is no field for height?

I didn't like that one either-lol!! BF much higher

Ditto to that-- 23% with Covert Bailey measurements and 31% with that US Navy formula!

I'm sorry, I forget sometimes that people only want a 'thanks' with no input.

I had other issues with the calculators, but really didn't want to go into them. It puts my bodyfat percentage at 36.1% which is at least 10% lower than it probably is (based on bio-impedance).

So, never mind.

Ms Cdn:



Sorry if I sound testy and I'm sorry if I don't say things as appropriately as I should ... sometimes I just get frustrated if something I didn't intend happens! I don't want anyone to fast; I don't want anyone to take anything from this link other than the calculator, that's all. I was just trying to post something fun for us all to try. Especially since there was alot of discussion about "is BMI accurate" and "how about waist measurement" -- here is a tool that lets you do an instant side-by-side comparison.

And on the down side, I found that no matter HOW I measure myself, I still come out as "overweight"! Drat!

Anyways, I'm sorry...




Kira

Anne,
That's funny because the calculator (that Kira posted) determined my BF% is 32% which is actually 10% ABOVE what it is if measuered by impedance.
Since you know how different the two of us are in height I consider the calculator to be total cr@p.

Interesting - I recently had my body fat calculated at my gym... I came out at 34% overall.

With this Web site's numbers, I only came up with that same percentage if I used my waist measurement at its *maximum*, which is 3 inches more than one inch above the navel, as recommended. When I used the 1-inch-above-the-navel measurement, I came out at 26% (I wish!)... maybe part of the discrepancies in numbers comes from which waist measurement to use....

lol..this is such a touchy topic..because we all want to lose fat!!! I have a couple of posts about this topic too!