Best body fat monitors according to redditors

We found 321 Reddit comments discussing the best body fat monitors. We ranked the 41 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about Body Fat Monitors:

u/MyUglyKitty · 2353 pointsr/GetMotivated

Wow, I could have written this. I'm down 54 lbs as of this morning (220 to 166).

First, please check out r/loseit. There are wonderful people over there who absolutely excel at providing advice and support much better than me. You'll see thousands of stories of people just like you (and me) who have been where you are and who are still where you are.

As others have said, motivation fades and sheer determination is what will pull you through. Just take one small step every day. Today, just read a little on r/loseit. Next week, google TDEE and write down what you eat without trying to restrict.

Also - No zero days

You've got this and people are here to help!

EDIT: OK, now I'm on a computer and can type for real. I'm 35, female, 5' 5" tall (or 1.67 meters) and weighed 158 lbs at 10 yrs old. I've been there. I've been depressed. I've felt worthless. I won't pretend to understand exactly what you're going through, but I think I can relate.

First, let me say congrats on taking a step by posting here. You know you want to change and that's the first thing you have to do - make a decision. The second step is much harder...actually taking the step. You can plan forever and feel like you've accomplished something, but planning doesn't count without action.

Before I type out actual weight-loss advice. I want you to check on one thing - your medication. I'm absolutely not saying you need to go back on it, but please take a hard look at going off and if what you're feeling is related to that. Please, make sure you're working with a doctor to change/go off your medication. You may still be "coming down" from it. I truly don't know the specifics of these things, but I've seen the effects. I've seen too many people go off their medication because they "feel fine" not realizing that it's the medication that creating that feeling. Talk to your doctor, (s)he may say it's normal, maybe you need to try something different, maybe you don't need them any more, but please please please put some hard, rational thought into it. OK PSA over.

I know you're looking for motivation, but motivation fades. And it's not even determination that keeps you going. It's habit, making something so common, so boring, so regular that it feels weird to not be doing it. Measure your food (e.g., servings) until anything more than one serving that looks weird. Walk 15 minutes everyday at 4:45 PM until going a day without it feels weird. By the way, it took me maybe 3 months of dedication for these things to become habit. Make a chart. Do your habits 3 days next week. 4 days the week after that. Work up to 6 or 7. Give yourself gold stars. (No zero days...)

Ok, some concrete things. I'm going to offer a few universal pieces of advice, followed by a few things that worked for me. Take everything with a grain of salt. If I've learned anything, it's that everyone needs to figure out what works for them.

  • Small steps - Please don't go from 2500 calories a day to 1200. You'll fail by dinner. This week, just weigh/measure and write down what you eat and look up the calories. Don't try to cut anything out yet. You need to get a baseline. Maybe all you need to do is cut out the daily Starbucks. Maybe you eat healthy, but too much - cut each serving by 1/4 cups. You won't know unless you figure out where to start.
  • Don't set an "all or nothing" attitude - I'M NEVER EATING SUGAR AGAIN!!! The quickest way to get a stubborn asshole like me to do something (i.e., eat sugar) is to tell me I can't do it. I feel this is a universal issue.
  • CICO - aka Calories in vs. calories out. This is the weight-loss guiding principle. Google and read about total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). The amount of calories you burn in a day. Using 5'5", 21 yrs old, and "sedentary lifestyle" you burn about 2,100 calories by simply sitting on the couch and breathing. To lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you burn (calories in vs. calories out - CICO). Period. That's it. A 500 calorie deficit per day = 1 lb lost per week. If you want to eat more, you're going to have to move more. I eat about 1800-2200 calories per day, but I make sure I move a lot too. If I didn't want to exercise so much, I would have to eat less.
  • Be prepared - Have healthy snacks on hand. Have water on you at all times. Know when you're going to a party and may over-indulge (and that's ok). EXPECT THE SCALE TO GO UP AND DOWN. Get your mindset around that now. You will probably drop up to 5 lbs the first week you really go hard at this. That rate won't last, be mentally prepared for that. Here's my daily weigh-ins. Be mentally prepared to gain. lose, and plateau.
  • Stick to it - This is the single most important thing you can do. You fucked up yesterday. It's going to happen. Ate a bowl of brownie batter crying alone in your bed with your cat while watching old Friends re-runs? (My husband is a lucky man). Ok. But this is something you're going to have to fight for a long time. It can't be all or nothing (see above). You have to find a way to pick yourself up and try again. So many times I've said, "well, fuck it. I ate the brownie batter yesterday. What's the point? Might as well just quit. But if you're in this for the long haul, the concept of giving up doesn't make sense. Give up what? My treadmill habit? What's the point.

    Ok some specifics that worked for me.

  • Daily weigh-ins - most people will tell you to weigh yourself weekly or monthly. However, after doing that for years, I would always get discouraged when my weekly weight was higher. I started doing daily weigh-ins and learned to embrace the ups and downs. When you pull back on a year's worth of work it puts everything into perspective. It also helped keep me focused. 2 days up meant suck it up buttercup and put down the peanut buttercup.
  • Take a few before pictures - Take more photos every 10 lbs you lose. I saw results in the photos before I saw them in the mirror.
  • No cheats, just treats - There is no "off limit" food for me. I pretty much eat what I want. Having said that, what I want is to lose weight and what I want to eat is food that will help me do it. I have my treats, but maybe one cookie, not 12. We're going out to dinner tonight so I'm having a light lunch. I'm not "doing" Keto, paleo, vegan, whole30, weight watchers, Facebook milkshake diet. Props to those of you who do, but to me, those are not permanent. And anything that I "go off of" when I'm "done" = massive weight gain post-"diet" in my world.
  • Pick a tracker (MyFitnessPal, FitBit, SparkPeople, excel, whatever) - Most people use MyFitnessPal to track food and weight. I use a combination of SparkPeople, Fitbit, and excel. I like excel. I'm both fat and a nerd (my husband is a lucky guy). Make tracking a habit. If you miss a day, start again tomorrow, MyFitnessPal doesn't care. I get excited to update my spreadsheet. Hell, I'll send it to you if you want (PM me).
  • Start at home - It can be daunting starting something new, luckily we live in the internet age. No one cares if you can't do a 30-min YouTube work out in your basement. No one has to know. People get intimidated by the gym - I was. I still don't go to a gym. But there are millions of workout resources online. You don't need equipment or training or cute workout clothes. You just need 3-4 days per week to form a habit.

    I've become addicted to seeing results and, frankly, it's kinda fun at this point. People notice. I get compliments. I feel proud. You can do this.

    Today is Sunday. Pick one of these things and implement it tomorrow. Download MyFitnessPal. Buy a food scale. Set up a spreadsheet. Take your before photo. Or at least read No Zero Days.

    Hope this helps!

    EDIT 2: Several people have asked me for my spreadsheet, so here it is. I'm not going to lock cells so people can edit it as they like, but the idea is that you only type in the pink cells. I filled in the first row as an example. Everything else will fill in automatically. You'll need to fill in your goal too if you want it to appear on the table.

    It's up to you to track calories in and out. Like I said, I use my FitBit for this . I also have a cheap fat monitor and started tracking that when I started HIIT workouts and the weight loss slowed. Anyway, add columns, delete those you don't need, and most importantly keep with it!
u/whotookmyoldaccount · 17 pointsr/fitbit

Check out the RENPHO bluetooth body fat scale on amazon. $37 canadian ($5) off right now. Picked it up back in december. Has its own app that shows Weight,BMI,BF% and more. The app then syncs with Fitbit to update your weight and BF%.

Fully reccomend it, being able to watch my BMI and BF% over just weight has kept me going on days the scale isnt too friendly.

Edit: Link

https://www.amazon.ca/RENPHO-Bluetooth-Bathroom-Wireless-Composition/dp/B07DN6V52X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=renpho&qid=1558958752&s=gateway&sr=8-3

u/OverflowingSarcasm · 8 pointsr/melbourne

So I read the whole thing, and this is what they provide:

  1. A completely standard body fat percentage reading (using an electronic scale) which you can probably do yourself at the gym for free, or like $5. All they do is estimate what % of your total weight is fat, and they aren't even that accurate.

  2. A magnesium supplement, which is a muscle relaxant, and has literally nothing to do with weight loss.

    They're giving you an inaccurate $5 body fat percentage reading, and $10 worth of a completely unrelated supplement, for multiple hundreds of dollars.

    You can bet that this is just the beginning, too. Once the naturopath attaches itself to the gullible host, it sucks out as much cash as possible before the host inevitably works out that they're getting conned.
u/rugbysuperstar · 7 pointsr/Fitness

BMI is bullshit. I am a BMI of 31.1 and am much healthier than average. What you should be measuring is bodyfat percentage. Pick up a pair of these if you want a credible basis to begin your fat loss. If I had to guess, your bodyfat is around 25-35%. It should be much lower, high teens at the most.

Try cutting out foods that have the highest concentration of "empty calories" (ones that cannot be efficiently used for fuel and are stored as fat). These food are ones with very high sugar and simple carbs.

Stop consuming these foods, and slowly begin to introduce whole grains, vegetables, and lean meats into your diet. Don't buy any "weight loss pills", as these are a scam of epic proportions. The most you will see from these is rapid water loss (looks good on the scale), which is unhealthy. Eat a large breakfast, and try to eat frequent, healthful meals. Don't consume large ammounts of food at night or in the late afternoon.


Cheat days are going to be vital to keeping yourself on track. At first, you might need 2 or 3 meals a week but slowly change this to 1. You must not binge, try to keep to only consuming 1 unhealthy, moderately sized meal for your cheats.

I know your situation well, I love food myself. There are many healthy (and tasty) alternatives to your favorite foods. You just have to make an extra effort to include them into your diet.

I hope the advice helps, good luck and feel free to contact me if you wish to know more.

edit: damn this may be harder than I thought, you eat some pretty good food! :)
It seems like you eat out alot, so this may be of some help to you

u/johnsmith66 · 6 pointsr/loseit

You're pretty muscular and in good shape. I don't think you need to lose any weight.

Also, since you have higher testosterone and are more muscular than an average woman, you can't evaluate yourself based on only BMI. BMI is based on height and weight for average women, who don't have high testosterone levels. So, if I were you, I wouldn't pay attention to only BMI.

DEXA and Bod Pod are good methods for measuring body fat, but they can be expensive, as you mentioned.

If you go to a gym, you can ask them if they have a body impedance analyzer or calipers. Those aren't as accurate as DEXA or Bod Pod, but they are usually cheaper.

You can even buy a body impedance analyzer for about $33. If you use a body impedance analyzer, just be sure to follow all of the directions regarding when you use the analyzer. I think it's supposed to be used exactly 2 hours after you eat a meal. (I haven't used one in a while). They are fairly accurate. I think the accuracy is about +/- 5%.

u/nathanfromtexas · 6 pointsr/fatlogic

Sure!

These are the calipers I bought. Overall I like them and that they come with a guide. They can just be a little difficult to use by yourself so heads up. If I bought again I’d probably get something a little easier to use.

Slim Guide Skinfold Caliper https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NN9SDO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_uLtSAbPHHH0D5


On that note, this is the website I use for my calculations. Considering that it seems to match the machines I’ve used, I trust it’s accuracy.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/body-fat-calculator/


And for what it’s worth, Scooby Werkstatt is awesome. If you feel like kicking around his website he has tons of no-nonsense fitness and dieting guides for free. He doesn’t sell anything and is all about helping people.

u/Chanzlyn · 5 pointsr/xxfitness

1300 calories is way to low, IMO. I'm muscle building and losing some fat and I eat 1600-1800 calories a day. 22-23% body fat for a woman is healthy.

Uping your protein intake is important for muscle building and helps burn fat, too.

Carbs is what really makes it hard to lose body fat. There have been a lot of research on it.

My intake is:

Protein: 150-250grams

Carbs: 50-100 grams

Fat: <65grams


Personally, this is just my diet, I'm not saying that everyone should follow it, just a general idea. (I'm 5' 6'5" and I weigh 138-140lbs but I look about 120 because of muscle)

I hate cardio, I really do, aside from swimming, but cardio helps burn fat quicker and tightens your muscles. While weightlifting builds your muscles and body tone.

How often do you weightlift?

I suggest getting a BFP Hand Scale or something similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341949478&sr=8-1&keywords=body+fat+percentage

And maybe reading up on If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM)

http://www.thespartanwarrior.com/post/9041775488/understandcalories

http://www.thespartanwarrior.com/post/6114152789/iifym



Oh and I went from 136lbs at my lowest weight up to 140lbs and lost a pant size, too. So, I definitely gained muscle and lost fat. :)

u/tooskinny · 5 pointsr/Fitness

Well also note that I have zero muscle tone. (If I had muscles they would probably show through at this BF%). I used my trusty Omron Monitor to measure the BF%.

I've used it on my boyfriend and he's about 6% with visible abs so that seemed about right. (We plan on getting calipers soon) My BMI right now is about 16 (normally 17.9). Many companies are starting to not allow models with a BMI under 18 to work for them.

I think that people tend to overestimate the body fat of models. And forget that appearance is dependent on amount of muscle (along with amount of body fat).

u/sknick_ · 5 pointsr/xxfitness

Assuming you are mostly concerned with aesthetics (looks) & looking athletic, you probably want to stay in the 20-25% body fat range as a woman.

Untrained, a woman with your current stats is predicted to be around 27% body fat, so slightly above the top of the range you want to be in. This is just an estimate though, and you can get an accurate body fat % measurement with a caliper. However you calculated that you were 25% when you were at 156 lbs, was inaccurate.

Here's a basic plan for you:

Initially cut down to 125-128 lbs, or around 20-22% bodyfat, on a diet of 1400-1500 calories a day, weight training 3x a week or more. Once you reach that goal, slowly bulk back up to 135-138. Keep alternating these cycles to build muscle & stay in the right body fat % range. Keep in mind that if you are in a cold climate, you may struggle with cutting weight in the wintertime.

You want to spend 3-4 months in each phase (so avoid rapid loss or gain), lifting weights with progressive improvement along the way. Each time you go back to the lower weight, you should have a slightly lower body fat % than the last time you were at the weight - if you are actually building & retaining muscle mass through training. If you have the same body fat % each time you come back down, your training is sub-optimal because you didn't build & retain muscle - you just gained & lost the same body fat for no good reason.

Repeat these cycles for a few years or until you are happy, and then eat & train to just maintain that weight if you want going forward.

Here is some baseline info for you to check out re: goals & diet plans, etc:

Basic Info | |
--------- | :---------: |
Gender | Female |
Age | 26 |
Height | 5'6" |
Weight | 138 lbs |

  • | - |
    BMI | 22.3 |
    BMI Categorization | Normal weight (18.5 - 24.99) |
  • | - |
    Estimated Body Fat % | 27.3% |
    Estimated Fat Free Mass | 100 lbs |
    *Estimated Fat Mass | 38 lbs |
  • | - |
    Estimated Goal Weight @ 30% BF | 143 lbs |
    Estimated Goal Weight @ 25% BF | 134 lbs |
    *Estimated Goal Weight @ 20% BF | 125 lbs |
  • | - |
    Estimated Weight Change for 20% BF | 13 lbs |
    Estimated Time @ 1 lb/Week | 3.25 months |
    *Estimated Goal Date | 4/10/2017 |
  • | - |
    BMR (Calorie burn per day at rest) | 1383 |
    Exercise Frequency | 3x / week |
    | BMR 1.375 |
    TDEE
    (Calorie burn per day w/ exercise) | 1901 |
    Estimates more accurate for untrained individuals. Use a caliper for actual values.

    Macros - Female (3x / week) | Calories | Protein (.8g/lb) | Fat (.4g/lb) | Carb | Fiber | lbs / Week |
    --------- | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: |
    Lose Weight / 20% Deficit | 1521 | 110g | 55g | 146g | 21g | -0.76 |
    Lose Weight / 15% Deficit | 1616 | 110g | 55g | 169g | 23g | -0.57 |
  • | - | - | - | - | - | - |
    Maintain Weight | 1901 | 110g | 55g | 241g | 27g | 0.00 |
  • | - | - | - | - | - | - |
    Gain Weight / 5% Surplus | 1996 | 110g | 55g | 264g | 28g | 0.19 |
    Gain Weight / 10% Surplus | 2091 | 110g | 55g | 288g | 29g | 0.38 |
u/MrSneller · 5 pointsr/Fitness

These are the ones I use. And you can go here to see videos on how to measure. As a guy, the only one I really care about is the abdominal since I have lean limbs.

u/natalienaught · 4 pointsr/MtF

I research this stuff, and can tell you that BMI has nothing to do with aesthetics, or even metabolic health. It's an epidemiological tool used to estimate health at the population level. Doctors use population-based cutoffs as a pragmatic means of categorization, but those have lots of issues in themselves, particularly as applied to populations outside the western first-world.

There's a lot of public confusion, but individuals shouldn't pay much attention to their BMI, aside from avoiding the extremes, and should instead focus on body composition, as in % body fat and % lean mass. Here's a free article discussing this issue from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Body composition can be easily monitored these days with cheap BIA devices (one example). These generally lack accuracy (i.e., the number it tells you is wrong), but are fairly precise, which means they give you a similarly wrong number every time, so you can accurately monitor changes (as long as you are about the same hydration status).

Goals are still a matter for some debate, but here are general population values for men and women.

Anyway, lots of info, but I hope it helps, and good luck!

u/RangerPretzel · 4 pointsr/keto

They're not expensive.

I've had this scale for 8+ years now: https://www.amazon.com/Tanita-BF680W-Scale-Monitor-Athletic/dp/B0009V1YPU/

(I'm surprised they're still making it, honestly... Manufacturers are always changing their line-ups. It's nice to see a manufacturer stick to a basic model for more than a few years.)

It's a good scale.

u/zeppelinfromled · 4 pointsr/loseit

It's true that weight doesn't matter on its own. It's just a tool that we use to track fat loss. But depending on how quickly you're losing weight, it would be very difficult to put on muscle at the same rate, especially from cardio, as opposed to weight training. Muscle growth caps out around a couple pounds per month for most people. The world's strongest man may be around 400 lbs, but he can also deadlift over 1,000 pounds. It's just important to keep some perspective on that, because none of us are on his level.

It sounds like the psoriasis could play a role in the fat percent reading. You could try to use one of the impedance testers that goes through your hands (like this one). But I think the bigger factor is that the impedance fat percent testing just isn't that accurate to begin with. It can be influenced by all kinds of thing. When I test mine at night versus the following morning, it can easily differ by 4 or 5%. So I don't really trust it. The calipers are a good alternative, as long as you're careful to use them correctly, and the same each time.

I've been lifting heavily for some time now (while eating on a deficit), and muscle growth has certainly happened, but not quickly enough to stop weight loss. I find it's a lot harder to track getting healthy without being able to put some numbers to it. To each his own, though.

u/KEM10 · 4 pointsr/SubredditDrama

The BMI ratio supposedly shows how overweight someone it, it's not like there's a good test that's easy to administer to show body fat % instead of this.

...oh wait and another

Side note, I just got a full workup the other day complete with blood test, everything except BMI was healthy. Doctor looked at it, mentioned that it is an outdated method because it doesn't take into account muscle and said nothing else. So I guess I am a special snowflake.

u/ikefon · 4 pointsr/bodyweightfitness

Something like this I think will serve your purpose, along with a simple digital scale.

u/zahrada · 4 pointsr/Fitness

If you're willing to teach yourself how to use them (and you will have to if you want consistent readings), I have found no better/more precise solution than this: http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74

u/[deleted] · 4 pointsr/Fitness

I know you asked about it without the fancy medical equipment, but you can get the calipers cheap at your local drug store. I got a pair of these.

Then I used this page to take my measurements. Btw, I haven't looked at anything else on that site so I have no idea if any of the other content is any good, but this page looked "comprehensive enough to be legit."

u/leanloser · 4 pointsr/leangains

I've tested and compared most BF measurement methods. It was kind of my obsession for a while.


What I can tell you for sure is that bioimpedance measurements (like your scale) are pretty worthless once you get leaner. They are wildly affected by fluctuations in water retention, up to a few percent of BF off from day to day in my experience.

DEXA and BodPod are expensive, and very NOT worth it because it can also fluctuate a lot depending on hydration levels, especially if you're alternating low carb/high carb while cutting/bulking.

Hydrostatic is reasonably priced ($30 for re-tests in my area), and precise. It is not affected whatsoever by your hydration level since the weight of water under water is 0. Of all the more advanced BF measurement methods, hydrostatic has the best precision and the lowest price to boot.

But my #1 recommended BF measurement method: A good pair of BF calipers and someone to help you measure. You can get a cheap pair on Amazon for $5, but I recommend these larger ones. $13 one time cost. My caliper measurements match my hydrostatic almost exactly. And when you learn how to make consistent and precise measurements with the calipers, you're set for life. You should do a multi-site measurement including the vertical abdominal fold. You can use this online calculator. I've found little difference in readings between Jackson/Pollock 3, 4, or 7 site measurement. So I just go with the 3 site measurement out of laziness.

u/aRock10 · 3 pointsr/progresspics

I bought one of these electronic scales.

u/cmcgovern1990 · 3 pointsr/TwoXChromosomes

From my understanding, they are pretty inaccurate. This might be something you could look into if you were interested.

u/kewidogg · 3 pointsr/reddit.com

BF is what percentage of your body (as an estimate) is made of as fat as opposed to muscle, etc. Muscle is more dense, so for people that lift weight BMI doesn't work (for example, probably ALL NFL athletes are "overweight" to "obese" including wide receivers, quarterbacks, etc according to BMI scale because they "weigh" a lot, however most of that is muscle).

160 is probably the "proper" weight (according to BMI) for someone 5'11" that may not have as much muscle on their body, but is in no way even close to overweight.

There are a couple ways to get the most accurate measurement for BF%: Link

It's kind of an inexact science to detect body fat composition because SO MANY factors change it (your hydration level, heart rate [I think], food in your stomach, and so on) that quick and easy ways don't always work well (calipers test I'm told is pretty inaccurate).

I got my estimate from this thing from Amazon, which got favorable reviews: Link

It is however an estimate, so you can't just use something like that and go "well, there you go, that's for sure my BF%"

u/Lodekim · 3 pointsr/Fitness

I guess I can try asking a question here rather than starting a new thread for something related.

I bought this machine for checking body fat and I'm not so sure on some things. If I set it to athletic mode (I'm just starting SL but I was running and doing 1.5 hours on cable machines previously) it tells me my body fat is somewhere around 15.5%, if I set it on normal it tells me about 17.5%

Last Body Fat Friday I was estimated at 20%, and I'm pretty damned sure I'm not close to 15, 20% from all comparative pictures seems about right. Anyone know anything about this machine to know what setting to use?

u/t9rice · 3 pointsr/bodyweightfitness

Everyone stores fat in different places, that's why skin fold calipers assess and take the average from a few different places. If you want another reading, I suggest also using another means of measuring your body fat %, such as a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis device, or BIA for short. I personally use this one. Just make sure you use this first thing in the morning so any water intake doesn't mess with the measurement. I use both BIA and skin folds to check the validity of the other.

Anyway, you look to be at about 8-10% body fat, unless you carry a lot of fat in your thighs.

u/friend_in_rome · 3 pointsr/Paleo

> I would assume so, but to not lose a single pound overall seems a little weird.

Don't get hung up on the scale. In 3 years of crossfit (still dipping my toe into the paleo waters) I've gone from maybe 245->230. But I've gone from XXL shirts to L, and have replaced a whole ton of fat with muscle.

If you need to track something, track body fat percentage. Get one of these or these. I have no idea how accurate they are, but if they're consistent they might do something for you.

u/gigastack · 3 pointsr/loseit

First off, I don't believe that you're consuming 1400 calories per day, even if you 100% believe you are. If you were, you'd be losing weight even with no exercise at all. So the first thing I'd re-evaluate is how you're measuring your food for MFP.

Next up, I'm guessing that you are probably getting hungrier from all the intense exercise. Also, since bodymedia is estimating the thousands of calories you're burning, you figure you can "afford" to eat a little more. The thing is, you really can't trust the calorie burning estimates. And I would never adjust food intake based on exercise when you're trying to lose weight, you will fail.

I would suggest lower intensity exercise like bike rides and long hikes and more careful monitoring of your food. You will lose weight if you ACTUALLY eat 1400 calories and perform even light physical activities.

Once you begin to see a trend of weight loss, begin to add in the strength training and consume slightly more protein to compensate if you wish. This is not necessary for weight loss, but it can be nice for overall fitness.

Get a scale. Get some calipers too. Calipers can give a good idea of your bodyfat %, which will allow you to calculate your TDEE much more accurately. Calipers are cheap! These are less than $6.

u/whiskeywailer · 3 pointsr/Fitness

You'll notice here on http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ that the Athlete's Formula for men doesn't even use BF% - you seem pretty darn slender, so this will probably give you the most accurate TDEE. In your case, your BF% wouldn't affect your calories much. Keep weighing yourself and adjust your diet accordingly.

Also, if you really want to know your BF%, just get one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419967632&sr=8-1&keywords=body+fat+caliper

Seven bucks. And much more accurate than one of those garbage scales.

u/methochris · 3 pointsr/Fitness

thought i would update:

i ended up goin with this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G7YW74/ref=oss_product">Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester</a> for $11, shipped. Calipers seems like the way to go and will try out the plastic junk before investing in a long term metal one.

thanks everyone for sharing!

u/jroberts · 3 pointsr/Fitness

No, you should do whatever works for you.

Leangains worked great for me, and for a lot of other people too. But it doesn't work for everyone. Some people do better with many smaller meals.

You need to experiment and figure out what type of diet works best for you and fits in with the rest of your life. Which foods work well for you and which foods trigger binges. You have to plan in some fun food that you can eat with your friends. You have to have some heavy lifting to preserve you muscles, but not so much that you can't recover.

Keep a journal and buy some fat calipers. They really help to figure out what works for you and what does not.

u/BlueberryPoops · 3 pointsr/BTFC

Cutting/Female/5'6"/136lbs: I finally got back to my completion weight, so I can say I'm back on track. I also bought some skin calipers off amazon. SO MUCH FRIGGEN CHEAPER THAN OTHER BODY FAT MEASURES. My body fat is about 23.5%. Prior to the competition it was 24.3% (based on an electrical impedance scale so take that for whatever it's worth). It's really motivating to see the change. I love me some data.

Of course now I'm online trying to find some examples of what 24%, 23%, and 22% body fat looks like on women. Strangely enough, I mainly get pictures which are either 20-21% or 25% guesstimates. Not much in between.

Oh well. I should take more progress pictures.

EDIT: It's this one: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Health-6575XXXX-Skinfold-Caliper/dp/B000NN9SDO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1526929211&sr=8-4&keywords=skin+calipers+body+fat

u/shipaolivaopo · 3 pointsr/Fitness

Or you can spend $15 on Amazon and buy one of the most accurate bf measuring device out there. I own two other electronic calipers that cost between $70 and $100 each and do not hold a candle to this manual model. YMMV.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NN9SDO/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1426140214&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=accumeasure+body+fat+caliper&dpPl=1&dpID=41l6bynJ7CL&ref=plSrch

u/guga31bb · 3 pointsr/Fitness

Just get a cheap caliper and measure yourself over time. Accuracy isn't very important -- what matters is the increase/decrease over time, which these do a fine job with.

This is the scale I use.

Toal for caliper, tape measure, scale: $35

u/xiangnala · 3 pointsr/keto

I know you implied you have a scale, but I recently purchased this scale off Amazon, which is relatively inexpensive, but will, with your Bluetooth connected phone tell you your BF% along with several other interesting stats. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D7R25JV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_.7UuDb2ZHP359

u/motleybandit · 3 pointsr/loseit

Wait, so how does this work? It weeds out the fake positive reviews to show you the number of real positive/negative reviews? That's interesting. The scale I have is apparently an F, but I love it. It always seems consistent with what my doctor weighs me as, so I'm fine with how accurate it is.

Although now that I look through the reviews, I do see a number of people saying that when they step on it three or four times, they get a number of different readings. They also say the WiFi connection is wonky. I've never had either of these issues. This is the scale I have if anyone is curious.

Anyhow, thanks for sharing! :)

u/vix0 · 2 pointsr/BuyItForLife

> OG Withings Body Scale

Which one are you referring to?

THIS or WS 50 Original?

Both look good, but what's the difference between a cheapy $30 one and a $100+. Seems like wifi is the main thing, right?

u/smokinbbq · 2 pointsr/progresspics

I'd love to see a comparison on the accuracy of this type of system compared with a biometric weigh scale like this one. I use the Renpho, and have found it nice to track a few things. Even watching water % go up, and knowing that it effects my weight has helped me through a couple of pounds of short term gain, caused by eating very salty foods, and then drinking a lot of water.

u/dmmagic · 2 pointsr/loseit

It's a Garmin Index Smart Scale. I like how fast and accurate it is--it's way better than other electronic scales I have tried--but I also recognize that it is more expensive than the competition while providing fewer features. I often see the Withings scale be recommended as an alternative.

I have a Garmin Vivoactive 3 so I like that the scale is Garmin too; it puts all my data into one place.

u/briennek · 2 pointsr/xxfitness

We purchased a Withings smart scale and it fueled me to lose 40lbs in 2016! Weighing myself daily and seeing the slow progression downward allowed me to visualize my slow weight loss. It worked! Their app is wonderful, super easy to use, and let's you track temperature and C02 emissions. We got it on sale for $99 and it was worth every penny. I got the Withings Active Pop watch to track sleep and steps about 6 months ago. Paired with the scale, this system works for me.

[Withings Scale in Amazon](Withings Body - Body Composition Wi-Fi Scale, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F3LJ2RW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_SYUAybNF8WDS1)

u/StaphAttack · 2 pointsr/intermittentfasting

So your body needs the water to repair your muscles post work out. Once you start working out you can carry this water weight for up to 3 weeks - just ask yourself if you are still sore and you are probably carrying water weight. Pretty soon the water weight will go away with a day of recovery.

I was doing what you were doing and doing cardio for 45 min 5 days a week, but I switched to resistance training and I'm loving the results.

Jonathan Bailor's book The Calorie Myth really motivated me to exercise smarter (and also eat better). I do one push day a week (e.g. squat, push up), one pull day a week (e.g. pull up, curls), and a full body exercise each week (e.g. snatch w/ kettle bell, push ups, pull ups, etc). Each work out is an intense 30 min. No sitting around or chatting. Instead of cardio I do about 1 mile walk in the morning and afternoon at work - I don't have very good joints and jogging is a high impact exercise).

I'm guessing your a woman??? Some good exercise discussions for women

https://youtu.be/OcS-HRJDIDo

https://youtu.be/g1AH5mXiV2s

This is a great channel you should check out his other interviews.

A better measurement for fat lose is measuring your waist. I've lost 1 lb over the past 2 weeks, but almost an inch on my waist (my first inch came with 10 lbs).

https://www.amazon.com/Care-Touch-Skinfold-Body-Measuring/dp/B01BMY8P0E/ref=sr_1_6_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1499009854&sr=8-6&keywords=measuring+tape+waist

Humanly raised chicken is probably the cheapest high protein meat you can buy.

u/misslaerry · 2 pointsr/xxketo

Invest in a GOOD SCALE. It was the best money I ever spent (as far as weight-loss goes). You might have a different weight to start with, but then you'll be able to trust every lb after that!

I like my Tanita.

u/VictimOfTheKillers · 2 pointsr/Fitness

I've been using this handheld, but should pick up a set of calipers and start taking better measurements. I just figured if I used the handheld at the same time of day, it would always be off a percentage or two (does that make sense? it sounds better in my head, lol)

u/dacat · 2 pointsr/insanityworkout

On the same thread of body fat %, my woman and I use Omron Fat Loss monitor during our measurements.

u/wartornhero · 2 pointsr/loseit

I recently stalled out, I mean stopped losing according to the scale completely. It hasn't moved in 4-5 weeks. Eventually I stopped looking at the scale and now I don't weigh myself every day like I used to. I am seeing much more progress in strength gains and physical NSVs such as clothes fitting better and more muscle definition. If you want to take fat% measurements I wouldn't suggest using a scale but rather either calipers as they are the most accurate but also the most work or if you have just a regular scale and know how much you weigh then you can do a handheld electrical impedance unit such as this one. The electrical ones wont be nearly as accurate as the calipers but are more work because you will need to do more math and maybe have someone help take measurements.

As for preventing losing muscle mass is to work out more and specifically focus on doing more resistance and strength training. Who knows maybe working out more will help to stimulate your appetite more.

u/vgisverbose · 2 pointsr/Fitness

I started it around the same time I got a bioimpedance fat loss monitor, which was in April. According to it, I've lost almost 10% body fat since then. I don't know how much I trust the monitor but honestly, I love the E/C stack for its appetite suppression. I cycle on it for 8 weeks and off it for 2 weeks. I can tell the difference when I'm off it, hunger wise.

It's nothing crazy but when I'm on the E/C stack, I have to set an alarm to remember to eat when my feeding window opens up. That's pretty useful. I could live without it but the appetite suppression + fat burning makes it pretty worth it.

It makes some people jittery but I have no adverse reactions personally.

u/odin1415 · 2 pointsr/Fitness

Calipers don't appeal to me personally because I'm worried about user (me) error. Those electronic testers look dead simple, and in the scheme of things, not that expensive ($27 on amazon). I don't have any idea about their accuracy though. Are calipers more accurate even if used a bit incorrectly?

u/orig485 · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

A lot of people would call that overweight just off of BMI, which tends to forget about muscle/fat percentage. My BMI is 31.6 (considered obese), yet I've only got a fat percentage of 10.4%. I'm not skinny, but I'm not obese and unhealthy either. One of these is a much better indicator of the shape you're in then a BMI scale.

u/jkt720 · 2 pointsr/Fitness

That's about where I expected, that's what a body fat calculator similar to this one was telling me I was. Thanks!

u/snail_love · 2 pointsr/proED

Actually a DXA takes three measurements - your bone density, your body fat mass, and your lean mass. It's not selective, all three will be results and it's actually considered the gold standard in body fat % because it uses those three components rather than the two other test use (just lean & fat mass). So if you get your results it should have all three! I don't know how your doctor works with stuff like that (mine will post lab results in an online portal so I can see everything), but you can absolutely ask for the full results regardless of your diagnosis! I'm actually jealous you get to do one!!

I use [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Fat-Loss-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_3_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1469497242&sr=1-3&keywords=body+fat) and I've compared it against calipers and a bod pod. Calipers are typically the least accurate way to measure. Scanners like mine are varying quality. I was a little skeptical of it at first, but after comparing it against those other two at several weights and body fat compositions, I'm amazed at how accurate it's been! Would 100% reccommend!!!

And yeahhhh I was extremely into fitness for a long time! I still love running but it's unfortunately had to be majorly cut down because it's just not safe at my weight, especially in hundred degree heat! :(

u/csjoblom · 2 pointsr/ketogains

https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Fat-Loss-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK

Don't use the scale as an indicator, Ketostix won't tell you anything either outside of ketosis markers (which vary greatly depending on the time of day).

Measure your body fat % and get a measuring tape.

u/EfficientEscape · 2 pointsr/Fitness

Thanks, and I use this

u/lordofthejelly · 2 pointsr/TheRedPill

The first thing I did was buy this body fat measurer and a good scale. My initial tracking was simple:

Get out of bed, take a piss, then weigh myself, take my body fat, and write it with dry-erase on my bathroom mirror, along with the date. When the mirror fills up, transcribe it all onto an Excel spreadsheet.

Takes 30 seconds out of my morning, but enables me to track over time what's happening to my body.

-------
Did I start lifting more and gain some weight? No biggie, body fat has gone down, I know it's just muscle.

Did I go off the lifting/eating routine for awhile? Suddenly my BF% is hitting a number I'm not comfortable with, and finding the time to start lifting again is much easier.

Not to mention the fact that I'm catching my weight gain/loss of fitness much more quickly than I otherwise would have.

-------

Make sense? The issue with logging everything is that it can be tedious and time-consuming, the key is to find ways to make logging easy

u/John_Dexter · 2 pointsr/xxketo

I bought this for myself as a birthday present. It's not the most premier body fat monitor ever devised but for personal home use, it's easy to use and it keeps me from getting discouraged when the scale seems to stall. It keeps track of my BMI too. I think it will hold info for up to 4 users, and it's always fun when I have to update my weight to recalculate my BMI. And it's under $40USD!

https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Fat-Loss-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=pd_cp_194_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000FYZMYK&pd_rd_r=6CYSPKGEQQ7BE0R4T1FW&pd_rd_w=srFtB&pd_rd_wg=eDPS6&psc=1&refRID=6CYSPKGEQQ7BE0R4T1FW

u/woodyb23 · 2 pointsr/running

Do these work in calculating your body fat? Omron Body Fat Calculator

u/MorbidandBack · 2 pointsr/loseit

I use an Omron handheld device:

Amazon Linky

What I will say is that most consumer level Body Fat % devices are inaccurate, in the sense that the numbers they give will be a fair bit off from what an actual scientific, doctor led lab analysis will yield.

That doesn't really matter though, in the same way that different scales can vary so can these devices. You have to use these BF% devices at the same time of day and under the same circumstances each time.

Just treat the BF% calculator the same as you would a scale, and even if the number it reads isn't scientifically accurate it will go down over time which is what you really care about.

What I do is take my readings first thing in the morning and take about 3-4 readings and average them together to get a more steady number. Over the last two months this has proven to show a steady decline in my BF %.

u/LongBoardsAreBest · 2 pointsr/Fitness

Originally tried using a tape measure, but I would get wildly inconsistent results, so now I just weigh myself and then enter my most recent weight into this. not sure if its accurate, but its at least consistent.

u/fnkdrspok · 2 pointsr/leangains

You're right, I don't know to an exact science if I'm losing BF or not. To check my BF% I use are these two measuring devices: Omron-HBF-306C-Handheld-Body-Monitor and a standing BMI Height Weight scale similar to this one. When I use the handheld one, with my correct numbers, it puts me at 14% BF, but when I use the standing one (fully clothed because it's at the gym) it puts me at 17%. I'm not sure which one to trust.

​

I heard there is another one where you sit in water and get an accurate reading, I'm not sure of the name but I'm sure someone in here knows what I'm referring to.

​

My issue, I'm plugging in my macro's into MFP and I'm hitting my cals and numbers, so I'm steady losing weight. My stomach is almost completely flat minus some slight overage my waistband if you get what I mean. (I can snap pics later) You're right where since I don't see more abs showing I feel I might be stagnent even though I'm losing a couple pounds a week through dieting and cardio. But things may be going behind the scenes that I'm not aware of.

u/Happy_Laugh_Guy · 2 pointsr/Fitness

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Monitor-model-HBF-306C-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK

This is the model I use. Look up how to use it, but I treat it like weighing myself. Empty stomach when I wake up. No water or food.

u/halffast · 2 pointsr/xxfitness

Sure do!

Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor, Black

Very easy to use, just make sure you're holding it in the correct position. I thought the price was well worth it for not having to fuss with calipers.

u/MKorostoff · 2 pointsr/loseit

Thanks for your reply. I'm 5 foot 8.5 inches. I'm still 2 pounds overweight and, yes, I'm sure I'd benefit from more fat loss. My end goal is 155, which I estimate would equate to 9% body fat. I've heard that at a low enough body fat the skin starts to kind of grab on to the muscle, but THIS amount of skin is just sort of hard to picture ever tightening.

I guess in an ideal world I'd get my body fat measured in one of those water tanks, but failing that I'm not sure where I'd find a better measurement option than BIA. I imagine calipers would be utterly worthless on my body given how much skin I'm able to pinch. I use this device which is pretty accurate from what I can tell. When I follow the instructions the reading is pretty consistent, and I've had a few buddies try it out, and they've all gotten readings that agreed with earlier measurements (and also just seemed to make sense visually). And for what it's worth, the Amazon reviews are glowing.

u/woohhaa · 2 pointsr/Fitness

Cool, sounds like you have a good nutrition game plan.

I use an Omron Fat Loss Monitor to track my bf%. It initially showed an unrealistically low bf% for me but it is very consistent. I used a tape measure and a bf calculating website to figure up the difference then used that number as my offset. i.e. Omron says 12% tape measure method says 20% so your offset is 8.

The benefit to doing it this way is the Omron is easy and quick where the tape measure pretty much requires my wife to help do it accurately. I try to measure every week or two. After 6 months or so do another tape measure check to ensure your offset hasn't changed. Mine changed by 2 over the course of a year.

Take this advise with a grain of salt, I concocted this method after reading many articles and /r/fitness posts about bf%. It seems reasonable to me.

u/beau2002 · 2 pointsr/workout

Just look up bodyfat tests, there's many different types from calipers to water. Here's my favorite.

body fat tester

u/turo9992000 · 2 pointsr/ddpyoga

My scale does it. You can use calipers or buy one of these.

I don't know how accurate my scale is, but it's consistent and allows me to track any trends.

u/NicholasFarseer · 2 pointsr/Fitness

I recommend one of these cheap little calipers: http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396039869&sr=8-1&keywords=accu-measure

Even if the measurement isn't very accurate, you can take the same test each week and analyze the measurement trend. That way you can at least see if you're making progress (or maintaining BF levels while bulking, in your case).

u/tanglisha · 2 pointsr/fitnesscirclejerk

Of course I can't figure out math. I'm a girl, silly.

I just use the $5 calipers I bought on amazon to determine bodyfat. No clue how accurate my measure is, but I do it the same way every time. The numbers I get seem reasonable for my size. I can at least get a pattern of loss, even if it isn't 100% accurate.

Nice work! My initial goal is 20%, then I may or may not take a shot at 17%, depending on how I look and how difficult 20% is to maintain once I get it to level out.

u/bookdragoness · 2 pointsr/xxfitness

It has - I check it about once a week and adjust my Spreadsheet of Doom accordingly.

I made a web form (with Google Docs) that I fill in every day with some items I wanted to track, like weight. I import that data into my food tracking spreadsheet as a separate page and input the bf%, then plot total weight and lbm (lean body mass) over time. It was pretty useless at first, but now I can point out several features, like when my period is, dietary changes, "plateaus", etc.

I think possibly the most useful thing about tracking body fat % is a sense of pride in how I'm doing. I've been at approximately the same weight for the last 1-2 months, but my bf% has been dropping. Before I tracked bf%, that sort of "stall" would depress me, but now I have more insight. Plus, good calipers are only ~$5.

Also, if anyone's interested, I can go into more details about my tracking setup - the websites never quite did what I wanted them to.

u/mizmalice · 2 pointsr/1200isplenty

You can do it manually with a caliper like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Caliper-Measurement/dp/B000G7YW74

Or you can do it manually with your measurements, google "body fat percentage calculator" you'll need a tape measure.

Or electrically with a device.

Several options if you go this route: There is a handheld device like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Body-Fat-Analyzer/dp/B00A1ODX9A/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1524511317&sr=1-5&keywords=electronic+body+fat+measure

Or I have a smart scale that does it that I love:
https://www.amazon.com/Yunmai-Bluetooth-Smart-Scale-Monitor/dp/B01B8LEELA

u/valentinuveges · 2 pointsr/omad

There are a lot of ways to measure body fat:

u/vypermann · 2 pointsr/Fitness

GNC carries the Accu-measure Body Fat Calipers

You can also get them on Amazon for a lot cheaper

u/iamweasel1022 · 2 pointsr/Fitness

http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1289792853&sr=8-2

That's about as cheap and simple as it comes. They can be fairly accurate if you do it with consistency.

u/jbiz · 2 pointsr/IAmA

As far as something new goes, I'd definitely recommend trying out Starting Strength, or a similar program which you can find at stronglifts.com (the SL 5x5).

I mostly follow Starting Strength except I do barbell/dumbbell rows instead of cleans. Earlier this year I was doing the SL 5x5 before switching it up.

You should look into getting a fat caliper (about $6 on Amazon), and have your fiance take your measurements!

u/Joshua_Naterman · 2 pointsr/bodyweightfitness

No such thing. Use a cheap white plastic caliper, it's honestly the best thing you can use for yourself.

http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Caliper-Measurement/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426946909&sr=8-2&keywords=body+fat

It's a single measurement, and while it's not perfect it is excellent for self-tracking. I've used it and it's pretty much been right on.

I also have top of the line Harpendens that cost $350, which I use for multisite analysis. I have a pretty good basis for comparison, I'd say.

For what you want, the $6 dollar thing I linked to is just fine and infinitely more accurate than the scale.

u/fartfacepooper · 2 pointsr/keto

Cut all of the fat off of your body. Lay it on a scale. Write down that number. Now stand on the scale with all of the fat you just cut off. Now divide.

just kidding. This is under 10 bucks an fairly accurate.

u/WildWildWest42 · 2 pointsr/asktransgender

Truthfully, I'm not sure, but I would imagine the more money you spend on them, the better quality and finer results..? That being said, I went with a super-cheap pair with lots of high reviews on Amazon.

I got these ones here: (assuming it's okay to post links?) And they also came with a tape measure =)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000G7YW74/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1495153866&sr=8-3&keywords=body+calipers

Otherwise, I used bodybuilding.com for the learns:

https://www.google.com/amp/www.bodybuilding.com/amp-content/how-to-measure-your-body-fat.html

And this is one of the places I used for the calculations =)


http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

u/swiftwings88 · 2 pointsr/loseit

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000G7YW74/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1414072473&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

Body fat calipers are far more accurate than bioelectric impedance scales.

So find your body fat percentage using those. Let's say its 25%. Convert that to a decimal .25

Let's say for ease of math you weigh 300 pounds. That means 75 pounds if your weight is fat. If you're aiming for
10% body fat (which is really really good as elite athletes are between 4-7) you need to get to 250.

250 pounds at 10% body fat means you have 25 pounds of fat. So you'd have lost 50 pounds off 300.

Its rough work but it gives you an idea of the math you do

u/enfly · 2 pointsr/keto

Congratulations!

A good overall tip:
If you don't consume the calories, and you are exerting energy (working out), the energy has to come from somewhere (fat). Keep in mind though to stay healthy, we all need to consume a safe minimum number of calories.

Have you tried calculating your total body fat percentage/mass? It sounds like your body may just be burning the fat stores, which is good.

I recommend the caliper method. This is the one I have, and it works okay. The "click" sometimes does not work properly if you hold it incorrectly.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000G7YW74/

I use the J/P4 method, although J/P7 can be a bit more accurate because if you get one measurement slightly wrong it will impact less.
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

I recommend having someone else help you to make the measurements, and take every measurement three times.

Also, this is a small note, I recommend weighing yourself on a mechanical scale (gyms normally have them), and take a "fasting measurement". In the morning, after bodily functions, before eating or drinking. Once per week should be fine. The critical component here is repeatability. Do it the same way every time.

I hope this helps!

u/triplehelix_ · 2 pointsr/Fitness

grab a caliper. they are very inexpensive. they aren't perfect, but they give you a good idea where you are.

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Health-6575XXXX-Skinfold-Caliper/dp/B000NN9SDO

u/PJLFit · 2 pointsr/Fitness

Congrats on yours! My brother has this caliper. It's very accurate. Also, have someone besides yourself do it in the 4 areas, and do it 2-3 times and see what comes up. I have a little loose skin on my lower belly, but that's about it, as far as I can tell.

I'm pretty active, so that plays a part too. I walk 2-3 mi per day, do Battle Rope HIIT 3-4x's/wk, and run a PPLPPLr workout routine.

Keep up the good work!

u/Motorboat_Jones · 2 pointsr/ketogains

That kind of testing should be part of the membership. I bring in my own calipers, show which sites I want skinfold measurements and put them into the calculator on my phone so there's no room for interpretation. Some personal trainers are scumbags.

Maybe your husband can do the measurements for you. Here's a site that shows the 7-point method and also where to plug those numbers in to give you the results. As per /u/darthluiggi 's suggestion, I use the Defender bodyfat caliper. I've had great results with it.

u/I_637261636b_bits · 2 pointsr/ketogains

> Just eyeballing it and due to lack of definition in the upper abdominals (I'm sure you can "pinch an inch" just below your pecs) I believe you are around ~15-16%

That's what I was originally guestimating at, between 14% and 16%. And yes, I can definitely pinch an inch.

> What calipers are you using?

For home use, I'm using the Sequoia Defender calipers.

> To correctly use calipers, follow this guide
>
> And place results here (choose 7 point system, as it is more accurate).

Thanks, I'll see about taking a more accurate measurement this way this weekend.

u/nigelregal · 2 pointsr/Fitness
  • OPTIMUM NUTRITION Gold Standard Double Rich Chocolate

  • Flat shoes for lifts. If you have the money you can do something like adidas powerlift 2.0 shoes for 90 dollars or so and use them for squats and such. Grab some barefoot shoes or just deadlift barfoot.

  • Grip chalk. You likely won't need it now but getting a brick

  • calipers. You don't really need this unless you just want to track it and to ensure not gaining too much fat.

  • Maybe some vitamins

  • Creatine

  • blender bottles. Grab a couple.

  • Gym bag, lock

  • Small tanktops to show off the gains
u/zupeanut · 2 pointsr/progresspics
u/rocknrollchuck · 2 pointsr/RPChristians

> Currently stagnating when it comes to actual weight loss, but I'm more than making up for it in muscle gain. I need to get a scale that measures fat percentages to get actual number for progress, but needless to say, I'm gaining muscle and losing fat.

​

I've had good success plugging my measurements into the US Navy Body Fat Calculator, using a retractable tape measure for consistent measurements. Then I cross check my results against a body fat photo guide and it's pretty accurate.

​

>Having been exercising regularly for over a month now, I'm starting to see a boost in energy levels and general sense of well-being. I actually FEEL more like myself again. I feel like I'm more naturally social right now as well, with the better moods and energy levels. Also, I'm starting to understand the feeling people talk about when they are looking forward to their workout.

​

Awesome!

​

>One more goal that I have is to stop reading social media and learn to just appreciate boredom again. I feel like my wife and I always pull out our phones when a lull in the conversation occurs. It pretty much happens with everyone my age and I'd like to be able to develop more skill in idle conversation.

​

One thing that helped my wife and I a few years ago is a digital fast: I would come home and put my phone on the charger in the bedroom for the evening. We would eat dinner, and instead of sitting down to watch a screen after that, we put the TV in the garage for 1 month. So we forced ourselves to find other things to do besides veg in front of a screen. It GREATLY reduced our TV watching, and we watch very little TV to this day. But it was weird at first.

​

>Spiritual: Made some progress here this week. I actually went to Sunday school and church this past weekend while my wife worked. Introduced myself to a few people and enjoyed going. I'm usually hard pressed to work up the motivation to go when I'm by myself, but I intend to keep the habit of regular attendance going.

​

Excellent! The more you go, the easier it gets and the more comfortable you become around others in that kind of setting.

​

>She'll ask me to go get her something, usually some water, and I usually will just look at her, raise an eyebrow, and ask if her legs stopped working. She was the only daughter of a father that I could only describe as "whipped." Her mother is actually crazy and its so weird watching my in-laws just step on eggshells around her just to keep from setting her off. So I do wonder if these things that I am identifying as "s-tests" are really just my wife asking for things she feels entitled to because that's how her father acted around her mother. I still refuse to give in. I need to learn to be less blunt in my refusals though, because she does get annoyed with me about it.

​

This is good, you're teaching her normal behavior and retraining her patterns and habits into something healthy. As far as bluntness, you're thinking is correct here as well. 1 Peter 3:7 says, "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."

​

>Hoping to learn how to play golf this weekend. Curious to get some feedback on this: I will be learning from my wife. She used to play golf in high school, and actually learned how to play from a coach on the PGA tour. She was actually pretty good, and got a few scholarship offers to go play golf in college, but decided she would rather go to a larger school instead. So would it be a beta move to have your wife teach you a new skill?

​

I don't see it as a "beta move" to learn something fun from your wife since she has that knowledge. You could make it into a fun time for both of you, and it's a great opportunity for flirting and being suggestive. Tell her to wear a sexy outfit to the course, and have fun with it. Of course there will opportunities to tell her to "grab your balls" as well :) Just don't fall into the caddy role - if you think there's a chance that may happen, plan ahead and just pay for a couple of caddies before heading out. You don't want to be carrying her bag around the course while she's teaching you - THAT would be bad beta imo.

u/polished_iconoclast · 1 pointr/ketogains

I am lucky to have one at my gym. You can get much cheaper TANITA models at Amazon. I had this one when I lived in the US: http://www.amazon.com/Tanita-BF679W-Scale-Monitor-Water/dp/B0009V1YPK

u/Apprentice_Bator · 1 pointr/100DaysofKeto

Not sure how accurate it is, but I use a scale that measures body fat by sending an electric signal through your body, and measuring the time it takes based on body weight. It seems to be very accurate. Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Tanita-BF679W-Scale-Monitor-Water/dp/B0009V1YPK/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1462295793&sr=1-2&keywords=body+fat+scale&refinements=p_89%3ATanita

u/Phthalate · 1 pointr/insanityworkout

While you do this program, try not to focus so much on losing weight, but rather losing FAT.

I suggest buying a scale that measures your body fat percentage (here's an example of one). Then, just record your body fat percentage every week, and THAT'S where you will start seeing results immediately. As it has been said here already, you are very likely to see increased results in your weight because muscle (which you will be packing in) is denser than fat. Here's a picture to illustrate this:

http://paleozonenutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/fat-vs-muscle.jpg

Notice how much better she looks in the second picture, even if she is heavier. This is why YOU SHOULD NOT TRUST YOUR WEIGHT.

u/SteelToedSocks · 1 pointr/veganfitness

BMI can get confusing because it's only calculating your height against your weight. Your weight could be from bulk fat or bulk muscle and your BMI doesn't care. The better metric is your body fat percentage.

You can buy a caliper/tape and measure it that way, a digital monitor, or a new scale like you had before.

FWIW, I could guess that your body fat percentage, based on your photos, is around 17%.

u/itsfreedomstupid · 1 pointr/conspiracy

> Another key issue is that it's much harder to implement an anti-obesity law (what are you gonna do, weigh everyone and not let them get above a certain weight?).

First off, we implement near-impossible to enforce laws all the time. Remember sodomy laws? Or how about making it illegal to use a cell phone while driving except for maps??

And it would be quite easy to ticket people for this. It would work the same way it does for any other thing like DUI. You see someone who you suspect of drunk driving, give them a breathalizer. You see someone who looks fat, use this thing to see if their in violation. Simple (but just as absurd and paternalistic as seatbelt laws)

> I read the response, but I'm saying that the fact is you can put others in danger by not wearing a seatbelt.

Yes. You said that, but you still have yet to explain it.

That said, someone else did a better job trying to explain, and my response to whatever you would say is already there. Have fun.

u/fruggo · 1 pointr/Fitness

You can get machines that use electrical resistance to give an estimate, although there are plenty of people on here that insist they're bullshit. Generally, they're close enough that any slight inaccuracy (+- 2% or so, usually) doesn't matter.

And yeah, your numbers look right, 152g of protein is the top end of efficacy for promoting muscle growth. You should spread that over as many meals as possible, ideally. Don't worry about getting it immediately before or after a workout, afaik that just doesn't matter.

(Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Monitor-model-HBF-306C-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK)

u/agent_waffles · 1 pointr/Fitness

The handheld bodyfat analysers are decent and inexpensive.

u/redditfan4sure · 1 pointr/Fitness

Hi ensode,

I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I think you are estimating too high for most of these people. I am one inch taller then this guy, but weight 6lbs more with about the same amount of muscle, but more fat around my stomach. My body fat calculator this one says I am 17.4%. I know some people don't think these monitors are very accurate, but they always match the readings I get with calipers at the gym. Unfortunately I am too shy to post any pics of me right now because I want to lost about 15lbs. Anyway, just an observation.

u/voyvf · 1 pointr/Fitness

Body fat calipers. I've heard people talk about this before, but I don't know how accurate it is.

u/kitzkatz38 · 1 pointr/Fitness

This is what I got off of Amazon and use... http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312908998&sr=8-4

It's pretty simple to use...you turn it on, press start and hold it straight out in front of you with your thumbs on top. And it helps if you do it at almost a similar time everyday considering not using the restroom/showering/eating directly before or the day after drinking lots of booze. But it's also nice the first couple days you use it to use it at different times of the day to see the huge variation it gives (then stick to a schedule)

u/cabritar · 1 pointr/s_94WillLoseWeight

My 4 tips:

  • Count your calories (apps websites etc.)

  • Get a small scale and weight your food

  • Get a large scale and weight yourself

  • Measure your body fat because you might not be losing weight but putting on muscle.

    Bonus tips!:

  • Take some before photos!

  • Take the info from my above tips, and put them in a spreadsheet. You can track all that stuff and you can graph your progress.
u/hdote50 · 1 pointr/keto

I had a body fat scale 6 years back and it would consistently measure my body fat 10% higher than any other measurement that I did, which included under water weighing, bioelectrical impedance, and skin caliper tests. I bought this and hope it works a little better:

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1VPK6T9QMJICE&colid=3QW5GPK1NARRV

u/AXP878 · 1 pointr/loseit

Calculators are never very accurate. I would recommend getting a body fat percentage caliper, they're much more accurate. You could also try an electronic device although my fitness trainer friend recommends the calipers as more accurate. You want to focus more on trends rather than the daily number.

u/instant_massage · 1 pointr/gainit

It may be worth it to get a body fat monitor to keep track of, and map that versus your weight. If you start to accumulate fat, you may want to up your cardio, and cut some calories.

20 pounds in 2 months is great. If thats what you intended, of course.

edit: that bot is the coolest

u/llamababbles · 1 pointr/loseit

I got this little dodad

I've used them at gyms before and it's only takes a moment and I can keep my profile in there to use every few weeks/months/when I remember.

Height is 5'4, got muddled in there in OP with all the other numbers.

Extra Note: To keep it as accurate as possible I do the dry weight, just woke up, no water, went to bathroom, etc. It's what is recommended in it's little instruction book and it's the only time I'll get on the scale too.

u/ThrowawayOSB · 1 pointr/tall

Based on my own experience, it sounds to me like the problem is more with body image issues and/or depression than it is your actual body.

Obesity is known to increase risk of depression. That can be really really shitty, because depression tends to either cause complete lack of appetite, or compulsive eating. If it manifests with the latter, it ends of being a vicious cycle of eating because you're depressed, and being depressed because of obesity.

My weight has been fluctuating quite a bit the past few years. What I've found is that my general body image depends both on weight loss and on my mental state. First time I was successful with weight loss, I hadn't done anything to treat my depression. Even though I'd lost an amount of weight to be proud of, I still hated myself. About a year later I started treating my depression, which in turn made it easier to lose weight, which in turn made it easier to get past my depression, and so on. It was that vicious cycle but in reverse. I ended up getting to the same weight I'd dropped down to a year before, but this time I felt really great about myself. For the first time in my life, I felt that I had a normal height-weight ratio. And again, that was at the same weight that a year before I still felt shitty about my body.

I ended up stopping with the antidepressants. That, in combination with a lot of stress, brought back both the depression and weight. I'm back on antidepressants, but this time around I didn't really focus much on weight loss; most of my focus went toward school and not killing myself. And even though the depressive symptoms have gone away, I still feel like shit about my body because, well, I'm still heavy. And it hurts more knowing that I used to not be so heavy and I felt so good about myself.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that you won't start feeling good about yourself just from weight loss, nor just from treating your brain problems. You need to do both. See a doctor about depression if that's the case for you, and see a therapist about other things. I've learned that antidepressants will take care of the depressive symptoms, but therapy is still important for taking care of low self-image. If your body image was strictly tied to your weight, then you wouldn't still have body image issues; there's something else going on in your case.

One last thing to note. The BMI scale, while accurate for looking at large groups of people and for average people, is less reliable for those at either end of the bell curve. A lot of the time, that extra height leads to more lean mass. You've got a higher center of gravity, so simple things like walking or even just staying balanced while standing require more energy and muscle. BMI can work as a rough guide, but when judging yourself you may want to look more into body composition. Maybe consider picking up one of these. I used one a while back and with some math found that my lean mass was 199.8 lbs. In other words, it'd be impossible for me to go under 200 lbs without losing lean mass as well. So doing a bit more math, with my height at 6'4" and with 199.8 lbs lean mass, an average body fat percentage (19% for men) would put me at 246.7 lbs. That would put me at a 30.0 BMI, qualifying as obese despite having an average percent body fat.

u/MrGreggle · 1 pointr/AskMen

BMI is a bullshit stat. It would call The Rock morbidly obese. Body fat% is meaningful. You can measure it with a device like this https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Fat-Loss-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK

u/plantfood623 · 1 pointr/StrongCurves

Wow, yea don't be... it's like the #1 biological sign of fertility and sexiness in women. Something like 98% of cover models have your measurements, my girlfriend has those measurements and my friends are always like man your girl is sooooooo hot. Hahaha, you sound like me - I'm a 6'3 guy and i always used to be insecure about being "too tall" lol.... the things we tell ourselves. Enjoy!

----- Also side note, i saw your other post where you said your Dexa scan is 32% bodyfat. ZERO chance, you look great and those things are so inaccurate. I workout and eat amazing, have abs and my dexa came back as almost obese. Get one of these https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Handheld-Body-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1536171049&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=omron+bodyfat+tester

Test yourself every morning for a week when you first wake up, whatever the average is will probably be within 2% of your actual bodyfat.

Also, if you are trying to gain curves and get rid of fat you need to be lifting heavy weights. Deadlifts and Squats. If you eat at a deficit without lifting you will just get skinnyfat which is no fun.

​

u/itsmesofia · 1 pointr/loseit

That's pretty annoying. What I've noticed from my scale is that the BF measurement is consistently about 2% higher than the measurement when I use one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Fat-Loss-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1458235924&sr=8-1&keywords=body+fat+measurement

u/AnnArborLady · 1 pointr/xxfitness

Hey girl! Congrats on losing the first 50lb! That's amazing!! Here are some notes for you, based on your post:

  1. You cannot target any part of your body for fat loss. Carb cycling is no more helpful than any other method of weight loss in terms of reducing belly fat. Genetics is the only factor that determines where you will lose fat first, which, unfortunately, we have no control over.

  2. In order to get a flat stomach, you will need to drop your total body fat %, and not necessarily your weight. (Many women actually end up gaining weight to get a flatter stomach, believe it or not!) This is because muscle weighs more than fat, meaning that 1 lb of fat takes up a lot more space (volume) than 1 lb of muscle. Because of this, I would highly recommend you stop weighing yourself. You can buy a BF% scanner on amazon for $30 if you want to track your numbers, but honestly, the best way to judge your progress is to take photos and go by how your clothes fit.

  3. Diet is 80%. Exercise is 20%. Yes, I would recommend lifting heavy, and starting a workout program (see side bar). But more importantly, I would recommend cleaning up your diet. As in nixing processed food. As in, if the ingredients list has more than 10 items listed, or things you can't pronounce, then don't eat it. Flat stomachs are made in the kitchen.

    Best of luck! And again, congrats on your progress thus far.

u/disagreedTech · 1 pointr/Atlanta

Here

Probably cheaper ones online tho

u/Wolfy311 · 1 pointr/Braincels

>I’m poorcel.

Here's one I use. Its $35. Its worth it if you want to lose weight (lose fat and not muscle)

https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Handheld-Body-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1543269190&sr=8-4&keywords=body+fat+analyzer

​

u/frogger345 · 1 pointr/loseit

I used a handheld body fat monitor like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Handheld-Body-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK

A trainer at my gym showed me how to use it. Maybe I’ll try a DEXA scan and see what results I get.

u/YEM1990 · 1 pointr/ketogains

Is this the one you got?

u/K2TY · 1 pointr/bodyweightfitness

I'm 5' 10" 193 pounds and 18-20% bf according to my [$20 Chinese bio impedance doohickey] (https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Fat-Loss-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1500571409&sr=8-3&keywords=bioimpedance+scale). I'm eating at 2000 calories a day and 150 grams of protein. I've been doing the RR for about a year and 4 weeks ago added C25K (Program to run 3 miles in 8 weeks). Does that sound reasonable?

u/sweaty-cat · 1 pointr/WeightLossAdvice

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tLnPBb0A5W9K2

This is what the people at my gym use. Considered buying it for myself. But there are also plenty of options for scales on Amazon that do something similar.

u/badassmexican · 1 pointr/Fitness

A body fat analyzer could help. I didn't change weight for 5 months but I was loosing fat and gaining muscle. It helped me see things were changing before it was visible.

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Monitor-model-HBF-306C-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK

u/gungadin · 1 pointr/keto

I use this one from Omron which I've compared to my results from two different DEXA scans and found it to be accurate to 0.2% from what the dexa machines reported.

u/RoboChrist · 1 pointr/Fitness

When I hit 170lbs in the process of bulking, I was at 12% body fat according to the body fat tester I linked below. I currently have 4 visible and defined ab muscles, with the bottom two less defined. I felt that 10-11% was a fair estimate, since I know that my ab and overally muscle definition is far better than it was. If the tester I linked is known to be inaccurate, then that throws everything off.

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=pd_sim_hpc_1

u/EpicGradStudent · 1 pointr/loseit

Buy one of these http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1335466581&sr=8-3 and see how awesome you're actually doing.

I don't mind staying the same weight as long as every time I measure myself, I see my body fat ratio going down.

u/__thisismyaccount__ · 1 pointr/Fitness
u/Trifecta50 · 1 pointr/nutrition

I don't know if they have these at your gym but they have them at nearly every x sport: https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Handheld-Body-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK.

u/chinggisk · 1 pointr/progresspics

There are several different ways to do it but most all require special gizmos. The usual cheap method is using calipers like these, but from what I've heard that can be pretty inaccurate and inconsistent unless you really know what you're doing. I use this little guy, it's pretty consistent though I'm not completely sure how accurate it is because I have nothing to verify it against other than the fact that it seems to be in the right ballpark. Then there's fancy water-dunking type tests you can get done but they are expensive.

I think I've heard other people on here say that some gyms will have the calipers or a digital thingamabob like mine that they can measure you with so you could ask at your gym if you're curious.

u/PBandSquats · 1 pointr/xxfitness

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Monitor-model-HBF-306C-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK

That is what they used at my gym, which came up with 26%.

u/MyPenWroteThis · 1 pointr/keto

I'm using the below link http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Monitor-model-HBF-306C-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425316504&sr=8-1&keywords=fat+calculator

Not good enough? The problem is thats what we're using for the contest.... could I cheat it by dehydrating before hand?

u/Britton120 · 1 pointr/keto

If possible I would invest in a better way of measuring body fat. Whether thats something like this or if its seeing if you have access to a DEXA scan through your insurance, it measures bone density but also is good at measuring body fat percentage.

eye balling it just isn't really good enough. Assuming you are indeed eating at a deficit, your body is getting that energy somewhere.

u/adrun · 1 pointr/progresspics
  • A redditor put together this site to use for visual body fat percentage estimates. It's not super well populated, but I think it's better than the other visual estimate site that normally gets referenced.
  • There are a variety of websites that will estimate your body fat according to your measurements. I like IIFYM because they've got a great TDEE calculator, too.
  • You can use a hand-held bioelectric impedance tool to estimate your body fat, or there are bathroom scales that use the same method.
  • Josh-j mentioned calipers, but these can be tricky to use alone and consistently.

    That gets me to my last point: no matter what home method you use to estimate your body fat, be consistent. These are estimates and you might find that you get a different reading from your scale, your calipers, and the internet on the very same day. Body fat % a great way to track trends in your body composition, and you won't see those as effectively if you just back and forth between measurement methods. Unless you want to get a DEXA scan every week, the very precise number is less important than seeing trends.
u/blanchie69 · 1 pointr/keto

So, I'm a bit late in reading this and hope that you've successfully broken your plateau, but I did have a question. I was reading this and I don't recall seeing you mention this, but do you keep track of your BMI? Fat %? Measurements? Many of the people who loose 50+ lbs in such a short time have a lot more fat to lose, and are not really gaining any muscle. Though you might not be losing lbs, you might be gaining muscle in small amounts balancing out the fat you could be losing. I got myself one of these and about once a week I'll check my BMI and Fat%. For almost 2 months now I've been wavering between 166 - 163, but both my BMI and Fat % have consistently gone down. And there have been small but noticeable changes in my measurements for example I've gone down a hole on my belt. It's these things that keep me going because for me those are more important than the lbs.

u/CookieDoughCooter · 1 pointr/self

I used to use one of these at my local gym and it seemed pretty accurate. The true value of it is to use it regularly if you're trying to "lose weight," since so many overweight people begin to work out then put on weight since muscle is heavier than fat, they become discouraged and quit.

Since you can't really measure how much muscle you gain and how much fat you lose by just stepping on a scale, I'd use that to train someone if they really wanted to monitor their progress and see results as they become healthier. Sure, things like the amount of water in your body can set it off a bit, but I used it for several months when I wanted to lose 20 pounds of fat and was putting on muscle and it showed my fat % going down whereas the scale showed very little change - just a few pounds, really, while I could tell I was losing weight.

u/kuudereingly · 1 pointr/loseit

I'm glad this could help! This is the monitor I have, and it's the same one my personal trainer used to check my body fat % at the gym. Look at the charts on the wikipedia page for body fat percentage to help make sense of where you are now and help set goals.

Note that a lot of women lose their periods when they go below 20% or so body fat (it's different for every woman). So keep that in mind when setting and adjusting goals too.

Edit: Bots! Bots, everywhere!

u/TimmyBx · 1 pointr/Fitness

I think this might be what you are referring to...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FYZMYK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=timscheblo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FYZMYK

Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor, Black

I bought one myself, and I am pretty happy with it. I think that the measurements might a little on the low side, but still pretty nice tool, and very easy to use.

u/gomordecai · 1 pointr/90daysgoal

i just use the scale at the gym once i week. I think body fat% is more meaningful than sheer weight anywhoo. this is what i have:
Omron

u/yubman · 1 pointr/loseit

Don't know about the scales, but the newer hand held units are pretty good and affordable:

Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor

There are rules to ensure a more accurate reading, ie no readings after meals, when you first wake up etc.

u/yogi240 · 1 pointr/Fitness

Probably not that low, but I believe it's fairly low. Using this thing, which I know is not 100% accurate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FYZMYK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/some_keto_man · 1 pointr/fasting

I have one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FYZMYK

I just tried it and it said I was in the 8% range of body fat. I don't have any faith in the impedance type body fat measurements.

u/Devon47 · 1 pointr/keto

Thanks for the advice. I'm measuring BFP using BI (this guy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FYZMYK). I use it in conjunction with body measurements and weight measurement to try to account for inaccuracies in each method. I'm not expecting losses every day, but I do expect a general downward trend over a period of weeks/months. I'll come back after a week of detailed tracking with more info.

u/phantom1024 · 1 pointr/ketogains

When I use my Bio impedance tool after a bowel movement, before a shower, after I wakeup, before drinking any liquids and before any exercise I get the results within 0.1% difference to the 3 point caliper measurement.

But, I agree that body fat measurement is a pretty inaccurate process even when using a dexa scan.

I use the Omron with the athlete mode on it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FYZMYK

u/keto4life · 1 pointr/keto

I'd say you're around the 20% mark. There are some really cheap calipers you can pick up on Amazon these days. $10USD max. They offer a much more accurate number.

Here's a link to the ones I use: http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1405933244&sr=1-1&keywords=body+fat+calipers

u/Anatidaephobic_Duck · 1 pointr/Fitness

Get these and go here.

u/KCBassCadet · 1 pointr/Fitness

Get an Accu-measure caliper from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74

It is the only reasonably-accurate self-test. The accuracy varies wildly based on how competent you are at finding your suprailiac which is the very best place to measure. EXRX.net has a handy calculator with which you can plug in the measurements from your caliper but I have found that my single-site suprailiac measurement almost always matches the results from the 3 or 7 site measurements (which just takes more time).

Ultimately I don't really care what the BF% the caliper shows me, I just want to see it improve or at least not worsen.

Those bioelectrical measurement devices are completely worthless.

u/theycallhimhellcat · 1 pointr/loseit

Seriously, I don't know how i used to eat so much either. It's insane to think about the portions I used to have.

I wouldn't worry about small fluctuations like 204-206. Sometimes people post saying they never adjusted after losing 40lbs, and that makes quite a difference.

I use this one.

There are many ways, all vary in accuracy, but I think it's over hyped. Just use the same measuring method every time, since what you want is to see progress.

The method I use is as follows (Only the right side of the body):

  1. measure the skin between the nipple and the arm pit (diagonal)
  2. measure the skin by pinching belly button and to one side (horizontal)
  3. measure the skin in the middle of my thigh (vertically)

    To measure, you just grab skin with your right hand and pinch, place the caliper about 1/2 inch away from your pinch, and close it till it pops into place. Add up the 3 measurements and plug it in to a calculator and you get your BF%.

    The one in the link actually comes with a little chart, so you could use their method also.

    As for portions, I caved and bought a scale. They are like $18 on amazon. It's kind of a pain, but I just measure everything that I make and then I know for sure. For eating out I just guestimate portion size, but I don't do that often anyway.

    And if you're an excel nerd, you can totally geek out so that all you have to do is plug in the number of grams of each item and it will calculate your total consumption automagically.

    EDIT: Tape measure works too, but measure both biceps, both thighs, waist at belly button and hips and take the total and track that, since you'll get some variation in specific areas. I quit the tape measure because I felt like my stength was going up and my fat was going down so the measure wasn't changing all that much.
u/mdkss12 · 1 pointr/fatpeoplestories

ok first of all, idk if you still think this way, but you dont necessarily need to worry about the number on the scale! my gf is 5'2 120, but she's 12% body fat. what's more important are measurements (like waist, hips etc) and body fat %, which can be measured fairly accurately with calipers (and they'r cheap: this is actually the exact one we have) we used those and they were within a percent of our bodyfat as measured by high tech electronic gizmos :P

that said, yeah the butter etc is definitely what was doing that to you...

ok so not respecting boundaries and personal property is a MASSIVE FUCKING RED FLAG! not only that, if you were subletting from her then legally she cant enter your room without permission (i believe), so if things got crazy and you had evidence you probably could have had her charged

also ok, with her getting your bf's house number this is turning into a damn horror movie first act.

my guesses: she's obsessed with you, she either wants to be you or may make a move on you. my money at the moment is that she makes a move.

ugh the not respecting boundaries is just so fucked up to me. damn, at this point i'm scared for you

u/chrisg_ · 1 pointr/loseit

You could get a set of BIA scales, I got some on amazon for cheaps:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0033AGBVG/ref=oss_product

still, BIA isn't the most accurate, if you can be bothered, get a set of calipers and learn to use them...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?s=drugstore&ie=UTF8&qid=1313484737&sr=1-1

u/aww_yeeeee · 1 pointr/leangains

http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1325111426&sr=1-2

Also, if you want more accurate results you may want to try to find somewhere where they do hydrostatic weighing or using the BodPod.

u/GodlessGravy · 1 pointr/loseit

> 1,800/day was far to few for my size

It is pretty low for a male of your height. However, if you have very little muscle bulk, it may be a correct estimate. How much weight have you been losing each week?

> If I continue to under eat I would wreck my thyroid and hormones

'Wrecking' them is not likely. You could get some dysregulation with prolonged malnutrition, but even if you are eating too little, you're nowhere near that level of undereating.

> A typical day for me is 8 egg whites in the morning, along with some oatmeal, lunch time I eat some lean meat, and dinner is typically fish, veggies, salad, etc.

Make sure you are getting your minimum intake of healthy fats. 15-20% of your energy should be coming from healthy fats, like the fish.

If you can find one, and can afford it, consider going to a gym with a bodpod ( http://www.bodpod.com/en/products/body-composition/adult-children-bod-pod-gs/bod-pod ) or device that can accurately measure your body composition and give you a much more precise measure of your BMR and %body fat.

You could also measure %body fat via skin callipers or bioimpedence scales.

A 1000 calorie deficit below an accurate TDEE measurement should be perfectly safe.


u/attemptno4 · 1 pointr/funny

This is a bit cheaper.

u/VarthJader · 1 pointr/loseweight

Hmm yeah.

As the mirror can be subjective, I would suggest getting a caliper tool to measure body fat. It might not be that accurate (in terms of calculating actual body fat % but if you are consistent, the changes you see or not will help to more objectively evaluate whether or not you're putting on fat.

And caliper tools are pretty cheap as well (e.g. i have this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_tmNBDbY1266QK)

That being said, when it comes to the weight itself, it depends.

If you lower your carb intake, you will see a drop but this is how carbohydrates affect glycogen levels in the muscles.

If you want to lose body fat though, i would suggest staying at this intake for a while, give your body a break for a week or two and then give it another shot.

Or you could do intra week refeeds and have some days where you eat a bit more and some days when you are in a deficit.

Whatever you prefer and works best for u :)

u/MidnightFaculty · 1 pointr/loseit

You'll need to buy a body fat caliper, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457576841&sr=8-2&keywords=fat+caliper - One like this. You'll need someone to assist you in checking your body fat, since there are places you need to measure that you can't reach yourself e.g. tricep

u/RecoveringRed · 1 pointr/Fitness

Also, these are cheap and I think relatively accurate. At least for myself, I've tested the measurements with it against hydrostatic measurements and it has been within 1%. I'm sure it can be off by more, but I bet it would be a lot better than anything you will get from visual guesses.

u/Dijinni · 1 pointr/Braincels

Those analyzers are fucking junk. The hand ones especially. If you don't store much fat on your hands naturally it will give you an extremely low body fat percentage or the reverse. They are never very accurate and too fucking expensive.

Buy this
https://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Caliper-Measurement/dp/B000G7YW74

There are free calculators online that will let you measure every inch of your body to get a close to perfect ratio.

u/Taome · 1 pointr/zerocarb

I know it's hard to do but I really suggest ignoring the scale because weight by itself is useless as a measure of body fat. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed around 235 lbs in contest condition which would put him in the obese category according to standard weight charts even though his body fat was around 8% during competitions. BMI is similarly misleading as a measure of body fat because it also completely fails to take into account how weight is distributed between muscle and body fat. (Schwarzenegger's BMI was around 30% when he was in contest condition, which again puts him in the obese range.)

In other words, what you are really concerned about is not your weight per se but what percent of your weight is body fat. The simplest way to track body fat percentage is to just keep track of how your clothes are fitting, for example, is it becoming easier to button your pants, is bending over in pants that were tight before becoming easier and more comfortable, etc. You can also take photos of yourself in the mirror every two weeks or so in shorts and a crop t-shirt or sports bra to assess your fat mass loss. A simple tailor's measuring tape, e.g, this one from Amazon, can also be used to track belly fat (be careful to use the same location and tape tension/tightness each time).

If you want to be more precise about tracking your body fat %, you can try skinfold calipers, for example, these from Amazon are a bit over $6 and will be perfectly adequate for your purposes. Read the instructions thoroughly, practice a bit so you get the hang of using them, then use them every week or two.

Aside from checking how your clothes fit, try to limit yourself to using whatever other method(s) you use to track fat mass loss to once every week or two because day-to-day changes just aren't going to be measurable. Also keep in mind that it is common for people to gain muscle on a higher protein diet even without trying to do so. This is especially likely to happen if the prior diet was protein-deficient. As a result, weight gain doesn't necessarily mean an increase in fat mass, indeed, it could actually represent increased muscle mass which is a good thing. Again, ask yourself how your clothes are fitting, do you feel stronger and have more energy and stamina?

Anyway, I hope this is useful. Congratulations on getting off the antidepressant and good luck to you.

u/Nutralance · 1 pointr/Fitness

Ok, so maybe it's the body fat sensor these things don't really work. I would get some calipers (http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422056487&sr=8-1&keywords=skinfold+body+fat+calipers)

Do you think you look any different? There should be some change in regards to how you looked like at the beginning. In the end it's how you look in the mirror that counts.

u/Arrested · 1 pointr/90daysgoal

Yeah, they cost ~6 bucks on amazon. Here is what I purchased for tracking my measurements.

Body Measuring Tape on Amazon

Calipers on Amazon

u/krayketo · 1 pointr/keto

I've been using these for a few years, not the most accurate probably but as I've lost the weight I can attest that they've been consistent. http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421282969&sr=8-2&keywords=accumeasure+calipers

u/LifeBeginsAt10kRPM · 1 pointr/leangains

What calipers do you have? This have markings and instructions on them to make it super simple. Does yours have markings?

If not there is still a way but it may be less accurate since it'll depend on you making more measurements so the possibility of making a mistake is higher.. This came up doing a quick Google search, you may want to search more.

progress look good, congrats!

u/Kalivha · 1 pointr/fatlogic

You don't need a B cup anyway, just getting down to an E or F should help a lot. Strengthening your back should also help support them (whether you lose much weight off them or not).

Apparently the Spanish word for caliper is "calibre" so maybe ask about that at your doctor's? This type of thing.

u/Pyrallis · 1 pointr/Fitness

I assume you're referring to a bathroom scale to weigh yourselves, instead of a kitchen scale to weigh your food. (Even then, kitchen scales are good things to have, you should get one if you don't have one already).

Also, are you in North America? You didn't specify.

Generally speaking, a digital scale is going to be better than a mechanical one in both precision and accuracy. I'd stick with digital. If you still can, return your current one. No point in keeping a product you're disappointed with.

Consumer Reports does reviews on bathroom scales. CR does good work. They refuse advertising from product manufacturers, to avoid the appearance of bias in their reviews. They've been around since the 1930s, and they're also behind The Consumerist blog. Their reviews aren't geared toward the enthusiast or high-end hobbyist, but they're great for general product reviews.

I bought a Taylor glass and chrome digital scale after seeing a favorable review of it in CR. I've been happy with it. Mind, CR may have changed or updated their product reviews since I purchased that scale.

In my opinion, checking Consumer Reports should be always be a component of the decision-making process before buying a product.

Two more things to keep in mind. First, your weight is going to fluctuate a lot over time. You probably already knew that. Just making sure. There was a post on Reddit, within the past few months, I think, of someone who weighed himself multiple times a day, for several days, and wrote down the numbers. The amount of variation was amazing. I wanted to find the post again and link you to it, but...I think the Reddit search function doesn't like me. Ever.

Secondly, while you're at it, get a skinfold caliper to measure your bodyfat percentage. That's the more important number. In terms of fitness, your weight without your body fat percentage is useless. The gold standard for finding your BF% is plethysmography--think the Bod Pod™. Minus that, a simple, US$5.00 skinfold caliper will get the job done. I've read that digital BF% meters, which use electrical current resistance, are not very reliable, especially because your level of hydration will skew the results. Skinfold calipers have their flaws, too, but if you learn how to use it well, and apply it consistently, it's best for tracking BF% changes over time.

u/PadyEos · 1 pointr/Fitness

For your age, weight and height and with the level of physical activity SL represents I would say 2500. Maybe 2300 in the first couple of weeks.

You might not lose weight in the first couple of weeks until you progress to any really challenging weight but after that 1-2lb/week of weight loss is to be expected and should be your goal. Much more than 2lb/week isn't healthy.

Btw if you want you can still run and do cardio but only after lifting. It is never advised to do cardio before since you need to be rested before lifting. I personally don't do it but I do play football(soccer) and volleyball for a couple of hours each week.

Be careful to adjust the calories eaten as you lose weight, you should aim for about 300-500 calories under maintenance for your activity level and with as much proteing as you can squeeze in those calories without neglecting other food groups, there are a lot of calorie calculators on the internet that can help: http://www.runnersworld.com/tools/daily-calories-calculator

If the number doesn't seem right after the third week and you don't lose wight slowly lower it until you hit 1-2lb/week in weight loss.

Btw machines that are in the gyms for measuring body fat are inaccurate. Don't trust it.
There are very few ways for accurately measuring body fat and the easiest and cheapest to do at home is with a body fat caliper: http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74

Takes some math but provides CONSISTENT results.

u/sunqueensuri · 1 pointr/xxfitness

I have read from several respected fitness bloggers/writers that a body fat caliper would be a good, affordable option. I got myself one months ago and use it to measure my body fat percentage once every week.

This is the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Caliper-Measurement/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=acu-measure&qid=1554464345&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2UDNPGKURPVSY

Because I log my measurements once every week, I am able to see the numbers drop, which is, frankly, seriously exciting and eye-opening.

Even if it is not accurate to the decimal point, it is still an easy and cheap way for you to self-test and it would be obvious on the caliper if there is, say, a 2mm drop from the last time you measured.

​

​

u/MOISTEN_THE_TAINT · 1 pointr/Fitness

Step 1: count calories

Don't change a thing about your diet yet, just track. I use MyFitnessPal because it's easy. Haven't looked at alternatives yet.

Guesstimating is an anti patten, but you know what? It's honestly better than nothing at this point.

Personally I recommend leaving out steps any exercise sessions unless you're doing serious amounts of cardio.



Step 2: WAM (weigh and measure)
Cool, you've tracked for 2-4 weeks. Now, if you cook or meal prep , go on Amazon and buy a food scale. Learn what 4 ounces of chicken looks like. Learn what a tablespoon looks like. Your estimates from the past month will start being far more accurate.

FYI this is the food scale I use. No idea if it's the best, but it does the job: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004164SRA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Step 3: Weigh and measure yourself
Once a week, same time of day and situation. I do It after I poop on Monday morning.

Weight is one measurement, I also recommend a caliper. Depending on your situation, lean muscle mass gain might nullify fat loss. Caliper doesn't lie. Relatively simple so long as you are consistent. Measure multiple areas (chest, iliac crest, arms, thighs).

I bought this caliper: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G7YW74/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Step 4: Long haul
You're making a lifestyle change. This isn't "a diet", it's "your diet ". Diet meaning your day in, day out style of eating. Making one better decisions day could mean 500 calories a day. 500 * 7 = 3500, the calories in a pound of fat.

Make allowances

  • eat garbage if you want to. Make it fit your macros.
  • think weekly rather than daily, if you want to go out with coworkers and have some beers, swap out an item tomorrow for a lower calorie item. No big deal.
  • don't be a fucking Nazi. Enjoy life. Long term his is an equation you can balance. Gain 5 - 10 lbs during a Thanksgiving, account for it and realize it'll take 5-10 we is after the new year to lose.

    Sidebar, if your female, account for your cycle and water retention, and a slower rate of fat loss.





u/jbuberel · 1 pointr/Fitness

These devices are based on bio-electrical impedance, just like the hand-held units from manufacturers like Tanita. The problem with all similar devices is that they are very, very sensitive to internal fluid (hydration) levels.

Measuring yourself after eating a bunch of salty foods and then gulping down a gallon of water vs. measuring after a night of alcohol is going to give you very different results. And yet your actual %bf will not have changed at all.

You'd be better off learning how to use one of these on yourself:

Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester
by AccuFitness
Link: http://amzn.com/B000G7YW74

u/DrNickBurns · 1 pointr/reddit.com

Those charts are from an Excel spreadsheet I keep updated with the data. In order to get this data, you need a normal scale and a pair of skinfold calipers. Here is a decent pair http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Health-6575XXXX-Skinfold-Caliper/dp/B000NN9SDO - once you have those, you can get your body fat percent. Then, by simply weighing yourself you can figure your body fat to lean muscle ratio. There are several different equations you can choose from to determine the body fat %, but once you start with the equation you must measure yourself in that same series of spots every time. Over time you'll see changes, hence the charts above. Which I simply put into Excel and graphed over a year.

u/cleti · 1 pointr/Fitness

They're very inaccurate, but honestly no more inaccurate than posting a picture in the Body Fat Friday threads. Take it with a grain of salt and assume it's wrong; however, if it is your only means, I'd continue using it just as a show of progress. Just don't be like, "The scale says I'm 14%. That means I'm 14%." It should be more like, "The scale says I'm 13% now. I'm probably not, but I still made progress according to my only means of measurement."

I would suggest getting one of these or one of these to measure more accurately. This calculator uses neck and waist (plus hips for women) circumferences to determine body fat levels. This calculator can be set to use a 3 point skinfold test to determine body fat levels.

u/love2go · 1 pointr/TwoXChromosomes

get calipers to measure body fat % from Amazon.com. I used this one.

u/appinator · 1 pointr/4hourbodyslowcarb

Well. It happens. You are doing the right thing, add or change the measurements. You gain muscle without exercising what results in weight too of course.
I'm using this caliper: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NN9SDO/ref=mp_s_a_1_5_a_it?qid=1463213265&sr=8-5&keywords=body+fat+caliper
And the Orbitape.

Also the included book is nice to know where to measure.(It's the same Tim mentioned in his book)

Just keep going next week will be big.

u/greenfan83 · 1 pointr/ketogains

Thanks. Fyi. Ive heard that caliper with the click is not that good. You want to get the one with the spring. It's on sale on amazon right now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NN9SDO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/funchords · 1 pointr/loseit

If BF% is important, I would go with something that does hand-to-foot measuring:

u/Schadenfreuder · 1 pointr/loseit

I like this one as it does BMI, body fat, visceral fat, and skeletal fat. It's a lot of fun to keep track of all those values and see yourself improving.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IV61J4

u/LilSparr0 · 1 pointr/progresspics

We bought this scale that has muscle and body fat and all that. It's not cheap, but it works really well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001IV61J4/ref=sxts1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1475248652&sr=1

u/mrcobain · 1 pointr/leangains

I bought this scale on amazon which seems to round up a little the numbers but works all right.

u/kaizoku_akahige · 1 pointr/Fitness

The one I use is Omron HBF-510W. This one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IV61J4/

u/darthluiggi · 1 pointr/keto

Well, it will serve you to somewhat measure progress.

But, get a OrbiTape and a Body Defender Caliper.

u/william_moran · 1 pointr/Fitness

I agree. Calipers are pretty accurate.

However, I bought that particular one as my first caliper, it works fine but the quality isn't so good and it only lasted a few months before the brittle plastic snapped. Advantage is that its super-cheap.

If you can afford a little more $, I've had one of these for about two years now and it still works perfectly:
http://www.amazon.com/Sequoia-Fitness-Products-USA-Defender/dp/B002CQPD2U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413465411&sr=8-1&keywords=defender+body+fat+caliper

u/holdstheenemy · 1 pointr/loseit

This is the one I have

u/ilovegirlsinheels · 1 pointr/Fitness

Should I rely more on the machine they have at la fitness? I believe they have this

I mostly have weight around my stomach and thighs so hopefully I'll loose the fat there ?


Are my current macros and workout regime good enough for me to get that flat stomach and wider upper body? Or should I eat more (and more Protein?)?

Thanks!

u/expungeegnupxe · 1 pointr/loseit

http://www.amazon.com/Health-meter-BFM884DQN-60-Monitoring-Scale/dp/B002ZJX00Q

I picked up that one after great reviews, works great, within .2 lbs every time and doesn't change every time you step on it. Also has body fat% water, etc.

u/Chimera322 · 1 pointr/trueloseit

I have an Omron body fat monitor and I use it about once a month. I'm not sure how entirely accurate it is, but it seems to work okay. It would be cool to get the whole body comp workup done. That kind of stuff fascinates me.

u/Jermazing · 1 pointr/Fitness

M27, started @ 350+lbs. Currently 60lbs into my weight loss with about 70 more to go. Here's what I've gathered, and what's helped me. I'm not a positive or "feel-good" person.

  • Fuck Motivation. I came to this mindset on my own a couple years ago, but it accurately sums up the feeling/realization/mindset (words are hard) that actually got me results. Still have this mindset today and I still have to tell myself this since I still have my fatty urges (multiple daily 3k+ calorie meals)


  • It's going to suck. You're going to fuck up. When you do, get over it, don't beat yourself up or get sucked into self-guilt or pity. You'll go through a whole range of emotions from happy to miserable and hating everything. Expect and accept this ahead of time. Pick yourself up, and keep going. No kid learned to walk without falling down.

  • Calories in, Calories out. If you eat less than you burn throughout the day, then you'll lose weight. You could literally eat only donut ice-cream sandwiches and Taco-Bell, but if you're still at a caloric deficit you'll lose weight.

  • You can't out-run a bad diet. It is far easier to not eat that bag of chips or go through the Fast Food drive through than it is to burn all those extra calories.

  • Get a food-scale. Weigh and track EVERYTHING. You're the only one who can see it, and not tracking it because you feel guilty is equivalent to a smoker in denial that it's unhealthy.

  • Some people like multiple small meals and it works for them. Doesn't work for me. I need to feel full from a meal or I'll be snacky the entire day until I'm full. I prefer to get about 75% of my calories in 1 meal.

  • Chicken is your friend. Very filling and plenty of variety. Breasts are the best choice, as they're arguably the best

  • Joining the army? Work on building some muscle too. I liked Strong Lifts 5x5 to start. Very structured, and there's an app.

  • I hated cardio, so I stopped doing it once I started SL 5X5. If you're joining the army though, see what running requirements they have and work to meet those.

  • I would invest in a body-fat calculator/monitor and measuring tape like this

  • Track weight and measurements weekly. Start a simple spreadsheet. Especially if you're working on getting stronger, any muscle gains will skew your actual "weight loss", when you'll want to be tracking your body fat % as well. Weigh/measure at the same time every week and log it all.
u/blacksun_redux · 1 pointr/leangains

So wait did you measure your starting weight nude and un-fed/watered? You have to be consistent with the weigh ins. First thing in the morning, no clothes, no water/food. Then do it that way every time. Anything else will leave you guessing.

A bodyfat caliper and tape is cheap. Learn to use it and be consistent with how you use it (important). Use the tape to measure. Write it all down with dates.

You might know all this already, but man I can't believe how many people put in all that work and then just guess. Or ask other people to guess based on a couple pics.

u/wabuson · 1 pointr/Fitness

Also- The scale isn't that important as a whole. In combination with something like these, however, I think it is a great tool for tracking your progress.

u/likwidtek · 1 pointr/loseit

My wife and I got this one from Target. Works pretty well. Not sure how accurate any of the water % or Body Fat % is but since we only use it to track us, as long as we see downward trends we're happy.

It lets you create users for people in your house. Not needed for just regular weigh ins but yeah.

http://www.amazon.com/Conair-WW52N-Weight-Watchers-Stainless/dp/B004CLBWG4/ref=sr_1_15?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1398106104&sr=1-15&keywords=weight+watchers+scale

u/BackOfTheHearse · 1 pointr/loseit

I've been using this scale for years with no problems: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004CLBWG4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bNHazb96BXZKB

It does body fat percentage and bone density, and you can have multiple profiles if there are more people in your house

u/Paxtian · 1 pointr/progresspics

Congrats, keep it up!

I don't have a goal weight, but a goal body fat percentage. I am trying to avoid losing lean body mass as much as possible while burning fat, but some loss there is inevitable. In any case, my goal body fat percentage is 10%, or just below so I can claim single digit body fat percentage :). Then I'll start a reverse diet up to maintenance calories (add about 50 daily calories per week until hitting whatever my TDEE is at that time), stay there through summer, and then start a bulk in the winter (TDEE * 1.10 calories, i.e., adding 10% of maintenance calories).

Rather than assuming it's going to muscle, I'd encourage you to get some calipers. This is the one I use. I measure myself with them once a week, and calculate body fat using this site.

All the best!

u/DrGamut · 1 pointr/Fitness

Consider purchasing some calipers the barrier to entry on having any real idea as to what your body fat % is.

I found these for $10.50 on amazon. You may even do better if you shop around.

u/TopCat1392 · 1 pointr/thinspocommunity

Sorry what I was saying is eating b/w 800 - 1000 calories.

Next appointment I will s/w doctor about approved exercises.

One more question if you don't mind, are calipers such as these accurate in measuring body fat? I use the gym in my townhouse complex so we don't have the machine to measure.

I wanted to purchase a scale that measures body fat percentage but most of them said not to use them if you have metal implants and I worried about my total hip and using them.

Thanks again

u/BigNinja96 · 1 pointr/ketogains

Care Touch Skinfold Body Fat Caliper Set, Care Touch Measure Tape Included https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BMY8ONM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OFW-Ab1E5ZPSK

u/Dragon_Slayer_Hunter · 1 pointr/loseit

I have a Withings body scale and it connects to both Libra and MFP. It is a bit on the expensive side, though (but there might be cheaper Withings scales that can sync, not sure).

u/p4lm3r · 1 pointr/amazonecho

I picked up a Withings Scale about 2 weeks ago. I left it in my cart until magically a 20% Honey coupon hit, so got it for $76. Definitely worth it.

u/irishchug · 1 pointr/loseit

I got this withings scale that I am a big fan of. I really like the auto weight sync. Even though it isn't a big deal to enter it yourself, in the morning when I weigh myself I don't want to have to worry about anything more than I have to.

u/hazeldazeI · 1 pointr/keto

you have been losing fat all this time, even before you were working out. But the number on the scale may not reflect that. If you are being careful about tracking your macros and for sure staying under 20g of net carbs per day, then don't sweat it. The important thing is that clothes are getting looser. People are noticing that you're losing weight right? So you are losing weight. Wait, let me reword that. You are losing fat. You are losing circumference. Your weight as measure on the scale based on Earth's gravity is staying the same. So, don't step on the scale because in your case, it's not giving you any meaningful data and messing with your head. I rarely weigh myself for the exact same reason, so just don't do it.

So get yourself a cheap body measuring tape like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Care-Touch-Skinfold-Body-Measuring/dp/B01BMY8P0E

Just measure your body instead. Get a notebook and measure a few places and keep track how it changes over time. That will be the more accurate measurement of how your diet is going than a scale could ever be.

u/tasmanian101 · 1 pointr/homeautomation

Gonna take some maths and programing but it possible to do.

Buy a bluetooth scale. Probably don't want a glass one.

Connect the bluetooth to your rasberry pi. Setup a loggin software. Setup some routines that calculate the weight of the logged scale and calculate the % left.

Good luck finding a scale to always report. They'll time out pretty quick usually.

You could also buy some new propane tanks with built in gauges and setup a camera pointing at it / an ocr setup looking for the white needle in the red zone

Edit : Lastly you could hook up a pressure transducer and read the voltage output and calculate that into a rough % left.

u/Flatline2962 · 1 pointr/keto

Get yourself a body tape measure like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Care-Touch-Skinfold-Body-Measuring/dp/B01BMY8P0E/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1542221326&sr=8-3&keywords=body+tape+measure

and take weekly measurements when you stall. I'm willing to bet you'll see some movement even as your weight stays the same.

u/shy-latte · 1 pointr/CICO

some scales (both big fancy ones dietitians and gyms usually have and normal bathroom scales ) estimate it, but you can also use a body fat caliper , they have digital ones too

u/GhostedAccount · 0 pointsr/IAmA

You will be completely fine. Just drink lots of water to keep your skin elastic. Essentially as much water as you can drink without being water logged. Also drinking water can help with hunger pangs if you are reducing the volume of food you eat.

You will not end up with excessive skin folds. The people who end up like that are the people who starve themselves using stomach surgeries. At my most, I was losing 1 lbs a day. I never had any issues with excess skin. I probably sustained that that for 1.5 months. Now I am more around 3lbs a week, it slows down, but it doesn't stop as long as you keep eating right. You can always up the physical activity to try to keep the weight loss higher, but muscle gain will hide weight loss, so don't really be discouraged if your weight loss slows while you are doing a lot of physical activity.

You can get something like this if you want to measure fat vs muscle. http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1324672844&sr=1-2

Not a bad thing to measure. You want to make sure your diet is sustaining your muscle mass while allowing you to lose only fat. If your ratio is showing that you are losing more muscle than fat, you need to fix your diet and exercise routine.

u/Lassen_dk · 0 pointsr/loseit

Even if home BF% measurement isn't fantastic, it's still a more valuable metric. Even if you are in the rough ballpark, you can still measure your relative progress. It isn't expensive to do, either:

https://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Caliper-Measurement/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1_a_it

https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Fat-Loss-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_2_a_it

https://www.amazon.com/Triomph-Digital-Technology-Recognition-Capacity/dp/B01B3FH9S6/ref=sr_1_5_a_it

u/TheContrarian2 · 0 pointsr/loseit

It's probably muscle weight. Muscle is dense and heavy, but it's good to have. If you have one of those body fat scales, or calipers or other ways of accurately measuring body fat, you'll see. I have one of these (but I only paid about $40.00 for mine, I wonder if it's a different model). It will show that if your body fat is going down but your weight is going up as you work out, you're just gaining muscle. I'd be 400 pounds if it were all muscle!

u/ZenRage · 0 pointsr/Fitness

Check and monitor your body fat percentage.

You can get a decent body fat gauge for $30-40. If your gym does not have one, tell them to get one. Check your BF% and weight after every workout.

EDIT:
This is the one I got.
The price has gone up a bit but still very reasonable.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FYZMYK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/7zf · 0 pointsr/soylent

How about, hold everything else constant like exercise routine and sleep patterns etc. Take fat caliper and tape measurements and post before/after measurements?

http://www.amazon.com/Sequoia-Fitness-TrimCal-4000-Caliper/dp/B00B2MIDFY/

http://www.amazon.com/AccuFitness-MT05-MyoTape-Body-Measure/dp/B000G7YW7Y/

Challenge would be to lose x% bodyfat or y total inches.

u/faithfullyme · -1 pointsr/keto

The problem with those calculators is they don't go below 1200cal, and I cannot eat that much protein at my weight without practically going PSMF aka very high protein. I have about 130-140 pounds of lean mass alone. I used tape measures, one of these, and water displacement to get an average. I tried eating at a 20% deficit and it did not work for months on end which is why i went to a endo in the first place.

u/madanimal · -1 pointsr/Fitness

Do you know your body fat percentage? I've been working on getting visible abs myself and picked up this little monitor thing to keep track of my progress.

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Fat-Loss-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1458855304&sr=8-2&keywords=body+fat+monitor

u/Amneamnius · -1 pointsr/Fitness

I'm using this one.

Yeah you should definitely be loosing some weight since you've started cutting. I would start monitoring your %BF and if that isn't going down then you should consider changing your diet/activity level. Try to take the measurement on the same day/time.

u/bw2002 · -2 pointsr/loseit

BMI means NOTHING. Get a body fat tester.

u/bfradio · -2 pointsr/Fitness

I use this. It's pretty reasonably priced and just as accurate as any at home electrode based device.

u/solartornado · -3 pointsr/todayilearned

There are actually affordable body fat measurers.

Not super cheap, but affordable and reasonably accurate. I use this to track my progress.

u/rajaculate · -4 pointsr/AdvancedFitness

I hope this isn't true because I walk around at about 5% body fat all year and I still can't grow a beard. I'm only 22 though, so I still have hope.

EDIT: according to these things that my trainer friends at my college gym used. So I'm sure that has a huge margin of error.

EDIT: Sorry for the bad lighting, just got home and took this after lunch! I guess you guys can estimate the approximate %BF. I'm not too good at that stuff.
I'm 6'0 and 175lbs.

Not Flexed Abs

Flexed Abs

u/Rackbone · -5 pointsr/Fitness

it would be better to get a DEXA scan but this is the cheaper option. Its going to be important to know and measure your bf% regularly.

u/MrTomnus · -5 pointsr/Fitness

We really don't need a thread like that. Having people guess your bodyfat percentage isn't going to do you much good. Learn to take measurements and buy some cheap calipers

u/fuckitdonelurking · -13 pointsr/Fitness

Always been pretty slim. When I wrestled in high school (103 lbs). I got down to 2%. (we had something like this http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Monitor-model-HBF-306C-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK )

I felt very fast is best way to say it. Everything was really easy to move, and to move quickly.