Guest guest Posted January 1, 2001 Report Share Posted January 1, 2001 > I am confused...there is a body fat calculator that gave me a fit (it said I had 43.34% fat...like half of me is fat, eegads!) Joya~ Oh my goodness! First, you are not having a blonde moment!! All those numbers can get awfully confusing can't they? lol So hang in there with me, I'm gonna do my best to clarify. BMI or Body Mass Index is not an exact measurement of your body fat percentage. So what is it? Its a calculated ratio based on weight in kilograms and height in meters squared. BMI is basically a general indication of how much fat you're carrying around......but it does not give you the EXACT percentage of your weight that comes from fat. Most health care professionals agree that a BMI between 20 - 25 is healthy. BMIs in the 27 - 30 range indicate that you may be at higher risk of developing some diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Remember that these numbers are not set in stone. You should realize that there is a lot of controversy over these numbers and the cut off points are a compromise of the committee that set the standards. Remember that there are a lot of people who fall outside these cutoff points and are very healthy. Most actresses tend to be on the low side while many athletes are on the high side. So, please take the BMI with a grain of salt. Its just a number that is a general indicator of your body fat. Please, please, please do not get obsessed with the numbers, okay? Now, as far as the body fat calculation that you did that gave you a 44.6% body fat percentage. I'm not exactly sure what the calculation was, but I would regard it with some suspicion if you've generally been in the 28 - 29 percent range when you've been measured at the club. I'm not sure, either, what the numbers you've been getting from your club are. Remember, all that is needed to calculate BMI is your height and weight. So, if the people at the club used calipers, had you use one of the special body fat scales (like the Tanita scale lots of people are talking about here) or hooked you up to some sort of weird looking electrical contraption, then what you've probably got from them is your body fat percentage since those are the sort of tools needed to calculate body fat percentage. Remember, though, body fat percentage can fluctuate based on the expertise of the person doing the measuring or your hydration status. The most accurate way to get your body fat measured is to get an underwater weighing. You can usually get it done fairly cheaply at a local university. If you have the chance, I'd really recommend it. I hope I've cleared things up for you and not made them worse. Please feel free to let me know if you have more questions. Jen Who once again must give credit where credit is due and thank the people at nutritionnewsfocus.com for helping her get her facts straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2001 Report Share Posted January 1, 2001 Thanks very much, Jen for clearing things up...I actually did both measurements online today, but when I have been measured at my gym it was with calipers...didn't trust it much though. Well, it all boils down to I better increase my Tae Bo and walking!!! Joya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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