BodyFat Measurement

[McB]

Without submerging oneself in a tank of water, or pulling out the medieval calipers, is there a relatively easy way to measure BF? I've heard that there are a few measurements one can make (be careful......), and when combined, can provide a ballpark estimate of BF. I keep seeing people quoting BF, and I doubt they have a scientific water tank thing at home - just wondering. Thanks.

[Aoife]

people use either calipers or a bioimpedance device. the former can be relatively accurate-ish if done well and consistently, the latter is wildly fluctuating based on a lot of factors (mainly water in your body), but can be used to gauge an estimate. Both are useful in a general sense for trending and seeing improvement long-term, than for actual "this is my true bodyfat" knowledge.

My caliper tests were always pretty consistent, but if using the scale with bf measurement (bioimpedance) I easily get a 5% range from day to day.

[missjane]

I get calipers done monthly by the same qualified person at the same time of day, so I can track that way. And, I also get the BodPod done twice a year at the local university. I also track my measurements monthly.