Body Fat Percentage Calculator Accuracy?

[downtownbrown]

Hey, I stumbled across this weight monitoring tool that apparently calculates your body fat percent. I was just wondering if anyone knows how accurate one of these tools might be. It asks for your height in inches, waist at naval in inches and neck at thinest point in inches, then you click submit and it comes back with a percentage.

Click below: (its tool number 4 at the bottom of the page)
http://www.weightmania.com/tools.htm

I am a little skeptical about how accurate it is... Sure it might ballpark it, but is it even worth going by? Also, according to it my BF% = 23%, how bad is that? I know I've been kinda 'lettin er go" lately, but not sure if I've slid a little too far.

[bspot]

I dunno, but the BMI calculator says I'm overweight at 6'7 222 lbs

[gp36912]

thats your body mass index, bf% is down at the bottom
bf% of 20% is supposed to be healthy. although that depends on the person. i dont think those calculators arent the best, they give a estimate based on statistics. best to see your doctor about bf% because it says i have 16% bf but i am 5'8 210 lbs last time i checked.

[V6-BoI]

It says I'm 5.98, and last time I checked was like a year and a half ago when I got a membership at WHC mine was calculated to be 8.5.

Is your body fat percentage directly proportional to your neck and waist size? Waist size I can kinda see, but neck size?

[downtownbrown]

Originally posted by V6-BoI
It says I'm 5.98, and last time I checked was like a year and a half ago when I got a membership at WHC mine was calculated to be 8.5.

Is your body fat percentage directly proportional to your neck and waist size? Waist size I can kinda see, but neck size?

Yeah, I was surprised it didn't ask for weight either.

[krisopotamus]

6'2" 175...little bit of beer gut starting (no means overweight though, just a little layer of fat on my stomache) and it says im 20%...seems fairly reasonable.

[Gondi Stylez]

says im 18.21?!

[calgarygts]

I wouldn't pay attention to this thing.....there's no way it'll be accurate (unless by fluke). The handhelds at the drugstores are pretty sketchy but I would take that over this plug in the numbers thing.....calipers is the best way to go if you want to know. Unless you have access to a water tank test, but I seriously doubt that'll be happening for anyone here.

BTW, it gave me 20%, while I'm actually around 11-12 right now. wayyyyy off.

[ercchry]

are you guys relaxing your belly or flexing, or sucking in?

[krisopotamus]

Originally posted by ercchry
are you guys relaxing your belly or flexing, or sucking in?

At rest...

If I suck my gut in, my waist is 20"...because I can suck it in and its pretty gross lol. At normal my waist at the biggest part is 37" and 34" around my belt

It gives me 0% body fat for my sucking in,
20% for my biggest part

[seer_claw]

BMI 30.81 May be obese, %BF = 13.74% Lol, not even close to being remotely accurate. At 13.7% BF how is that obese? I'm big but a lot more of it is due to muscle and not being fat.