Bodyfat measurement

[TalEphrat]

Hello,
What do you think is the best way to measure bodyfat at home?
Maybe there's more than one good option. I've used the US navy calculator, but I'm not sure about it's accuracy.


Thanks

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

I think it'd be hard to do skinfold measurements on yourself, so probably bioelectrical impedance if performed under similar conditions each time.

I don't think that the Navy calculator is very accurate, e.g. close to the gold standard, DXA, or precise, e.g. capable of detecting small changes. I think it can be useful to give a very rough estimate of body fat, but BMI and WC would help suss this out.

In any case, I'm not sure that knowing what someone's exact body fat really matters.

[TalEphrat]

Thanks for the answer.

I'm looking for a way to know how good or how bad is my weight loss. I also don't think that the exact bodyfat % matters, but I want to know the trend.
For example, last week I didn't lose any weight at all, stayed at 91.2kg, but moved from 98cm waist to 97cm waist. In this case, I know that this week was good - waist went down and bodyweight stayed the same, fine with me.
But what happens if over the course of 3 weeks I lose 2.5kg but lose only 0.5-1cm waist? Do I consider it as success?
What I'm looking for is health (abs would be nice, too), so the waist is the main goal. But if I know what is the trend in my BF than I can know information about the weight-loss quality, and adjust what's needed (maybe more protein / more training volume / slower weight loss etc).

How do you think I shall approach this?


Thanks

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Yea, I think following waist circumference works well with the exception that it also isn't going to be able to pick up relatively small changes in body fat. I do think it is good enough for the job.

As far as the ratio of weight/waist reduction, I don't really have a general rule of thumb since people vary wildly. I think if you start going multiple weeks without a drop in waist, that's probably not a great sign.

[TalEphrat]

Great,
Thanks!