I am currently 191lb and 5'5. (Been off LC for a month and gained 26lb! OMG! Only weighed myself yesterday, guess what . . . tomorrow i start LC again . . . you think I would have learnt by now . . . sigh)

Anyway, I have med/large bones and am quiet muscular and my LBM is 142lb. What? you say! That's impossible. Well, I tell you what's impossible is that Im 191lb and still fit into a size 10! Now THATS impossible right? LOL.

The bottomline is that NO one way of testing bodyfat is THE way ... they are all just ballpark estimates ... Now, what IS important is that you continue to use the SAME method all the way through your program so that is will register progress.

Many of the ol-line calculators use different formulas to arrive at bodyfat percentage. The YMCA has a method, the US Army has a method, the Navy has a method, and many "gurus" develop their own formulas. Then there are the other methods: skinfolds, Tanita (bioelectrical impedence aka BIA), infared (as in the Futrex device), DEXA analysis (AKA the Bod POd), hydrostatic ("the dunk tank") .... hmmm ... I forget the others ...

At any rate, they all come up with different figures. I have tried them all except hydrostatic (too hard to get a proper reading) and DEXA (can't find one around here) ... and I have had my bf% register as low as 8% (I wish!) and as high as 15%. I believe it to be around 12 - 13%, since I know at 10% I can see the outline of all of my abs, and right now they have gone away for the winter. Temporarily, anyway. It's all part of "the plan."

Anyway, it all comes down to using what's good for you and as long as you KEEP using that method, you will be able to see your results and record the to register change. As always, pictures, measurements and (sigh) the scale should all be used in conjunction along with a bodyfat calculation to get a true picture of what is going on with you body.

Also of value is that if one method gets you excited and motivated to exercise, then use that method. As long as that LBM number goes up, or at least stays the same, and that fat % number goes down ... that's what's important.



Not to stir up trouble ... and I respect all of your posts and think you are a very valuable member of our community Missydog, but I am a male (and athletic one perhaps, but still posessor of a Y chomosome) and even if I use a method that puts my bf% as high as 15% (high for me), I still have an LBM of close to 200 lbs.

Okay Dan, I believe and accept your estimate of your own lean body mass, and perhaps I was wrong in my statement about most men. But I hope you will accept it as a sign of respect if I assert that you are NOT "most men", LOL!

Missydog

As I was thinking about this thread last night and early this morning, I wondered if, by definition, one's Lean Body Mass includes the weight of one's bones and internal organs.

Because it seems to me that we are taking a weight measurement and by deducting what we think is our body fat (after doing calculations from whichever formula one chooses) from that measurement we are left with a measurement which would include what is left--muscle, bones and internal organs.

Someone please expain this to me. Very interested to know . . . .

Homegirl,

My understanding is that lean body mass includes everything that is left over after you subtract the fat. That would include muscles, bones, body organs, hair, fingernails, and even body fluids.

Missydog

Yes, lean body mass is everything except the fat on your body.

My eyelashes are very lean. I choose to measure them and go by those results.
Doods.

Hi,
I'm new to this forum. I have been on a low carb diet for 7 months now. I have not lost any weight but my fat has gone down. The only way to measure it is by the proper analysis. You stand on the body fat scales (sofisticated ones) and it will tell you everything. It practicly scans your body and gives a reading according to your caracteristics, gender, circumstances...
The best thing I discovered. That put my water retention crices in peace.
I live in London but I'm sure you can make a reading in your country. I have a webpage that tells you more. ******

Good luck!
Justina

hello Justina,

Minutes after registering 8 days ago, you posted your first message to our support forum, directing readers to go to your website for "more information" about measuring body fat %. I visited your site, and it is a commercial, for profit service that you provide. I removed the link to your webpage from the body of your message, and advised in my reply that the link is in your profile. If readers are interested to visit, they can click on the www home icon which appears discretely at the bottom of your posts.

Today is your second visit, second post .. and again, it is a solicitation for readers to go to your commercial site. This constitutes advertising, and is a direct violation of the Registration Agreement.

Our members volunteer their information and support without expectation of personal profit or gain. You are very welcome to share your lowcarb experience, and knowledge about body fat analyses with us, but please refrain from advertising.

thankyou,

Doreen