Body Fat

Marus

Hi,
Can someone from the Cronometer team tell me what is the formula for Body Fat estimation ? I have a BIA scale and it shows me that I have 24% body fat, but Cronometer estimates it at 18%. If I look at the photos I can definitely say that I look more like 18% than 24%. So I'm curious what is that magical formula which estimates perfectly body fat...

Karen_Cronometer

Hi Marus,

There isn't a great way to estimate body fat from height and weight, this is why we display a warning that we are only estimating it. If you know your body fat % , it is far better to enter this value as a biometric in your diary or in the Body Details section of the Profile.

Best,

OptiMystic2

Hi Marcus, this is pretty anecdotal but I am quite slender and my body fat also measures around 24 on my scale. I think I just hide it well. One of my goals is to slim that down by tracking my nutrients better. Good luck

Marus

I think these BIA scales are a joke. From the example pictures I've seen on the internet and comparing with mine, I really can not have 24% body fat. But the Cronometer estimation (18.1%) seems more realistic. That's why I was curious what formula Cronometer uses.

I search the internet and I found here a formula which use BMI for estimation:
Adult male body fat % = (1.39 x BMI) + (0.16 x Age) - 19.34
This give me 18.57 % ... close to Cronometer estimation, but not exactly.

I also found this calculator that uses "US Navy Method". I get 18.2% but this require waist and neck measurements, which Cronometer doesn't.

So, all formulas estimate my body fat around 18%... and only Cronometer does it without aditional information.

Susan_RD_101

Hi @Marus

BIA is definitely not reliable. I am quite lean, but when I use BIA, my body fat % is "dangerously" low because I am so well-hydrated. Most sports dietitians I know prefer skin calipers or a bod pod (measures air displacement) to assess body fat percentage in their athletes. If you have access to a DEXA machine (through Universities or medical centres), this is considered the gold standard.

Kind regards,

Marus

Hi @Susan_RD_101
I would like to ask you something. I never use a skin caliper and I want to know, that measurement given by the caliper in mm is the thickness of a single layer of fat as it is on the body, or is the actual thickness measured (meaning 2 layers of fat) ? Because you can not measure just one layer without cut your skin.

Susan_RD_101

Hi @Marus

When using calipers you need to roll the skin between your fingers to ensure you just have skin tissue and fat, not muscle (it will hurt if you have muscle in the calipers). The measurement accounts for both skin thickness and fat tissue.

Kind regards,