Well, it IS the only direct way to measure body fat. All the other methods do is estimate it using proxy measures.

Dammit.

;)

I bought a relatively inexpensive model of bodyfat scale a couple weeks ago, and it is an evil evil machine. I've had a couple of bioimpedance tests done at the gym, but this stupid thing puts my LBM much lower, and my BF correspondingly higher, than those tests. I think the *lowest* reading I've gotten on the stupid thing was 23%, and I've gotten them as high as 29%. Based on my bioimpedance readings, as well as on things like general measurements, muscle definition, and visible boniness, I think that's a good bit too high, and that the scale is just full of it.

Those scales really are crap, aren't they? I don't trust bioimpedance tests at all, actually. Too much variability, and nobody actually ever mentions that part when they're using or selling them.

What I really would like to know are some solid "benchmarks" for visual inspection and guesstimation. I know women's abs start to become visible at about 15%, and I've also heard that your thighs stop touching at about 18%. While that's not very precise, and will of course vary according to where an individual carries his/her fat, it would be nice to know a couple other such reference points. Anyone else have any general rules of thumb along those lines?

I *think* in Mastering the Zone Barry Sears states that if a woman can see her ribs when she raises her hands above her head, then her body fat is less than 20%. I lent out my book and never got it back so can't verify that at the moment. Read somewhere that the average female fitness model is 10%, the average aerobics instructor is 15%, female athletes are between 12-18% depending on the sport.

Jen

P.S. Atlee, based on your full-length picture, I would guess that your body fat is less than 20%. In any case, you look great!