Need your opinions. BF% question w/pic

[Diabolik]

So I went to the bodpod a couple of days ago and it says my BF% is 21.4!! I am having an extremely hard time believing this. Currently I'm 5'10" about 190. Last time I did the bodpod was back when I lived in Hawaii earlier this year, I'm in Texas now. When I did it there I was 205-210 after bulking and I knew I had some extra fat and was ready to accept a higher BF% and it came out to 17%. The difference between the two bodpods is that here they make you wear a swim cap and compression shorts so it doesn't measure the air in your hair and between your boxers and skin. In Hawaii I used no swim cap and I wore boxers. The lady here said that the one in Hawaii was probably not calibrated correctly, especially if I was wearing boxers and no swim cap. If that were the case, don't you think my % in Hawaii would be higher if it was measuring the air in my hair and boxers? Anyways, I know I'm leaner now than back then. This is the only way I've ever measured my BF, but I have calipers on the way. So here's a pic of me right now. Sorry I don't have a pic to compare to from Hawaii. And BTW I've been running an EC stack for almost two weeks now.
Do I look like I'm 21.4%? Thanks guys!

 

[mattrag]

I hope your not 21% or I'm like 30%.

Anyhow, if you like how you look than dont worry about it. If you are worried about your health at a higher bf have your lipids and liver enzymes checked

 

[kanakafarian]

lol no, not over 20. I'd say you're right in the mid-teens.

 

[Diabolik]

It's not that I'm stuck on a number, I do believe more in the approach of how I good I look in the mirror to myself. It's just shocking and hard to believe that that number is accurate. Thanks for your input!

 

[Diabolik]

lol no, not over 20. I'd say you're right in the mid-teens.

I was guessing 13-15% before I went.

 

[Hyperion]

By no stretch of the imagination are you anywhere near 21% mate! That's just absurd.

Personally I'd say you 're between 15% and 18%, with the variance being based on your total muscle mass. It's plain logic really. If you weigh 150lbs and have 10% bf, then you are carrying 15lbs of fat, and if you shoot up to 200lbs but only gain 5lbs in fat, that means your bf% actually actually remained exactly the same.

 

[dunhill225]

Was the recent one trying to sell you training, a nutritional plan or services, a membership of some kind, etc...

I would guess based on one pic that you are 14-15%

Keep the rt attitude and stick with the mirror and how your cloths fit in certain areas.

If you look better, your pant legs get tighter but the waist gets loser.... Who cares what the # is?

 

[EasyEJL]

something else that affects the bodpod pretty heavily is empty stomach vs eating or drinking anything beforehand

 

[Diabolik]

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated. Both bodpods are on Air Force bases and they're done for free, no gimmicks or anything. Can't remember if I ate anything last time in Hawaii but here when it was 21 I was on a completely empty stomach in the morning.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

There has to be operator error going on there. I would demand a retest at no cost to you. That is absurd.

 

[Diabolik]

^^ Thanks for your input bro. I guess I was just looking for a little reassurance that I'm not crazy. What annoyed me was the fact that the girl that did this last one assured me that it is calibrated everyday and only her and one other person have received the proper training to operate this bodpod and that it is a $50,000 machine, blah blah blah.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

She probably put you in as a 4ft tall korean woman.

 

[dunhill225]

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated. Both bodpods are on Air Force bases and they're done for free, no gimmicks or anything. Can't remember if I ate anything last time in Hawaii but here when it was 21 I was on a completely empty stomach in the morning.

Didn't realize it was on base. My brother in law had to get it done every so often cause the ht to wt ratio put him over wt. He built the airports, landing strips, road work, etc... I remember him telling me there were no exceptions for certain jobs though.

If your concerned I would try and find someone that knows how to do the calipers correctly and check that way also. Calipers are pretty accurate when they are done rt... It's just that most trainers at most gyms either have no clue or have an agenda.

But again, as long as it doesn't effect your job, just go by the mirror anyway bro.

 

[Diabolik]

Lol :lol:
Well I got my calipers today and according to them I'm 14%. I realize They aren't 100% accurate either but they seem a lot more believable!

 

[Diabolik]

Didn't realize it was on base. My brother in law had to get it done every so often cause the ht to wt ratio put him over wt. He built the airports, landing strips, road work, etc... I remember him telling me there were no exceptions for certain jobs though.

If your concerned I would try and find someone that knows how to do the calipers correctly and check that way also. Calipers are pretty accurate when they are done rt... It's just that most trainers at most gyms either have no clue or have an agenda.

But again, as long as it doesn't effect your job, just go by the mirror anyway bro.

Thanks for your input man, I appreciate it. I don't think I mentioned it was on base in my first post. Only reason I got it done was to help keep track of how much fat I'm losing before I start my winter bulk and that number didn't seem accurate.

 

[n87]

Wow, you're fat!... jk, lol.
I'd say at most 13%, if that. Looking good (no homo)

 

[MidwestBeast]

Jumping in to reiterate what everyone else has already said: certainly lower than 21%

Caliper reading sounds much more like it.

 

[Diabolik]

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated! Belly fat is a bitch to get rid of. I'm not trying to get shredded right now, I just wanted to shed some extra fat I obtained while moving half way around the world and not being able to hit the gym. For the winter I wanna bulk like a mofo and didn't want to add extra fat onto the fat I already had. I've been dieting for about 3 weeks and been running an EC stack for two weeks and I've gone from 202 to 190 on the same scale.

 

[OrganicShadow]

The bodpod is pretty spot on.
You gotta understand one persons 20% can look vastly different than someone elses 20%. I can still show a full six pack and fit the criteria for the American Heart Association to be labeled obese by BF and BMI. Doesnt mean Im lean but just sayin its a number that doesnt always show the same changes in a persons physique.

 

[dunhill225]

The bodpod is pretty spot on.
You gotta understand one persons 20% can look vastly different than someone elses 20%. I can still show a full six pack and fit the criteria for the American Heart Association to be labeled obese by BF and BMI. Doesnt mean Im lean but just sayin its a number that doesnt always show the same changes in a persons physique.

How so you define "spot on"? The amount of gas someone has can throw the test off, your level of hydration, the type of food in your gut, if you have food in your gut...etc... Any test is best used as just a way of showing progress IF everything is the same each time you take the test.

Take it one day on an empty stomach with no gass or bloat then take it the next day after you consume foods that cause you bloat (ex. Milk if lactose intolerant) and high fat foods.... Tell me the results from each test.

 

[spendingdinar]

13-14%

 

[OnionKnight]

dude no fukin way youre 21%. the bodpod works by weighing you underwater because fat floats. if you dont exhale all the air in your body, you get false results. did you forget to breathe out completely?

or maybe you got the biggest ass in the world or somethin? cuz your upper body isnt showing 20lbs of fat lol