Ectomorph Bodyfat Calculations. Who to believe???

[Doublehelix]

I have been cutting pretty seriously for the last 6 months, and have seen my weight drop from 186 to 160, so I have been averaging about a pound per week, which is a good rate, and I feel good about my progress.

I am a CLASSIC Ectomorph, with skinny legs, arms and chest. I have been working on getting rid of my lazy gut, and for the most part, it is gone with just some slight fat at the love handle positions.

Other than that, I feel like I am really getting too skinny. My ribs are showing, especially my upper chest.

I have been watching my body fat % using a couple of different methods, including Doug's calculation here on the site, and they all seem to agree that I am above the 20% mark somewhere, with Doug's last reading coming in at 24%.

I really have never felt that this was accurate, and we all know that it is an estimate anyway, but with my body type, I started to begin to wonder if it was really off, and I am beginning to get concerned about going too far.

So, I bought a pair of Accu-Measure calipers from this site to check it myself. I also understand that calipers are not 100% accurate, but thought that it would give me another data point.

The chart said I was somewhere between 4-5% bf! Wow! OK, something is going on here. This is from a single measurement, so I decided to take it a step further and do some more research.

With 1 caliper measure point = 4.5%
With 3 caliper measure points = 6.12%
With 4 caliper measure points = 8.74%

Beyond 4 points, and I need some assistance to get the readings on my back, but at least this gives me a starting point for discussion.

I am beginning to think that because of my Ectomorph body type, the measurement-only calculators like Doug's may not be working well for my body. I mean I have basically NO FAT on my legs, my arms, my chest, my neck, my face, etc., and maybe the small love handles are skewing the results???

(I will send another set of measurements to Doug today and see what comes back from his calculator.)

Once again, I realize that none of these methods are 100% accurate, and I am obviously not an expert on taking the measurements. I did take multiple readings however, and was pretty careful when locating the measurement positions.

So does anyone have any comments or advice? I am considering ending my long-suffering cut and heading towards a bulk finally!!! (Hehe... sounds like another thread on how to bulk is coming real soon! )

I know the classic advice is to look in the mirror, and screw the calculations, but after cutting for so long, I am beginning to lose perspective and have become obsessed with losing that last little bit of fat at all costs, especially when I was thinking that I was at 20+% bf.

Honestly, I do wish I could lose these last bits of love handles, but other than that, I am starting to feel a bit on the thin side.

I have attached a picture from a couple of weeks ago, I would appreciate some advice from those that know... tell me if you think I am closer to 20% bf or 10% bf.

Thanks!

DH

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[Possum]

You need to get someone who knows how to take the measurements to do it.

Its not hard to learn, but you can get any results you like from someone who doesnt know how to do it. You also cannot do it yourself.

Seems to me whoever is measuring is not pinching enough. From your pic id say ~14-16% bf.

[SIASY]

My first thought was 15%

[Jbar91]

You're almost definitely not in the 20%'s and you're absolutely not in the single digits. Your best bet is to go with a range of between 13% and 18%. If I had to be more specific, I'd guess around 14% or 15%.

[tadolfi]

If those are elastic waist shorts - I'm at 16% from what I see.
If they are tied - maybe 14%.
Using the 16% at 160 you are roughly at 25 pounds of body fat.
I would advise to shoot for 12% which means you need to drop another 6
pounds of body fat (this could mean 10 pounds of total weight)

By the way, on waist measurement, you are allowed to exhale and hold.
It does not get measured with full lungs.

[Doublehelix]

Thanks for the comments and advice guys. I am sure that I am not doing the calipers correctly, although I did do my best to read up and try my best.

Just so I am clear, I have NO DOUBT that I am not in the single digit BF%, that much I know! And to be honest, I am 50 years old, so I am not looking to become totally ripped with washboard abs. I do want to get rid of the rest of the love handles, and my ultimate goal is to build *some* muscle, but mainly to be fit and healthy. Turning 50 was a real wake up call for me that I'd better start doing something! I have been at it pretty hard now for about 6 months, and I feel a million times better.

As sick as I am of cutting, I have to agree with all of you, I still have a ways to go to get rid of the fat. I had originally set a target of around 150 lbs before summer, and then was going to start bulking a bit. I am just worried that I am getting too skinny in areas, and of course the hope that I could finally start eating again started to get me excited!

I am back down to reality again thanks to all of you, and will continue my cut until I can rid myself of the gut once-and-for-all. About 10 more pounds to go...

Thanks again!

DH

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[Doublehelix]

Originally Posted by tadolfi

If those are elastic waist shorts - I'm at 16% from what I see.
If they are tied - maybe 14%.
Using the 16% at 160 you are roughly at 25 pounds of body fat.
I would advise to shoot for 12% which means you need to drop another 6
pounds of body fat (this could mean 10 pounds of total weight)

The shorts are tied, although they have some elastic in them. I agree with your assessment... 10 more lbs.

Originally Posted by tadolfi

By the way, on waist measurement, you are allowed to exhale and hold.
It does not get measured with full lungs.

Really? I have been letting the gut *totally* out to the point of exaggeration (slight pushing) when taking measurements, just to make sure that I am not "cheating".

Like I said earlier, it is not he numbers that count, it is what you see in the mirror, and I am not happy with what I see.

26 pounds down, 10 more to go...

EDIT: Still waiting for Doug's latest BF% calculation. It's the weekend so I expect to hear back tomorrow sometime...

DH

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[Doug]

Originally Posted by Doublehelix

I have been cutting pretty seriously for the last 6 months, and have seen my weight drop from 186 to 160, so I have been averaging about a pound per week, which is a good rate, and I feel good about my progress.

I am a CLASSIC Ectomorph, with skinny legs, arms and chest. I have been working on getting rid of my lazy gut, and for the most part, it is gone with just some slight fat at the love handle positions.

Other than that, I feel like I am really getting too skinny. My ribs are showing, especially my upper chest.

I have been watching my body fat % using a couple of different methods, including Doug's calculation here on the site, and they all seem to agree that I am above the 20% mark somewhere, with Doug's last reading coming in at 24%.

I really have never felt that this was accurate, and we all know that it is an estimate anyway, but with my body type, I started to begin to wonder if it was really off, and I am beginning to get concerned about going too far.

So, I bought a pair of Accu-Measure calipers from this site to check it myself. I also understand that calipers are not 100% accurate, but thought that it would give me another data point.

The chart said I was somewhere between 4-5% bf! Wow! OK, something is going on here. This is from a single measurement, so I decided to take it a step further and do some more research.

With 1 caliper measure point = 4.5%
With 3 caliper measure points = 6.12%
With 4 caliper measure points = 8.74%

Beyond 4 points, and I need some assistance to get the readings on my back, but at least this gives me a starting point for discussion.

I am beginning to think that because of my Ectomorph body type, the measurement-only calculators like Doug's may not be working well for my body. I mean I have basically NO FAT on my legs, my arms, my chest, my neck, my face, etc., and maybe the small love handles are skewing the results???

(I will send another set of measurements to Doug today and see what comes back from his calculator.)

Once again, I realize that none of these methods are 100% accurate, and I am obviously not an expert on taking the measurements. I did take multiple readings however, and was pretty careful when locating the measurement positions.

So does anyone have any comments or advice? I am considering ending my long-suffering cut and heading towards a bulk finally!!! (Hehe... sounds like another thread on how to bulk is coming real soon! )

I know the classic advice is to look in the mirror, and screw the calculations, but after cutting for so long, I am beginning to lose perspective and have become obsessed with losing that last little bit of fat at all costs, especially when I was thinking that I was at 20+% bf.

Honestly, I do wish I could lose these last bits of love handles, but other than that, I am starting to feel a bit on the thin side.

I have attached a picture from a couple of weeks ago, I would appreciate some advice from those that know... tell me if you think I am closer to 20% bf or 10% bf.

Thanks!

DH

---

Looking at your picture you are above 20% body fat.

Have a look at the charts in this article and take the the total milimeters and check the result under whatever age you are (50+). Use those results as a starting place to work from..

[Doublehelix]

Originally Posted by Doug

Looking at your picture you are above 20% body fat.

Have a look at the charts in this article and take the the total milimeters and check the result under whatever age you are (50+). Use those results as a starting place to work from..

Damn. I was afraid of that!

I just got the figures from your calculator, and it put me exactly at 20% BF. Depressing...

I will check out the link you posted, and post back with my results.

Thanks for the help everybody.

[tadolfi]

Originally Posted by Doublehelix

Damn. I was afraid of that!

I just got the figures from your calculator, and it put me exactly at 20% BF. Depressing...

I will check out the link you posted, and post back with my results.

Thanks for the help everybody.

If it's any constellation DH, The Idiots Guide to Weight Loss actually states on page 36 that the ideal Body Fat for a 50+ year old man and up is 19-23%
Ages 20-50 is 14-21%, so you are right on the cusp.
If you're 20 now, I'm thinking 16-17% would look great on you!