SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Cedars-Sinai investigators have developed a simpler and more accurate method of estimating body fat than the widely used body mass index, or BMI, with the goal of better understanding obesity.
The new method is highlighted in a study published in Scientific Reports, one of the Nature journals.
"We wanted to identify a more reliable, simple and inexpensive method to assess body fat percentage without using sophisticated equipment," said the study leader, Orison Woolcott, MD, of Cedars-Sinai.
While the BMI is commonly accepted, many medical experts in the field of obesity consider it to be inaccurate because it cannot distinguish among bone mass, muscle mass and excess fat. BMI also does not account for the influence of gender -- women generally have more body fat than men.
[...] To determine relative fat mass (RFM), you need to measure your height as well as your waist circumference. To measure your waist, place the tape measure right at the top of the hip bone and reach it around your body for the most reliable result. Next, put those numbers into the relative fat mass equation -- making a ratio out of the height and waist measurements. The formula is adjusted for gender:
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 3, Interesting) by sce7mjm on Tuesday August 28 2018, @09:20AM (10 children)
The easiest one is can I see my abs?
Can I see the central vertical line between my sets of abs?
Can I pinch more than an inch of blubber?
BMI.
Height vs waist.
Waist vs Hips.
If you fail the first three, and feel need to start measuring any of the last three, your probably overweight.
For me BMI, height vs weight and waist vs hips, seem to agree roughly that I am overweight to obese.
My crap electronic scales tell me I'm 29% fat. The good ones in pharmacists tell me i'm 25% fat.
I run cross country 3 times a week approximately 4 miles each with some circuits in between.
I drink too much beer and eat too much curry and cheese.
YMMV
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Tuesday August 28 2018, @09:58AM
That's a great measure of abdominal muscle prominence. That is not what they wanted however.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Snospar on Tuesday August 28 2018, @10:37AM (1 child)
Beer and curry is fine, they go really well together, but "curry and cheese"!!!
Heresy by thought, heresy by word, heresy by deed, heresy by action...
Huge thanks to all the Soylent volunteers without whom this community (and this post) would not be possible.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday August 28 2018, @11:20AM
Saag paneer [allrecipes.com] is close to being curry and cheese. And what do you know, people are putting paneer in curry [vegrecipesofindia.com] as well.
Compare paneer [wikipedia.org] to queso blanco [wikipedia.org] or ricotta [wikipedia.org]. They don't melt, so you can have thicc chunks of cheese in your curry or other dish.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Tuesday August 28 2018, @11:41AM (1 child)
the scales are fine - just trying a bit damp when you stand on them (say, after a shower).
The method uses a modulated current, as is actually not bad (0.5% error for mine).
You probably want to get your workout to time basis - say 1hr.
4 miles is not much of a workout for most decent runners, especially those of us who drink beer!!!!
(Score: 3, Funny) by sce7mjm on Wednesday August 29 2018, @04:26PM
I think it's my exercise to beer ratio I need to work on....
(Score: 4, Insightful) by requerdanos on Tuesday August 28 2018, @01:57PM (3 children)
"Can I see my abs" is a threshold boolean, yes/no, and not a measurement over any useful scale. The article is about measuring body fat, and while blowing that off is indeed easier, this is not an "easier method" of measuring body fat because it doesn't measure body fat.
"Can I see that line" is a threshold boolean, yes/no, and not a measurement over any useful scale. The article is about measuring body fat, and while blowing that off is indeed easier, this is not an "easier method" of measuring body fat because it doesn't measure body fat.
"Can I pinch my fat" is a marketing trick to sell cereal [retroist.com] (effective because anyone can do it due to the nature of subcutaneous fat, and people are gullible), and not a measurement over any useful scale. The article is about measuring body fat, and while blowing that off is indeed easier, this is not an "easier method" of measuring body fat because it doesn't measure body fat.
"Do I feel the need to measure" is a threshold boolean yes/no itself based on boolean "pass/fail" of the items you mention, and not a measurement over any useful scale. The article is about measuring body fat, and while blowing that off is indeed easier, this is not an "easier method" of measuring body fat because it doesn't measure body fat.
Measurement of body fat results not in a boolean "yes I have some nebulous amount" vs "no I don't", but a specific quantity thereof that can be tracked over time, compared against others in differing situations, evaluated against specific metrics, used in decision support, graphed, and other useful things. Failing to measure it is easier, sure, but if failure is your goal then you've won already.
(Score: 2) by sce7mjm on Wednesday August 29 2018, @04:00PM (2 children)
All though it is circumstantial evidence at best, you can google "what percentage fat do i need to see my abs" and you'll get rough answers along the lines of:
6 - 9% Well defined abs (first test)
10 - 15% visible (second test)
15 - 25% pinch an inch test
Of course these will vary between person to person but as an estimate they aren't too bad and my point really was if your over weight it doesn't really matter what your percentage is.
Using google again I can find that:
above 20% body fat is overweight
above 25% body fat is the definition of Obese
Of course these will vary between person to person but as an estimate they aren't too bad and my point really was if your over weight it doesn't really matter what your percentage is.
And since the summary says:
"Cedars-Sinai investigators have developed a simpler and more accurate method of ESTIMATING body fat" (my emphasis)
and they asked for
"We wanted to identify a more reliable, simple and inexpensive method to assess body fat percentage without using sophisticated equipment"
They didn't really achieve what they where looking for either.
The methods I described are done in literally a few seconds (easier)
I can't always find a flexible tape measure to get round my belly but can usually find a mirror or shop window (easier)
But may be no better than BMI so they may have beaten me on accuracy, I would say I have beaten them on simplicity.
Of course these will vary between person to person but as an estimate they aren't too bad and my point really was if your over weight it doesn't really matter what your percentage is.
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Wednesday August 29 2018, @07:31PM (1 child)
The difference is still really between "am I fat" and a number that can be tracked and graphed over time.
To someone who wants or needs the information (for example, to evaluate a metric of the effectiveness of a diet and/or fitness program), the number matters whether your personal belief system teaches that or not. The tautology "not measuring isn't a faster way of measuring" still holds.
If I am wrong and you are right, which of course is quite possible, you are set to make a fortune on weighing scales that light up when you stand on them and say "Yes. You have weight." if weight is detected above an arbitrary threshold. Think of the money you will save on calibration alone. (Though scales that give a number and unit of measure--there's that word again!--may still continue unreasonably to sell for some reason).
(Score: 2) by sce7mjm on Wednesday August 29 2018, @08:20PM
The method I am describing is a crude form of piecewise linear interpolation and is a lot more than just a boolean.
What you are suggesting is that successive questions such as
Is x > 10? Yes
Is x > 20? Yes
Is x > 30? No
Tells you that x is a number.
It tells me the number is somewhere between 20 and 30.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 28 2018, @06:42PM
err...
I just use skin fold calipers....
The machine does the calcs for me.
I mean, its not that fucking hard guys!?