Howdy Folks,
I was out swimming today with my wife and daughter and noticed for about the 18th time that I'm completely unable to float on my back even with my lungs full of air. I used to be able to float, but lately I just sink slowly to the bottom of the pool. I hunted around on the Internet for an explanation and stumbled across the following interesting quote at www.viable-herbal.com/health/health39a.htm:
"...you can estimate your fat ratio by seeing how well you can float on your back in a regular swimming pool: above 25% fat, people float easily; people with 22-23% fat (a healthy level for women) can usually float while breathing shallowly; at 15% fat (low for a woman, healthy for a man), one will usually sink slowly even with a full chest of air; at 13% or less fat, one will sink readily even with a full chest of air, even in salty ocean water."
Sure enough, my calipers say I'm around 15-16% and, therefore, I'm a sinker rather than a floater. I know we've discussed %BF measurement in the past, but I don't think anyone came up with this little trick so I though I'd share it.
Take care,
Steve
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09-17-2006, 01:07 AM #1
Measure Body Fat in a Swimming Pool
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09-17-2006, 01:08 AM #2
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09-17-2006, 01:15 AM #3
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09-17-2006, 02:46 AM #4
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09-17-2006, 03:22 AM #5
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09-17-2006, 05:52 AM #6
I see FAT as the antithesis of Bodybuilding.Com. Fat floats....i.e. Ivory Soap. Rigid and flexed fat people can sink unless r-e-l-a-x-e-d. Fat is best measured by the eye....the mirror. That pinch method seems good if you don't have a mirror. Fat is not relative...it's plain ass FAT. I have had some fat around my belly twice in my life....once after a long multi year drunken binge in the '70s where I was about 160 lbs. on a 6' frame but had a beer belly/FAT. I have successfully dieted off most of all my current fat and looking rather good if I must say so. I congratulate all who have been successful on getting their body fat down to respectable, healthy and sexy levels. I encourage all others to do so ASAP.
And remember the photos of the thousands of Croatians and Serbs who were starving during their war in the 90s. Each and every one was bone skinny. Not a single "glandular" "slow metabolism problem" amongst them.
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09-17-2006, 11:55 AM #7
- Join Date: Aug 2006
- Location: Dallas, Texas, United States
- Age: 54
- Posts: 2,868
- Rep Power: 2059
heh - I actually have a glandular problem (pituitary tumor) and wonky hormones (depressed progesterone - or more accurately "unopposed estrogen")...
but I've never used that as an excuse, especially as losing weight improves the latter. Yes, it makes it a little more difficult, but not insurmountable. I hate it when I hear other people with similar problems use it as an excuse, when they eat one meal a day, after work, consisting of three cheeseburgers and fries, and don't exercise.
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09-17-2006, 12:13 PM #8
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09-17-2006, 12:34 PM #9
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09-17-2006, 01:34 PM #10
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