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Old 03-01-2008, 06:50 PM   #1  
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Default absurd amount of body fat...

okay ladies, i am back. I left sometime around thanksgiving because i had been traveling a whole lot and did not have access to a computer. Between thanksgiving and Christmas (and the traveling the two caused) i totally fell off the horse, gaining everything (7 lbs) i had been working to lose since September. I am fighting to get back on and stay back on--and i think i found my motivator. I got a scale that tells percentage body fat. I weigh 155 right now, but the scale says that i have somewhere between 34 and 36% body fat. I think this is absurd. According to this measurement 55 lbs of my body is fat. that leaves virtually no body weight as mucles.

did any of you start off with a really bad percentage body fat for your weight?

if so, how did you change it?

i am starting some exercise classes through my university in the middle of march ( 1 night yoga, 1 night kick boxing, one night stretching and toning, and 1 night water aerobics per week.) i am just afraid that any progress i make will be totally undone by my lifestyle habits...i dont live a sedentary life, i am a waitress for crying out loud...i probably walk a few miles every night that i work!

anyhow, sorry to rant...i am just a little perplexed at how unhealthy i am realizing myself to be....and at how small my frame must be under all this fat...
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Old 03-01-2008, 08:02 PM   #2  
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It sounds a little high because part of your weight is your bones as well.

Those scales can be pretty inaccurate though, so what you want to do is just see if the scale shows a trend downward over time.
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Old 03-01-2008, 08:04 PM   #3  
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Geez and I thought mine was high. I sit between 36-38% on my current scale with atleast 40 pounds left to lose! I was close to 50% when I first started and had the test done by my personal trainer.

I would have it checked out by someone who knows what they are doing. That sounds really high.
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Old 03-02-2008, 01:04 AM   #4  
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The scales aren't as accurate as other methods of measurement, so there is some room for inaccuracy. There is also a big difference depending on the time of day you get on the scale, so I wouldn't worry too much about the specific number.

Consider a couple of things...first, some fat is necessary for survival. If you lost all 55 of those lbs from fat, you'd die...our bodies need to have some fat on them. So the fact that you have 55 lbs of fat does not mean you need to lose 55 lbs. The VAST majority of our weight is neither fat nor lean mass...it's water. Your body may be 6-7% bone and 50% water...that is about where I run, and those numbers stay pretty stable. Anything that isn't fat, water, or bone is lean mass.

Strength training will improve your ratios somewhat, and cardio will burn off the fat. Staying on plan will get you where you want to be.
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Old 03-02-2008, 09:57 AM   #5  
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Just to echo what Amanda said, it's probably not healthy for women to have much LESS than 20% body fat!! So you may not be as bad as you think!!
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Old 03-03-2008, 10:20 PM   #6  
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Thanks everyone. i feel a little better about it now, and am pretty weary of my scale. i am going to get a professional fitness consultation soon, which includes a body fat analysis. I am thinking of taking up a martial art as a long term way to deal with this.
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Old 03-04-2008, 10:05 AM   #7  
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I agree the scales can be way off. In January, mine showed 36%, and 3 days ago on March 1, it showed 40%. So I went from 62 pounds of fat to 66 pounds of fat while losing 8 pounds overall? I doubt it.

The professional body fat analysis seems like the way to go. Best wishes on your journey to fitness!
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Old 03-07-2008, 01:42 PM   #8  
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One big thing to consider with those scales is that they are most accuracte when you are well hydrated. So I tend to look at my weight in the morning and my body fat in the evening. The body fat percentage can vary about 5-8% on average for me from am to pm.
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