Bodyfat Testing
 

I had a bodyfat analysis done at the gym today. She told me that I have about 20 pounds more lean muscle than the average woman and that I should probably only go down to about 155 instead of 145 because of that. It was kind of funny because when she pointed out that I'm in the 'obese' category she looked almost embarrassed like she didn't want to hurt my feelings. Luckily, I already know. It was really good information though because I know how much FAT I need to lose versus how much overall weight. For some reason 58 pounds of fat doesn't sound as hard to me as 85 pounds overall.

Thats awesome! I really want to go get mine measured. Im pretty muscular from playing sports....I got this heavy thanks to 2 ACL surgeries but Im hoping I hear that too! =)

Stay strong!

How do they do a bodyfat analysis?

Now you are 10 pounds closer to goal ;)

They use this machine that is like a scale and it sends some sort of electrical charge through your body which tells your body fat %.

Strange.

I know that you can buy scales that tell you your body fat and things.. wonder if they are the same principle... hmmmm

Honestly I don't want to know..I'm sure it would not be a nice number.

I've done the Bod Pod before. Even more accurate and...scary :P I need to go get an update again.

Question... Did she explain how could she tell that you had more lean muscle than the average woman? I've heard a couple of other people say the same thing after getting a body fat analysis done at the gym. Was it based on the body fat percentage the scale showed compared to your total weight?

ETA - and, way cool!

Yes, the scale simply said my body fat percentage which is 48.8% and my weight which was 242 or so. I guess based on that she could see that I have 117 pounds of fat and 126 pounds of lean, although I thought it was strange because there is more in my body then just muscle and fat such as water.

Actually, the measurement is "lean body mass" not muscle, which includes bones, water, etc.

I found a decent explanation:

"Body impedance is measured when a small, safe electrical signal is passed through the body, carried by water and fluids. Impedance is greatest in fat tissue, which contains only 10-20% water, while fat-free mass, which contains 70-75% water, allows the signal to pass much more easily. By using the impedance measurements along with a person's height and weight, and body type (gender, age, fitness level), it is possible to calculate the percentage of body fat, fat-free mass, hydration level, and other body composition values. Conventional BIA normally uses underwater weighing as its method of reference.

Using BIA to estimate person's body fat assumes that the body is within normal hydration ranges. "

the scale you used is probably tanita they tend to be the most common in gyms etc. they are not accurate enough to be gospel but they are good enough for non science needs. the only problem with them is you need to make sure you weigh and test the body fat at the same time of day after eating and drinking the same amount. i.e first thing before any fluid or food as this can cause problems with reading.

as for more muscle than the average women if your current 239 is accurate then obviously you'll have more muscle than the average women as your carrying around more weight than the average women, its like a average women climbing the stairs etc doing everything with a rucksack on with weights in it. the key is to make sure you keep as much of this muscle as possible when you lose the fat.

as for it being strange that there is more in your body such as water being strange. the body is mostly water a muscle is around 30% protein 70% water.

the only decent methods of body fat calculation are a floation tank or in second calipers