Nope, they're very different - but sure can be confusing!
BMI is Body Mass Index. It's a height-weight correlation. 18 - 24 is considered normal weight, 25 - 29 is overweight, and over 30 is considered obese. So at 21.2, you're right in the middle of the normal range.
We have a BMI calculator right here at 3FC:
BMI Calculator.
BMI is handicapped by the fact that it doesn't distinguish between pounds of fat and pounds of muscle (it just uses total weight) so that's where Body Fat Percent (BF%) comes into play. Your BF% tells you how many pounds of fat are on your body and how many pounds of Lean Body Mass (LBM), which is everything in your body that isn't fat - bone, hair, skin, water, and
muscle (the significant part).
To figure out what your BF% means, take your weight and multiply it by .247 (since your BF% is 24.7). That will tell you how many pounds of fat are on your body. Then subtract the fat pounds from your total weight to determine your LBM. If this is confusing, post your weight and I'll help you out.
The ranges for BF% for women are as follows: 32% and above is considered obese (or 'high risk'), 25 - 31% is acceptable (or normal), 21 - 24% is considered a 'fitness' level, 14 - 20% is 'athletic', and under 12 - 13% starts to compromise essential body fat. There are different ranges and names for the categories, but this is what my gym uses. So you're teetering right on the edge of 'fitness' - a very nice place to be!
Once your weight is in the normal range, BF% is a much better indicator of your fitness level than scale weight. You can have two women - same age, height, and weight - and one can have a BF% of 18% and the other 30%. The one with more muscle and less fat will be several sizes smaller than the other because muscle takes up much less room than fat. And she'll be tighter and a whole lot less flabby! Yay, muscle!
Congratulations on your great results!
Can someone explain bmi and body fat?
