Body Fat% - Can this really be?
 

Hi. I'm calling on our super experienced uber fitness buffs here - and yeah, you know who you are. I don't mean to be put anyone down. So please forgive me if I've offended anyone. Of course all comments are more then welcome. The reason I am asking is because I for one am surely NOT an expert.

Yesterday marked 28 weeks of my "lifestyle" change. And it's the first time I didn't have a weight loss. I ate beautifully, and increased my exercise a bit. Whatever. I know it happens. But here's the good news, I think. My body fat % plummeted. Last week it was in the 31% range. Yesterday morning it said 29.4% and this morning it said 27.8%. Actually it showed 1/2 loss of weight this morning as well. So even if it's 29% at 180.6 lbs., can I really have only 53 lbs of fat on me? I say "only" because I am 181 lbs., so yeah I've got a long way to go to get to goal. I always take these things with a grain of salt, all right a cup full, but can it be so off?

I have a Tanita scale with body fat%. That's what I've been going by and it says that if I wait til the afternoon, my percentage will even be smaller. But I don't weigh in the afternoons.

How does a scale measure body fat %? Don't you have to have someone "pinch and inch" with some kind of measuring device? At least that's what I've always thought. :)

Jo

The scale does it with biometrical impedence - basically runs a small electrical current up one foot and measures the amount of time it takes to get to the other foot's receptor. Based on that, it figures out how much lean muscle mass you have and how much fat.

Robin, your numbers sound right. I would say try measuring in the evening for the best accurate result for an actual number. However, as long as you are consistent, it doesn't matter what time you measure, for the trend will be accurate if taken at the same time every time. It is hard to find a time, because it has to be at least 2-3 hours after exercising and eating, so that kind of wipes out the whole day. I have taken it a couple of times at 10:30 pm or so when I've made myself stay up to get an "accurate" read and it was a little higher than the morning weigh, when you tend to be dehydrated and get a lower reading. Mine ranges from 38% in the morning to 40% in the evenings, so we're not talking about a huge difference. But morning measurements are low due to dehydration.

Robin, it's about time you share some photos!! I started the same month you did, and my pix are below. But I am also weight lifting and estimate I've put on about 10 lbs of muscle looking at how my bf% and lean muscles% have changed over time.

Bear in mind that you're not going to even try to reach a body fat percentage of zero. That's dead, not skinny.

Of course not Maria. No I'd be happy with 20-23% or so, that's why I said I will ALWAYS have at least 25 - 35 pounds of the fat on me and since I "only" have 53 on me now, could this possibly be?

hrbabe, thanks for explaining how the scale works. I wasn't sure how it did in fact work. Although I knew it didn't work with my socks on, lol. Yup, I actually tried once. As for photos, I'm a little camera shy. I think I will wait til I hit goal for to post some pics. Although I am getting a little antsy. We shall see.

Well, you can always do what I do and cut off your head in the photos. That helps with the shyness, bc basically you are unidentifiable in case anyone from your "real world" should come across your heartfelt posts and your personal journey.

Robin- The other thing to keep in mind is that as you get closer to goal, you will lose some muscle, water, blood, ect. All that is NOT fat is not necessarily muscle. Even with a dedicated weight training program, losing some muscle is pretty much inevitable unless you are eating for mass or doing illicit drugs or both. That's probably good. You'd be rivaling some of the female pro bobybuilders with that much muscle on a 5 foot frame.

When I lost the last 10 pounds, even though I was lifting heavy on a 5 day split and eating clean, I lost about 25% non-fat. Your Lean body mass is comprise of more than muscle. Don't worry about it! Just keep doing the fantastic job you have been.

Mel

Thanks so much for this info. I must live in a cave or something 'cause I didn't even know this type of scale existed! :D

Jo

So Mel, can I ask you - at this point, weighing what I do, - is that a good body fat %? How does that stack up on average? Is that where I should be? And one more question - just how accurate are these things? Thanks.

In my experience, they aren't very accurate in absolute terms, but they are accurate for indicating the trend. The accuracy depends on a lot of variables- your hydration level, whether your feet are damp, the setting you use (some have athletic or "normal" modes), your age, etc.

Your question about what is a good body fat number is harder to answer. Here are the classifications that the American Council on Exercise (ACE) uses:




The charts which come with the Tanita scales are a little more forgiving and use terms like "overfat" and "underfat"- one which I find particularly hilarious. Their charts also change by age which actually is a good idea. 14% body fat is fine on a healthy 25 year old, but a little scary on a 70 year old who may be prone to illness and may need some of those fat stores to survive.

As you can see, these are pretty broad ranges. To give you some idea of what these look like, generally for a woman to see her bicep vein and abs, she needs to be at around 14-16% or below. But that's pretty general because some women carry all their fat in their butts and have very lean upper bodies and visa versa. If I gain a pound, it goes right on my ab area- so I can see quad definition at a higher bodyfat than most and will probably never see a six pack. I'm not sure I'm tall enough to have a six pack! ;)

Generally, I try and get my clients below 25% body fat for health, but it's based on a 9 site caliper pinch not bio-impedance. That isn't low or skinny. Beyond that, I feel it's a matter of personal choice and cosmetic choice: what are you willing to do to get to and maintain a leaner body? You can't generally just diet yourself to a low body fat level without health implications. What most of us are looking for is a lean, muscled body and that takes ongoing work. Just like the decision to lose weight, deciding what you want your body composition to be is a conscious choice.

HTH,

Mel

Thank you Mel. Yes, it does help. I think I may have given you the wrong impression. My goal is not per se to get way below the 25% mark, although a tad under would be nice. I am not interested in being totally muscular. I'm just not willing to work that hard for it and I don't think that it is essential - for me. Just not one of my goals. Maybe down the road, but I don't forsee that for now. I just wanted to know that at this stage of the game, how I'm doing. Like am I losing the dreaded fat as opposed to the coveted muscle? Considering that I weigh 181 lbs, am I at a decent level? That's all I was really looking for. That acceptable number of 25-31% tells me, at least I think so, that at this point - I'm doing okay.

Thank you again.

I've been watching this thread to hopefully get an anwers but I guess the best way is the skin fold test. I have tried a few online calculators and they range from approximatly 21% to 29%.