Body Fat %

almostfit · 02-02-2009, 08:21 PM

I'm monitoring my body fat % using those electric scales (as well as measuring and weighing) and so far I've lost 2% of my body fat

I'm just curious to know what you feel your ideal body fat % is? Where do you feel most comfy? where can you see the definition in your muscles?
Officially I'm aiming for a nice fit <25% (a long way to go but I'll get there!)

Classification Women (% fat)
Essential Fat- 10-12%
Athletes- 14-20%
Fitness- 21-24%
Acceptable- 25-31%
Obese- 32% plus
*American Council on Exercise

Also, I'm curious to know if having a larger than normal chest will affect my % much? If a large % of my total body fat is on my chest will that mean the rest of my body will look good (eg. muscle definition) at a slightly higher total %?

5kgLifter · 02-02-2009, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by almostfit

I'm monitoring my body fat % using those electric scales (as well as measuring and weighing) and so far I've lost 2% of my body fat

I'm just curious to know what you feel your ideal body fat % is? Where do you feel most comfy? where can you see the definition in your muscles?
Officially I'm aiming for a nice fit <25% (a long way to go but I'll get there!)

Classification Women (% fat)
Essential Fat- 10-12%
Athletes- 14-20%
Fitness- 21-24%
Acceptable- 25-31%
Obese- 32% plus
*American Council on Exercise

Also, I'm curious to know if having a larger than normal chest will affect my % much? If a large % of my total body fat is on my chest will that mean the rest of my body will look good (eg. muscle definition) at a slightly higher total %?

I gave up using bodyfat scales when ours registered me at 22% one day and 35% (or something similar) the next. The classification for women also alters with age and allows for slightly more bodyfat, so that guide is not 'accurate' as such, but that's not to say that it is not a good guide

At the moment I'm 25% bodyfat, but actually I don't normally consider that, I used to just go by how I felt when I looked in the mirror; a waist of 29" would suit me fine, currently at 31" for someone in their early 40's, so it's not all bad. Definition in leg muscles for women is at about 21%-22% bodyfat so my book says, which is where I like to be...although my legs are defined, just need a touch more.

Chest is normally fatty tissue above the perctoral muscle that lies beneath, so I'm not even sure if that wouldn't affect the scale reading in some way too.

almostfit · 02-03-2009, 12:07 AM

Thats interesting, I've had my body fat measured with calipers at the gym a couple of times and my scales haven't been more than 2% off. I guess the combination of measuring and body fat % will keep each other in check?
Good to know that you can see muscle definition, I hope I can get there too!

stikfigure · 02-03-2009, 04:02 AM

good job on the fat loss almostfit!!
thumbs up!

SnowInJuly · 03-13-2009, 07:27 AM

I don't know if bodyfat percentage is that relevant either. Currently I am 17% bodyfat but even when I had more, i didn't feel I had too much of it and MUST lose it.

5kgLifter · 03-13-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnowInJuly

I don't know if bodyfat percentage is that relevant either. Currently I am 17% bodyfat but even when I had more, i didn't feel I had too much of it and MUST lose it.

Body fat percentage is very relevant, between 12% and 31% is considered healthy for women, as highlighted in almostfit's post. Above 31% and a person is obese which is not good for them, and below 10% and a woman is running into health problems at the other end of the scale. It's quite possible that the higher body fat percentage that you were at, was indeed still classed within the healthy range for females, in which case that would explain why you hold this view, but not all females fall within the healthy range, and that is where the relevance of body fat levels does come in. When body fat levels in women fall too low they can develop amenorrhea, which then affects the female in later years, because the amount of periods and lack of them directly correlates to the percentage of bone loss in alter years. So, body fat levels are extremely relevant, they wouldn't be if society was all at an optimum level of body fat for health, but unfortunately society is not.

Buffbabewannabee · 03-23-2009, 08:36 PM

I'm told I have an athletes body and my body fat is in the 18% range.

bubbles · 03-24-2009, 05:01 AM

the electric scales aren't really accurate. depending on how much water you drank prior to it can really make a difference. which is probably why one day it'll say you're 24% body fat and the next it will say something completely different.

the best way of knowing how much body fat you have is underwater weighing, but that's pretty expensive. the skin calipers aren't always accurate either because it depends on how much skin you grab, where you grab it, who's doing it, etc.

i took a class in exercise physio lab and we learned to do body fat analysis with skin calipers, bia, bmi, and under water weighing. basically underwater weighing is your best bet, otherwise skin calipers would be a good second.