Your Body Fat % and your Ideal

[RiverRunning]

What's your current body fat percentage? Is this your goal? What's your ideal body fat percentage range?

 

I currently weigh about 210 pounds and I'm 31% body fat (calipers...took 8 - 10 different skinfold measurements. I forget exactly how many now. Surprisingly, my calves are pretty much all muscle...they couldn't grab onto anything!). I'm female. I've been searching for hydrostatic weighing places in the Midwest (live in MI) but haven't found any yet. Since I know calipers have an error rate of around 3%, it's possible my body fat percentage is around 34 - 35%. That would drop my LBM from around 150 pounds down to about 140 pounds.

 

I'd like to get down to about 20% body fat - which, according to calculations and the like, assuming I don't lose ANY muscle (which I know is unlikely), I could reach that at about 185 pounds. Realistically, that would probably happen more around 165 - 175 pounds.

 

What about all of you?

[january2011]

Last time I measured (using a body composition scale), at the beginning of the month, it was 16%. This seems low and I think ideally I need to be nearer 18-20%. However, I gather that there's a certain margin of error with these things, as percentages can so easily be influenced by a number of factors. Last year, around this time, I was around 20%.

 

I don't have a goal - as long as I can still fit into my clothes and my weight doesn't fluctuate dramatically, I'm good.

[RiverRunning]

I have a BIA scale too...the only downside? It won't measure your body fat if you're listed as female, so I'm listed as male. A few days ago, it was measuring me around 28 - 29% body fat. I'd love to get the hydrostatic weighing...I've had some friends big into the whole body-building scene that told me that calipers, and really any other method besides hydrostatic weighing, tends to be less accurate if your BF % is more than 30%.

 

Even if it's all as much as 5% off though...it's still not that huge of a deal to me.

[LittleTiger]

Are you sure you have worked this out correctly? 31% body fat is well within the healthy range, although 210 lbs is not healthy, even if you are very tall.

 

Also, how old are you? 20% body fat for the average woman is on the low side unless you are very young and intending to get yourself in super-fit shape.

[RiverRunning]

Based on the calculations that have been taken (at my gym, twice), they're correct. I've looked at all of the body fat charts - beyond that, I'm not going to get into the, "OMG, do you KNOW 210 pounds is overweight/obese/etc. depending on your height?" arguments. Most folks posting here would have to be braindead to not know that.

[LittleTiger]

Sorry OP, just trying to be helpful - didn't mean to offend you - I was merely pointing out that 31% sounds like a low body fat percentage for someone who weighs 210 lbs - hence my question about how tall you are and whether you had it right.

 

Also ideal body fat % does depend on age and whether you are an 'average' woman or whether you're an athlete. People are all so individual. Be careful about using the male algorithms to work out anything to do with body composition if you are female. Male algorithms assume a male body (yes stating the obvious but it's important) so they are rarely useful for women unless you are very athletic.

 

There is really no 100% accurate way of measuring body fat but the US navy charts are generally considered fairly accurate because they take into account your frame size (neck measurement) as well as height, weight and the areas where most fat is stored (hips and waist). It doesn't take into account chest measurement which, if you have large breasts throws out the accuracy but, besides that it's a pretty good tool. It's also useful for working out what you should be aiming for if you're overweight.

 

Since you don't have access to a hydrostatic machine I thought you might be interested.

 

Body Fat (US Navy) Calculator - Fitness.BizCalcs.com

[fucpcg]

Bodyweight means nothing. Bodyfat percentage means everything. I know plenty of guys who can't get reasonable heath care coverage because they are told overweight, when they are guys with 10% or less bodyfat and healthy, packed with muscle. It's a problem for me at times, like end of winter when I top scales over 190lbs at 5'8". I supposed to weigh like 150... yea right. I'm about 20% at 190 or over, and about 10% at 170 my mid summer weight. Under 10% is just not worth it for me, cause I'm not going to skip cookouts and cherry pies.

 

For a woman anything under 25% is great, and 12% or under is getting into competition numbers. I also understand that 12% is about where women can have problems such as not having period, and few other issues. If not competing, I'd think your goal should be 15-25%, depending on how hardcore you want to get.

[Star Gazer]

210 pounds on a woman, no matter how tall, is very overweight, and likely obese.

 

Traditional body fat calipers cannot accurately measure body fat an obese person, given that they're only able to grab skin folds. Someone that heavy/overweight, has a great deal of viceral fat, that is not measured by calipers.

 

You may be getting the same results every time, but I can pretty much guarantee you that you're a lot more than 31%.

 

The only accurate testing would be hydrostatic or the BodPod.

[spookie]

Body fat % is impossible to measure anywhere near accurately with calipers. The only thing those measurements are good for, is to track your progress over time, assuming the same person used the same technique to take the measurements.

 

No offense OP, but at 210, unless you have been shooting up to lift for years, I can promise you that your BF is much higher than 31%.

[Pompom]

How do I even calculate my body fat without seeing a doctor to confirm the obvious to me - that I'm fat?

I am overweight, but how much of it is fat, I dunno. Some think part of my weight may be muscle because for someone who used to be beyond morbidly obese, I have always pushed my body with, for someone my weight, strenuous physical activities, and have now combined this with ridiculous amounts of proteins to get my bypass working.

 

My goal is somewhere between 60 and 80 kilograms. I'm 175cm tall and don't want to be a stick but I also don't want things wobbling as I walk. Actually if all my blubber were tight and plump, I'd be okay with it as it is, but there's also the cellulite and the flaps. That's what bothers me. My silhouette itself is pretty darn sexy.

[Emilia]

I'm low 20s and trying to keep it that way. I could get much leaner if I wanted to but I think that ripped look is not very feminine. Whenever I start seeing too much definition I eat a pizza

[tman666]

I'm currently hovering around 10-12 percent.

 

I used to be one of these people that was afraid to cut down due to fear of losing my hard earned muscle mass, but I did a lot of things right this time around which has changed my perspective.

 

Some of the things that worked for me:

 

1) Not changing my lifting program: I continued to chase PR's, even though I have accepted that gains will come more slowly. However, my lifts still seem to be inching up. I didn't go crazy on the volume either.

 

2) Doing longer sessions of lower intensity cardio, more frequently (4-5 days per week), and limiting high intensity cardio (calisthenics, sprints, etc.) to once per week.

 

3) Cycling carbs

 

4) Keeping cheat meals reasonable. Some people are able to have extravagant cheat meals or even entire cheat days. Since my diet isn't especially restrictive throughout the week, I've had much greater success with having one or two "light" cheat meals throughout the week, rather than going full-hog out one per week.

[FitChick]

I have never measured my body fat. I go by the scale, tape measure and how my clothes fit. Oh, and this test.

[Emilia]

I have never measured my body fat. I go by the scale, tape measure and how my clothes fit. Oh, and this test.

 

me too plus check how my bra straps look on my back

[USMCHokie]

What's body fat...?

[LittleTiger]

What's body fat...?

 

Funny.....very funny!

[peterjohn]

Well i think that i have little percentage of fats on my body it is about 4% fats . I have the weight of 71 kg which i had checked yesterday . I have found it the ideal because i also have a height of 6.2" and doctor has said your body have not fats to great extent .

[Els]

What's your current body fat percentage? Is this your goal? What's your ideal body fat percentage range?

 

I currently weigh about 210 pounds and I'm 31% body fat (calipers...took 8 - 10 different skinfold measurements. I forget exactly how many now. Surprisingly, my calves are pretty much all muscle...they couldn't grab onto anything!). I'm female. I've been searching for hydrostatic weighing places in the Midwest (live in MI) but haven't found any yet. Since I know calipers have an error rate of around 3%, it's possible my body fat percentage is around 34 - 35%. That would drop my LBM from around 150 pounds down to about 140 pounds.

 

Well, why not try going down to 180 pounds first, and then using one of the methods SG mentioned to refine it further if you need/want?

 

Personally I don't understand the need to get one's weight and body fat % down to a tee unless you're a competitive athlete or you just really enjoy min-maxing your body. For health reasons, 'approximate' is good enough. I can assure you that your heart, liver, and kidneys don't care whether you are 140 or 150 lbs.

 

Unless you're on the extremes of height, frame, or muscle mass, BMI is actually the easiest method of approximating a reasonably healthy weight, and conversely a good % range of body fat to be at. It's a better measure than calipers, in fact. People nitpick at it a lot, especially for aesthetic reasons, but health-wise it works for the majority of the population.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Elswyth