Confused about fat percentage guidelines

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spiritlevel9
spiritlevel9 Posts: 48 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi, I have reached my goal weight but trying to work out if I need to change my muscle and fat percentages. I got some scales which measure both but after taking my readings and looking at different charts, they seem to vary so much that I am even more confused than when I started Body fat is 22.2% which is bordering on overweight according to the chart that came with the scales. Other online charts say I am at the lower end of the healthy range. My Muscle is listed at 39.1 which is okay in the scales booklet and over built up in others. I am 50 and definitely not defined! My legs are fairly muscly as I walk a lot but nothing else is. Does anybody now of a chart that is generally excepted as being a good measure of healthy percentages?

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  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    As a woman, you are in an OK range. Could be a little lower without any negative impacts. In the 16 to 18% range. As far as definition, fat layer is one factor but muscle structure is the other. To get more definition, resistance training is needed..

    What do you mean when you say muscle is listed at 39.1. Is that a %?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited February 2018
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    What chart are you looking at? 22% for a female is relatively low...

    Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart1.jpg

    Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart3.jpg
  • marissafit06
    marissafit06 Posts: 1,996 Member
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    Scale BF readings aren't very accurate.
  • spiritlevel9
    spiritlevel9 Posts: 48 Member
    edited February 2018
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    The chart that said it was high was the one in the booklet that came with the scales.

    Yes the 39.1 is percentage.

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