Fit weight range?

fitmama0914

Is there such a thing? I've seen that my lowest weight is either 104 or 108 depending on the chart. I'm not sure what weight is good for me at a fit level. I'm 113 now, but a jiggly 113. Idk what that means for me. In terms of my ideal weight...

fitmama0914

What I mean is, as I understand it, the 104 weight is just a low fat weight, not factoring in muscle...

erickirb

BF% will matter much more for that then the weight on a scale. The actual weight would we based on if you carry a lot, "normal", or very little muscle.

sijomial

Weight is not a measurement of either fitness or body composition.

Fitness is even more complex than body composition which is often quoted in bodyfat percentage terms - fit for what? Cardio, strength, endurance?

There's also a big difference between a healthy weight range and fitness (extreme example would be someone with a terminal illness running marathons) so not really sure what you are asking. Perhaps you can clarify OP?

newdaydawning79

If you're looking at BMI, it's inaccurate for a lot of people depending on muscle and overall body composition. With muscle being more dense than fat, you can have a very fit physique and weigh more than the "ideal" weight that those charts say you can have. Also, you can have a higher body fat % and be within the correct range.

Body fat % (which is hard to 100% accurately compute without special tests) is a better factor for overall health/fitness than BMI and height/weight charts, IMHO.

fitmama0914

I think I am somewhere between 27 and 32%...Probably closer to 27. I'd like to get between 22 and 24.

LumberJacck

I think OP is using "fit" to mean slim, but I could be wrong. How do you measure slimness? With a full-length mirror. Or waist measurement, a somewhat forgotten measurement.

lemurcat12

There's a BMI range based on height, I think the one for 5'3 (my height) is about 105-140.

More significant, since BMI is pretty rough test, is body fat percentage. For women, athletic is supposed to be 14-20%, fit is 21-24%, and acceptable is 25-31%, with more than that being "obese." You can find photos on the web that will give you a good sense of how the different numbers look. My goal is to try to get around the 20-21% range and then to build some muscle, but it's going to depend on how it looks (my real goal is to build some muscle and get rid of the stupid excess fat that likes to hang out around my middle).

What I did was a DEXA scan, which told me that my lean body mass is only 92 (I figured it wasn't that high--I am pretty small framed). Knowing that, I decided that it would make sense to aim for a weight of around 115 (which would mean 20% body fat if I keep my lean mass) and then to try to build up my muscle some. This is consistent with the fact that I know from history that I'm not especially lean at 120-125 (I'm 133 or so now).

You are pretty light already, so it might be nice to get a DEXA if you can or try out some of the other ways of estimating body fat %. (One cool thing about the DEXA was it also checks your bone density.)

jonjhayden

I only use weight as an intermediate measurement of fitness/body composition. My ultimate goals are to lose fat and so my primary and long term measurement of body composition is lean mass to body fat ratio. In other words, in the end I don't care what my weight or BMI are, I just care that I have a healthy lean mass to body fat ratio.

I will probably weigh less than I do now when I reach that point but the ultimate final weight is in flux. If I put on lean mass, which I hope I do because that will make maintaining my healthy body composition, then my weight will ultimately be higher than if I maintain, or worse, lose lean mass.

I encourage everyone to look into having an iDEXA scan done. They are quick and easy and relatively inexpensive ($100). It is the gold standard of measuring body composition and will tell you how much lean mass you have and where, body fat you have and where and even your bone density.

fitmama0914

By fit, I mean muscle definition basically. A healthy bf%. Not just slim. For instance, if I'm 27% bf at 113 lbs, what might I weigh at 24%? Is that even possible to estimate? . I'm looking for a weight to shoot for, whether it ends up more than what I currently weigh, or lower. I guess I'll just stick with body measurements for now.

lemurcat12

I suspect your body fat may be lower than you think at that weight, but here's the math:

.27 of 113 is 30.5 lb fat, so 82.5 lb lean mass.

82 lb lean mass (you always lose a bit so I'll round down) with 24% body fat is going to be about 108 lbs. You'd only want to lose 5. (That's 82/.76.)

BUT remember that you can do the same thing by increasing lean body mass if you really think yours is so low (as I hope to do). Someone of 125 but with 95 lbs of lean body weight and 30 lbs of fat is also at 24%.

fitmama0914

Lean mass is muscle weight, right? I would like to increase that. I know it's entirely inaccurate, but the calculator, based on my measurements said I am 32% bf, which seemed a bit high to me. Then I saw an article that said for them, it was about 5 off for them based on the caliper test. So that's how I unscientifically arrived at my range, lol.

lemurcat12

I think, depending on your particular body shape, that the calculator thing can be off for short women. It's always high for me (according to other tests, and now DEXA), because my hips bones and ribs aren't that far apart and my true waist is pretty high and would be wider than for many other body types even if I got rid of the fat around the middle that I'm trying to get rid of.

And, yeah, lean mass is muscle and other stuff, basically most stuff that's not fat.

LumberJacck

A good way to estimate body fat percentage is just to compare your body with photos of people with known values of body fat.

Sued0nim

I personally think BMI is rot

But IMO "fit" is the best goal a person can have - to me fit is the ability to go ahead and do anything without pausing to consider whether you can, it's been the difference between sitting on the sidelines and getting out there and having a go. Fit balances your hormones, reduces stress and anxiety and increases happiness.

It's great weighing less but my ultimate goal is not a final number, it's how I look in a mirror and photos that are taken without my knowledge, a constant moving series of body challenge goal of can I do that?

jenilla1

LumberJacck wrote: »

A good way to estimate body fat percentage is just to compare your body with photos of people with known values of body fat.

http://www.mybodygallery.com/

jenilla1

Weight by itself means nothing. You have to include other factors, like height, body fat % , waist measurements, etc. 113 on a very short person is going to look very different than 113 on a very tall person.

Here's what 26% Body Fat (according to my last check-up) looks like on me (130 pounds, 5'7") People always think my body fat and weight are lower because I'm thin and athletic.

fitmama0914

jenilla1 wrote: »

LumberJacck wrote: »

A good way to estimate body fat percentage is just to compare your body with photos of people with known values of body fat.

http://www.mybodygallery.com/

This is why I'd like to be around 22% to 24%. I know what I would be happy with as far as what I want my body to look like, which basically is firmer. I'm squishy. But somehow in the last 4 months or so since I last took measurements, I've lost 2 inches in my waist and an inch in my hips. That couldn't happen in a week right?

maxit

Another consideration in determining a healthy weight is frame size. You can get a sense of this by measuring your wrist - there are some online resources that are reputable regarding this, if you search "weight range and frame size"

ninerbuff

fitmama0914 wrote: »

I think I am somewhere between 27 and 32%...Probably closer to 27. I'd like to get between 22 and 24.

Find your lean body mass. Then use the equation:

Lean mass/.88 (1 minus 22%)= desired weight

So say your lean body mass is 90lbs

90/.88=102lbs

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