Am I big or is it muscle?

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cladinose
cladinose Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5'4 and weigh 145 pounds. I don't know if I weigh that much because I have high fat content or if I have muscles that weigh down the scale. (I know that muscle weigh more thatnfat) I play gym/beach volleyball roughly 4-5 times a week and I have somewhat muscular thighs and my calves are very muscular. So I'm wondering if I weigh this much because of my muscles or if I need to ignore this factor and continuing on my weightloss journey. Is there a system to find this out? Or do I have to judge this on my own?
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Replies

  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    Its hard to tell without a picture. When you look in the mirror, how do you feel you look? The question you asked is hard to answer cause it's almost like saying a BMI index is a good way to determine bf....
    A picture would help
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Dexa scan
    Bod pod
    Calipers in the hand of an expert

    In that order for a decent estimate of your body fat

    Never bio-Impedence scales

    Or my preferred method, jump up and down naked in front of a mirror, if it jiggles and isn't boobs or genitals it's fat
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/830595/body-fat-estimation-methods
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    Without spending a ton of money to figure this out, either

    post pictures (or self evaluate)

    or

    get out the tape measure and/or calipers and take some measurements. The first few may not be super accurate, but with practice it'll get better and on top of that even if it is off a few % points you'll still have an idea. You have to realize, a 15% error with calipers (studies show error up to 10-15%, so I'm taking worst case) just means that I'm anywhere from 11.9-16.1% BF (reading of 14%), but I know that I'm not at 12% BF since I still don't have abs, and my eye also says I'm close to 15%.

    Based on that I believe I'm in the 14-15% range, I have ~25-26lb of fat on me, and I could stand to lose another 8-10lb.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    Here is a site with some example body fat photos, you can compare to yourself and estimate where you fall:

    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Look in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Pinch yourself in a few places (waist, butt, etc.) Are you finding excess fat? Jump up and down. See too much wiggly jiggly? IMO those are the easiest ways to figure out if you need to lose fat. (Barring body dysmorphic tendencies, of course.)
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    If you're not doing resistance work and/or a physically demanding job most likely higher fat content.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »
    If you're not doing resistance work and/or a physically demanding job most likely higher fat content.

    Yes. I can't imagine that volleyball a few times a week would develop all that much muscle.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
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    Having muscles means lifting heavy, eating a lot protein for a consistent period of time. Playing volleyball not so much so I would go with fat.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    cladinose wrote: »
    I am 5'4 and weigh 145 pounds. I don't know if I weigh that much because I have high fat content or if I have muscles that weigh down the scale. (I know that muscle weigh more thatnfat) I play gym/beach volleyball roughly 4-5 times a week and I have somewhat muscular thighs and my calves are very muscular. So I'm wondering if I weigh this much because of my muscles or if I need to ignore this factor and continuing on my weightloss journey. Is there a system to find this out? Or do I have to judge this on my own?

    What's the diameter of your wrist?
  • jayliospecky
    jayliospecky Posts: 25,022 Member
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    Hmm. Well you seem to have a solid trunk, but your branches are a little spindly, to be honest. Are you sure you're only 5'4? You seem taller to me.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    jayliospecky wrote: »
    Hmm. Well you seem to have a solid trunk, but your branches are a little spindly, to be honest. Are you sure you're only 5'4? You seem taller to me.

    :laugh:
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    PikaKnight wrote: »
    jayliospecky wrote: »
    Hmm. Well you seem to have a solid trunk, but your branches are a little spindly, to be honest. Are you sure you're only 5'4? You seem taller to me.

    :laugh:

    I hope these guys don't get on your nerves and make you leaf. But I think you should branch out and do things for your physical and emotional health instead. That may sound a little sappy but I think concentrating on those types of questions is the root of all evil. But I may be thinking a little binary...tree
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    CoderGal wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    jayliospecky wrote: »
    Hmm. Well you seem to have a solid trunk, but your branches are a little spindly, to be honest. Are you sure you're only 5'4? You seem taller to me.

    :laugh:

    I hope these guys don't get on your nerves and make you leaf. But I think you should branch out and do things for your physical and emotional health instead. That may sound a little sappy but I think concentrating on those types of questions is the root of all evil. But I may be thinking a little binary...tree

    adam-levine.gif
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    Be a happy little Betula papyrifera.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
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    CoderGal wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    jayliospecky wrote: »
    Hmm. Well you seem to have a solid trunk, but your branches are a little spindly, to be honest. Are you sure you're only 5'4? You seem taller to me.

    :laugh:

    I hope these guys don't get on your nerves and make you leaf. But I think you should branch out and do things for your physical and emotional health instead. That may sound a little sappy but I think concentrating on those types of questions is the root of all evil. But I may be thinking a little binary...tree

    What are you talking about?

  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    dhimaan wrote: »
    CoderGal wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    jayliospecky wrote: »
    Hmm. Well you seem to have a solid trunk, but your branches are a little spindly, to be honest. Are you sure you're only 5'4? You seem taller to me.

    :laugh:

    I hope these guys don't get on your nerves and make you leaf. But I think you should branch out and do things for your physical and emotional health instead. That may sound a little sappy but I think concentrating on those types of questions is the root of all evil. But I may be thinking a little binary...tree

    What are you talking barking about?
    FIFY
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    edited December 2015
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    dhimaan wrote: »
    CoderGal wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    jayliospecky wrote: »
    Hmm. Well you seem to have a solid trunk, but your branches are a little spindly, to be honest. Are you sure you're only 5'4? You seem taller to me.

    :laugh:

    I hope these guys don't get on your nerves and make you leaf. But I think you should branch out and do things for your physical and emotional health instead. That may sound a little sappy but I think concentrating on those types of questions is the root of all evil. But I may be thinking a little binary...tree

    What are you talking about?

    Cedar above the whole convo.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    PikaKnight wrote: »
    dhimaan wrote: »
    CoderGal wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    jayliospecky wrote: »
    Hmm. Well you seem to have a solid trunk, but your branches are a little spindly, to be honest. Are you sure you're only 5'4? You seem taller to me.

    :laugh:

    I hope these guys don't get on your nerves and make you leaf. But I think you should branch out and do things for your physical and emotional health instead. That may sound a little sappy but I think concentrating on those types of questions is the root of all evil. But I may be thinking a little binary...tree

    What are you talking about?

    Cedar above the whole convo.

    I think he's barking up the wrong tree.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Options
    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    dhimaan wrote: »
    CoderGal wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    jayliospecky wrote: »
    Hmm. Well you seem to have a solid trunk, but your branches are a little spindly, to be honest. Are you sure you're only 5'4? You seem taller to me.

    :laugh:

    I hope these guys don't get on your nerves and make you leaf. But I think you should branch out and do things for your physical and emotional health instead. That may sound a little sappy but I think concentrating on those types of questions is the root of all evil. But I may be thinking a little binary...tree

    What are you talking about?

    Cedar above the whole convo.

    I think he's barking up the wrong tree.

    Would explain why he's stumped

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