Am I big or is it muscle?

MKEgal

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 than fat)

Here's a calculator which can give you an estimate of body fat %.
It also has a chart showing the healthy body fat % ranges.
(Click the down arrow on the right end of the line of symbols under where it says "body fat category".)
http://www.webcalcsolutions.com/fitness-calculators/body-fat-navy.asp?acctnum=3

And no, muscle does not weigh more than fat.
A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat
which weighs the same as a pound of feathers
which weighs the same as a pound of uranium.
The volume those 1-lb samples occupy will be vastly different.

For a given mass, muscle will take up less space than fat (muscle is more dense, so you'll look
smaller at the same weight with a higher % of muscle).
1 pound of salmon is smaller than 1 pound of butter.
(And yes, I know that a pound is not a unit of mass.)

For a given volume, muscle will weigh more than fat.
10 cubic inches of muscle will weigh more than 10 cubic inches of fat.

CoderGal

LaurenAOK wrote: »

PikaKnight wrote: »

LaurenAOK wrote: »

Tree puns aside...

I agree with everyone who has said you need to figure out your body fat. You can get a very rough estimate using an online calculator, all you need is a tape measurer to get your measurements. Google 'Navy Circumference Body Fat Calculator," plug in your numbers, and voila.

For comparison though, I'm 5'4" also and when I started losing weight I was 145. I had some muscle but I was definitely pretty flabby. Then I got down to 130 and was happy with that, but I gained the weight back. Now I am 135 but look better than I did when I was 130 because I've gained muscle through lifting. But I think you would have to have a LOT of muscle to be 5'4" and 145 and have it be more muscle than fat.

Those online calculators are extremely inaccurate. As some others have said, get it tested with BodPod or Dexa scans. I'd even suggest calipers over that calculator any day.

Yes those are all better methods but not everyone wants or is able to go out and get a test or buy calipers just to answer a simple question. The calculators are not exactly accurate but they can give you a starting estimation (that is why I said a "very rough estimate.") I was actually surprised when I got my body fat tested with calipers at my gym it turned out to be within .5% of what the online calculator had told me. So it can be pretty close for some people. Maybe not for everyone, but it's not going to tell you you're obese if you're actually fit, or vice versa, you know? It can give you an idea.

That's not a simple question...a simple question has a simple answer. And those calculators can give you a very misleading starting estimate. I'd suggest going with the pictures thread. They're pretty good at it and you won't get mislead. As for the pretty close for some people comment. That's like saying the number 20 can be pretty close for some people. That doesn't mean everyone can just apply it as a starting estimate. If you have higher fat content not stored around your waist but somewhere else like your arms legs butt boobs etc it throws things off like mad. And yes, I've seen it tell people they're obese when they're fit and vice versa. For example apparently I'm 15%...uh..yeah...no.
My friend:
Waist: same as me
Height: same as me
Weight: 30lbs heavier then me with a more amazing bum
pant size: 6 sizes larger to fit bum

She has a higher body fat, but the calculator will give her 12%, and me 15%. Neither of our body fat percentages start with a 1. So that estimate went completely in the wrong direction and took away numbers when it should have been adding.

cafeaulait7

The calculators that don't ask for elbows are off for me, apparently because my wrists (and neck!) are small for my body. So they think I'm small-boned when I'm not at all (in the torso). My waist and hips measurement really need the wide skeleton taken into account or the extra inches are assumed to be fat. They don't work well for more unusual proportions.