Body fat percentage?

Leauxra
Leauxra Posts: 18 Member
edited December 2 in Health and Weight Loss
I just learned that I'm 31% body fat. So...I'm not overweight even though my BMI says I'm overweight? Confused.

I'm a woman, 29 y/o, 5'5" and 165 lbs.

Replies

  • Kettle_Belle14
    Kettle_Belle14 Posts: 246 Member
    BMI can definitely be flawed, especially if you have more muscle. But also, how did you find your body fat %? I've found the scale ones to be off.
  • itsthehumidity
    itsthehumidity Posts: 351 Member
    You're discovering why BMI is not always a good measure of such things.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought an overweight bf % for women started at 30%?
  • Leauxra
    Leauxra Posts: 18 Member
    My scale says 31% is like the cut off and 32% is overweight.

    Either way, my body fat is way closer to not-overweight than my BMI
  • Leauxra
    Leauxra Posts: 18 Member
    Oh. I got mine from a scale. I guess it could definitely be off.
  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
    My scale says my body fat is 7% less than a bod pod does...
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    BMI is not a 1:1 correlation with BF%. They are different metrics for different purposes. If you are happy at 165 and your 31% reading is realistic, then stay at that weight and ignore the BMI indicator.
  • Leauxra
    Leauxra Posts: 18 Member
    This is definitely not where I'm stopping. I'd like to be safely in the healthy BF% zone. I just thought I was much, MUCH fatter because my BMI is like 27.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Scales are not really a great way to measure body fat %, BTW.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Yes, be skeptical of bioelectrical impedance measurements of %BF. I had a reading not long ago of 12% BF. As much as I'd like to believe that it's not bloody likely.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/tips-plans/best-and-worst-ways-measure-body-fat

    The Tanita, made famous by The Biggest Loser, and other body fat scales use bioelectrical impedance (BIA) to gauge the amount of lean mass, water, and fat in your body by sending a current from the metal plates under your feet through your body and timing how long it takes. While they are a relatively cheap option—you can find them for as little as $19.99 at any department store, and you can use them in the privacy of your own home—they are notoriously unreliable. Take a huge drink of water and watch your percentage change by up to 10 percent.
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