body fat percentage

ericar21
ericar21 Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i need a little help or advice with something. i recently went to a gym and had a fitness test and body measurements done. right now i am at 118.8 pounds but 25% body fat. i am currently trying to get more toned/muscle and drop a little bit of body fat. it said online that i would need to be about 110 pounds to be at about 20%. i feel like that is a very light weight for someone who is 5'6. do i have to lose more weight to drop body fat percentage or can i stay in that weight range and replace fat with muscle. sorry if that is a bit confusing i am just trying to learn or figure this all out.

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    110 pounds at 5'6 would classify you as underweight, so yeah it's very light.

    How did they measure your BF%? Most methods tend to be inaccurate.
  • ericar21
    ericar21 Posts: 71 Member
    im 118 right now and it came out to about 25%. i stood on a scale and held on to a handle bar like thing and squeezed if that makes sense.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    ericar21 wrote: »
    im 118 right now and it came out to about 25%. i stood on a scale and held on to a handle bar like thing and squeezed if that makes sense.

    Uhhh...those measurements can vary wildly just by how hydrated you are. Measurements, calipers and such are more accurate, but not as accurate as scans. I'd go get measured in a doctor's office before doing anything drastic.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I'm 5'6. I honestly think you should add muscle. If you put on 8-10 lbs of muscle, your body fat%would go down and you'll get a higher TDEE. I think you'd be happy with the result. You won't necessarily get physically larger, you'll just get tighter and harder at the same size.

    The downside is that to add muscle you have to eat at a slight calorie surplus.
  • ericar21
    ericar21 Posts: 71 Member
    Ok thanks. I ordered a caliper the other day and it should be here tomorrow so I will start using that. When I got measured I had a bmi of 20 and my muscle was 30.5 if that helps. Any tips on how to actually lose body fat without getting to 110 pounds?
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Eat at maintenance, lift heavy.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    ericar21 wrote: »
    Ok thanks. I ordered a caliper the other day and it should be here tomorrow so I will start using that. When I got measured I had a bmi of 20 and my muscle was 30.5 if that helps. Any tips on how to actually lose body fat without getting to 110 pounds?

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat
  • cmtristani
    cmtristani Posts: 117 Member
    I work a lot on BF% mostly these days. The electronic things are completely unreliable for a single day measurement. Calipers are the best way to go unless you know some way to get a hydrostatic test done.

    And as others have said, a strength training program along with a great maintenance diet will add muscle and help reduce body fat.

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