Ladies: Were you shocked by your body fat %?

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  • JessicaMcB
    JessicaMcB Posts: 1,503 Member
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    kar328 wrote: »
    JessicaMcB wrote: »
    Uhhhh well this thread is terrifying lol. I was just trying to gauge my BF % today (I feel like 25-27% is accurate, my WW scale- I know, I know- concurs claiming 24%) and contemplating calipers versus a dexa scan...now I'm not sure I want to know because its probably 45% or something :/

    I forgot to add - I know the digital scales are known to be inaccurate and I never paid much attention to those numbers, but when I did the BodPod, my scale actually had me in the 26% range as well. That surprised me.

    Interesting! Maybe I shouldn't be so salty about my WW scale's thoughts ;) haha

  • kar328
    kar328 Posts: 4,155 Member
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    JessicaMcB wrote: »
    kar328 wrote: »
    JessicaMcB wrote: »
    Uhhhh well this thread is terrifying lol. I was just trying to gauge my BF % today (I feel like 25-27% is accurate, my WW scale- I know, I know- concurs claiming 24%) and contemplating calipers versus a dexa scan...now I'm not sure I want to know because its probably 45% or something :/

    I forgot to add - I know the digital scales are known to be inaccurate and I never paid much attention to those numbers, but when I did the BodPod, my scale actually had me in the 26% range as well. That surprised me.

    Interesting! Maybe I shouldn't be so salty about my WW scale's thoughts ;) haha

    I still threaten to throw mine out the window (and it's on the second floor) but I've started to pay more attention to that percentage until the time comes to do another Bod Pod. And I did enjoy it when my Roomba ran over the scale, backed up and did it again. :smiley:

  • heatherheyns
    heatherheyns Posts: 144 Member
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    I was surprised though I shouldn't have been. From a scale test (so not that accurate) it was 47%. It shocked me because I was in some pretty marvellous denial.
  • chezzabelle82
    chezzabelle82 Posts: 302 Member
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    I just used that link above to estimate it, it said I was 29% body fat, which I am shocked about but in a good way as I expected a number a lot higher as I am still very very wobbly PMSL, gonna work my *kitten* off to try and get down lol
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,041 Member
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    Those of you who "know" your BF ... how do you know? What method are you using?
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    DEXA scan I had in Feb 2015 said it was 50.9%. I was 81.5 kg (179.76#). I wasn't shocked that I was that fat, but it boggles my mind that I might need to drop down to 100# to get BF to a reasonable percentage.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,041 Member
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    Does it make a difference if you exercise? In other words ... a sedentary you at 125 lbs vs a very active you at 125 lbs?
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,484 Member
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    Just used the link above and it has me at 21.6 which is within decimal points of what my bathroom scale says. I believe neither. I would say I am 25-26 easily and probably more.
    A bod pod would be interesting but from what I have read on the forum even they are inaccurate.

    I think I will just go by what I see in the mirror and work on building strength and a bit of muscle while getting rid of the wobbly bits. ( slow recomp)
    I do like that over time my bathroom scale has moved from 25+ to 20.something while maintaining within a 5 lbs range though.

    Cheers, h.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,041 Member
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    Machka9 wrote: »
    When I read the title, before I even opened the thread, my thought was ... I assume my BF% is probably about 30%. And after reading a few posts here, that's probably right.

    (My BMI is about 20.5, I think)
    DebSozo wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Over 30% is obese for a woman (under is normal, that scale has no "overweight" as a middle category); over 24.9 is also overweight, so that's actually quite consistent. It just would mean you need to lose a little body fat.

    Mine were unsurprising -- at an obese weight my body fat was awful, when still overweight but exercising a lot I was in the high 20s, and when normal weight but with some more to lose for aesthetic purposes I was 25. Latter two by DEXA.

    I'm not sure how accurate the type of test you did is, however, and in your clothes you look good and not nearly over 30% to me -- more like 25% at most.

    I calculated with the military body fat test. I am hoping that it is not accurate. It showed 30% and I was shocked because my BMI is 24.9 which is supposedly on the cusp of normal.
    http://m.free-online-calculator-use.com/military-body-fat-calculator.html

    But I am muscular so I expected the body fat measurement would show lower than it did! Is there usually a discrepancy between bmi and body fat methods? Interesting that there is only normal and obese for body fat.

    OK, I was guessing 30% and that military body fat calculator put me at 25.1%. The surprise is that I may be that low.

  • dlmciver
    dlmciver Posts: 149 Member
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    I lost 145 pounds to a weight of 125 pounds and a low-mid range BMI. Doctors and family thought I looked anorexic. I had a BODPOD and tested 14.2% body fat. Dr. said that was way too low for a 61 year old woman, and we negotiated a ten pound weight increase. I'm now really active, and trying to gain fat instead of muscle mass is something out of my control... not reducing activity levels. I didn't think my BF was that low.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I do scale bioimpedance measurement for body fat first thing in the morning before eating or drinking and after a bathroom break. I know it's not accurate, but it's good enough for my purposes (watch average body fat go down). I have not considered any other method but maybe I will change my mind once I'm closer to goal weight. I'm not sure it will happen though because I'm never going to be competing at anything that needs a reasonably accurate body fat measurement and if I'm satisfied with the way I look and feel it feels unnecessary to me.
  • KorvapuustiPossu
    KorvapuustiPossu Posts: 434 Member
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    Never tested my body fat in any way... tried that military fat test thing and it puts me at 28%, My BMI is 23 right now. When comparing my looks to pictures that represent different BF % I would say 25% looks about right... so I guess 25-28 would be probably correct. I'm fine with that... however I'm still 3-8 lbs away from my original goal weight so it will likely get a bit lower.

    Also everyone that is freaking out about being 30-31 and 'obese' it really is not that bad, relax, BF % categories lack Overweight category!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    DebSozo wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Over 30% is obese for a woman (under is normal, that scale has no "overweight" as a middle category); over 24.9 is also overweight, so that's actually quite consistent. It just would mean you need to lose a little body fat.

    Mine were unsurprising -- at an obese weight my body fat was awful, when still overweight but exercising a lot I was in the high 20s, and when normal weight but with some more to lose for aesthetic purposes I was 25. Latter two by DEXA.

    I'm not sure how accurate the type of test you did is, however, and in your clothes you look good and not nearly over 30% to me -- more like 25% at most.

    I calculated with the military body fat test. I am hoping that it is not accurate. It showed 30% and I was shocked because my BMI is 24.9 which is supposedly on the cusp of normal.
    http://m.free-online-calculator-use.com/military-body-fat-calculator.html

    But I am muscular so I expected the body fat measurement would show lower than it did! Is there usually a discrepancy between bmi and body fat methods? Interesting that there is only normal and obese for body fat.

    Used the link and it gave me 35.2% BF. I may have to log all this laughing.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
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    That link tells me I'm 18 to 20% BF when I put exact measurements and when I round up. My Fitbit scale always gives readouts of 14 to 16% which is obviously way off and I'd never trust it anyway. My calipers say I'm between 18 and 19% BF. I'd guess I'm more like 21 to 22%. I'm 5'3", 110 pounds, and have visible ab definition, as well as glute definition so I highly doubt I'm 25%+.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,574 Member
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    synacious wrote: »
    That link tells me I'm 18 to 20% BF when I put exact measurements and when I round up. My Fitbit scale always gives readouts of 14 to 16% which is obviously way off and I'd never trust it anyway. My calipers say I'm between 18 and 19% BF. I'd guess I'm more like 21 to 22%. I'm 5'3", 110 pounds, and have visible ab definition, as well as glute definition so I highly doubt I'm 25%+.

    You are not 21-22. 18 at highest probably.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
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    I was a little shocked but it was a motivating factor because at 152 lbs, my BMI was about 25.7 (overweight) and my body fat (per the military calculator) was ~32% which is obese! That upset me but I'm now down to 117 lbs, BMI ~19.8 and body fat ~16% (waist 24in and hips 33.5).

    BUT, that military method while excellent for tracking purposes, is not accurate compared to a DEXA scan which would probably add another 5%. I wouldn't be shocked if a dexa scan showed 21%. So yeah, people really underestimate how much body fat they really have.
  • aliencheesecake
    aliencheesecake Posts: 570 Member
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    tanyaltrl wrote: »
    I did a hydrostatic body fat test over the weekend and I was shocked by the results. Okay so my BMI is like 25.3 but I'm very active and figured I probably have more muscle boosting me up to "overweight" category. My body fat test did show I have 8lbs more lean body mass than the average, however I am 31.7% body fat aka *obese* wtf!!!! How is that possible? I guess I'm looking for support from other women who've been through this. I was okay being .4 BMI points overweight but this body fat test is supposed to be more telling of how fat you actually are :(
    Heres a pic just because. I invite more pics to compare next to test results

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/0op0dnsbz60x21q/Photo%20May%2030%2C%206%2034%2009%20PM.jpg?dl=0

    Yeah... I am in the "overweight" BMI category... but not by much. My body fat is 29% . It was sort of a shock. I have actually gained weight since lifting too, since I am making muscles gains faster than I am shedding fat. I just keep plugging along. lol
  • losingitseattle
    losingitseattle Posts: 90 Member
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    Years ago I did a gamut of body fat testing because I work at a gym and I have a lot of resources available to me. First we had a mobile hydrostatic tank come visit and it put me at 27.8%. I am a fitness instructor who teaches things like Hiit, Pilates, Spin plus I lift heavy 3+ times per week so that was a bit upsetting! Felt a lot better when several trainers and other instructors had similar results. Who knows, mobile tanks might have a lot of instability around the method? Calipers put me around 20-21% and that was done by someone who worked at a major university measuring athletes for year and years so he had experience. Bod Pod put me at 21.7%. My home BIA scale had me around 31-32%. Visually I had a lot of definition in my abs and upper body (still do) but I carry my weight in my butt and legs. I'd guess by looking at other pictures of people around the 20-24% BF that's where I fall. At the end of the day, I'm not remotely unhealthy, I look pretty ripped from the hips up and at 46 years old I am just thankful to still be moving and to be healthy. I have found the best method for me is the good old measuring tape every month. I have been keeping measurements since 1998 and am pretty darn consistent. At end of day they are just numbers and I have to go on how I feel, how clothes fit, etc.
  • NatalieLJ
    NatalieLJ Posts: 158 Member
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    Yes, exactly this! I'd gone a couple of stones overweight, and my body fat was just over 30%. I'd never checked this before, and had no idea what to expect, but that did shock me. It's down to 27% now and still moving in the right direction, but I don't check it that often - I'm happier at simply losing the pounds, slimming down, toning up and just looking better overall.

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