Body fat %

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jester13
jester13 Posts: 408 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What is a healthy body fat % and an attractive body fat % in your opinion?

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  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
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    Probably depends on the individual. An athletic male, for example, can walk around healthily at 8% year-round whereas another man may experience health problems associated with low body fat levels. And you can also live a long, healthy life at 22% without ever being athletic. For women the requirements are higher.

    As for your second question, I'm not opening that can of worms. :laugh:




  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    On men or women?

    With how much muscle mass?
  • jonathanazor
    jonathanazor Posts: 1 Member
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    Below 15% for a man and ideally around 9-11%
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    edited July 2016
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    I think there is a pretty wide range that people can be healthy at. And a pretty wide range that people are attractive at considering so much more than BF% goes into what makes someone attractive. But if I were just staring and nameless, headless bodies like the ones in the BF images we are all so familiar with, I would say 6-20% for males with 10-15% being a sweet spot and 14-30% for women with a sweet spot between 17-22%. That's just my personal opinion however and everyone is going to feel differently.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
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    I like guys in the spectrum of fit, anything from skinny wiry lean to padded and strong looks good to me. Not sure I have an ideal. I don't like very built AND very low fat, the huge bodybuilder look - it's admirable but not attractive to me personally. Though truthfully (and I am pretty sure I'm typical in this) looks are just a yes/no thing for me, guys only have to pass the minimum bar to be attractive, beyond that it has to do with other factors not looks. I am not *more* attracted to better looking guys. It's a gate not a scale.

    On women, I actually like how skinny looks, the too skinny model look, waiflike, I like athletic looking, and also think that hourglass curvy looks good, thick and shapely.

    Healthy? Long term? 5-20% men, 18-30% women, probably, more or less. Depending on the person.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    The guy in the green shorts....
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
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    I personally like myself at 10 % currently 12 -14ish
  • daweasel
    daweasel Posts: 68 Member
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    robininfl wrote: »
    I like guys in the spectrum of fit, anything from skinny wiry lean to padded and strong looks good to me. Not sure I have an ideal. I don't like very built AND very low fat, the huge bodybuilder look - it's admirable but not attractive to me personally. Though truthfully (and I am pretty sure I'm typical in this) looks are just a yes/no thing for me, guys only have to pass the minimum bar to be attractive, beyond that it has to do with other factors not looks. I am not *more* attracted to better looking guys. It's a gate not a scale.

    On women, I actually like how skinny looks, the too skinny model look, waiflike, I like athletic looking, and also think that hourglass curvy looks good, thick and shapely.

    Healthy? Long term? 5-20% men, 18-30% women, probably, more or less. Depending on the person.

    Completely agree with all of this. It depends so, so much on the person.

    I recently had a DEXA scan done as part of someone's research and my body fat was at about 29% (I'm female), but as much as I'm trying to drop a few kg, I don't hate how I look at the minute. I store fat quite evenly, have a fairly big bone structure and hourglass figure, and my lean mass was just over 50kg.
  • jester13
    jester13 Posts: 408 Member
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    I think a problem is most people don't know there true bf%. Most of its look great walking around at 18-19 for men. Think 8% all year is not really a healthy bf% mentally and physically. I'm 10% in the profile pic. And to even be that lean takes a lot. Weighing food and counting every macro. I love it but it's a lot of demand physically and mentally.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    daweasel wrote: »
    robininfl wrote: »
    I like guys in the spectrum of fit, anything from skinny wiry lean to padded and strong looks good to me. Not sure I have an ideal. I don't like very built AND very low fat, the huge bodybuilder look - it's admirable but not attractive to me personally. Though truthfully (and I am pretty sure I'm typical in this) looks are just a yes/no thing for me, guys only have to pass the minimum bar to be attractive, beyond that it has to do with other factors not looks. I am not *more* attracted to better looking guys. It's a gate not a scale.

    On women, I actually like how skinny looks, the too skinny model look, waiflike, I like athletic looking, and also think that hourglass curvy looks good, thick and shapely.

    Healthy? Long term? 5-20% men, 18-30% women, probably, more or less. Depending on the person.

    Completely agree with all of this. It depends so, so much on the person.

    I recently had a DEXA scan done as part of someone's research and my body fat was at about 29% (I'm female), but as much as I'm trying to drop a few kg, I don't hate how I look at the minute. I store fat quite evenly, have a fairly big bone structure and hourglass figure, and my lean mass was just over 50kg.

    I think people who's fat is distributed evenly have won the genetic jackpot and can look good at almost any weight.

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