Body Fat % - I am confused on what is good and what isn't

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NewMnky1
NewMnky1 Posts: 264
in Fitness and Exercise
So I bought a scale that does weight, body fat, muscle, water and bone mass. I went on it and it says I have 15.9% body fat, which I thought was great, but when I started looking up body fat % weight charts and what is good they say that my body fat % is too low????
So I am confused, I thought the lower % the better.
According to the charts I looked at, it said for a 37yr old f, weight 146.2, height 5'8" that <21% is too low.
Putting aside the fact that I know the scales are not 100% accurate (even if it is off by 5%, according to the charts it is still low) what is a good body fat %? Is it really all just subjective (I can't imagine that is true).
Any help/suggestions appreciated - no criticizing my lack of knowledge on this though LOL!
(Just as an FYI I had my PT do a caliper testing last week and should get those results so it will give me a range of where my scale is at)
Thanks

Replies

  • GatorGirl0890
    GatorGirl0890 Posts: 41 Member
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    I think those scales are notoriously inaccurate. I have a hand-held BFP monitor and it went from 24% to 16% in one day. I'd wait and see what the caliper test says.
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
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    First, those scale are very subjective. Don't eat, don't drink water, don't exercise, before use. Check it three time in the same day, and watch as the numbers move.
    Second, well, look down at the second chart on this, and then look at the pics. http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/
    If you actually have 15.9% BF, you should be seeing your abs.
    Also, once you get too low you gotten into bad areas. The numbers for men and women are totally different.
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    For females I think lower than 12% would be dangerous. For males it's a little bit lower, they can go as low as 4%. That's pretty much a contest shape. You should definitely not hang out at that range for long. Males should not go lower than 8% generally and females around 17-25%. That number increases slightly with age.

    If you go lower then that, then it's not healthy because your body needs body fat to function property. Too low body fat % may screw up your hormone levels and immune system, there's a research that it increase the possibility of getting cancer as well as developing heart and blood pressure problems over time. If it is extremely low you may even die.

    Somewhere between 19% - 25% would be pretty safe and good range I think for you. So yes, I think your chart is right.

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