Greater potential weightloss when higher in body fat?

Pickle107

I had a machine assessment of my bodyfat when I joined the gym on Thursday. It was 41.1%. FYI I'm 5'3" and 146.25 lbs. That's a whole 10% higher than I expected.

I am getting reassessed in 10 weeks and the competitive side if me wants to impress the instructor. I had initially decided (only to myself) that I'd aim for a 10lb loss in that time. But that same competitive side was wondering if 14lbs (a stone) would be achievable. So I posted on reddit about my workout and calories and the feedback I've got is that I could do the 10lbs (2.5lbs a week) in a month at my bodyfat. Since folks seem a bit more cautious on mfp, I was wondering if you agree? If so, and it's safely possible, I'd dial down on my diet and go for it.

MikePTY

I would be highly skeptical of a machine that put you at 41% body fat when your BMI is only 25.9. Those machine readings can be off by a lot depending on a lot of environmental factors. I would not assume that you are 41%.

Stick with your 10 pound loss target. That is as aggressive as you should go based on your weight (again I don't believe your body fat reading).

Azdak

At the beginning of a program I would recommend against getting locked into an arbitrary scale number as a goal.

There are a number of physiologic changes that occur when starting a program—some which cause the scale to go lower, some that cause it to go higher—that are not related to fat loss, but which show up on the scale.

In addition, some people are “fast responders” to a weight loss plan and some are “slow responders”—you get to the same place eventually but it can be discouraging if there are no rapid changes.

Finally, physical size makes a difference—while you have a higher body fat level, overall, your mass is not that large. So you are not going to get a huge calorie burn with exercise.

I would set some other goals for motivation and let this first “checkup” act as more information gathering about your body. 10 weeks in, your body should respond in a more consistent way and you will be in a better position set some specific scale goals.

I also have a little bit of a question about your results. 41% fat indicates a lean body mass of about 86 lbs. That’s not unheard of at your height, but it is pretty low. It would indicate a low amount of muscle mass and/or smaller than average frame. I don’t know what you look like, so I can’t judge, but if you don’t fit ether of those categories then your body fat reading is probably a little high.

Pickle107

I'd eyeball myself at just under 35% if those photos on the net showing different percentages give an indicator. Saying that, I'm just starting to get fit after being very sedentary due to depression so there ain't much muscle mass to displace the fat.

Pickle107

I am also small framed- I have tiny wrists. Darn it. I was really liking the idea the machine was really wrong...

SalJ73

My gym has a similar assessment machine. 3 weeks ago I was 50.2% fat mass with a BMI of 50.5 so I’d also question the reading. I’m just starting my journey and targeting 1kg a week

psychod787

post a picture.....

Pickle107

psychod787

Im not an expert, but 41% might be a little off.... jmho

psychod787

Azdak

Pickle107 wrote: »

I'd eyeball myself at just under 35% if those photos on the net showing different percentages give an indicator. Saying that, I'm just starting to get fit after being very sedentary due to depression so there ain't much muscle mass to displace the fat.

Looking at your picture, that’s a fair assessment. My original advice still holds, I think. It’s not that you can’t lose 10lbs in 10wks. It’s more that it will likely take several weeks to get into a consistent “fat burning” process, so losing 10lbs of fat in first 10 wks is less likely.

But that’s just the scientist in me talking. If you want to be aggressive and you think that will motivate you, then go for it. It’s not like losing 7 pounds instead of 10 would be a “failure”.

Pickle107

Thanks. I guess the main thing is the 10lbs in a month advice was a stretch. I'll settle on the 10lbs in 10 weeks as my goal (I love a spreadsheet) but realise that it'll be good going if I manage it. I find if I have a number in mind, then there's a bit more incentive not to have that creme doughnut as I know I'll have 'wasted' an opportunity to contribute towards hitting it. But it needs to be realistic.

cupcakesandproteinshakes

My advice is that the machines are not accurate and you should pick a weight loss goal that is reasonable. You don’t have any that much to lose. Any loss is great in your situation, you are almost in the ‘normal’ range.

cupcakesandproteinshakes

To add: those photos of women’s tummies are not helpful depending on your body shape and where you carry your weight. I’m very lean on top half so the (inaccurate) body fat scales have me at 16 percent in my arms. My legs are at 30 percent and midsection at 23 per cent. But depending on lighting,angle and what I have eaten my tummy may look like the 15 percent girl’s or the 25 percent one.

AnnPT77

cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »

To add: those photos of women’s tummies are not helpful depending on your body shape and where you carry your weight. I’m very lean on top half so the (inaccurate) body fat scales have me at 16 percent in my arms. My legs are at 30 percent and midsection at 23 per cent. But depending on lighting,angle and what I have eaten my tummy may look like the 15 percent girl’s or the 25 percent one.

No kiddin'. My upper body looks somewhere between the 12% and 15%, probably - muscle in some areas, bones showing in others. Below the ribcage to mid-thigh, more like 30% or more. Mid-thigh and down, probably more like 17-20%. Good thing I'm not appearance-focused! Guessing someplace mid-20s on average, but really don't care.

In this case, I'd personally rely on Azdak's assessment of your photo, OP, vs. the generic example photos. Expert opinion > self assessment, I think.