how could i have that much body fat?

neandermagnon

i thought i was eating enough protein. i had a baby which left me at 102 pounds which maybe left me with bone loss.. i guess maybe i didn't eat enough protein...and i certainly wasn't strength training. i hope to get this sorted out.

You lost bone by having a baby?

this is not far fetched at all, although it's more likely to happen while breastfeeding than during pregnancy, as the baby needs more calcium in infancy than while gestating (this is when the bones are being calcified). But if the mother isn't eating enough calcium, then the calcium needed for the baby will come from her bones. Ditto iron and blood, healthy fat and brain tissue and protein and muscles. Insufficient nutrition during pregnancy has health consequences for the mother long before it affects the baby.

stefjc

Let's not dwell on Rosemary's baby!


Can we all repeat, 25-30% body fat is normal.

If you have had 'weight restoration treatment' before you need to take your persistence (obsession?) with this question as a hint to yourself that maybe, just maybe, you need to seek some advice from closer to home. Your doctor or counsellor, perhaps.

But you certainly need to stop dwelling on losing any more weight, fat, muscle bone or water.

Please!

rosemary98

yes, while i ate adequate amounts of all food groups during pregnancy...i simply didn't eat enough. babes took what it needed, leaving me a bit deficient. he is strong, smart and healthy at 16-months, by the way. yay!

i just need to figure out how to keep healthy in all aspects of food an nutrition.

Escape_Artist

25% body fat is right in the middle of the healthy range for women.... so carrying around a quarter of your weight in fat is not ridiculous at all, it's healthy. The healthy range for women is 18-28% Obese is 35%+ So 25% is in the healthy range. You're supposed to have fat on your body, for metabolic and hormonal reasons.

I do agree regarding lifting and building up your muscles though, because this is great for preventing osteoporosis, if you're underweight for your height and frame size, you'll be at greater risk for this, but lifting weights and building up your strength will help to increase your bone density.

I concur re the circumference calculators being inaccurate though.... just that I think it's important to know what the healthy body fat percentage range is.

^^

Damn phone posting half my comments :grumble:

25-30% is normal. Above that can be of a concern, in my opinion.
If I remember correctly I was once told that the recommended minimum BF% for a women to carry a child was around 22%. Not sure if that is true but I would think it makes sense.

OP, if bodyfat concerns you get an accurate scan. If I were you I wouldn't sweat it though. As I and others have said, start lifting

@Bettyeditor, all three methods you mentioned are inaccurate. I once had a scale test me at 4.7%. Then calipers tested me at 37% and the online calculator says 28%. :noway:

Dexa gave me 20.3% and Bodpod 20.2%

lithezebra

And incidentally, it is impossible to calculate body fat with a measuring tape. The best ways are:

1) A scale that measures bodyfat (like Withings or Fitbit ARIA)
2) Calipers
3) Online calculators that estimate bodyfat

The best way is the water displacement test, and it requires special equipment.

lithezebra

Let's not dwell on Rosemary's baby!


Can we all repeat, 25-30% body fat is normal.

If you have had 'weight restoration treatment' before you need to take your persistence (obsession?) with this question as a hint to yourself that maybe, just maybe, you need to seek some advice from closer to home. Your doctor or counsellor, perhaps.

But you certainly need to stop dwelling on losing any more weight, fat, muscle bone or water.

Please!

It's normal, and not unhealthy, however 18% is also normal and not unhealthy.

@Rosemary, if you lost bone mass during a pregnancy, now would be a good time to start weight training, getting some weight bearing exercise, and eating a healthy diet that is very close to your maintenance level. You can sort out any body fat loss later. You need healthy bones, now and for the rest of your life. What does your doctor say about your bones?

P.S. Don't take online body fat calculators seriously.

wild_wild_life

If you are underweight with a BF% in the normal range, it means you are lacking in muscle mass. Losing more fat will not remedy this, but eating at a surplus while strength training will. By increasing your lean body mass, your BF% will go down (not that it necessarily needs to).

Strength training will also help increase bone density.

Agree with the posters above that accurate BF% can only be measured by a bod pod or similar technique, not at home. In your case, though, I think the number is immaterial.

wild_wild_life

Let's not dwell on Rosemary's baby!

LOL

bumblebums

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/830595-body-fat-estimation-methods

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/measuring-body-composition-part-1.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/measuring-body-composition-part-2.html

rosemary98

i thought i was eating enough protein. i had a baby which left me at 102 pounds which maybe left me with bone loss.. i guess maybe i didn't eat enough protein...and i certainly wasn't strength training. i hope to get this sorted out.

You lost bone by having a baby?

this is not far fetched at all, although it's more likely to happen while breastfeeding than during pregnancy, as the baby needs more calcium in infancy than while gestating (this is when the bones are being calcified). But if the mother isn't eating enough calcium, then . Insufficient nutrition during pregnancy has health consequences for the mother long before it affects the baby.

thanks for this post.

rosemary98

Let's not dwell on Rosemary's baby!

LOL

it is a good film, by no, my son is not the spawn of Satan....lol

rosemary98

Let's not dwell on Rosemary's baby!


Can we all repeat, 25-30% body fat is normal.

If you have had 'weight restoration treatment' before you need to take your persistence (obsession?) with this question as a hint to yourself that maybe, just maybe, you need to seek some advice from closer to home. Your doctor or counsellor, perhaps.

But you certainly need to stop dwelling on losing any more weight, fat, muscle bone or water.

Please!

It's normal, and not unhealthy, however 18% is also normal and not unhealthy.

@Rosemary, if you lost bone mass during a pregnancy, now would be a good time to start weight training, getting some weight bearing exercise, and eating a healthy diet that is very close to your maintenance level. You can sort out any body fat loss later. You need healthy bones, now and for the rest of your life. What does your doctor say about your bones?

P.S. Don't take online body fat calculators seriously.

by doctor doesn't say much to be honest. but I plan to start a fitness plan soon.

sarahkatara

The larger problem is that you are 96 pounds at almost 5'6".

RiannonC

25-30 percent body fat may be normal but there is nothing wrong with wanting to lower that a bit. However, it is HIGHLY unlikely that with your weight and height you are anywhere near that body fat percentage. Those online calculators are not reliable. If you are really interested in knowing, I would search online for a place near you that does hydrostatic or DEXA. Even the handheld devices that you can use are more reliable than those calculators. You can buy an Omron handheld, which I have at home, for about $30. It's not as accurate as DEXA but more accurate than the online calculators.

Another good measurement to know for health is your waist to height ratio. I entered it in for you with the stats you provided and yours is 36.4. A waist to height ratio under 50% is generally considered healthy. That calculator estimates your body fat percentage at about 15 percent so it just goes to show they differ greatly. The calculator I used was http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/

Your weight seems pretty low for your height, I don't mean to be impolite or judge, but I hope you are eating enough, especially with a little one at home to take care of!

karenertl

I'm 115 at 5'2. I've been wondering that same thing about myself! At 97 lbs, you don't have anything to worry about as far as fat goes.

DancingMoosie

Another good measurement to know for health is your waist to height ratio. I entered it in for you with the stats you provided and yours is 36.4. A waist to height ratio under 50% is generally considered healthy. That calculator estimates your body fat percentage at about 15 percent so it just goes to show they differ greatly. The calculator I used was http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/

Thank you for the link. That one give me a bf% of 15.3, much closer to where I thought I was:)

sarahstrezo

I think you are confused about what that percentage means, exactly. Percentages are relative to the total, obviously. Since you are 97lbs, 25% of that is about 24lbs. So...you have 24lbs of fat on your body. That's really normal. The problem you have is the other 75% of your weight. The non-fat mass (lean body mass or LBM) is what you need to focus on here. 75% of your total weight is only 72lbs. That's your LBM. Chances are....at 97lbs right now, it's not a great idea to lower your total fat. Instead, what you should focus on is GAINING some LBM or muscle. the higher your LBM gets, the lower your total BF% will be even if you never lose a drop of fat. So...say you eat at a surplus and start lifting all the heavy things and put on 10lbs in the next year of muscle. That would put you at 107lbs total body weight. And let's just say, for arguments sake, you lose no fat in the process...still having 24lbs of body fat....you'd be at 22% body fat without dieting or losing a thing! Make sense??

For another comparison, I'm 5'5" and about 128lbs (give or take). I am about 19% body fat right now. Giving me......24lbs of fat on my body...the same as you! The difference is, I have about 104lbs of LBM on my body.
As for relative measurements.....last I checked:
Waist 25.5
Hips 35
Thigh 21

sarahstrezo

Wanting to add....
My point being...My measurements are only an inch bigger than you in the waist and a few inches in the hips (I do have a booty, but I can squat like a mo'fo') and I have 30lbs on you. So....yes, it is possible that your body fat % is that high with you being only 97lbs. It's that high because your Lean Mass is so LOW.

PikaKnight

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/830595-body-fat-estimation-methods

jayliospecky

Just to add to the point that the body fat calculators based on measurements are wildly inaccurate: I once used one that pegged me at 0% body fat.