Overweight women with very high LBM?

QueenBishOTUniverse

Hmmmm, to answer your question..... I was a lacrosse player through college. At the time I was 5'8" usually between 150 and 165 pounds, was benching around 120 and leg pressing around 300. I just always liked lifting weights and would always try to lift heavier than every other girl in the room, just competitive that way. I had always been very strong growing up and liked to show off....

I never officially had my LBM calculated, but I do know that while I was on a semester abroad in Australia I confused the hell out of the physical trainer trying to run a fitness test on me because my body fat % was only in the 50% range for the "average" Australian and I clearly could stand to lose a little weight, but my strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness were all in the top 2% of the nation.....for Australia.

At the time, I was eating anything and everything I wanted. A late night snack at McDonalds for me was 20 chicken nuggets a big mac and 2 cheese burgers. If we got pizzas for the evening to eat while watching a movie marathon, there was a big new yorker with pepperoni for me, and then what everyone else was having, you get the idea.

Today, yea that eating got me in to trouble. I'm about 185 now down from my highest at 196. My ideal weight today will probably be in the low 160's. I'm not even sure I CAN safely drop below 160 any more and I know even when I was in college, my rib cage etc expanded ALOT in my early 20's so by JR SR year, my athlete in training weight was several pounds higher then it was when I was a freshman.

So, at least for me, yes during the early 20's if you are extremely active, you can just cram whatever you want down your gullet and as long as you use it, you'll make muscle/weight gains. And it does seem to keep up with you as you get older, my weight has gone up over the years, but my muscle tone and strength comes back very quickly once I start working on it again...

lovebig30

iam 5foot 4inches with a lbm of 130lb at 40 percent bf I weigh 220. ive always worked jobs where iam on my feet since high school. with the lbm I have right now I will never fit into the bmi normal charts without being under fat by bf measurements. my goal is 170 which is still overweigh for my height.

Fithealthyforlife

Ok, so I don't know how much help I can be as of right now but... I'm 5'8 and have LBM of about 140lbs but also a high body fat percentage (for now). I've never been athletic in my life, and only recently started exercising regularly so I guess it's my natural build. I am definitely interested in getting started with lifting within the month or two but I still have a lot of fat to lose and don't know how that will (if at all) affect the process? I'm not even sure if there's even a point to lifting at this stage for me since I'm eating at a pretty large deficit... I do resistance along with cardio 4-5 times a week at the moment... I don't even know where I'm going with this, I guess I had sort of a question but also wanted to say that hopefully one day I'll have some useful input to add to this thread? haha...

START LIFTING NOW! I'm also 5'8 and started lifting 3 months into my 50 lb weight loss, and I'm so glad I did.

Sweet. I was hoping to hear that, thanks!

It's easier to do a recomp when you have more muscle and more resources (fat). Yep, definitely start now. You'll be happy you did!

lifeinpink09

For me it's actually more than likely just genetic. Even as a kid I tended to weigh more than my peers, but you couldn't look at me and tell because I have a high muscle mass. I am currently 174 and 5'3" and my BF% is a healthy 26% and that's after sitting on my butt all summer! I've only JUST started working out last week since the semester has begun. It's been suggested that I consider lifting because I have the build for it. I've always had natural upper and lower body strength even while a lazy non athletic teenager lol. Even though sports were mandatory at my school, I always found a way to opt out, or do an easy one.

Reasons I love it: I put on fat easily, but I gain muscle easily too. I don't mind gaining a little weight because I know I can shed it easily with minimal work.

Reasons I hate it: Never gonna have those fashionably skinny legs my generation is obsessed with. Oh well! Also...I always GAIN weight before I lose when I start a new regimen.

riccoismydog

Sometimes I wonder if these women have a high LBM because of carrying extra weight all the time. I know if I carried an extra fifty pounds everywhere I would increase my muscle pretty quickly....just an idea.

I do see a lot of women at my gym who are clearly overweight but perhaps don't realize that they have way more muscle under there than what they think. Then I wonder why I am lifting more than them. They should embrace their bodies strength and use it as a way to lose more weight (muscle burning more calories than fat ect.)

Overweight doesn't mean weak. My bestie is 260, and according to her husband she hits harder than any man he has ever met.

Fithealthyforlife

Sometimes I wonder if these women have a high LBM because of carrying extra weight all the time. I know if I carried an extra fifty pounds everywhere I would increase my muscle pretty quickly....just an idea.

I do see a lot of women at my gym who are clearly overweight but perhaps don't realize that they have way more muscle under there than what they think. Then I wonder why I am lifting more than them. They should embrace their bodies strength and use it as a way to lose more weight (muscle burning more calories than fat ect.)

Overweight doesn't mean weak. My bestie is 260, and according to her husband she hits harder than any man he has ever met.

You raise some great points. IMO, it's surely a combination of the caloric surplus and the extra weight, as you said. But you're right, they should be embracing their strength. Too many diet down and lose all that great LBM and become average in terms of strength performance...just for the sake of weight reduction. Thankfully MFP culture is mostly against this and approves of women lifting and being strong. Honestly, I think a lot of these heavy women have a bikini-competitor body already inside...hiding. So, rather than losing LBM and than having to bulk and then cut again, they should be lifting from the start to preserve it.

lifeinpink09

Valid point...though I think for a lot of people it depends on build, body type and how much extra weight they are carrying. I was 28% body fat at 180 which basically means that if I had absolutely NO fat whatsoever I would still but 130. I had gotten down to the mid 140's in high school just dieting and without exercise and I actually started to look TOO thin, like visible ribs and spine. Even my doctor was concerned, though my weight was still "overweight" for my height.

That's cz BMI is a crock of bull...

I find that I look and feel best 155-160.

QueenBishOTUniverse

I second the BMI being a crock, and every doctor I've had has agreed that I'm in great shape at 170 even though BMI says I'm overweight.

I always giggle about all the lifting heavy on MFP. I just assumed I was weird cause that's what I've ALWAYS done, but I'm glad to see other women starting to get serious about it. Personally I always took it as a compliment when kickboxing instuctors made sure I was partnered with other guys. I did a class with a friend one time, she had to brace against a support beam, and that was just for punching, she wouldn't even try to hold for me when it was time to start kicking!

hungryhobbit1

I'm 5 feet tall with a lean body mass of 108.3 pounds, according to the military calculator. (The "meanest" calculator for us short girls, the kindest one says I have 117.8 pounds of lean body mass.) That is fairly massive for a person my height, as many women my height weigh less than 108 pounds, total.

I'm still at 28-32% body fat and 160 pounds. But when I was younger and this weight I was much bigger around and vastly less fit. I have this funny chubby girl six pack, you can see my abs even though there is still some jiggle over them.

I lost quite a bit of weight 10 years ago, and had a regular lifting routine, between then and now I gained a bunch of weight back and put on quite a bit of lean mass, which is making things look much better as the weight comes off this time. I'm not interested in looking competition lean but 19-21% body fat would be awesome. 22 more pounds to go! At my goal weight I will still be "overweight" according to BMI.

geekyjock76

By default, overly fat and sedentary adults will have higher than average LBM simply to support their larger frames. The extra weight requires that the hips and knees, in particular, become reinforced with additional connective tissue, bone density and muscle.

ithina

I have more LBM than normal. It's genetic for me. My mom was more muscular than normal. She didn't really work out or anything, it was just her. I've never lifted weights and things before until recently, and I've been surprised at how quickly I've gained muscle. The personal trainer I hired to help me figure out how to lift properly was also impressed with how strong I was. Obviously my legs are rather muscly for having to support all the weight I carry around. My calves have some sick definition ^_^. hehe. That isn't a good explanation for my upper body strength though, which is more than expected.

When I started at a new gym a couple weeks ago I weighed 273 and had a body fat or 40%. That leaves 162 for lbm on my 5'2" frame. BMI for my weight is supposed to be 110. When I was in high school I weighed 160 to 180 and I had a little fat, but not tons. I was mostly all muscle and trained in martial arts 4+ hours a day.

Diet wise I've been aiming for more protein. My goal is 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. I've been getting about 35% carbs, 25% protein, and 40% fat in practice. I mostly eat eggs, junk food, fast food, yogurt, and protein powder. I haven't been eating very many vegetables lately.. unless pizza with peppers and onions counts as a veggie? lol. I'll eat cleaner later. Sometimes I go through junk food fazes. I figure I'll be fine as long as I get enough protein and watch my calories.

hesterprynnedidascandaloussin

I'm 18, I'm a wrestler from my high school and I'm 5`8 and 170 pounds currently. I have around 24% body fat, because I got "fat" during the off-season, but I'm now starting my cutting process to be 160 lbs. My coaches estimate that me being 160 lbs of pure fat will lead me to 15% body fat. I work out with free weights mostly (~25-30 lb weights) and for me that's pretty light. I can also bench around 150 lbs, maybe 170 lbs on a good day. People tell me all the time that I don't look 170 lbs at all, that I look around 145 so yeah. I try to stay as lean as possible- extra fat on me does NOT look feminine! lol

lithezebra

I have about 7 pounds more than the average LBM for a 5'4" woman, which isn't extremely high, but it's pretty good for having a small frame and fairly low BMI. I've seen how quickly muscle mass can be lost, while I was sick. On the plus side, after losing muscle mass, I regained it quickly as soon as I was able to eat normally. I haven't always done weight training, but I've always done some kind of strength training.

lithezebra

I'm 18, I'm a wrestler from my high school and I'm 5`8 and 170 pounds currently. I have around 24% body fat, because I got "fat" during the off-season, but I'm now starting my cutting process to be 160 lbs. My coaches estimate that me being 160 lbs of pure fat will lead me to 15% body fat. I work out with free weights mostly (~25-30 lb weights) and for me that's pretty light. I can also bench around 150 lbs, maybe 170 lbs on a good day. People tell me all the time that I don't look 170 lbs at all, that I look around 145 so yeah. I try to stay as lean as possible- extra fat on me does NOT look feminine! lol

24% body fat is NOT fat, and is not even overweight. I bet that you look great. Good luck with your wrestling competitions!

MrsFowler1069

Also, there was a gorgeous member who posted the other day in Success Stories (jinjin8) and she is at goal at 176, having lost 101 pounds. She looks great!

I don't know if any of this answers your question at all! lol

Have her on my friends list. She doesn't post much anymore, probably b/c she met her goal.

btw, thanks for the post. From what I've learned (PM me if you're interested) there's a good chance you have even more LBM now than back then. Hopefully you can preserve most of it by lifting. 199 is probably a reasonable goal weight considering all that.

Also, I'm sorry to hear you had to go through that (I interpreted what you said in your post a certain way, and maybe I'm wrong).

lol No, it was all good. I was in youth conservation work group - doing lots of backcountry projects, etc. Did it sound like prison or something?

Fithealthyforlife

Also, there was a gorgeous member who posted the other day in Success Stories (jinjin8) and she is at goal at 176, having lost 101 pounds. She looks great!

I don't know if any of this answers your question at all! lol

Have her on my friends list. She doesn't post much anymore, probably b/c she met her goal.

btw, thanks for the post. From what I've learned (PM me if you're interested) there's a good chance you have even more LBM now than back then. Hopefully you can preserve most of it by lifting. 199 is probably a reasonable goal weight considering all that.

Also, I'm sorry to hear you had to go through that (I interpreted what you said in your post a certain way, and maybe I'm wrong).

lol No, it was all good. I was in youth conservation work group - doing lots of backcountry projects, etc. Did it sound like prison or something?

yeah, lol. Pheww! :blushing:

hesterprynnedidascandaloussin

I'm 18, I'm a wrestler from my high school and I'm 5`8 and 170 pounds currently. I have around 24% body fat, because I got "fat" during the off-season, but I'm now starting my cutting process to be 160 lbs. My coaches estimate that me being 160 lbs of pure fat will lead me to 15% body fat. I work out with free weights mostly (~25-30 lb weights) and for me that's pretty light. I can also bench around 150 lbs, maybe 170 lbs on a good day. People tell me all the time that I don't look 170 lbs at all, that I look around 145 so yeah. I try to stay as lean as possible- extra fat on me does NOT look feminine! lol

24% body fat is NOT fat, and is not even overweight. I bet that you look great. Good luck with your wrestling competitions!

Aw thank you. But because i have a lot of muscle on me, and I'm very big boned, i look quite bulky. I'm the type of girl that looks fat with an ounce of fat that's overweight... But thank you, that is very nice of you to say, esp when people are critical about my weight

skinnyinnotime

Hmm...I don't eat a ton now (usually :laugh:), but I'm a former gymnast and calculations put me at a pretty high level of LBM
(still only 103 lbs at 5'4" though- I believe I read the average is like 95 lbs for my height) 160 lbs LBM seems like it would would be QUITE a lot for 5'4".

ETA- I'm not overweight anymore, so I guess you can maybe disregard

I suppose I'll reply then. I'm 5' 2.75" (39 yrs old), and this spring had my LBM hydrostatically measured at 113.6. The guy measured it a few times (all the same reading), and afterward asked if I'd been an athlete. I was certainly active in my 20s (mostly karate), but not an athlete.

For me, I believe it's genes. I'm built very much like my dad, and he had lean mass in the 170s at 5' 7" in his late 30s without working out at all. I have a very large frame, especially for my height, and I've always been a bit stronger than the average lady who doesn't lift. I once helped a boyfriend move, and he had more trouble with his end of his couch than I did.

I think alot of it has to do with genes. My husband was very fit in his teens and 20's training in lots of martial arts. I've been with him over 16 years in that time he hasn't worked out and he still looks very fit with alot of muscle!!!

He rarely eats junk, most of his food is clean, this no doubt helps too

neandermagnon

It's genetic.

I joke frequently about having neanderthal genes... well I'm 5'1" and have a huge rib cage and huge shoulders. This is not from fat, it's definitely bones I have very little fat around my upper body, other than my boobs (which are small, and the combination of mahoosive rib cage and small boobs makes it nigh on impossible to find bras that fat me), I store most of my fat around my waist and a little on my hips (the hip fat I'd like to keep to balance out my shoulders). My lean body mass is in the healthy BMI range for my height. the BMI range is 100-132lb.... my lean body mass is 102-107lb depending on how you measure body fat percentage (I use different methods and they're all within a few percent of each other). I currently weigh 140lb after doing a bulk. I'm planning a cut but I'm not cutting to below where accumeasure says I have 22% body fat as I don't like the changes i see in my body below this number. Plus nobody makes 40AAA bras, which is where I was heading below 22% body fat (amongst other issues).

I have short wide feet too, i.e. short and wide like the rest of my skeleton, and I can't buy formal shoes other than at one particular chain of children's shoes that do width fittings, i.e. size 3 with the widest width fitting that they do, and most of their styles don't come in this particular size/width fitting. And my lung capacity for my height is off the chart, which presumably directly correlates with having a mahoosive rib cage. And I've always been stronger than average, in particular, always been stronger than women who are quite a bit taller than me. And going back to neanderthal body proportions - they had extreme cold adapted body proportions, from living in ice age Europe. Well my whole life I've not felt the cold much compared to other people, as in me not wearing a coat and feeling fine while other people are wearing coats and shivering and telling me that I'm insane for not wearing a coat... that was happening on a regular basis long before i ever studied palaeoanthropology, I was told some bizarre explanation involving brown fat cells that never made sense... then at uni I learned about Allen's rule and cold adapted body proportions and it all made a lot more sense.

So there are quite a lot of indications that my build/lean body mass comes from my skeletal proportions and not from lifting heavy weights. I'm relatively new to lifting, as in I'm still training at 5x5. I've added maybe 5lb lean mass from lifting weights and eating at a surplus. I hope to gain more of it in the future. i'm not far off the average height/weight for a female neanderthal, i.e. 66.4kg and 154cm (I'm 63.7kg and 154cm) so maybe I can add a couple of extra kg lean mass from carrying on lifting weights lol. NOt that that's my target, my ideal weight and body fat percentage is the one that gives me the best wilks score. but it's just amusing to me because of being interested in palaeoanthropology.

So anyway, it's genetics.

QueenBishOTUniverse

Ok, science nerd coming out. This isn't my specific field of study, but last time I was working in this area the general consensus was that for most features, both physical and behavioral, the general break down is 70% nature 30 % nurture. So basically, yes it is genetic, but 30% actually leaves a surprising amount of room for making changes in features that are semi malleable. So then the question becomes, is the feature you are trying to adapt or change actually malleable, or is it one of those features that's basically genetically predetermined. In general, muscle mass falls in to the semi malleable category, so you can adapt it over time.

Also, I would be willing to bet that some features demonstrate increased maleability during certain stages in life. For instance, I do think the OP has a good thought in surmising that young people who were very active during their early 20's might have had a better shot at unintentionally increasing LBM during this stage in their life as that is a time period when many people are still growing, usually broader not taller, and in general adding to their overall muscle density. There's a reason late teenagers aren't a match for true adults in the strength department even when they're roughly the same size. Most people add at least some muscle weight during this time, even when not trying. The freshman 15 happens for many reasons.