Muscle Percentage for Female People

featherbrained

I just recently purchased a scale (higher end, close to $100) that gives all the additional info such as body fat %, bone mass, BMI, water weight, and muscle percentage. It is telling me I have a very high (I think) percentage of muscle.

I've always known this. I'm morbidly obese, but I'm very active. I started back here 3 weeks ago at 311lbs, yet I still regularly rode my mountain bike 4 hilly miles a day, walk a hilly 5k a few times a week, and horseback ride. I've never been a couch potato. Additional info; I'm 37, female and 5'10".



This pic is from 2010, after I lost over 100 lbs. I weighed 250lbs. I have always weighed much more than I look like I do, due in part to my height, and the fact that I do tend to have a nice figure.(Thanks, Mom!)

So my new scale is telling me that I have 56% muscle, and while I know NOTHING about it, from what little I've researched, that's not even possible. Is my obesity and body fat % messing up the reading?

Thanks for any input!

JoRocka

scales can't tell you what BF% you are. I'm going out on a limb assuming it's doing a generic anaglorthim based on your heigh weight gender doing a generic calcu of your BF%

I'm sure it would say mine was quiet high as well- and I'm in the mid to low 20's I think. Body builders on the BMI charts are typically wildly obese. it's just no an accurate way to handle information.

use your scale for measuring food- that will be more helpful than measuring you.

Super tall and super fabulous though- love the sassy picture!

PippiNe

Can't tell you much about muscle percentage, but welcome back to MFP! Wishing you success in your weight loss efforts!

Mokey41

It's telling you lean body mass, it can't know how much of you is muscle as opposed to organs, etc. More important is what is it telling you that your body fat % is?

MinnieInMaine

I wouldn't put too much behind that - those types of machines are notoriously inaccurate especially if you haven't fasted. It's kind of like stepping on the scale to weigh yourself after you've eaten breakfast - hard to say how much weight is food and waste still in your system and how much is actual body weight.

Also, technically the muscular system includes cardiac and smooth muscles so I would assume it's not just the major muscles for movement but also cardiac and smooth muscles which would be the same thing as LBM minus the bone weight.

featherbrained

Great, this is all good to know. I didn't assume it would be really accurate, would more like to use it in the same way I use it to weigh myself, and that is to track downward trends. (hopefully!)

I do actually, weigh myself after a 36hour fast each week.

My BF%? Way Too High! But I'm working hard to change it.

Armed with this information, I will use it as I use any take-at-home-measurements, to track trends. Thanks much, guys! And thanks for the nice complement, as well

JoRocka

that's fine- as long as you are objective about it- you should still be able to track the down ward trend- even in the notoriously inaccurate body fat % side of it LOL

have at it- and go be a bada$$ nerd on your weight loss journey!!!

(I'm planning to do the same thing on my bulk- I'm excited to do charts and graphs and things)

deksgrl

The scale uses Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, it sends an electrical current through your body and estimates fat mass and fat free mass. Readings can be affected by hydration levels, food intake, skin temperature, and other factors. (Your weight can be affected by those factors as well). But you can use it to look for downward trend in body fat percent.

featherbrained

I have never been likened to a bada$$ nerd; I like it!

I couldn't remember my BF%, so I had to dig out my record; according to the scale, 2 weeks ago I was 46%, and this past Friday, I was 44.5%. My muscle fell in that time too, from 56% to 55%. BMI also fell a couple of .0s. I lost 12 lbs in that period. (Eating about 2300 cals a day, which also points towards having a bit more muscle than your average woman.)

My first goal is to get back to 250lbs. And my longterm goal is to get down to 200lbs, which would put me in a size 10 jean. Haven't been there in 15 years

In the above pic I was modeling a brand new pair of 18s. Heck. I'd love to see those again!

deksgrl

The number you are calling muscle percent is LBM - lean body mass - which includes everything in your body that is not fat, i.e. bones, organs, blood, water, everything.

Lean Body Mass = Body Weight – (Body Weight x Body Fat %)

An average adult female has about 35% muscle.

Ideally, you want to lose the fat and preserve as much LBM as possible as you lose weight. In a calorie deficit you will reduce both fat and LBM, but you can preserve LBM with adequate protein and heavy lifting.