Body Composition Analysis

Thunderfan66

I used a body composition analysis machine today at a dietitian's office, and she told me the results were good. I was a bit surprised and didn't think to ask what results would be considered excellent, good, average, etc. Is there anyone out there who knows about these things? I feel like I need to lose a fair bit of weight but I'm not sure if the results back that up? and she didn't really give me a calorie range to aim for, considering these results and the fact I exercise everyday. Here are the results:

Gender - F
Age - 36
Height - 170cm
Weight - 69.7kg
BMI - 24.1
BMR - 1504cal
Fat % - 27.5
Fat Mass - 19.2kg
FFM - 50.6kg (I don't know what this means)
TBW - 37kg (I don't know what this means either)
Visceral Fat Rating - 3

Segmental analysis - Right Leg
Fat % - 30.7%
Fat Mass - 3.9kg
FFM - 8.8kg
Predicted muscle Mass - 8.3kg

Right arm
Fat % - 28.7%
Fat Mass - 1kg
FFM - 2.5kg
Predicted muscle Mass - 2.3kg

ndj1979

27.5% body fat is considered "good"….or am I reading that wrong..?

brevislux

Your results are normal and you're in the healthy range, your BMI as well as your body fat %... You don't have to lose weight, but you can if you like to, as your results are on the higher end of the healthy range and if you lost some weight/fat it won't damage your health.

This table shows the body fat percentage "ranges" for women:

Description Women
Essential fat 10–13%
Athletes 14–20%
Fitness 21–24%
Average 25–31%
Obese 32%+

For calorie intake, calculate your tdee: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

I think it's a good idea to think about what your goal is - do you want to lose weight, or just be more toned?

Edit: I wanted to emphasize "some" weight but couldn't find a way to do it. By some I really do mean a little bit. And it's a possibility, certainly not a necessity.

omma_to_3

27.5% body fat is considered "good"….or am I reading that wrong..?

Yes, 27.5% is a normal BF% for a woman. On the higher end of normal, but normal. My trainer would assign a goal of 27% for me based on my age (39). I'd like to hit 25% but at the rate I'm going, 27% may be good enough LOL.

ndj1979

27.5% body fat is considered "good"….or am I reading that wrong..?

Yes, 27.5% is a normal BF% for a woman. On the higher end of normal, but normal. My trainer would assign a goal of 27% for me based on my age (39). I'd like to hit 25% but at the rate I'm going, 27% may be good enough LOL.

interesting …but I guess it makes sense know ..as I am realizing that woman tend to carry more body fat then men to …

so my apologies..as I misread this...

omma_to_3

27.5% body fat is considered "good"….or am I reading that wrong..?

Yes, 27.5% is a normal BF% for a woman. On the higher end of normal, but normal. My trainer would assign a goal of 27% for me based on my age (39). I'd like to hit 25% but at the rate I'm going, 27% may be good enough LOL.

interesting …but I guess it makes sense know ..as I am realizing that woman tend to carry more body fat then men to …

so my apologies..as I misread this...

Yes, there's a big difference in the % body fat ranges for men vs. women. 15% BF is very low for women and typically is the bottom of where our bodies would function normally.

Thunderfan66

Would doing lots cardio be best to try and reduce the body fat percentage?

Azdak

I used a body composition analysis machine today at a dietitian's office, and she told me the results were good. I was a bit surprised and didn't think to ask what results would be considered excellent, good, average, etc. Is there anyone out there who knows about these things? I feel like I need to lose a fair bit of weight but I'm not sure if the results back that up? and she didn't really give me a calorie range to aim for, considering these results and the fact I exercise everyday. Here are the results:

Gender - F
Age - 36
Height - 170cm
Weight - 69.7kg
BMI - 24.1
BMR - 1504cal
Fat % - 27.5
Fat Mass - 19.2kg
FFM - 50.6kg (I don't know what this means)
TBW - 37kg (I don't know what this means either)
Visceral Fat Rating - 3

Segmental analysis - Right Leg
Fat % - 30.7%
Fat Mass - 3.9kg
FFM - 8.8kg
Predicted muscle Mass - 8.3kg

Right arm
Fat % - 28.7%
Fat Mass - 1kg
FFM - 2.5kg
Predicted muscle Mass - 2.3kg

From a health standpoint, a level of body fat is considering "recommended" if it carries a low risk of future health problems. Appearance and physical performance are not considered. So, one can be at a clinically "healthy" level of body fat, but not be at their (perceived) "ideal" when it comes to how they want to look, how well they can exercise, etc.

FFM stands for "fat free mass". Basically, it is anything that is not fat-bones, organs, muscle mass, water, etc. FFM can give an indication of "frame" size and provide some guidance to determine a "goal" scale weight. In your case, your FFM suggests a slightly higher than average frame size for your height (based on the thousands of people I have measured over the decades). That is only significant if you are trying to determine a "goal weight" based on your current FFM. For example, if your FFM did not change, your scale weight at 20% body fat would be around 138-140 lbs. Knowing your FFM helps set realistic goals.

That particular machine (high-end Tanita scale) also gives you a segmental analysis of your body fat distribution. You only list R arm and R leg, but that's enough. You have a body type in which the fat is distributed relatively equally between upper and lower body. Some women have the classic "pear" shape--the lower body numbers are significantly higher than the upper-body. Some have the "apple" shape--upper body and trunk segments are significantly higher than lower-body. You have the third type.

Thunderfan66

Thanks for that. Is there anything in particular I can do having that third body type to help - any particular exercise or whatever? Yes I only listed R leg and R arm as the L measurements were pretty similar. I should have put in the trunk one too, I didn't think to do that! I don't have it with me at the moment, but the trunk measurements were all lower than the arms and legs, which I remember surprised me, as I feel I carry all my weight round my middle - I have never and will never have a flat stomach. And I don't really have a goal weight as such, just a goal look, but if I had to pick I'd say I want to drop about 4-5kg.

fushigi1988

What kind of scale or device measured this? Because most of those things are highly inaccurate, drink some water or take a poop and your BF% suddenly goes up or down 5%

beautifulwarrior18

27.5% body fat is considered "good"….or am I reading that wrong..?

Yes, 27.5% is a normal BF% for a woman. On the higher end of normal, but normal. My trainer would assign a goal of 27% for me based on my age (39). I'd like to hit 25% but at the rate I'm going, 27% may be good enough LOL.

interesting …but I guess it makes sense know ..as I am realizing that woman tend to carry more body fat then men to …

so my apologies..as I misread this...

Absolutely correct. Women have to carry more body fat than men for optimum health because of reproductive health and the hormones women have. A lot of times you'll hear about female athletes having a body fat so low their periods stop which is extremely detrimental for their health and is ultimately a long term death sentence if they continue to keep their body fat that low.

Thunderfan66

What kind of scale or device measured this? Because most of those things are highly inaccurate, drink some water or take a poop and your BF% suddenly goes up or down 5%

It was called a Tanita Body Composition Analyzer at my dietitian's office - brand new. If these things are unreliable, how else do you measure?

Thunderfan66

I used a body composition analysis machine today at a dietitian's office, and she told me the results were good. I was a bit surprised and didn't think to ask what results would be considered excellent, good, average, etc. Is there anyone out there who knows about these things? I feel like I need to lose a fair bit of weight but I'm not sure if the results back that up? and she didn't really give me a calorie range to aim for, considering these results and the fact I exercise everyday. Here are the results:

Gender - F
Age - 36
Height - 170cm
Weight - 69.7kg
BMI - 24.1
BMR - 1504cal
Fat % - 27.5
Fat Mass - 19.2kg
FFM - 50.6kg (I don't know what this means)
TBW - 37kg (I don't know what this means either)
Visceral Fat Rating - 3

Segmental analysis - Right Leg
Fat % - 30.7%
Fat Mass - 3.9kg
FFM - 8.8kg
Predicted muscle Mass - 8.3kg

Right arm
Fat % - 28.7%
Fat Mass - 1kg
FFM - 2.5kg
Predicted muscle Mass - 2.3kg

From a health standpoint, a level of body fat is considering "recommended" if it carries a low risk of future health problems. Appearance and physical performance are not considered. So, one can be at a clinically "healthy" level of body fat, but not be at their (perceived) "ideal" when it comes to how they want to look, how well they can exercise, etc.

FFM stands for "fat free mass". Basically, it is anything that is not fat-bones, organs, muscle mass, water, etc. FFM can give an indication of "frame" size and provide some guidance to determine a "goal" scale weight. In your case, your FFM suggests a slightly higher than average frame size for your height (based on the thousands of people I have measured over the decades). That is only significant if you are trying to determine a "goal weight" based on your current FFM. For example, if your FFM did not change, your scale weight at 20% body fat would be around 138-140 lbs. Knowing your FFM helps set realistic goals.

That particular machine (high-end Tanita scale) also gives you a segmental analysis of your body fat distribution. You only list R arm and R leg, but that's enough. You have a body type in which the fat is distributed relatively equally between upper and lower body. Some women have the classic "pear" shape--the lower body numbers are significantly higher than the upper-body. Some have the "apple" shape--upper body and trunk segments are significantly higher than lower-body. You have the third type.

I found the trunk measurements:
Fat % - 25.6%
Fat Mass - 9.7kg
FFM - 28.1kg
Predicted muscle mass - 26.9kg

Is there anything in particular I can do having that third body type to help - any particular exercise or whatever?