Body Fat

Options
Sunibc22
Sunibc22 Posts: 330
in Health and Weight Loss
OK, I have a question. I have one of those scales that is suppose to measure your body fat %, your water %, etc. I know I have a lot of weight to lose but it says I am 40.5% fat and 40.5% water. Does that mean that all the muscle, bone, organs, etc in my body only make up 19% of my weight? That seems shocking to me!!! I know I am stronger physically than alot of my friends so I know there is muscle buried in there somewhere!!

Can this be right?
:ohwell:

Replies

  • Sunibc22
    Sunibc22 Posts: 330
    Options
    OK, I have a question. I have one of those scales that is suppose to measure your body fat %, your water %, etc. I know I have a lot of weight to lose but it says I am 40.5% fat and 40.5% water. Does that mean that all the muscle, bone, organs, etc in my body only make up 19% of my weight? That seems shocking to me!!! I know I am stronger physically than alot of my friends so I know there is muscle buried in there somewhere!!

    Can this be right?
    :ohwell:
  • firegirlred
    firegirlred Posts: 674 Member
    Options
    Your muscles contain a SIGNIFICANT amount of water. So do the materials in your bones. Don't worry too much about it. Your muscle weight doesn't even appear to be measured by that scale.
  • cp005e
    cp005e Posts: 1,495 Member
    Options
    I have one of those scales, too, but I have not found it to be all that accurate. Some of them have handles that you grab onto as well as the pads you step on - those might be better.

    That being said, try doing the math yourself and see what you get.

    If, say, your weight is 200lbs and 40.5% fat, then
    (200 x .405) = 81lbs fat
    and (200 - 81) = 119lbs lean body weight (bones, organs, muscle, water)

    I see your goal is to lose 55lbs. If you did that and your muscle mass stays exactly the same (it probably will change a little, but let's say it doesn't), then:
    (200 - 55) = 145lbs goal weight
    (145 - 119) = 26lbs fat
    (26 / 145) = 17.9% body fat

    That's pretty low for a woman, but not impossible. I got a fitness assessment done at the YMCA, and they recommended 23% body fat as a healthy goal for women. 40% body fat is not that bad as a starting place - I suspect that I started out around 43%, and am now under 30% with about 10lbs to go to 23% (again, assuming a consistent lean body weight).
  • jlauren6
    jlauren6 Posts: 209
    Options
    I have one of these scales, and it doesn't seem to be accurate. I will lose a couple lbs of water weight overnight and my bodyfat drops 1-2% which is not right. Oh well, it at least gives you an idea.

Categories