BMI and Body Fat %...

t_rog

Okay so, according to my BMI I am firmly in the "Obese" category with a number of 30.9. Yet, I just had my Body Fat percentage done by my trainer last week and i'm at 30%, which is only 3% above where he said I SHOULD be. How could those two numbers tell such different stories? Which do I listen to? How is it that i'm way above the weight I "should" be at, yet fairly close to the body fat percentage I "should" be at?

tasoconnor

BMI doesn't take into account bone mass or age, just height to weight ratio.

sarah307

listen to body fat % ... !!! because that is more accurate in telling you your own personal health.

BMI charts were made as a guide and aren't exactly right for every person... (example: think of super muscular guys - their BMI would say they were obese or overweight because it is only going by their height... not by their muscle mass, body fat %, etc..)

*btw, congrats on being only 3% away from the body fat % that you should be at! You can do it!

rileysowner

I don't know what you Body Fat % should be, but 27% (three percent below 30) seems like a high body fat % to me. I always thought for a woman is was between 20 and 25%

jane130

What your trainer probably meant is that 27% is the very top of the "normal" range. I know we all like to obsess over numbers (me especially) but really you are the only one who knows what type of body you want. Do you want to lose the bare minimum amount of wait to technically be considered healthy? Or do you want to lose more than that in an effort to look and feel much better about your body? Its completely your call as to where you want to end up.

tejoman

Weight and BMI are kind of iffy numbers. They are tools that you should definitely take into account, but body fat % can be a better indicator. Weight is obviously what you weigh, but can easily fluctuate 5lbs or more during the day. BMI is a height to weight ratio so that too can fluctuate and doesn't really show if you are healthy. A 200 lb bodybuilder with very low bf % could be "obese" based on a BMI indicator even though he/she is (or could be) very healthy. In the end the best indicator is how you feel about yourself, everything else is just a tool.

parvati

BMI is only accurate if used on a completely sedetary person.

Go by your body fat %