Goal Weight? Body Fat Percentage?

adventuring

So I bought this Omron fat loss monitor, and I used it today. It gave me a reading of 40.5%, which is all well and fine, except that when I used Fat2FitRadio website to calculate what I should be at a more reasonable body fat percentage, it was very high. According to it, if I had a body fat percentage percentage of 21%, I should be around 144lbs.

I'm 5'2. The cutoff for a normal BMI is 136. I know BMI is inaccurate, but I don't feel I'm particularly muscular. What's going on? Do I have a dense frame or is the machine wrong?

The machine also gave my mother, who is 5'1 and 108 pounds, a reading of 29%. So I guess it's not just too low. Is it just very wrong in general? Does anyone else have this device? If so, what do you think of it? Does anyone know how it does it terms of accuracy when compared to something professional?

I'm trying not to overthink things, but I was attempting to have *some* idea of a goal weight.

SergeantSunshine_reused

goal weight: 115 ish after im done with my first cut. about 10lbs. Want to sculpt my body after that

Those machines are WAY off. I had one and it was very inaccurate.

Have it done by someone who knows how to use a caliper :]

fitwatch

Some people use waist size as a good barometer. I am so far away from ideal that I just play it day by day. Just to give you an idea of my measurements. So I am 5'9" and about 185 pounds with little muscle. According to BMI tables, I should be about 150-160 pounds. I have a medium sized frame. So I am targeting a weight of 155 which is a 30 pound loss. Each 5 pounds is equivalent on my body of an inch around my waist. So I am guessing that at 155, I will have a 33 inch waist (I have 39 inches now). The waist size becomes a proxy for fat percentage. I think at goal numbers I will be roughly 15% fat. I am told less (like 10%) is still better but I would like to just reach this milestone first.

The only major variable for me is if I am able to build additional muscle, say 5-10 pounds, then my weight might vary from 150-160 pounds so at that point, I will be paying a little more attention to my waist size. I would probably try to get to a 31-32 inch waist then. That is probably ideal for me.

It is probably 6 months before that happens, so in the meantime, I don't really bother with refining the target now. I will look at the measurements again when I reach 160 and maybe seek the advice of a fitness professional that will help me pinpoint an ideal.

adventuring

Some people use waist size as a good barometer. I am so far away from ideal that I just play it day by day. Just to give you an idea of my measurements. So I am 5'9" and about 185 pounds with little muscle. According to BMI tables, I should be about 150-160 pounds. I have a medium sized frame. So I am targeting a weight of 155 which is a 30 pound loss. Each 5 pounds is equivalent on my body of an inch around my waist. So I am guessing that at 155, I will have a 33 inch waist (I have 39 inches now). The waist size becomes a proxy for fat percentage. I think at goal numbers I will be roughly 15% fat. I am told less (like 10%) is still better but I would like to just reach this milestone first.

The only major variable for me is if I am able to build additional muscle, say 5-10 pounds, then my weight might vary from 150-160 pounds so at that point, I will be paying a little more attention to my waist size. I would probably try to get to a 31-32 inch waist then. That is probably ideal for me.

It is probably 6 months before that happens, so in the meantime, I don't really bother with refining the target now. I will look at the measurements again when I reach 160 and maybe seek the advice of a fitness professional that will help me pinpoint an ideal.

Huh. Well, I have a 32" waist at the smallest point and measure 37" around my abdomen. I've lost 7" from my natural waist in 22 pounds. So...

Gah, I give up. I should've paid more attention in math class. What's a good waist size? I have no idea.