Acceptable Body Fat %
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Had to add this - I don't believe that those women's thighs aren't touching, especially at 45%. Mine still touch (barely, but they do) and I am at 22%.
The thighs touching has more to do with hip and joint alignment then with the amount of fat one has. That being said at that level of fat you would think anyone's would touch, but it could be that they are standing with their feet further apart ???
I know. I was just thinking it was funny because I swear when I had 56% body fat, my thighs touched all the way down to my knees lol
Mine touched down to my knees at 42% body fat. They still touch down to mid-thigh at 31%.0 -
Interesting you post this, as I was just going to start a thread.
Here's an image of males at different levels of body fat %.
And one for females.
Here's a chart of body fat % for males and females.
Edit: I started at 20, am at 14.5 (both by Tanita) and am thinking of 10%-12%.
this is pretty awesome to see illustrated. thanks for posting.
i am at 31% and am shooting for 20% right now.
i think 20% is acceptable for a guy, but it doesn't hurt to aim for lower since you've reached you goal, maybe shoot for 15% and see how you feel when you get to that point0 -
What I would like to know is how you measure your body fat % yourself? Wouldn't you have to go to a doctor frequently to know the changes in that?
There are various formulas that estimate body fat based on weight and various other measurements like waist, hip, neck, or wrist circumferences. I'm sure these are less accurate than the caliber measurements or the hydrostatic weighing, but give a pretty good idea. (Of course, the further a person is away from average, the less accurate these probably are. I'm sure they are useless for a man approaching 10% body fat.)
Here's a simple one: http://www.healthyforms.com/helpful-tools/body-fat-percentage.php0 -
Army says 26%, so that is where I am headed. I want to get my body weight down and get the percentage lower, but right now thats my goal. I would love to go into a weigh in without worrying about the tape!0
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Omron scanner says I am around 17-18%, which I think is correct based on the mirror.
My goal is 15%. That seems reasonable and maintainable...0 -
Mine thighs still touch at apparently 19%.0
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Without really wanted it, mine is lower to 6% - now i'll try to maintain it. I think though under 8% is useless and don't that good looking (I've more visible veins than hairs)
Here is a 8-9% body fat : awesome :smokin:
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I started at 30-32%, I'm currently around 18 or so and I'd like to hit somewhere between 14-16%. I think 14% might be a bit on the low end for me, but that range is my target.0
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Had to add this - I don't believe that those women's thighs aren't touching, especially at 45%. Mine still touch (barely, but they do) and I am at 22%.Interesting you post this, as I was just going to start a thread.
Here's an image of males at different levels of body fat %.
And one for females.
Here's a chart of body fat % for males and females.
Edit: I started at 20, am at 14.5 (both by Tanita) and am thinking of 10%-12%.
That is exactly what I thought when I first saw that picture0 -
I got down to 18% in November am probably up to 19 or 20% now and would like to be at around 13 - 15% to compete.0
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I'm 17-18% atm, looking for a 14-15% for summer and the 10k race season. I always end up on a bulk in the fall so it won't stay that low for the entire year, just nice to have some absicles, ohhhyeaaaah. *kool-aid man voice* lol0
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It all depends on your age and gender and what your personal goals are. Here is a website with charts for both men and women based on age. http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/ Personally, I'm a 37 year old female and 21.2%. Once I found out that I was in the "lean" range it helped me be comfortable with my weight knowing that the bulk of it was muscle as opposed to fat.0
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I'm around 20%. 14-16% would be awesome, but honestly, I'd settle for 18%.0
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Omron has me at 27.7% as of last week. I started at 30.1% in early January 2012. I'd like to get down to 20-22% and then decide once I'm there if I'd like to go lower.0
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I am 41%. I was 51% and went down from lifting weights at the gym. I was so amazed that I worried about the accuracy of my Tanita scale and so I went and had hydrostatic weighing..bod pod. Yes, the scale was accurate. I would love to just get to normal range for women..I think that would be 22%. A little soft padding on women seems like a good thing. (I see a lot of naked women at the gym.)0
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I'm at 28% and would like to see a 19% bf, and then maintain that, being able to drop a few % if a shirtless vacation is coming up.0
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My goal is... don't care. I'm happy where I am. I was happy when I weighed a little more. I'll be happy if I get leaner. I refuse to let any number - my age, my size, my weight, my bf% - dictate any facet of my life.
Acceptable in a partner is... also don't care. I love him. If his weight interferes with his quality of life, I'll nag him about it, but it's not something that's ever going to be a deal breaker.0 -
I was 33% (a good portion of that is my chest UGH) and after 1.5 months of hard work (Zumba, running, Gazelle Glider, weight training and diet) I lost 3% and am down to 30%.
My goal is 22-25%
Keeping at it...I'll get there!0 -
It is seeming more and more that <15 and being athletic is the acceptable body fat percentage of people. Part ii of my journey is about to begin in a couple months.
You're very much acceptable right now...:flowerforyou:
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no less than 7%, no more than 11%, in my opinion
curently 9%?0 -
That is exactly what I thought when I first saw that picture
When I first saw the picture, I thought the 30% guy had an enormous package. :blushing:0 -
How do you log your Gazelle in your exercise? I log it as elliptical but i'm pretty sure that's wrong...0
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I'm at 21.8 according to an online calculator.
I want to be no more than 18 at LEAST.0 -
I also noticed that the packages seemed to get smaller along with the body fat %That is exactly what I thought when I first saw that picture
When I first saw the picture, I thought the 30% guy had an enormous package. :blushing:0 -
Okay, so here are some real-world results from my Tanita. I started using the BFFM program combined with P90X2 on Christmas Day. I weighed 188 lbs. My Tanita said I was 23.5% body fat. Now, two months later, I weigh 172 lbs, for a loss of 16 lbs. My Tanita this morning said my body fat is 21%.
Patently, the Tanita is full of crap. I've lost 16 lbs from a total of 188 lbs, or over 8% of my total body weight. Assuming the Tanita was correct at 23.5% initially, that meant I had 44 lbs of fat and 143 lbs of lean mass. Now I have 44 - 16, or 28 lbs of fat from a total of 172 and we'll assume my lean has not increased, so my body fat percentage is about 16%. However, the Tanita consistently puts me at 20% - 22%.
Empirically, the Tanita is not even close to accurate, so don't put any faith into what it is telling you. Use calipers!0 -
Okay, so here are some real-world results from my Tanita. I started using the BFFM program combined with P90X2 on Christmas Day. I weighed 188 lbs. My Tanita said I was 23.5% body fat. Now, two months later, I weigh 172 lbs, for a loss of 16 lbs. My Tanita this morning said my body fat is 21%.
Patently, the Tanita is full of crap. I've lost 16 lbs from a total of 188 lbs, or over 8% of my total body weight. Assuming the Tanita was correct at 23.5% initially, that meant I had 44 lbs of fat and 143 lbs of lean mass. Now I have 44 - 16, or 28 lbs of fat from a total of 172 and we'll assume my lean has not increased, so my body fat percentage is about 16%. However, the Tanita consistently puts me at 20% - 22%.
Empirically, the Tanita is not even close to accurate, so don't put any faith into what it is telling you. Use calipers!
When in a caloric deficit (losing weight) you will lose lean mass as well as fat, so if your deficit was quite large a large % of your lose could be from lean mass (not all muscle but some of the lean mass would be muscle lost). I am not saying your device is right, just that not 100% of your loss would have been from fat, so if the 23.5% was right you may be inthe 17-19% range, as again not all the weight you would have lose would have come from fat.0 -
Okay, so here are some real-world results from my Tanita. I started using the BFFM program combined with P90X2 on Christmas Day. I weighed 188 lbs. My Tanita said I was 23.5% body fat. Now, two months later, I weigh 172 lbs, for a loss of 16 lbs. My Tanita this morning said my body fat is 21%.
Patently, the Tanita is full of crap. I've lost 16 lbs from a total of 188 lbs, or over 8% of my total body weight. Assuming the Tanita was correct at 23.5% initially, that meant I had 44 lbs of fat and 143 lbs of lean mass. Now I have 44 - 16, or 28 lbs of fat from a total of 172 and we'll assume my lean has not increased, so my body fat percentage is about 16%. However, the Tanita consistently puts me at 20% - 22%.
Empirically, the Tanita is not even close to accurate, so don't put any faith into what it is telling you. Use calipers!
Do you see yourself closer to the 20% image or the 15% image that I posted on the first page of this thread.
According to your numbers, you lost 16 pounds, 8 from fat, 8 from lean.
When I went from 205 to 175 I went from 20% to 14.5%: a loss of 30 pounds, 16 from fat, 14 from lean.
Realize when you lose weight at the start, much may be water, and water weighs "a pound a pint".0 -
Sometime in April after I finish my first round of P90X2, I plan to get dunked and get a more accurate BF% than I'm getting with Calipers now.
Would like to be sub 10%. Calipers have me around 8% which I just can't be right.
Tim
Get DEXA scan or Body pod. DEXA is most accurate and body pod is as accurate at water displacement. Both are WAY more pleasant than water. *shudder* I HATED it.0 -
No, according the TANITA's numbers, I lost 8 lbs of fat and 8 lbs of lean. My point is that the Tanita is wildly inaccurate measuring body fat. I strength train 5 days a week, and monitor my diet closely. The 16lbs I lost are almost all fat, and my calipers bear it out, putting me at 17%.
Also, if Tanita was truly measuring my body fat why does it want to know how tall I am? No caliper equation cares about your height, just the skinfold measurements. I think it is establishing a BF percentage based on BMI, and then nudging it up or down by the impedence it reads. If you're muscular, you naturally have a high BMI and therefore the Tanita pigeonholes you near 20%.0 -
No, according the TANITA's numbers, I lost 8 lbs of fat and 8 lbs of lean. My point is that the Tanita is wildly inaccurate measuring body fat. I strength train 5 days a week, and monitor my diet closely. The 16lbs I lost are almost all fat, and my calipers bear it out, putting me at 17%.
What did the calipers say at the start?Also, if Tanita was truly measuring my body fat why does it want to know how tall I am?
It's using bioelectrical impedance, so height is used as it's easier to use than a foot/wrist measurement.0
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