Body fat percentage? What's yours?

psuLemon

I am 200 lbs and 12% body fat. Good luck in your recovery. If you want to gain muscle, estimate your TDEE and add 20% and that is what you should aim for along with heavy weight lifting and that should help you gain muscle without too much added fat.

Sarauk2sf

According to this body fat percentage calculator, my BF% is 15.9%.
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

Body Mass Index: 17.2 kg/m2
Waist-to-Height ratio: 0.37
Percent Body Fat: 15.9%
Lean Body Mass: 81.6 lb

I'm 97 pounds, 5'3", anorexic trying to recover.
This is horribly unhealthy.
I'm wondering what's a healthy BF% and weight for someone my height?

I'm not trying to dismiss your ED, but your weight and body fat percentage are within the healthy range, especially if you don't have an enormous frame. I'm only an inch shorter -- 5'2" -- and weighed a lot less than 97 pounds at one point in my life. I don't know what my body fat percentage was because I didn't have a scale that measured it.

Work on developing healthy eating and fitness habits.

You may say that you are not trying to dismiss her ED - but you are ignoring it which is the same thing as dismissing it.

She realizes that this is too low a weight and is trying to ask advice to improve it -not say 'I was OK so you must be'.

OP: as you have already been recommended, and as you already know, you should be increaseing your weight. Your body fat is too low so you should not be looking to decrease it. Remember, women need a higher BF% than guys. As others have commented, a BF% in the high 'teens' is really the lowest you should be looking at. I would suggest that you talk to someone better at dealing with the physical aspects of recovering from an ED, but in my opinion, you should be working on eating a lot more, so you can increase your BF% but also look to build some muscle (but check with a doctor first).

Good luck and huge kudos to you for taking your health in your hands and working to improve it.

fasttrack27

I'm a guy (41 yrs) so my numbers probably dont really matter much, but I recently had 2 different tests done and they came back very close: 16.1% and 16.3%. I'm 5'10" and 165lbs and have a pretty slim build. Like others have said, ladies should have a higher % than guys. Best wishes on your journey to recovery!

3laine75

you really don't want to decrease your BF% anymore. if it makes you feel better concentate on adding healthy fats from nuts, avacadoes, eggs etc to your diet.

moe5474

As someone who struggled with anorexia and then with bingeing as I recovered, I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to hear that you are seeking help and are working towards bettering your health. It is such a dark, lonely place and you're right, it's not necessarily the weight or your physical condition that's as bad as where you are mentally and emotionally.

You'll get there. It takes time. It took me 3 years total to overcome everything and I just recently came to a happy place with my eating issues. I'm on here to try to tone up, but I do have to be careful with how stringent I am with counting calories or I could see myself slipping back into a bad place.

Slowly increase your food intake and begin with enjoyable exercise like walking. Do whatever you *enjoy* so that it doesn't feel like exercise and therefore you aren't thinking about your calories being burned the whole time.

Then as you feel comfortable add weight training which is good for building muscle.

One day at a time....you'll get there Just hang in there and don't lose sight of recovering even if you slip or falter. You can do it!!

mfpcopine

I'm a guy (41 yrs) so my numbers probably dont really matter much, but I recently had 2 different tests done and they came back very close: 16.1% and 16.3%. I'm 5'10" and 165lbs and have a pretty slim build. Like others have said, ladies should have a higher % than guys. Best wishes on your journey to recovery!

15% is fine. I'm not saying she should go lower. Someone posted a link with photos showing what people, men, and women, look like at various body fat %s.

Sarauk2sf

I'm a guy (41 yrs) so my numbers probably dont really matter much, but I recently had 2 different tests done and they came back very close: 16.1% and 16.3%. I'm 5'10" and 165lbs and have a pretty slim build. Like others have said, ladies should have a higher % than guys. Best wishes on your journey to recovery!

15% is fine. I'm not saying she should go lower. Someone posted a link with photos showing what people, men, and women, look like at various body fat %s.

IT IS NOT FINE for her.

mfpcopine

You may say that you are not trying to dismiss her ED - but you are ignoring it which is the same thing as dismissing it.

She realizes that this is too low a weight and is trying to ask advice to improve it -not say 'I was OK so you must be'.

I didn't ignore or dismiss it. I responded to her overstatement that 15% bf and 97 pounds at her height was "horribly unhealthy." I suggested she work on eating and fitness. Her ED is something for her to work on with an expert. That's so obvious I didn't feel I had to mention it.

Distorting the facts doesn't help. I'm tired of everyone with an ED agenda looking for a reason to be offended. Not everyone on this board has an ED. Treating everyone as if they are a patient instead of responding as if they're people who have to deal with challenges in the real world is the better approach in my opinion.

pullipgirl

I'm 5'6.5 and at 20-21%

laceylou0702

I started at 42.8 on 3/5/12 today I"m down to 38.5% & I am so proud of that!

dolldreams

Mine is super high like 40%. I think I belong in the Artic or something. Maybe I am part penguin. I don't feel that fatty and I have muscle definition in my arms and legs and no back fat rolls any more. I think I am storing the bulk of this fat in my abdomen but even that's not protruding much any more so I think it's really deep fat or something.

I have no idea what fat % I will be at when I reach my goal weight because I never took a fat percentage when I was at normal weights.

Good luck to you with your recovery. Just keep asking questions and learning all you can.

qtiekiki

You may say that you are not trying to dismiss her ED - but you are ignoring it which is the same thing as dismissing it.

She realizes that this is too low a weight and is trying to ask advice to improve it -not say 'I was OK so you must be'.

I didn't ignore or dismiss it. I responded to her overstatement that 15% bf and 97 pounds at her height was "horribly unhealthy." I suggested she work on eating and fitness. Her ED is something for her to work on with an expert. That's so obvious I didn't feel I had to mention it.

Distorting the facts doesn't help. I'm tired of everyone with an ED agenda looking for a reason to be offended. Not everyone on this board has an ED. Treating everyone as if they are a patient instead of responding as if they're people who have to deal with challenges in the real world is the better approach in my opinion.

97lbs at 5'3" is pretty unhealthy. The healthy BMI range starts at 106lbs, and I do believe that in this case that BMI is useful.

SassetG

Body Mass Index: 27.9 kg/m2
Waist-to-Height ratio: 0.47
Percent Body Fat: 29.6%
Lean Body Mass: 114.1 lb

Your BMI is greater than normal, but your waist-to-height ratio is normal.
You may be overweight or have unusual mass distribution.
Your diet should contain at least 72 grams of protein per day.

I would consider myself average

Sarauk2sf

You may say that you are not trying to dismiss her ED - but you are ignoring it which is the same thing as dismissing it.

She realizes that this is too low a weight and is trying to ask advice to improve it -not say 'I was OK so you must be'.

I didn't ignore or dismiss it. I responded to her overstatement that 15% bf and 97 pounds at her height was "horribly unhealthy." I suggested she work on eating and fitness. Her ED is something for her to work on with an expert. That's so obvious I didn't feel I had to mention it.

Distorting the facts doesn't help. I'm tired of everyone with an ED agenda looking for a reason to be offended. Not everyone on this board has an ED. Treating everyone as if they are a patient instead of responding as if they're people who have to deal with challenges in the real world is the better approach in my opinion.

I do not and never have had an ED - so what on earth are you talking about.

When someone asks advice, you CANNOT ignore the fact that they have an ED.

MsNewBooty83

height-5'7
body weight-155lbs
lean body mass-121.5lbs(78.4%)
fat mass-33.5lbs(21.6%)
BMR-1730

BMR according to MFP-1464

im in healthy range

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I'm a guy (41 yrs) so my numbers probably dont really matter much, but I recently had 2 different tests done and they came back very close: 16.1% and 16.3%. I'm 5'10" and 165lbs and have a pretty slim build. Like others have said, ladies should have a higher % than guys. Best wishes on your journey to recovery!

15% is fine. I'm not saying she should go lower. Someone posted a link with photos showing what people, men, and women, look like at various body fat %s.

a picture of what someone LOOKS like at that BF% means nothing. If your reproductive system is completely out of whack because of low BF% you can't see it by looking at the person.

mfpcopine

I'm a guy (41 yrs) so my numbers probably dont really matter much, but I recently had 2 different tests done and they came back very close: 16.1% and 16.3%. I'm 5'10" and 165lbs and have a pretty slim build. Like others have said, ladies should have a higher % than guys. Best wishes on your journey to recovery!

15% is fine. I'm not saying she should go lower. Someone posted a link with photos showing what people, men, and women, look like at various body fat %s.

a picture of what someone LOOKS like at that BF% means nothing. If your reproductive system is completely out of whack because of low BF% you can't see it by looking at the person.

Many people thought the link was interesting. I don't know why you feel qualified to make blanket statements about someone you've never met. When I've read about amenorrhea in women athletes, the % has been much lower than 15%.

Sarauk2sf

I'm a guy (41 yrs) so my numbers probably dont really matter much, but I recently had 2 different tests done and they came back very close: 16.1% and 16.3%. I'm 5'10" and 165lbs and have a pretty slim build. Like others have said, ladies should have a higher % than guys. Best wishes on your journey to recovery!

15% is fine. I'm not saying she should go lower. Someone posted a link with photos showing what people, men, and women, look like at various body fat %s.

a picture of what someone LOOKS like at that BF% means nothing. If your reproductive system is completely out of whack because of low BF% you can't see it by looking at the person.

Many people thought the link was interesting. I don't know why you feel qualified to make blanket statements about someone you've never met. When I've read about amenorrhea in women athletes, the % has been much lower than 15%.

You are totally missing the point here.

EDA: I am pretty sure you made a blanket statement by saying her BF% and weight were healthy

neti_call

Your body fat percent is actually not unhealthy, you just need more lean mass so that percent is a healthier body weight. A perfect candidate for strength training and eating as much as you can make yourself. I've heard that most female body builders are former anorexics who trade the compulsion to not eat for gaining as much muscle as possible, so I guess the best thing is to seek help for the issues underlying the compulsion

Nice, tell a recovering anorexic she's not unhealthy.

FitForLife81

I am 5'3" and weigh 110 and my body fat % is 14.7% and I still have my cycle. I have 93% lean muscle mass. I am now working on gaining more muscle but I am happy with where my bf% is....

LovesGG

Hey OP, I would suggest that you don't listen to the people on here telling you that it's okay. I'm very happy that you understand what you need to do. I'm around your height and I was underweight and looked/felt very sick at 104 pounds but I've gained about 11 pounds so far and now I weight 115 lbs (and I'm still going). The difference is amazing! I have muscles, I have energy, under my eyes aren't dark, I don't feel exhausted all the time, my hair and nails grow strong, my skin is glowing, my mental concentration at school is way better. I would say gain a minimum of 10 pounds like they recommended. And the rest is up to you get your body fat % up there and add muscle too. If you need any help, feel free to contact me since we have a somewhat similar height. I'll be more than glad to encourage you with gaining.

madisonsteelex

A weight gain of 10 lbs is about perfect, 107 lbs is healthy for a female of 5'3" but maybe try to gain closer to 15 just to make sure you're well within the healthy range

smae1980

I'm 5'4 and currently 127 lbs, 22% body fat (according to my scale). I'd like to get down to about 115lbs and 20% body fat. I am very small framed and tend to carry my extra weight disproportionately so I want to get my body fat as low as possible while still keeping in the healthy range. I lift or do resistance training several times per week, in addition to cardio and I think at 115lbs I'll have a comparable body fat percentage to when I was 105lbs, but didn't workout (years ago pre child) and look better and feel better and be healthier than I was then. That is,after all, the ultimate goal, right? Good luck on your journey and I'm glad you have made steps in the right direction to becoming healthier and happier

solarpower03

Male - body fat nearly 12% though I still have a little bit of fat on my lower belly and back.

graelwyn

My bodyfat is 15.8 according to the fat 2 fit radio Military Body Fat Calculation.

Yet it is 25% according to their normal calculator, and even changing all the measurements made no difference, so I do not trust their regular fat calculator which claimed someone of 5'10 with a 23 inch waist and 33 inch hips and 100 Ibs would be 25% bodyfat lol.

I am 5'10 and 125/126 Ibs. Bmi is around 18.2/3


Good luck with recovery, having suffered with on/off EDs for the last 24 years, I truly hope you get a grip on this and do not end up so caught in the web that you cannot untangle yourself. It is such a waste of life and happiness, to be honest. I would make your goal getting as healthy and fit as you can, and putting your focus in that direction, which is much better than striving to be a low number. I only wish I was finding it easy to follow my own suggestion, lol.

Lolli1986

Good on you and great work in recovering so far already.

With a normal body frame (which is sounds like you have) a weight of about 107 will get you into the healthy BMI range - so you are half way there. That is a big achievement and I urge you to continue to trust yourself in your knowledge that your current weight isn't healthy.

In regards to body fat % those who have said 15% is healthy are sort of nearly kinda correct. you need a body fat % above 15% to even have a period at all, and you need about 20% to have it regularly. i personally do not understand all the hype around getting below a body fat % of 20% unless you're a competitive athlete. i guess some people find it aesthetically appealing enough to forgo a healthy reproductive system (surely a healthy reproductive system is part of our definition of health?).

Additionally, I have been hospitalised with a serious infection in the past... in case of these events I do like to have a bit of a fat store on me... doesn't need to be much and i am athletic so it will never be much, but i aim to keep it around 20% this time. I was at 16% when this happened and i strongly contest those who think 15% is adequate in that sort of situation. It took me SO long to recover. This very same situation played out a second time, but this time I had 30% body fat. My recovery time was amazing. (granted, 30% is the highest within acceptable range, and i feel that is totally adequate).

I am currently 2 months out from my 3rd surgery and infection. My body fat is 28% and i am at the upper limit of what i am reasonably comfortable with, aesthetically. My fitness has recovered phenomenally quickly.

Fat is an amazing thing in moderation. Keep up your good and hard work!

DangerDiv

Thank you so much for the helpful replies. I can't spend a day without exercising for at least 30 minutes now, so I'd say I'm pretty active most of the week. I think it would be better to raise the % of muscle and decrease the fat, correct?

Hey, just a quick note (I had an ED for a while as a teenager and went to ANAD before undergrad and all that good stuff, so I know what's up, for the most part), be careful with this exercising thing, too. i know a lot of girls in my ANAD group (myself included for a little bit) that were then categorized as bulimics for a while based on exercising.

30 mins a day is good... 7 days a week for someone recovering from an ED is not so good. Talk to your psych/counselor/nutritionist/whoever you've hired to get your through this and double check that what you're doing is ok. The needs I had were VERY different than others.

I would like to think I'm 100% recovered, 'cos now when I think about weight gain, it isn't something I am terrified of, but let me put it this way: I've learned to be ok with fat and letting things go, in general. Make SUREEEEE your 7 days 30 mins thing isn't negating anything you're being taught.

And, for the record, yes... you need to gain weight. If anything, for your own mental stability. Don't worry about these categories of what is ok and what isn't. When I was in recovery, would you believe, I went from 76 lbs to about 145... in MONTHS. and it was cool. it was, like, "whatever, I've been thin, I can def stand to be average for a while.

Now, when I exercise and stuff, I do it 'cos I need to get the hell away from studying all the time. I do it, 'cos I wanna look GOOD, not skinny, just GOOD. I wanna be hot stuff, man. THAT is normal.

But you are super awesome for getting help. Nobody wants a dead friend/family member/etc. So stay up! Keep eating, keep thinking about stuff that ISN'T related to your body, and ease up on the workouts, man. You'll be just fine.

ps- love that i said "quick note" and then I rambled. and ooooooh, girl, I could've kept going, hahahahahhahahha... but alas, I gotta keep working on memorizing stuff for school. if you ever need any help figuring anything out about what you got going on, just hit me up.

Scorpioangel

My body fat is 9.9 to 10%. I am 5'4" 104 pounds and according to my Dr. healthy because of my lean mass

HMVOL7409

Good on you and great work in recovering so far already.

With a normal body frame (which is sounds like you have) a weight of about 107 will get you into the healthy BMI range - so you are half way there. That is a big achievement and I urge you to continue to trust yourself in your knowledge that your current weight isn't healthy.

In regards to body fat % those who have said 15% is healthy are sort of nearly kinda correct. you need a body fat % above 15% to even have a period at all, and you need about 20% to have it regularly. i personally do not understand all the hype around getting below a body fat % of 20% unless you're a competitive athlete. i guess some people find it aesthetically appealing enough to forgo a healthy reproductive system (surely a healthy reproductive system is part of our definition of health?).

Additionally, I have been hospitalised with a serious infection in the past... in case of these events I do like to have a bit of a fat store on me... doesn't need to be much and i am athletic so it will never be much, but i aim to keep it around 20% this time. I was at 16% when this happened and i strongly contest those who think 15% is adequate in that sort of situation. It took me SO long to recover. This very same situation played out a second time, but this time I had 30% body fat. My recovery time was amazing. (granted, 30% is the highest within acceptable range, and i feel that is totally adequate).

I am currently 2 months out from my 3rd surgery and infection. My body fat is 28% and i am at the upper limit of what i am reasonably comfortable with, aesthetically. My fitness has recovered phenomenally quickly.

Fat is an amazing thing in moderation. Keep up your good and hard work!

Before judging those who do monitor their success by their BF %, keep in mind one number doesn't work for everyone. At 19% I have my cycle routinely every month. I've even been as low as 11% when I competed in Figure and still had my regular cycles then as did many of the girls. People can spit numbers out all the time to try and look educated when the fact of the matter is its truly an individual aspect.

Hezzietiger1

I'm 5'2 and my bf% is currently 34%. My goal at this point is 25%. Once I get there, I'll set another goal

Good luck on putting on your 10 lbs. I think your fam and counselor made a great suggestion.