Am I seriously obese? 41% Body Fat

emily_can

The guy sounds like a douche. Don't listen to a douche.

This is good advice in general! Love it!

virichi08

OK, so if at 5'4 and 161lbs u are 41% body fat me, at 5'4 and 196lb i must be like 50% body fat. That doesn't sound right to me.... hmm
and i looked at ur pix u DO NOT look fat. dnt thnk u are in denial at all. and congrats on the weight loss.

taiyola

When I was younger I got tested at a gym and I was in the high 30s. I was overweight though at the same.

I've recently done two tests online - one was 24% and one was again in the high 30s. The one that gave me 24% was probably closest, because it asked for not only my weight, but measurements too.

Although I understand that only callipers(?) can give you a correct answer.

If you look muscular and feel good, what does it really matter?

Sidesteal

Here is me, about 7-8 pounds heavier than I am now:



Maybe my legs or boobs upped the percentage.

What am I supposed to use then? Pay extra, on top of my gym membership, for someone ELSE to calculate it? What is a caliper? I'm just so overwhelmed right now. Really considering complaining to that stupid gym. I've enjoyed their classes so far. But I was so mad at that trainer. Maybe I just can't handle the truth.

You're not 41%. No way.

What should you do? Stop paying that trainer, stop worrying about using bodyfat % as a progress metric and instead choose other metrics such as photos, measurements, weight, how your clothes feel, and gym performance.

skinnyone2012

You can also do your body measurements and get your bmi from that....I do know you can lose weight and still be high in body fat if you are not replacing it with muscle.

Spartan_Maker

My 65-year old, post-menopausal mother is 5'4", 165 lbs., and 38% body fat.

You are in the high-20s in that green tank top photograph, at worst.

aamberrr

I'm pretty sure there's no way you have 41% body fat. I'm pretty sure those machines are the least accurate way of measuring, and it sounds like that guy probably didn't even know what he was doing. You can buy skin fold calipers for pretty cheap (granted, doing it yourself is obviously not as accurate as having a dr or someone do it, but as long as you measure the same way each time, it will give an accurate reading of how much fat you lose over the course of time - I had my fiance do mine and the results seemed very reasonable based on what my body looks like). If you do buy the calipers, this is a good website to help you calculate the percentage:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=sportsmedicine&cdn=health&tm=41&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_p1026.33.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/BodyComp.html

natwen

BMI calculator says your BMI is 27.8 which puts you in the overweight category, not obese. Obese is >30.

br2012

LOL. I used that thing at a vitamin store. It said 32% body fat. A year later, I went back after losing 15 lbs and doing crossfit 4 days a week. I was feeling pretty psyched. It said 35% body fat! I'm 5'3, 109 lbs and feel great. The woman was so shocked and embarrassed. She said menstruation and other things usually make the number falsely lower so she wasnt sure what was wrong. She didnt charge me and sent me to another place that has a BodPod and asked me to let her know how bad her machine was off. BodPod and calipers say 20- 21%. My frend uses her own calipers and comes up with 8% body fat. cannot be that for a woman. Long story short, who cares %. you know when youre on the right track.

KittieLea

Wow, you really don't look obese! I'm 5'2" and got up to 170 at one point and at that time I DID look obese. My BMI was still only 31, but I looked terrible. I think everyone carries their body weight differently. I have a small bone structure so it's very obvious when I get heavier. You might have a bigger bone structure, therefore you carry your weight differently. I think you should get a second opinion! No matter what the tests say, keep doing what you're doing and working towards a healthy lifestyle

mfpcopine

It looks like a device that uses bioimpedance (look it up) to estimate fat and it combines the features of a scale and a hand-held body fat calculator. Although bioimpedance is not the gold standard, your reading may actually be pretty accurate.

Buy a scale that provides a fat percentage reading. Use the reading as a baseline. Try to reduce the percentage over time.

I'm 5'2", weigh 101, and am 20% fat per my Tanita scale, although that measurement is low compared to the "military" formula for determining body fat percentage. So yes, I can believe that you could possibly be 41% fat.

Terryb99

Check around your town for a DEXA body scan. That is now considered the most accurate. Here in the Seattle area, about $100.
Painless, just lay on a table while the scanner moves back and forth over your body.
Mine came with a break down of all my body parts and where the muscle, bone, and fat was.
No way you are 41%

sunshine_gem

Here is me, about 7-8 pounds heavier than I am now:



Maybe my legs or boobs upped the percentage.

What am I supposed to use then? Pay extra, on top of my gym membership, for someone ELSE to calculate it? What is a caliper? I'm just so overwhelmed right now. Really considering complaining to that stupid gym. I've enjoyed their classes so far. But I was so mad at that trainer. Maybe I just can't handle the truth.

Judging from this picture there is NO WAY you are 41% body fat. I'm just under 200lbs at 5'3 and apparently I'm 35% body fat. You have an awesome figure! I have big boobs too so I know the pain but I honestly wouldn't worry too much about your body fat. Check your measurements and just think about how you feel. You are absolutely not obese! Don't worry about it and just keep doing what you're doing because it's obviously working. that trainer seriously sounds like an *kitten*!

mfpcopine

My frend uses her own calipers and comes up with 8% body fat. cannot be that for a woman. Long story short, who cares %. you know when youre on the right track.

Calipers require the most skill to get an accurate reading, which is why most ordinary people don't use them. Bioimpedance isn't perfect, but it's more consistent if you weigh yourself at the same time under the same conditions every time.

bcattoes

It looks like a device that uses bioimpedance (look it up) to estimate fat and it combines the features of a scale and a hand-held body fat calculator. Although bioimpedance is not the gold standard, your reading may actually be pretty accurate.

The thing with bioimpedance is that they will usually measure water as fat, so they can especially be inaccurate for women, who tend to retain water more than men.

Also, boobs may contain a good amount of fat but they are not all fat. They are also mammary glands. They amount of actual fat can vary greatly.

FlaxMilk

Do you need to pay someone else to get your body fat? Do you need to know it for some reason? I haven't calculated your numbers, but based on the picture you posted, I'm surprised you'd even be classified as overweight. You look awesome-unless your doctor is worried about your body fat or you need to know for some reason, I'd let it be and keep doing what you are doing. If you find you aren't getting stronger or are losing muscle tone, you may need to eat more though.

mfpcopine

Check around your town for a DEXA body scan.

Good idea.

emuhawk

It looks like a device that uses bioimpedance (look it up) to estimate fat and it combines the features of a scale and a hand-held body fat calculator. Although bioimpedance is not the gold standard, your reading may actually be pretty accurate.

Buy a scale that provides a fat percentage reading. Use the reading as a baseline. Try to reduce the percentage over time.

I'm 5'2", weigh 101, and am 20% fat per my Tanita scale, although that measurement is low compared to the "military" formula for determining body fat percentage. So yes, I can believe that you could possibly be 41% fat.

I'm glad you've had good results with the Tanita scale, but I always throw in my two cents when I see people talking about this particular brand - mine has said that I am about 33% (varying by 1% depending on the day) for as long as I have owned it (years and years). This is while I was deathly ill and weighed about 135-140, when I got better and ended up overweight at 180, and right now, when I'm in the middle of my healthy weight range at 150 and building muscle/losing inches all over. I suppose it is somehow possible that my bf% has stayed the same through all that weight and muscle fluctuation, but I really doubt it. I just don't want people to get discouraged if they have one of those scales and the number doesn't change, because it may mean that it just doesn't work correctly for you.

mfpcopine

Do you need to pay someone else to get your body fat?

Body fat percentage is a basic marker of health and one's fitness progress. It is as, if not more, important than the gross weight number on the scale.

ShifuYaku

Trust me, you are only 2 inches taller than me. According to doctor's healthy standards, you and I are obese. Which is insane. I'm 188, 5'2'', and I don't think I look obese, but it's the correct term to be used. Anyway, if you feel healthy now, don't kill yourself trying to get to a healthy body fat percentage. Just keep losing like you normally do.