Body Fat %

mylove0mylife

I used that machine thing at the gym to see what my body fat percentage was. Wasn't too happy about it, ah well.

Height: 5'5''
Weight: 241
Body Fat %: 44.4%
BMI: 41

Now...my question is, how often should I check that while losing weight? My husband says every time I go to the gym ,but I'm worried that won't show me a change (I try to go to the gym 3 - 5 times a week). I think once a month.

Also, what SHOULD my Body Fat % be? My goal weight right now is about 150 - 160 lbs. I know the BMI chart thing says I should be 120 - 140, but in my head that just seems awkwardly small since I've never been that size, so once I hit 150 - 160 I'm going to see how I feel about myself, and determine if I want to continue to lose weight.

SideSteel

I used that machine thing at the gym to see what my body fat percentage was. Wasn't too happy about it, ah well.

Height: 5'5''
Weight: 241
Body Fat %: 44.4%
BMI: 41

Now...my question is, how often should I check that while losing weight? My husband says every time I go to the gym ,but I'm worried that won't show me a change (I try to go to the gym 3 - 5 times a week). I think once a month.

Once per month is reasonable. I absolutely wouldn't check every time you go to the gym. That's silly.

Also, what SHOULD my Body Fat % be?

I would set a physique goal and try to hit that. Some people are quite content in the mid 20's, some people want mid teens, etc. Entirely personal preference. Here's a visual reference.

http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

so once I hit 150 - 160 I'm going to see how I feel about myself, and determine if I want to continue to lose weight.

^ Do that.

mylove0mylife

Yeah, that's what I said about the every time. My husband just thought it'd be interesting, but I think I'd be disappointed when I didn't see it change.

Thanks for that website. Based off the pictures, I think I like the 20% - 22% and the 25% ones the most. That's half my body fat %, so that shouldn't be too bad. If my math is correct I should be able to get down that much by losing the 88 - 98 lbs I want to lose total.

Thanks. : )

Lisamba09

Hey girl
Most if not all of the guym bodyfat calculators do not show the proper bodyfat percentage.

My trainer kept using a calipher on me while I was trying to lose fat/gain muscle and it kept hovering around 33%.
My Dr poo-pooed him and said "go get a real one".
So I called the local hospital who hook you up to electronic wires from head to toe...my bodyfat was 2.5% lower than the calipher method and 9% lower than the weight machine you stand on
My recommendation is that if you want accurate...you need to have a REAL bodyfat % done
Lisa

Lady_Bane

Please don't go off those machines, if you want a more accurate measurement, do the tape measure (hips, arms, neck, waist etc) http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html
or do the underwater BF calculator, but that is only done by specialists.

Yeah, the machines at the gyms say Im 21.3%. Had it done professionally and its 18.5%

SideSteel

Yeah, that's what I said about the every time. My husband just thought it'd be interesting, but I think I'd be disappointed when I didn't see it change.

This is exactly why you shouldn't do it. It can be demotivating to not see change.

This is also why you should use multiple metrics because sometimes one metric will show zero progress but a different metric will show progress. Progress reinforces your good behaviors.

You should have several metrics such as:
Bodyweight
Gym performance
Clothing fit
Mirror
Photographs
Measurements
etc

Thanks for that website. Based off the pictures, I think I like the 20% - 22% and the 25% ones the most. That's half my body fat %, so that shouldn't be too bad. If my math is correct I should be able to get down that much by losing the 88 - 98 lbs I want to lose total.

Thanks. : )

Keep in mind that unless you're really lifting weights and have your nutrition dialed in, you should expect LBM losses while dieting (I'd argue that you'll have them regardless but the previously mentioned things will minimize them). When you do your calculation it's not going to be reasonable to assume weight loss will be all fat mass. I didn't check your math, just mentioning it so you don't misunderstand why your end weight might not produce the body composition you had intended.

geekyjock76

What machine? The Omron handheld BIA device? A few things about those:

1)the electric current enters one hand, travels up the shoulder and across the other and exits out the opposite hand - ie follows the path of least resistance. In other words, it completely bypasses your lower body which is where most women store their body fat.
2)they have an error range from 2-10%.
3)they overestimate body fat on very lean persons and underestimate on very overweight persons. This means, at an initial reading of 44.4%, or 107 lbs of body fat, you could realistically be carrying +(-)10.7 lbs - for you, it's closer to +10.7 lbs. Thus, your lean body mass is likely 120.3 lbs instead of 131 lbs.
4)they are very sensitive to water retention and body temperature - thus, ensure you are equally hydrated prior to each assessment.

With that said, because the range of error is so large compared to the rate of fat loss, I would only use these every 3 months.

mylove0mylife

Lisamba09: I don't know if I can afford to get a real one done. : ( But I'll keep that in mind.

ladimang: I did the measurements as well, the ones you can log on here at least. I just used that sight and based off my measurements and what not it says I'm at a 59.0% Body Fat % with 98.8 lb lean body mass.

SideSteel: I'm basing it off weight, how I feel, looks, pants size, and body fat %. Just want to be healthy, just interested to know the rest as well.

Also, usually what I do is walk 2 x a day, 5 - 6x a week for 20 - 30 minutes each and do leg and arm exercises 2 - 3x a week to help tone. I also do yoga 1 - 3x a week, depending on my mood. I'm not trying to build muscle, I just don't want to be saggy when I lose weight, so I figured if I tone a little I'll get a bit stronger, and hopefully tighten my skin as I go.

geekyjock76: I think that's what it's called. I used the website ladimang gave me and it said I'm probably at 59.0%, so a 14.6% error rating if that's true.

nicleed

thanks for the links to those pics - I agree, it's a good visual aid.

Especially the bloke with 10-12 percent body fat.

Yum

elizak87

Hey there. I use the scales at my gym too for my body fat percentage. I use it every six weeks, same time as I do my measurements. The wait is hard but the results are worth it. I went from 42.6 to 36.3. I would love to be at 31% by Christmas. I am almost at my goal weight but still look flabby because my body fat is high. I want to focus on that rather than weight for now.