Women: Something to Consider Regarding BF%

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  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
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    25 - 40% body fat on most women is extremely appealing to most men... Myself included... Less than that and it is not good as was mentioned for reproductive health and it really isn't as appealing to most men either...
    Thank you for clarifyng this. I will now reassess my goals so my body can be appealing to most men. Maybe then, someone will finally marry me and my grandmother won't think i'm a failure anymore.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    very interesting topic....i recently just hit 20% BF, started at around 27%. I don't plan on going any lower than this as I am pretty happy in my skin right now. I am wondering though, if I am on the pill, would I even notice any irregularities in my menstrual cycle? How am I supposed to know if my current BF % is too low for me? Is there seomthing I should be testing (some kind of blood analysis or something)?

    Your GYN can test your estrogen levels with a simple blood test.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    very interesting topic....i recently just hit 20% BF, started at around 27%. I don't plan on going any lower than this as I am pretty happy in my skin right now. I am wondering though, if I am on the pill, would I even notice any irregularities in my menstrual cycle? How am I supposed to know if my current BF % is too low for me? Is there seomthing I should be testing (some kind of blood analysis or something)?

    Your GYN can test your estrogen levels with a simple blood test.

    It wouldn't be accurate if she's taking a hormonal BC pill that contains estrogen.
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
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    This is scary to me because I have always had this incessant fear that I would not be fertile when it came time to have children with my husband. This is fueling it even more. Ahhh.

    I am currently at 25% body fat and originally I wanted to get down to 18. Maybe I will readjust and make it so that I don't go below 22. My husband and I definitely want to have kids someday and I would be devastated if I ruined the chances of that because I wanted six pack abs and 18% body fat at the time.

    Thanks for the post, OP.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    very interesting topic....i recently just hit 20% BF, started at around 27%. I don't plan on going any lower than this as I am pretty happy in my skin right now. I am wondering though, if I am on the pill, would I even notice any irregularities in my menstrual cycle? How am I supposed to know if my current BF % is too low for me? Is there seomthing I should be testing (some kind of blood analysis or something)?

    Your GYN can test your estrogen levels with a simple blood test.

    It wouldn't be accurate if she's taking a hormonal BC pill that contains estrogen.

    Oh, that makes sense. The things you forget when you haven't had to worry about that for a few years. :ohwell:
  • Admiral_Derp
    Admiral_Derp Posts: 866 Member
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    Saw this the other day on another thread. Seemed apropos:
    ideal-body-fat-chart-ace.jpg

    http://www.acefitness.org/
  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
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    thanks! :-)
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    25 - 40% body fat on most women is extremely appealing to most men... Myself included... Less than that and it is not good as was mentioned for reproductive health and it really isn't as appealing to most men either...
    Thank you for clarifyng this. I will now reassess my goals so my body can be appealing to most men. Maybe then, someone will finally marry me and my grandmother won't think i'm a failure anymore.

    Funny, I think I've heard one negative to about a thousand positives from men when it comes to my current look.

    With respect to the OP, I am sorry you are struggling so, and it does cause me to want to research further.
    I am not concerned with fertility (I'm done having kids), and my cycles are bang on 28 days (almost to the hour). For the first time in my life, they're manageable and don't keep me in bed for a week because I'm flowing so heavy I can't even go to work.

    But if there are other damages that could pose problematic, I'd like to know them.

    When I went for my last physical, my doc didn't express any concerns.. so I'm hoping she knows a bit too.

    And I believe I am around 17% if not lower now (based on clear ab definition)
  • sandradev1
    sandradev1 Posts: 786 Member
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    I changed my goal from being a scale weight to being 25% body fat. I am also heavy lifting to ensure that as well as keeping my muscles as I grow older, they will be more dense and therefore stronger.

    I am just a short way off my goal, but am already in the size clothes I wanted to be in and am happy with my body shape. I little more toning and loss of body fat and I am done and staying there this time. :laugh:
  • heatherloveslifting
    heatherloveslifting Posts: 1,428 Member
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    It's actually an interesting read. I've been seeing a nutritionist who has worked in the business for 30 years. His wife is 9% body fat and still regularly menstruates and has had no other health issues. I am working on lowering my body fat now - currently he's measuring me at 16.5%, and I am on a regular 45 day cycle. It's funny, when I was at 22% during the start, I did not get regular menstrual cycles. Once I dropped down to 18% body fat, BAM, regular cycles of 45 days. Maybe it's different for everyone?

    How are you being tested?

    Was wondering this as well. A 45 day cycle is extremely long and you may not be ovulating.

    And thank you OP. I think if you stop menstruating it is a sign that your body fat might be too low for optimal health and reproductive fitness. Some women may value health over aesthetics and be unaware of this. Historically I stop menstruating if I go below around 19%, which even my doctor commented is not *that* thin.
  • GBOGH_5
    GBOGH_5 Posts: 174 Member
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    Interesting read. I'm sitting at about 17% BF and lost my period about 9 months ago. Saw the doc after about 6 months and he actually diagnosed me with PCOS. He said that between the low BF and PCOS, he was not surprised that I was not having a period. Told me that it wasn't doing any harm to not have a period and if I hadn't had one for over a year, they could force my body to have one. Seemed legit to me.
    I had no idea that osteoporosis could be a factor. I'm definitely going to be looking into this.

    FYI, I'm a long distance runner training for a marathon and also do a lot of strength training in order to compete in the mud runs I love (Tough Mudder and Spartans). So while I do understand that my BF % is lower than desirable for men (according to previous post), I will say screw being hot to men in order to accomplish my goals of running and playing in the mud!
  • SarahBeth0625
    SarahBeth0625 Posts: 685 Member
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    LOL, I have a 24 day cycle. But I've been charting on and off for 6+ years (in between having kids) and this has always been my normal. 24 day cycle with 7 day AF. On the pill was the only time it was 28 days.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
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    personally i take this with a grain of salt. As i said, my goal is 16% bf. How can I think 16% bf might be "ok" for me when a study shows it's not? Well, because 16% bf is not the same as 16% bf when one person is barely eating and the other one works out like a beast. This is what I mean:

    10-percent-body-fat-male-pictures1.jpg

    There are other factors to consider than just BF%. If I starve myself until I'm too fatigued to do anything and I am not getting proper nutrition, I wouldn't be surprised if there were negative health consequences.

    but I think a woman who eats well over 1800 calories a day and works out hard can achieve a perfectly healthy 16% bodyfat.

    womenbodyfat1.jpg

    And that's exactly what I intend to do. Weight lifting has shown to be GOOD for your bones:

    http://fitness.holplus.com/Exercise/Powerlifting/The-Hidden-Benefits-For-Women-To-Weight-Lift.html

    So if I eat 1800+ calories a day, I work out like a beast, my bf goes down to 16%, i'm getting proper nutrition, I think that's ok.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Saw this the other day on another thread. Seemed apropos:
    ideal-body-fat-chart-ace.jpg

    http://www.acefitness.org/

    Which so doesn't fit what seems to be healthy for the majority. Personally, I see it as excellent marketing: a woman comes to the gym in the fitness range, wanting to lose fat, so you point her in the athletic direction; already in the athletic range? Well, essential's not impossible... I prefer the WHO one, although I can't find a direct source for it. I understand there is evidence that BF% may not be as to blame for infertility as we think, BUT, with something like that, I think it's better to play safe.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
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    Saw this the other day on another thread. Seemed apropos:
    ideal-body-fat-chart-ace.jpg

    http://www.acefitness.org/

    ^ this is what I follow. I will not go anywhere near essential fat levels. This is why I asked about the one lady whose doctor said his wife was 9% bf. She should be in the hospital.
  • SarahBeth0625
    SarahBeth0625 Posts: 685 Member
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    womenbodyfat1.jpg

    I am very much like the third picture, and I am happy with that. I don't want to be any more muscular. My abs are reeeeeal close to that last pic, and I like to have a tiny bit of softness vs. rock hard all the way through to me.

    I had guessed myself to be around 20%. But I've never been measured.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
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    Saw this the other day on another thread. Seemed apropos:
    ideal-body-fat-chart-ace.jpg

    http://www.acefitness.org/

    Which so doesn't fit what seems to be healthy for the majority. Personally, I see it as excellent marketing: a woman comes to the gym in the fitness range, wanting to lose fat, so you point her in the athletic direction; already in the athletic range? Well, essential's not impossible... I prefer the WHO one, although I can't find a direct source for it. I understand there is evidence that BF% may not be as to blame for infertility as we think, BUT, with something like that, I think it's better to play safe.

    I think you are misunderstanding it. "Essential fat" is the bare minimum to survive. I don't think anyone is pushing women into that range. Its like if you go into that range, it better be temporary and for a competition. Then GTFO.
  • EshaS30
    EshaS30 Posts: 7 Member
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    Bump
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
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    womenbodyfat1.jpg

    I am very much like the third picture, and I am happy with that. I don't want to be any more muscular. My abs are reeeeeal close to that last pic, and I like to have a tiny bit of softness vs. rock hard all the way through to me.

    I had guessed myself to be around 20%. But I've never been measured.

    Good for you! I'm glad you are happy with your body.

    I want to be like the middle pic. I want to have abs that show. I also want to be able to do amazing stuff, so my goals aren't just aesthetic.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    Thanks so much for sharing this info. As a woman who wants a million babies, this is very important to me! :)

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