BMI getting TOO LOW!?

kaity923
kaity923 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I bought a fancy scale that is supposed to tell BMI for fat, water and muscle, I am 5'3 (by a smidgen) and made my profile for "athlete" because I work out a lot! About 120mins of cardio a day, I know its crazy I just love it :) I started at 138 and made my goal weight at 117 because I know it was my most comfortable weight.......NOW fast forward almost 60 days of eating tons of healthy fats, fruits, veggies, brown rice and protein, I am completely off processed foods and diet sodas and 118lbs! I FEEL AWESOME, BUT, suddenly my fancy scale says that my body fat is 17.6 which according to google is underweight!? I am not getting this! I know my underweight WEIGHT is under 105lbs which I am far from, I feel healthy and eat all day long so is there anyone who can shine some light on this for me?

Replies

  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    17.6 would put you in the "athlete" range. It's not unhealthy at all, but you probably don't need to go much lower.

    I'm 5'4", 129 pounds, and 20% body fat. My goal is 18%.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    The scales are notoriously inaccurate. Mine claims I have 18.1% body fat. Various online calculators that use measurements put me at 26-28%, which seems closer to reality.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    A scale can't accurately measure body fat. Don't sweat it. You feel great and that's what counts.
  • potluck965
    potluck965 Posts: 529 Member
    Don't let Google tell you how you are supposed to feel ;)
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    BMI =/= body fat %

    As said, those scales can be inaccurate, but even if correct, 17-18% isnt too low. Congrats on dropping the weight and lowering your BF%, that's a great job.
  • neacail
    neacail Posts: 228 Member
    Body fat and BMI are two separate things. A BMI of 17 would be too low, but body fat of 17% isn't. :smile:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    If a woman drops her total body fat too low it can cause problems, but since it's a percentage, 17.6 is not overly low if you also have a bit of muscle. If you are still having regular periods and not experiencing any medical problems you are likely fine. If you are concerned or start experiencing issues, check with your doctor.
  • demorelli
    demorelli Posts: 508 Member
    The fancy scales are NOT going to give you the right numbers! I got one that read my body fat at 33% during the time that I was in body sculpting got professionally tested at 22%.
  • kaity923
    kaity923 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you ALL! :)
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    BF% 0f 17.6?
    BMI - which is completely worthless, but what the hell... - of 20.9?


    Sounds pretty damn perfect, if you ask me. Which, you kinda did by posting the topic. :happy:

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