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what is your body fat %?

jackieatx
jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm trying to get a handle on what different body fat percentages look like (especially for women) because it seems the body fat charts I've seen are rather off. According to ones I've seen I would have been obese at 156 pounds at 32%- yeah, I was overweight.. not obese. Now I'm at 28.7% at 149- "average"- and I still look very loose in the bum and tummy areas.

Replies

  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    And the body fat calculators online are always off for me.. according to them I should be around 20%.. which is definitely not true.
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
    I had mine tested with one of those hand-held things earlier this year before participating in a study here on campus. It was 24.4%.

    I'd like to start tracking it now that I'm working out again. I'd probably just buy myself one of the cheap calipers, though.
  • jaznsusan
    jaznsusan Posts: 9 Member
    When I've been measured at the gym I've always been between 21 to 25. I'd love to hit 20 and stay there. :)
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    When I started working out again almost two weeks ago I was 40.7%, now I am 36.1 and would like to get to 25%
  • mortyfit
    mortyfit Posts: 354 Member
    Navy limit is 21% for me and I was right on the edge two years ago when I started running. Down to just under 15% now (by my body-fat scale at home), 13% by Navy calculation. I don't really know what my actual percentage is because like was already mentioned above, I don't buy the whole "calculator" thing. But here on base we have a "Bod Pod" at the Wellness Center, I think I'm going to make an appointment and see what it says--if you've never seen one, these things are really cool!
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    When I've been measured at the gym I've always been between 21 to 25. I'd love to hit 20 and stay there. :)

    Right?! Me too, but I was shooting for around 26%, because anything lower seems unattainable for me.. I'm not really sure how much fat you should have on your body.. I am guessing what looks best?
  • 13inchestogo
    13inchestogo Posts: 296 Member
    I am, according to my scale which I know people find are inaccurate, 28 percent too. I really want to be measured with the body calipur to actually find out. I am aiming for 20 percent because at 20 percent I felt really great.
  • kalynn06
    kalynn06 Posts: 368 Member
    I went from around 31% to 25.6% (by calipers averaged with 2 circumference formulas- all have pretty close results). For the circumference formulas, they are also way off for me if they use the natural waist, because I have a small waist.

    I tend toward getting "skinny fat". At 5'5 141 lbs I wasn't overweight, but I was overfat. Also, my current body fat is, I think, high for my weight of 129 lbs. It is, however moving in the right direction.
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
    I'm 5'3", currently 146 lb., 28.6% body fat. Going down to 120 will put me at 20% I think. We'll see how I feel when I get there.

    I think the term "obese" is misunderstood for the most part. It's a medical term to describe how far from a healthy weight a person is. When we hear that word, we think of the 600+ lb. people who can't get up off their recliners. The state of obesity occurs long before that stage, when being overweight becomes a major health concern and causes complications.

    "Obesity traditionally has been defined as a weight at least 20% above the weight corresponding to the lowest death rate for individuals of a specific height, gender, and age (ideal weight). Twenty to forty percent over ideal weight is considered mildly obese; 40-100% over ideal weight is considered moderately obese; and 100% over ideal weight is considered severely, or morbidly, obese. More recent guidelines for obesity use a measurement called BMI (body mass index) which is the individual's weight multiplied by 703 and then divided by twice the height in inches. BMI of 25.9-29 is considered overweight; BMI over 30 is considered obese."

    Taken from: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/_/dict.aspx?word=obesity
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    Navy limit is 21% for me and I was right on the edge two years ago when I started running. Down to just under 15% now (by my body-fat scale at home), 13% by Navy calculation. I don't really know what my actual percentage is because like was already mentioned above, I don't buy the whole "calculator" thing. But here on base we have a "Bod Pod" at the Wellness Center, I think I'm going to make an appointment and see what it says--if you've never seen one, these things are really cool!

    Wow! How did you get down to 15%?
  • gseburn
    gseburn Posts: 456 Member
    My scale tells me 17% right now. I started out at 24%, so it's going the right direction
  • mortyfit
    mortyfit Posts: 354 Member
    Navy limit is 21% for me and I was right on the edge two years ago when I started running. Down to just under 15% now (by my body-fat scale at home), 13% by Navy calculation. I don't really know what my actual percentage is because like was already mentioned above, I don't buy the whole "calculator" thing. But here on base we have a "Bod Pod" at the Wellness Center, I think I'm going to make an appointment and see what it says--if you've never seen one, these things are really cool!

    Wow! How did you get down to 15%?
    Worked out (running primarily) consistently for the first time in my life, and I finally fixed my diet--cut out cholesterol-heavy items, lowered my fat intake, balanced the right nutrients (I track fat, protein, carbs, cholesterol, sodium, and potassium). I've never been above 23% (because that's a Physical Fitness failure on my military record if I do!), so it wasn't a huge drop--but I have definitely noticed a difference in my energy level and I don't feel like I had to make any drastic changes to my diet, really. Just had to get consistent.
  • karensoxfan
    karensoxfan Posts: 902 Member
    I have no idea, and I've given up on trying to find out.

    When I first joined a gym in March after about 10 years of inactivity, the handheld monitor read 35.8% (I'm 5'5" tall, weighed 196.5 lb., and I'm 39). A month later, I measured again after exercising 5x/week for a month, and using the same handheld monitor at the same time of day under the same circumstances (early morning, nothing to eat or drink prior, etc.), it read HIGHER (approx. 38%), and after another month, incorporating weight training into my 5x/week routine, it read HIGHER - AGAIN (approx. 39%), which I know to be scientifically near impossible. So like I said, I've given up on finding out. Even the online calculators using different body measurements give me all different results, so I don't know which one of those to trust, either, and my Dr. doesn't measure it (I asked).

    This post on Nerd Fitness has a lot of photos showing people at different body fat % if that's helpful to you though:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    I have no idea, and I've given up on trying to find out.

    When I first joined a gym in March after about 10 years of inactivity, the handheld monitor read 35.8% (I'm 5'5" tall, weighed 196.5 lb., and I'm 39). A month later, I measured again after exercising 5x/week for a month, and using the same handheld monitor at the same time of day under the same circumstances (early morning, nothing to eat or drink prior, etc.), it read HIGHER (approx. 38%), and after another month, incorporating weight training into my 5x/week routine, it read HIGHER - AGAIN (approx. 39%), which I know to be scientifically near impossible. So like I said, I've given up on finding out. Even the online calculators using different body measurements give me all different results, so I don't know which one of those to trust, either, and my Dr. doesn't measure it (I asked).

    This post on Nerd Fitness has a lot of photos showing people at different body fat % if that's helpful to you though:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/

    That doesn't seem right, I would be frustrated as well! Thank you for the link!
  • baxterlf
    baxterlf Posts: 3
    Hand held ones are very unreliable and depend highly on hydration. I had a DEXA scan at my doctor's office for body composition. They did the handheld first to compare. The handheld one said 30% but the DEXA was at 38%. I'm 5'2" and 123lbs. I was shocked at how high it was. The gym told me I was 25%.
  • margojr4
    margojr4 Posts: 259 Member
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/

    Great link!

    I'm 5'8", 145lbs and have had tests from both caliper and hand held machines. I've ranged from 19% - 24%

    I would love a DEXA scan!!
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