Help me understand these figures please?? Body fat

maddiejonich
maddiejonich Posts: 98
in Introduce Yourself
PLease can anyone help? Ive just recnetly ahd my body fat and other measurements taken but not fully explained. My body fat is 15.3%...is this good?? Also my body water reading was 60%?????? I weigh 8 st 7 and 6 stone of me is muscle apparenty. What does all this mean? Are these good results or do i need to be doing something else? Im 5 ft 4 and age 34...if that makes a difference lol xxx

Replies

  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    anyone???
  • Rsmith6217
    Rsmith6217 Posts: 1 Member
    WOW
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,089 Member
    what do you mean by water?
    no way 6 stone of you is muscle, do you mean lean mass?

    15% of bf% is very low for women, it's below 15% where it's danegoursly low (you may lose period and mess up hormons balance)
    what did you use to estimate your bf%, like 10% off
  • RiverTom
    RiverTom Posts: 216 Member
    A body fat reading of 13.5 % for a woman is pretty much amazing. I would have that double checked, to be honest.

    Body Fat chart for women (% fat)

    Essential Fat 10 - 12 %
    Athletes 14 - 20 %
    Fitness 21 - 24 %
    Acceptable 25 - 31 %
    Obese 32 % and over

    Body Fat chart for Men (% fat)

    Essential Fat 2 - 4 %
    Athletes 6 - 13 %
    Fitness 14 - 17 %
    Acceptable 18 - 25 %
    Obese 25 % and over

    I hope this helps as an orientation?!
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    My body fat was 15.3 not 13% and i think it was lean mass not muscle???
  • RancidPolecat2
    RancidPolecat2 Posts: 46
    The four "main" body mass categories are muscle, fat, water and BONE.
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    what do you mean by water?
    no way 6 stone of you is muscle, do you mean lean mass?

    15% of bf% is very low for women, it's below 15% where it's danegoursly low (you may lose period and mess up hormons balance)
    what did you use to estimate your bf%, like 10% off


    How hydrated my body is. Apparently she said that normal hydration is 40-60 so my reading was good??? I though she said muscle but i think youre right by lean mass.
  • prettypaula96
    prettypaula96 Posts: 32 Member
    You're actually underweight for fat percentage, but you're water weight percentage is above normal (actually it's in the normal for men), which is still healthy.... I'm not a doctor, but I have these measurements done every month by my doctors because I am on a special weight loss system, so I am pretty familiar with the numbers. Oddly enough, gaining some fat would be healthy for you; ironic since most people on here are in attempt to lose the fat.
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,089 Member
    bf% is very low, I would reccomend going on a slow bulk (eating 250 kcal above your maintenence) and strenght training to build some muscle. This way you will get that toned look you are looking for
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    You're actually underweight for fat percentage, but you're water weight percentage is above normal (actually it's in the normal for men), which is still healthy.... I'm not a doctor, but I have these measurements done every month by my doctors because I am on a special weight loss system, so I am pretty familiar with the numbers. Oddly enough, gaining some fat would be healthy for you; ironic since most people on here are in attempt to lose the fat.


    I got measured on Tuesday and my body fat was 17.5 %. Then I followed the herbalife breakfast ( a shake, aloe shot and raspberry tea-nothing else was allowed for breakfast) and ate normally for the rest of the day. I did this for tues, weds, thurs and fri. Then had my measurements done again on fri and my bodyfat was 15.3%. She said i had lost 1 lb of fat but gained 1.4 of muscle or something. All very confusing! She also said my 'body age' was 19. How do they know all this just by standing on special scales??
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    A body fat reading of 13.5 % for a woman is pretty much amazing. I would have that double checked, to be honest.

    Body Fat chart for women (% fat)

    Essential Fat 10 - 12 %
    Athletes 14 - 20 %
    Fitness 21 - 24 %
    Acceptable 25 - 31 %
    Obese 32 % and over

    Body Fat chart for Men (% fat)

    Essential Fat 2 - 4 %
    Athletes 6 - 13 %
    Fitness 14 - 17 %
    Acceptable 18 - 25 %
    Obese 25 % and over

    I hope this helps as an orientation?!


    Thanks for the info!!
  • RiverTom
    RiverTom Posts: 216 Member
    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/07/13/5-ways-to-measure-body-fat-percentage/

    If your measuring method was the second one mentioned in the article above, I'd be careful.

    Questionable Accuracy
    Variability of results dependent on hydration level

    I've been measured with BIA once and my first two readings came back as me having a little over 4 % body fat. That would have been amazing and dangerous at the same time and definitely wasn't true. So we measured again, using the Skin Fold Caliper method and formula and found the more realistic result of 15.6 %, which was in November 2011. I'm now at about 10 %.
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,089 Member
    You're actually underweight for fat percentage, but you're water weight percentage is above normal (actually it's in the normal for men), which is still healthy.... I'm not a doctor, but I have these measurements done every month by my doctors because I am on a special weight loss system, so I am pretty familiar with the numbers. Oddly enough, gaining some fat would be healthy for you; ironic since most people on here are in attempt to lose the fat.


    I got measured on Tuesday and my body fat was 17.5 %. Then I followed the herbalife breakfast ( a shake, aloe shot and raspberry tea-nothing else was allowed for breakfast) and ate normally for the rest of the day. I did this for tues, weds, thurs and fri. Then had my measurements done again on fri and my bodyfat was 15.3%. She said i had lost 1 lb of fat but gained 1.4 of muscle or something. All very confusing! She also said my 'body age' was 19. How do they know all this just by standing on special scales??

    gaining 1.4 lbs would take 1.4 month, eating on surplus and lifting heavy. the test is bulls**t
  • prettypaula96
    prettypaula96 Posts: 32 Member
    The best and most precise way to get these measurements done is through the Bod Pod, but those are expensive. You're measurements on the scale will slightly change day to day, let alone hour to hour. The fact that there's only a 2 point difference between 3 days doesn't actually say much, but the downward motion in fat percentage is always a happy feeling.
  • RiverTom
    RiverTom Posts: 216 Member
    Here are some handy tips for skin fold measurements:

    http://www.topendsports.com/testing/skinfold-sites.htm
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    Thanks for all the replies xxxx Basically, the test must have been wrong! LOL xx I ll keep going watching my calorie intake and doing RI30! :wink:
  • prettypaula96
    prettypaula96 Posts: 32 Member
    Looking at your pictures, I wouldn't say the test was wrong, just not hyper-precise. You are very fit. Consider me jealous, lol.
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    Looking at your pictures, I wouldn't say the test was wrong, just not hyper-precise. You are very fit. Consider me jealous, lol.


    :smile: Really??? I ve been half a stone lighter in the past and was aiming to get back down to that although having done 30DS I feel much more toned and stronger and now i want to be toned all over :smile: Thanks for the nice comments x
  • prettypaula96
    prettypaula96 Posts: 32 Member
    Yes, really! :-) And remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so you may have been a half a stone lighter, but could be much more fit now. Again, jealous, lol.
  • RiverTom
    RiverTom Posts: 216 Member
    Looking at your pictures, I wouldn't say the test was wrong, just not hyper-precise. You are very fit. Consider me jealous, lol.


    :smile: Really??? I ve been half a stone lighter in the past and was aiming to get back down to that although having done 30DS I feel much more toned and stronger and now i want to be toned all over :smile: Thanks for the nice comments x

    After I saw the above comments I also checked out your pictures and I have to say you're looking pretty lean and fit to me. The text was probably out by not more than 1 or 2 %, which would still be very good. But to double check ask someone to do the skin fold method with you and use the 7 areas formula by Jackson & Pollock to get your results.
  • SilkyHotspur
    SilkyHotspur Posts: 233 Member
    She's an idiot, you can't gain that much muscle, in that short a period of time.

    So let's start wit the basics, where should you be for "weight" and body fat % for your age and height.

    Weight:
    1. First you need to calculate your frame size, that is the size of your bone structure that cannot be touched by fat.
    http://www.medindia.net/patients/calculators/framesize1.asp

    2. Once you have your frame size (small, medium, or large), you can now look to see where you should be for total weight
    http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm
    As you can see from the charts, this can vary from 114 on the lowest end, up to 151, depending on frame size. So for whatever weight range you should be in, the more muscle you have....look to be on the upper end, the less muscle you have, look to be on the lower end.

    Body Fat %
    1. For 34yrs old, you should be at the leanest 13.2% and to stay "lean", no more than 20%
    http://www.accufitness.com/images/pdf/accufitness-accumeasure-bodyfatchart.pdf

    There are multiple ways to measure body fat %, scales are typically off by a large margin, with handheld units being off by about 2%. Calipers are accurate, but difficult to use consistently. Bod Pod and Dexa are accurate, but can be expensive and inconvenient to get to....

    Water
    60% water is good...

    Conclusion....
    Having looked at your profile pics, you are on the low end of total weight, and should look to work on a muscle building program, while keeping body fat % low. The gain in muscle is not just for appearances, as it helps stimulate human growth hormone, and helps keep bones strong and healthy.
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    Thank you...I will :smile: Your advice and help is most appreciated xxx
  • likemeinvisible
    likemeinvisible Posts: 309
    She's an idiot

    You're the idiot, now there comes a girl with perfect stats and a perfect body and you go "bla bla bla lift weight bla bla gain mass"

    To the OP, you are doing great and need advice from nobody. Whatever it is, keep at it.
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    She's an idiot

    You're the idiot, now there comes a girl with perfect stats and a perfect body and you go "bla bla bla lift weight bla bla gain mass"

    To the OP, you are doing great and need advice from nobody. Whatever it is, keep at it.

    Why thank you! I like you! (I am far from perfect and dont want to be, but if Im going in the right direction then that's good enough for me!) .:smile:
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    Thank you...I will :smile: Your advice and help is most appreciated xxx

    This comment was aimed at RiverTom for his advice xxx
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    A body fat reading of 13.5 % for a woman is pretty much amazing. I would have that double checked, to be honest.

    Body Fat chart for women (% fat)

    Essential Fat 10 - 12 %
    Athletes 14 - 20 %
    Fitness 21 - 24 %
    Acceptable 25 - 31 %
    Obese 32 % and over

    Body Fat chart for Men (% fat)

    Essential Fat 2 - 4 %
    Athletes 6 - 13 %
    Fitness 14 - 17 %
    Acceptable 18 - 25 %
    Obese 25 % and over

    I hope this helps as an orientation?!

    lol...I dont think Im an athlete...however, I did used to run for England so I was when I was younger
  • maddiejonich
    maddiejonich Posts: 98
    Yes, really! :-) And remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so you may have been a half a stone lighter, but could be much more fit now. Again, jealous, lol.

    Ahhhhh thank you. You have made me smile and realise that my hard work is paying off. Thanks xxx
  • RosscoBoscko
    RosscoBoscko Posts: 632 Member
    She's an idiot

    You're the idiot, now there comes a girl with perfect stats and a perfect body and you go "bla bla bla lift weight bla bla gain mass"

    To the OP, you are doing great and need advice from nobody. Whatever it is, keep at it.

    Why thank you! I like you! (I am far from perfect and dont want to be, but if Im going in the right direction then that's good enough for me!) .:smile:

    I might be wrong, but I think they meant the person who had done your test was an idiot not you!

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