Should I be concerned?

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  • Sunflowerinbloom
    Sunflowerinbloom Posts: 119 Member
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    I recently got my body fat tested by a trainer at the gym using calipers. I was very surprised it was only 11%. Now I've always been thin and have a small frame but last time I had it tested it was 18%. However, that was 9-10 yrs ago and I did weigh about 10 lb more.

    I'm concerned because I read women should have 10-15% essential fat and they stop menstruating at 12%. I wouldn't know if I have this issue since I've had the Mirena IUD the past 3.5 years and never get a "normal' period due to that.

    Some background on me. I'm 5'7" and weigh around 102 lb or so. I know that's very small but I eat 2000+ cal per day and have been focusing on building muscle, gaining weight for probably the past 9-10 months. I have gained 4-5 lb since I started working out again last Feb. Before I started working out, I was tiny but squishy, like my legs and butt felt soft. I guess skinny fat. I'm certain my fat percentage would've been higher then. Now I have no jiggle on me at all except boobs. I'm still very little but somewhat defined and a lot stronger. I feel healthy and good.

    Should I be concerned about the low body fat? The trainer didn't seem worried, he said I have a lot of lean muscle mass for a smaller female. I workout to be fit, gain strength and definition. I don't do cardio. I currently workout 5x a week doing a combo of lifting weights, pilates and yoga.

    I've been at a lower than usual weight since I had a child 3.5 yrs ago. That was also around the time I stopped going to the gym regularly. When I was younger, I ate a lot of fast food, drank alcohol yet worked out regularly and maintained a weight of 110-112. I'd like to get back there minus the fast food and alcohol, haha. However, my breast decreased a lot after breast feeding. I used to be a 34C and now I'm a 32A. Maybe that accounts for a lb or 2? Other than my chest, I have the same measurements as I did when I weighed more. I used to be 34-24-34 and now I'm 32-24-34. I see girls on here with similar measurements and they always seem to weigh 15-20 lb more than me. It's confusing.

    Anytime I've been to the doctor they always just say I have a fast metabolism and I'm perfectly healthy. I guess I figured it'd be easier to get back to the weight I easily maintained most of my adult life. I don't want to gorge myself on fast food and stop working out to gain some fat. I'd rather eat healthy but is it ok that the percentage is so low? I eat a lot of lean protein, fruit and veggies, whole grains, I love cheese, Greek yogurt, nuts.

    first so WISH I had that problem second im sure if there was a problem im sure the trainer would of said something he/she should know alot about that!
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    I guess my main concern is that I have gained weight but I'm certain my fat percentage is actually lower now. It was only 4-5 lb I've gained but when I was a lower weight I could definitely grab some fat on my thighs and other places. Now all I can feel is the muscle. So are my workouts actually counter productive to my efforts to gain? I like the way my body looks so much more now so I'd hate to stop and end up with noodle looking arms and flabby thighs just to have a higher fat percentage. And I'm sure I'd actually lose weight, in the past I've always lost weight when I wasn't going to the gym on a regular basis. I'm weird, I know.

    I think your best bet is to stick to calorie counting and try to put on more weight. You will probably gain more muscle, but you will gain fat as well. Try to reset your activity level to reflect how much you exercise and treat your MFP calorie goal as a minimum, not a maximum, and give it a solid month of effort. See how it goes and adjust from there.
  • skinnyfit09
    skinnyfit09 Posts: 15
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    I guess my main concern is that I have gained weight but I'm certain my fat percentage is actually lower now. It was only 4-5 lb I've gained but when I was a lower weight I could definitely grab some fat on my thighs and other places. Now all I can feel is the muscle. So are my workouts actually counter productive to my efforts to gain? I like the way my body looks so much more now so I'd hate to stop and end up with noodle looking arms and flabby thighs just to have a higher fat percentage. And I'm sure I'd actually lose weight, in the past I've always lost weight when I wasn't going to the gym on a regular basis. I'm weird, I know.

    I think your best bet is to stick to calorie counting and try to put on more weight. You will probably gain more muscle, but you will gain fat as well. Try to reset your activity level to reflect how much you exercise and treat your MFP calorie goal as a minimum, not a maximum, and give it a solid month of effort. See how it goes and adjust from there.

    Thanks for the input. I just bumped up to the next activity level and that put my calories at 2140 so we'll see how that goes. I know I need to make more of an effort to track them. I'll be doing really good for awhile then miss a few days which leads to no logging for like a month. Anyone have ideas of easy ways to get a lot of calories? I already do the protein powder shakes which I mix with milk, Greek yogurt and fruit. I generally prefer healthy foods, was raised by hippy parents on health food. I've never had much of a liking for French fries or donuts. I know there's only so much I can do. I have a small frame, 5 inch wrist to give you an idea, my mom was tall and skinny till she hit menopause, 130 at 5'10" and my daughter is a skinny little kid who eats constantly. My brother probably weighs 170 at 6'2". So I know I'll probably always be smaller. Technically I was underweight when I weighed 112, which was a really ideal weight for me.
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    I guess my main concern is that I have gained weight but I'm certain my fat percentage is actually lower now. It was only 4-5 lb I've gained but when I was a lower weight I could definitely grab some fat on my thighs and other places. Now all I can feel is the muscle. So are my workouts actually counter productive to my efforts to gain? I like the way my body looks so much more now so I'd hate to stop and end up with noodle looking arms and flabby thighs just to have a higher fat percentage. And I'm sure I'd actually lose weight, in the past I've always lost weight when I wasn't going to the gym on a regular basis. I'm weird, I know.

    I think your best bet is to stick to calorie counting and try to put on more weight. You will probably gain more muscle, but you will gain fat as well. Try to reset your activity level to reflect how much you exercise and treat your MFP calorie goal as a minimum, not a maximum, and give it a solid month of effort. See how it goes and adjust from there.

    Thanks for the input. I just bumped up to the next activity level and that put my calories at 2140 so we'll see how that goes. I know I need to make more of an effort to track them. I'll be doing really good for awhile then miss a few days which leads to no logging for like a month. Anyone have ideas of easy ways to get a lot of calories? I already do the protein powder shakes which I mix with milk, Greek yogurt and fruit. I generally prefer healthy foods, was raised by hippy parents on health food. I've never had much of a liking for French fries or donuts. I know there's only so much I can do. I have a small frame, 5 inch wrist to give you an idea, my mom was tall and skinny till she hit menopause, 130 at 5'10" and my daughter is a skinny little kid who eats constantly. My brother probably weighs 170 at 6'2". So I know I'll probably always be smaller. Technically I was underweight when I weighed 112, which was a really ideal weight for me.

    I had the same problem trying to add calories when I got pregnant (had no idea what to eat that wasn't junk).

    I eat a lot of full fat foods (full fat cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, etc.). Avocados are a good source of calories and very healthy. Fattier cuts of meat will work too. Whole milk instead of skim milk. Switch to full-fat yogurts instead of low-fat or non-fat. I didn't want to add a bunch of food that was going to bloat me up and make me feel huge either, so calorie-dense food (higher fat content) is the way to go. Making substitutions for fattier foods adds a lot of calories without adding the bulk.

    You can also add more cheese, bread, pastas, etc.

    As for the consistency thing, it just takes some dedication on your part. I find that pre-logging my food helps tremendously as well.

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