Body Fat Percentage??

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  • ksumme
    ksumme Posts: 283
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    Great info here. I have been stating as my goal (at 44 years old) to get down to 22% body fat. I may adjust that to 25% as my primary goal based on this information. (I can always go lower if I think it would be beneficial after I get to that goal.)

    I do agree that all the various methods aren't incredibly accurate. I have a scale that does full body measurements (bone, water, body fat, etc), but I use it just as a guide - same as the total body weight.

    As I get close to my goals, I will go in and get the 'dunk' testing done.
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
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    Here's some photos for visual comparison to give a rough est

    body-fat-percentage-pictures-female.jpg
    womenbodyfat3.jpg

    Bare in mind you can look completely diff depending on muscle.
    15-percent-body-fat-female1.jpg

    I am bigger in the middle than the 34-35, you do not want to see me pictured that way, trust me.
    But I am not as big as I was, that must have been over 50%
  • Tigermad
    Tigermad Posts: 305 Member
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    I am really confused about my fat percentage. I used to weigh 231 pounds and nearly 50% fat. I now weigh 120lbs and 18% fat. The problem is I have a fair bit of loose skin with thin later of fat underneath. Obviously if this was removed would I then be very underweight?
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    Whilst 24%-30 is average for women, age is an important factor too.

    Here's a more detailed version.

    bodyfat.jpg

    Chart makes me laugh. I'm 46 with a 18-19% bf. I am not lean lower than average. Not lean (low)? Nope.
    Nice, feel good chart.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart1.jpg

    Just to prove I'm not bull****ing you...

    Men and women's are different. Your body fat is healthy. Your weight is high (I'm 5'11 and 148 (23% BF) in comparison), but that could mean you have more muscle.

    Just because it is average doesn't mean it is healthy. I would aim for the "fitness" numbers.
  • sarahz5
    sarahz5 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    It's actually not average though. I'm not advocating 30% body fat, but I think the average American woman is higher than that. I very quickly JFGIed and I found this summary of a study where the average body fat percentage of American women with BMI *UNDER 25* was 34%. So clearly the whole population would be much higher.

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    Are Normal-Weight Americans "Over-Fat?"
    November 22, 2010


    Recent data from a nation-wide survey of 13,000 American adults shows that Americans with normal BMIs may be “over-fat” compared to other populations and earlier generations, says Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Institute of Human Nutrition, in a commentary published in the Nov. issue of the journal Obesity.

    The data, originally published last year by researchers at the CDC, show that among Americans with BMIs below 25, women have an average body fat percentage of 34 percent and men have an average body fat percentage of 23 percent. In contrast, Europeans at a normal BMI have much lower body fat percentages – 25 percent for women and 18 percent for men – according to a small study of Swiss adults. (A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal).

    “These are surprisingly high percentages, especially for people with normal BMIs,” Dr. St-Onge says. “It’s disconcerting that even the leanest Americans, those in the 5th percentile for percent body fat, have body fat percentages close to 30 percent for women and 20 percent for men.”

    http://ps.columbia.edu/news/are-normal-weight-americans-over-fat
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    so if you buy calipers and do it yourself will it be just as accurate as say someone at a gym doing it? or is there a special method or place, etc that needs to be done perfectly do get the correct reading?
  • sarahxx68
    sarahxx68 Posts: 42
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    Which method do most people use to calculate? One site told me 17.8 (I *know* that is not true) and another told me 65% (.....wishfully thinking that isn't the case.) I know calipers are most accurate, but I only have a tape measure currently.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Using calipers takes skill and experience, you should be taking measurements in places you cannot reach or with your arms in positions you would not be able to use calipers. Cheapo handheld or stand on bioelectrical impedance machines will only give you a ballpark for a female - you can gain or lose several percent in one day by being more or less hydrated. If you want an accurate reading you need a proper medical machine where you lay on the floor and have pads attached to your wrist and ankle.
  • P05T5CRIPT
    P05T5CRIPT Posts: 285 Member
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    Apparently my body fat percentage is 26.52..... is that good or bad? lol I'm 5'6" and weigh (currently) 188.8...

    Wish mine was that! I'm the same height and weight as you and mine is 37% :noway: Although when I started it was over 53%, so coming down thankfully!

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