Questions about body fat and frame
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kosher87
Posts: 4
Hi, I have a quick question:
I just bought a scale that measures muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass but I seem to be getting a weird reading and I wonder if it's because of my frame.
I am 5 feet tall, I go to the gym 4-6 times a week for 1-3 hours at a time varying my work out between weight lifting, yoga, dance and very occasional cardio (because I hate it), eat a vegetarian diet that is high in vegetables and fruit with very few processed items. I consider myself pretty healthy. I am a US size 2 but my body fat is reading at 31.1%! Yikes! Here's the issue: While have a very small waist, I have hips and (gasp) breasts. I'm a 34 D and I wonder what is a healthy fat mass for a woman with this type of frame? I am trying my best to be healthy so I want to monitor these factors but I need to know what I'm looking for.
Anyone have any ideas?
I just bought a scale that measures muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass but I seem to be getting a weird reading and I wonder if it's because of my frame.
I am 5 feet tall, I go to the gym 4-6 times a week for 1-3 hours at a time varying my work out between weight lifting, yoga, dance and very occasional cardio (because I hate it), eat a vegetarian diet that is high in vegetables and fruit with very few processed items. I consider myself pretty healthy. I am a US size 2 but my body fat is reading at 31.1%! Yikes! Here's the issue: While have a very small waist, I have hips and (gasp) breasts. I'm a 34 D and I wonder what is a healthy fat mass for a woman with this type of frame? I am trying my best to be healthy so I want to monitor these factors but I need to know what I'm looking for.
Anyone have any ideas?
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Replies
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big booty + big boobs= perfect :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
as far as what you can do... keep eating the way you are and add some cardio into your workout to get your body fat down if that is your goal0 -
Is there an athlete setting on your scale? The one we have has that setting for a person who typically works out for 10 hours+/week.
These scales tend not to be perfectly accurate, but that sounds way off. Ours always shows a reasonable figure and the relative changes seem spot-on. I'm built a lot like you (same bra size, even).0 -
1. Those scales are horribly inaccurate (usually off by about 10% either way.)Hi, I have a quick question:
I just bought a scale that measures muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass but I seem to be getting a weird reading and I wonder if it's because of my frame.
I am 5 feet tall, I go to the gym 4-6 times a week for 1-3 hours at a time varying my work out between weight lifting, yoga, dance and very occasional cardio (because I hate it), eat a vegetarian diet that is high in vegetables and fruit with very few processed items. I consider myself pretty healthy. I am a US size 2 but my body fat is reading at 31.1%! Yikes! Here's the issue: While have a very small waist, I have hips and (gasp) breasts. I'm a 34 D and I wonder what is a healthy fat mass for a woman with this type of frame? I am trying my best to be healthy so I want to monitor these factors but I need to know what I'm looking for.
Anyone have any ideas?
2. Breast size doesn't really matter as far as body fat ranges are concerned. Women with larger breasts will store less fat in other areas, so the same body fat ranges apply, although a woman with a larger chest will probably closer to the top end of the range, which for women runs anywhere from 14-31% as normal.
3. Nobody can really give any kind of informed suggestions because you didn't mention your weight. 31% body fat at 120 pounds is fine for someone 5' tall. 31% body fat at 130 pounds for someone 5' tall would be overweight. Of course, that's assuming that the body fat percentage from your scale is accurate, which it probably isn't.0 -
Mine is horribly inaccurate on BF%. My BF% reading goes up by 5% on days I lift. I use it for ballpark only and just rely on the weight, which is accurate.0
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3. Nobody can really give any kind of informed suggestions because you didn't mention your weight. 31% body fat at 120 pounds is fine for someone 5' tall. 31% body fat at 130 pounds for someone 5' tall would be overweight. Of course, that's assuming that the body fat percentage from your scale is accurate, which it probably isn't.
Wait, what...? A percent is a percent. Assuming that the # is correct (with any testing method), 31% is on the high end of healthy for any woman, regardless of height or weight. If a woman of a given height loses weight but her BF remains stable, then she has lost equal amounts of fat and muscle and water. If she loses weight and her BF drops, then she can assume that she has lost fat and retained muscle. Body fat percentage ranges are not height-specific. What is overweight/healthy/underweight is the same for a 5' woman as it is for a 6' woman.0 -
I think those scales are crap. Mine shows a ridiculously low body fat percent for me at like 18%. There is no way I'm that low since I'm not muscular at all. It would be nice though.
As someone else said, the weight is accurate on the scale. I only really look at that. I don't think there is any good way to really measure body fat percent.0 -
31% is borderline obese for a woman, it's the cutoff between normal and obese. 130 pounds for someone 5' tall is a BMI of over 25, which is in the overweight category. Therefore, someone with a borderline body fat percentage at a healthy weight per BMI is fine, but someone with a borderline body fat percentage with an overweight BMI should probably work on losing a few more pounds of fat. Not everyone is healthy at the high end of the range, just like not everyone is healthy at the low end of the range. That's why there is a range, to account for various builds and body types.3. Nobody can really give any kind of informed suggestions because you didn't mention your weight. 31% body fat at 120 pounds is fine for someone 5' tall. 31% body fat at 130 pounds for someone 5' tall would be overweight. Of course, that's assuming that the body fat percentage from your scale is accurate, which it probably isn't.
Wait, what...? A percent is a percent. Assuming that the # is correct (with any testing method), 31% is on the high end of healthy for any woman, regardless of height or weight. If a woman of a given height loses weight but her BF remains stable, then she has lost equal amounts of fat and muscle and water. If she loses weight and her BF drops, then she can assume that she has lost fat and retained muscle. Body fat percentage ranges are not height-specific. What is overweight/healthy/underweight is the same for a 5' woman as it is for a 6' woman.0 -
Oh and I don't think that saying that you're a US size 2 necessarily means that you're not overweight. If you have small hips, but are overweight by BMI you can still be overweight. What do you weigh?
I have big hips and will be a larger size even at a low weight.
That being said, I still think the scale is crap for body fat percent and should be ignored.0 -
Sorry, I forgot to add that!
I'm 125 right now0 -
31% is borderline obese for a woman, it's the cutoff between normal and obese. 130 pounds for someone 5' tall is a BMI of over 25, which is in the overweight category. Therefore, someone with a borderline body fat percentage at a healthy weight per BMI is fine, but someone with a borderline body fat percentage with an overweight BMI should probably work on losing a few more pounds of fat. Not everyone is healthy at the high end of the range, just like not everyone is healthy at the low end of the range. That's why there is a range, to account for various builds and body types.3. Nobody can really give any kind of informed suggestions because you didn't mention your weight. 31% body fat at 120 pounds is fine for someone 5' tall. 31% body fat at 130 pounds for someone 5' tall would be overweight. Of course, that's assuming that the body fat percentage from your scale is accurate, which it probably isn't.
Wait, what...? A percent is a percent. Assuming that the # is correct (with any testing method), 31% is on the high end of healthy for any woman, regardless of height or weight. If a woman of a given height loses weight but her BF remains stable, then she has lost equal amounts of fat and muscle and water. If she loses weight and her BF drops, then she can assume that she has lost fat and retained muscle. Body fat percentage ranges are not height-specific. What is overweight/healthy/underweight is the same for a 5' woman as it is for a 6' woman.
BMI ≠ body fat. Read what you said above. You claimed above that the same woman with the SAME bodyfat % was healthy at one weight, but not another. If she is heavier, but is also carrying more muscle (which would explain higher weight and same BF %), then she will only appear "overweight" based upon BMI (which could in theory happen if she put on a ton of muscle). Her bodyfat % is still healthy. Height still has 0 bearing on body fat percentage. This is why it's a percent.0 -
Try this online body fat calculator. When I use it I get a body fat percentage that is within about 3 pounds (heavier) than what my home Weight Watchers scale tells me. I don't know which is correct, but my scale has been pretty consistent--I always weigh myself right when I get up in the morning and before eating or drinking anything except the glass of water that I take to bed at night. The body fat pwecentage on the scale has been dropping as I have been losing weight. I am 5' 4.5" and 123 lbs. and the online calculator puts me at about 25% body fat. I work out for about an hour three days per week. Still don't have a lot of muscle definition.
http://www.calculator.net/army-body-fat-calculator.html0 -
Try this online body fat calculator. When I use it I get a body fat percentage that is within about 3 pounds (heavier) than what my home Weight Watchers scale tells me. I don't know which is correct, but my scale has been pretty consistent--I always weigh myself right when I get up in the morning and before eating or drinking anything except the glass of water that I take to bed at night. The body fat pwecentage on the scale has been dropping as I have been losing weight. I am 5' 4.5" and 123 lbs. and the online calculator puts me at about 25% body fat. I work out for about an hour three days per week. Still don't have a lot of muscle definition.
http://www.calculator.net/army-body-fat-calculator.html
That online calculator seems to be crap for women who have a naturally wide frame imo. It doesn't count fat in boobs at all. That just seems wrong to me. Why shouldn't boobs count?0 -
I am also 5 feet and have a similar scale
Bump to see what other people have to say0 -
31% is borderline obese for a woman, it's the cutoff between normal and obese. 130 pounds for someone 5' tall is a BMI of over 25, which is in the overweight category. Therefore, someone with a borderline body fat percentage at a healthy weight per BMI is fine, but someone with a borderline body fat percentage with an overweight BMI should probably work on losing a few more pounds of fat. Not everyone is healthy at the high end of the range, just like not everyone is healthy at the low end of the range. That's why there is a range, to account for various builds and body types.3. Nobody can really give any kind of informed suggestions because you didn't mention your weight. 31% body fat at 120 pounds is fine for someone 5' tall. 31% body fat at 130 pounds for someone 5' tall would be overweight. Of course, that's assuming that the body fat percentage from your scale is accurate, which it probably isn't.
Wait, what...? A percent is a percent. Assuming that the # is correct (with any testing method), 31% is on the high end of healthy for any woman, regardless of height or weight. If a woman of a given height loses weight but her BF remains stable, then she has lost equal amounts of fat and muscle and water. If she loses weight and her BF drops, then she can assume that she has lost fat and retained muscle. Body fat percentage ranges are not height-specific. What is overweight/healthy/underweight is the same for a 5' woman as it is for a 6' woman.
BMI ≠ body fat. Read what you said above. You claimed above that the same woman with the SAME bodyfat % was healthy at one weight, but not another. If she is heavier, but is also carrying more muscle (which would explain higher weight and same BF %), then she will only appear "overweight" based upon BMI (which could in theory happen if she put on a ton of muscle). Her bodyfat % is still healthy. Height still has 0 bearing on body fat percentage. This is why it's a percent.
No to mention being small and overfat is a bigger health risk0 -
Again, you're missing the point. 31% is BORDERLINE healthy. 30.9% is healthy, 31.1% is unhealthy. If someone is at a body fat that is right on the border of being over fat, AND overweight according to BMI, that's a potential health risk. Someone who is right on the border of being overfat but not overweight according to BMI has a less significant health risk. If we are talking these same scenarios with 20% body fat than I'd say it wouldn't matter one way or the other, but when someone is borderline either way, it can be an issue.
31% is borderline obese for a woman, it's the cutoff between normal and obese. 130 pounds for someone 5' tall is a BMI of over 25, which is in the overweight category. Therefore, someone with a borderline body fat percentage at a healthy weight per BMI is fine, but someone with a borderline body fat percentage with an overweight BMI should probably work on losing a few more pounds of fat. Not everyone is healthy at the high end of the range, just like not everyone is healthy at the low end of the range. That's why there is a range, to account for various builds and body types.3. Nobody can really give any kind of informed suggestions because you didn't mention your weight. 31% body fat at 120 pounds is fine for someone 5' tall. 31% body fat at 130 pounds for someone 5' tall would be overweight. Of course, that's assuming that the body fat percentage from your scale is accurate, which it probably isn't.
Wait, what...? A percent is a percent. Assuming that the # is correct (with any testing method), 31% is on the high end of healthy for any woman, regardless of height or weight. If a woman of a given height loses weight but her BF remains stable, then she has lost equal amounts of fat and muscle and water. If she loses weight and her BF drops, then she can assume that she has lost fat and retained muscle. Body fat percentage ranges are not height-specific. What is overweight/healthy/underweight is the same for a 5' woman as it is for a 6' woman.
BMI ≠ body fat. Read what you said above. You claimed above that the same woman with the SAME bodyfat % was healthy at one weight, but not another. If she is heavier, but is also carrying more muscle (which would explain higher weight and same BF %), then she will only appear "overweight" based upon BMI (which could in theory happen if she put on a ton of muscle). Her bodyfat % is still healthy. Height still has 0 bearing on body fat percentage. This is why it's a percent.0 -
Again, you're missing the point. 31% is BORDERLINE healthy. 30.9% is healthy, 31.1% is unhealthy. If someone is at a body fat that is right on the border of being over fat, AND overweight according to BMI, that's a potential health risk. Someone who is right on the border of being overfat but not overweight according to BMI has a less significant health risk. If we are talking these same scenarios with 20% body fat than I'd say it wouldn't matter one way or the other, but when someone is borderline either way, it can be an issue.
They both have pretty similar health risks. The thinner person is a lot worse off usually when something such as diabetes actually happens. Slightly heavier people fare a lot better than a thin person who is just as overfat.
Both should strive toward the 22% ideal if anything. A 30% bodyfat for women from what I remember isn't healthy. It's not obese at 35% but its definitely over fat.0 -
Again, you're missing the point. 31% is BORDERLINE healthy. 30.9% is healthy, 31.1% is unhealthy. If someone is at a body fat that is right on the border of being over fat, AND overweight according to BMI, that's a potential health risk. Someone who is right on the border of being overfat but not overweight according to BMI has a less significant health risk. If we are talking these same scenarios with 20% body fat than I'd say it wouldn't matter one way or the other, but when someone is borderline either way, it can be an issue.
BMI ≠ body fat. Read what you said above. You claimed above that the same woman with the SAME bodyfat % was healthy at one weight, but not another. If she is heavier, but is also carrying more muscle (which would explain higher weight and same BF %), then she will only appear "overweight" based upon BMI (which could in theory happen if she put on a ton of muscle). Her bodyfat % is still healthy. Height still has 0 bearing on body fat percentage. This is why it's a percent.
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I'm not worried that I am fat. Anyone who even wants to say that I'm borderline overweight is crazy which would lead me to believe that this conventional fat calculation doesn't really apply to me. Again, I am 125 pounds and a size 2 but I am trying to use other factors besides weight to monitor to be my most healthy. I have extra fat because I am naturally large chested in a place that is not really related to my diet and work out routine (believe me, I've been trying to go down a cup size). I want to find out if there is a fat percentage that has been agreed upon for someone my size and with my frame.
Also, BMI is crap which, again, doesn't take into account my frame.0 -
Again, you're missing the point. 31% is BORDERLINE healthy. 30.9% is healthy, 31.1% is unhealthy. If someone is at a body fat that is right on the border of being over fat, AND overweight according to BMI, that's a potential health risk. Someone who is right on the border of being overfat but not overweight according to BMI has a less significant health risk. If we are talking these same scenarios with 20% body fat than I'd say it wouldn't matter one way or the other, but when someone is borderline either way, it can be an issue.
BMI ≠ body fat. Read what you said above. You claimed above that the same woman with the SAME bodyfat % was healthy at one weight, but not another. If she is heavier, but is also carrying more muscle (which would explain higher weight and same BF %), then she will only appear "overweight" based upon BMI (which could in theory happen if she put on a ton of muscle). Her bodyfat % is still healthy. Height still has 0 bearing on body fat percentage. This is why it's a percent.
I'm not worried that I am fat. Anyone who even wants to say that I'm borderline overweight is crazy which would lead me to believe that this conventional fat calculation doesn't really apply to me. Again, I am 125 pounds and a size 2 but I am trying to use other factors besides weight to monitor to be my most healthy. I have extra fat because I am naturally large chested in a place that is not really related to my diet and work out routine (believe me, I've been trying to go down a cup size). I want to find out if there is a fat percentage that has been agreed upon for someone my size and with my frame.
Also, BMI is crap which, again, doesn't take into account my frame.
Believe me I understand about the chest issues. You should try the caliper methods and see if they agree. You can buy them for around $10 on amazon and do a comparison. I'd bet money your bf will come up lower with that method.0 -
Again, you're missing the point. 31% is BORDERLINE healthy. 30.9% is healthy, 31.1% is unhealthy. If someone is at a body fat that is right on the border of being over fat, AND overweight according to BMI, that's a potential health risk. Someone who is right on the border of being overfat but not overweight according to BMI has a less significant health risk. If we are talking these same scenarios with 20% body fat than I'd say it wouldn't matter one way or the other, but when someone is borderline either way, it can be an issue.
BMI ≠ body fat. Read what you said above. You claimed above that the same woman with the SAME bodyfat % was healthy at one weight, but not another. If she is heavier, but is also carrying more muscle (which would explain higher weight and same BF %), then she will only appear "overweight" based upon BMI (which could in theory happen if she put on a ton of muscle). Her bodyfat % is still healthy. Height still has 0 bearing on body fat percentage. This is why it's a percent.
I'm not worried that I am fat. Anyone who even wants to say that I'm borderline overweight is crazy which would lead me to believe that this conventional fat calculation doesn't really apply to me. Again, I am 125 pounds and a size 2 but I am trying to use other factors besides weight to monitor to be my most healthy. I have extra fat because I am naturally large chested in a place that is not really related to my diet and work out routine (believe me, I've been trying to go down a cup size). I want to find out if there is a fat percentage that has been agreed upon for someone my size and with my frame.
Also, BMI is crap which, again, doesn't take into account my frame.
I don't think anyone called you fat but a 30% bodyfat is considered overfat as in you have too much fat dispersed in your muscles and around your organs. It may not necessarily make you look fat but it is a health risk. It doesn't have much to do with your weight either. Someone can be 110lbs and be 30% bodyfat. Its common when someone does a lot of cardio and no resistance training.0 -
Again, you're missing the point. 31% is BORDERLINE healthy. 30.9% is healthy, 31.1% is unhealthy. If someone is at a body fat that is right on the border of being over fat, AND overweight according to BMI, that's a potential health risk. Someone who is right on the border of being overfat but not overweight according to BMI has a less significant health risk. If we are talking these same scenarios with 20% body fat than I'd say it wouldn't matter one way or the other, but when someone is borderline either way, it can be an issue.
BMI ≠ body fat. Read what you said above. You claimed above that the same woman with the SAME bodyfat % was healthy at one weight, but not another. If she is heavier, but is also carrying more muscle (which would explain higher weight and same BF %), then she will only appear "overweight" based upon BMI (which could in theory happen if she put on a ton of muscle). Her bodyfat % is still healthy. Height still has 0 bearing on body fat percentage. This is why it's a percent.
I'm not worried that I am fat. Anyone who even wants to say that I'm borderline overweight is crazy which would lead me to believe that this conventional fat calculation doesn't really apply to me. Again, I am 125 pounds and a size 2 but I am trying to use other factors besides weight to monitor to be my most healthy. I have extra fat because I am naturally large chested in a place that is not really related to my diet and work out routine (believe me, I've been trying to go down a cup size). I want to find out if there is a fat percentage that has been agreed upon for someone my size and with my frame.
Also, BMI is crap which, again, doesn't take into account my frame.
I don't think anyone called you fat but a 30% bodyfat is considered overfat as in you have too much fat dispersed in your muscles and around your organs. It may not necessarily make you look fat but it is a health risk. It doesn't have much to do with your weight either. Someone can be 110lbs and be 30% bodyfat. Its common when someone does a lot of cardio and no resistance training.
@heather thanks! I will try that!
@victoria4321...I'm pretty sure my fat is on my chest and not around my organs which would change the health risk. As I said, I hate cardio and rarely do it unless I'm dancing and I mostly weight lift (I use large weights mostly, no teeny wimpy little things here), yoga and dance. Resistance training isn't what I am lacking here since I'm not one of those girls who spend all their time on the treadmill. Again, my fat concentration is not where this calculation is assuming it is (ie not concentrated around the organs). Since the assumption of the test is wrong, in my case, the percentage must be different to account for this fat that is not related to fat around my organs or in other spots. This fat is mostly unrelated to diet or fitness.0
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