Can this Body Fat % be right?

dkhuff1
dkhuff1 Posts: 67 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I used an online body fat calculator at Fat 2 Fit.. Based on my measurements and current weight, it says that I have a BF of 27% which is right in the middle of where a 40-59 year old woman should be. Target % is 23-34%. If I lose another 10# that puts me at 23%. But, based on BMI and insurance charts, I would still be 20# over the top range of weight for my height. Not sure what my goal weight should be but I think I will shoot for 10# more weight loss. What do you think based on my picture? right now I'm 30# over the max recommended for my height and I have a BMI of 31.2 which is considered obese. My hip to waist ratio is in the "low health risk" ratio and my waist to height ratio is on the border of healthy/attractive and overweight.

Also, I did have a 7 site caliper test done three times when I first started losing weight. When I started I had 40% BF (ugggh), after losing 6# I was down to 35.3% and then When I was 16# heavier than I am now and down a total of 12# my BF % was 30.5%. Now I'm down 27# and using an online calculator it says my BF is 27%. I do exercise a lot--cardio and lifting heavy. I'm injured right now so I am lifting as best I can but cant use my upper body, so doing body weight exercises and using machines for lower body since free weights are not really doable now.

Losing 10# would put me at the low end of normal BF ratio. That seems reasonable to me, but I doubt I will look like I'm on the low end. And can I just say, I really hate weighing so much--I think my weight sounds so much heavier than I really am.

Replies

  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Maybe you should look into bodpod or hydrostatic analysis to get a better grasp on what's going on. The online calculators can be hit or miss. Plus there's a lot of potential user error in measurements.
  • dkhuff1
    dkhuff1 Posts: 67 Member
    I had a trainer do the 7 site calipers--and it was the same person with lots of experience doing it each time. I use a digital scale at home and a measuring tape.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    First, online calculators can be very off. So can the handheld and scale thingies. Caliper, done by someone who knows how, is pretty accurate, but not perfect (the best is the one that requires submersion in water, I think, but it's expensive). So it may be right, or it may be far off.

    Second, I don't care much for BMI charts. Arnold Shwarzenegger in his Mr Universe days would have been well into the obese category. So would most body builders. They just don't take into account the amount of muscle vs fat. Waist to height and waist to hip ration are better indicators of healthy, as is body fat % … so don't get confused or discouraged if they all say you're close to ideal/healthy and BMI charts still call you obese.
  • MuseofSong
    MuseofSong Posts: 322 Member
    Well, I'm sure there are more accurate ways to measure, but charts are just averages. It gives you a general idea. My GW right now is higher than what my doctor may want for my height, but I want to see how I feel at that weight again as I remember being very comfortable at that size.

    After all, I'm living with myself, not my doctor, so while health matters, don't worry too much about the numbers on the BMI chart if you're happy with you.

    I don't want to get into the muscle weighs more than fat thing, you know this already.
  • Skrib69
    Skrib69 Posts: 687 Member
    I would look more in the mirror and less at charts personally. Whilst I am not saying it is wrong to keep a healthy target in mind, it is more important to be happy with what you see in that piece of glass. I moved my target 3 times on this basis.
  • Brad805
    Brad805 Posts: 289 Member
    The low 20's is fairly lean for a woman. I believe that 27% is possible (not intended to be rude) from you avi. Pictures, mirror, scales, and the measuring tape will tell you all the info you need. The actual number is really not that important if you are confident in your nutrition plan and training. It will come in time.

    Good luck. You are doing well.
  • dkhuff1
    dkhuff1 Posts: 67 Member
    I appreciate the input so far and will seek out a bod pod. Great idea. Any other inputs out there?
  • gracielynn1011
    gracielynn1011 Posts: 726 Member
    I think 27% could be a fairly accurate guess, but remember those calculators can be off by +/- 5% or so. I use the same fat2fit calculators. Just keep in mind that you can use those calculators as an estimate and pair it with pictures and measurements to get an overall idea of where you are at. Sometimes that can be hard to do, because I am still so hard on myself, I feel like I still look bigger.

    You have made amazing progress, be proud of yourself and keep on going until you are fully at goal!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It is quite possible to be lean (23% is pretty lean for a woman) and still be over weight by BMI standards, bit that would mean that you would also have to have quite a bit of muscle mass on you as well.
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    Personally I think you look great, your body appears to be well fed and well worked and that's how I feel you should judge yourself. Each person is different and I believe you should listen to your own body, everyone has a comfortable fit body whether your BMI is 23% or 32% if you feel good go with it.
  • timkane46
    timkane46 Posts: 29 Member
    i WOULD GO BACK TO THE SAME PERSON AND HAVE THEM RE-DO THE CALIPER TEST SO YOU ELIMINATE THAT VARIABLE OF SOMEONE ELSE DOING IT AND SINCE IT'S WHAT YOU ESTABLISHED A BASE LINE WITH. i'M 6'5" 230 POUNDS AND MY BMI IS HIGH BUT MY BF % IS JUST OVER 11 %/ BMI IS NOT ACCURATE IF YOU ARE ANY TYPE OF ATHELETE. i DON'T EVEN CONSIDER IT ACTUALLY. IF MY CLOTHES FIT WELL AND I LIKE WHAT THE MIRROR SAYS THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    You can use just about any of the low / no cost methods to track changes over time but the actual number may not be very accurate. If that accuracy matters to you then you probably have to go down the route of a DEXA scan, BodPod or hydrostatic immersion.

    I found the online measurement ones a bit of a joke taken individually (14%, 19% & 21% all on the same day!) but when averaged out came to roughly where I thought I was (18%).

    In the end it comes down to how you feel and how you look in the mirror - just the same as a number on your scales.
  • dkhuff1
    dkhuff1 Posts: 67 Member
    I would like an accurate BF number so I can then set weight goal range that I live within from here on out.. I have argued with my doctor about this. She only goes by BMI and not anything else. I know I don't need to lose 30 more pounds. I think it's time to change doctors. Our university has a really good endocrine/weight loss clinic. I could go there for bod pod and a consultation. It's a ways a away, but probably worth the time for me at this point.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    I would like an accurate BF number so I can then set weight goal range that I live within from here on out.. I have argued with my doctor about this. She only goes by BMI and not anything else. I know I don't need to lose 30 more pounds. I think it's time to change doctors. Our university has a really good endocrine/weight loss clinic. I could go there for bod pod and a consultation. It's a ways a away, but probably worth the time for me at this point.

    sounds like a good plan. BMI doesn't take muscle mass or frame size into account and you look like you have a large frame. You also look like you tend to store fat more in your limbs and hips than around your waist, which from a health point of view puts you at a lower risk of heart problems. I'd guess you were in the high end of the healthy range for body fat... but it's hard to tell from a picture, so it's not very reliable, but you have a nice figure and you don't look obese at all. The waistline measurements are more reliable than BMI.

    Personally, I would change doctors if one was telling me to lose x amount of lbs based on BMI and nothing else. Definitely get your body fat percentage measured reliably, e.g. bod pod. If you're large framed and also doing a lot of exercise, especially lifting, you can probably expect to be in the "overweight" BMI category when your body fat percentage is in the healthy range. Body fat percentage is what counts, BMI is a very poor diagnostic tool; in addition to telling world class athletes that they're obese, it also misses huge numbers of people who have normal weight obesity, i.e. normal weight according to BMI but obese according to body fat percentage, which carries a lot of health risks. People who stay thin without exercising by skipping meals or eating sporadically are likely to have normal weight obesity, your doctor will miss them all, unfortunately, because she's looking only at BMI and not body fat percentage or other lifestyle factors.
  • timkane46
    timkane46 Posts: 29 Member
    Gotta love those Doctors ...eat right and exercise .. thats their mantra..of course most of them are 40 or more pounds overweight and the pizza sauce stain on their tie is a great example !..lol... BMI is crap dreamed up by insurance company's to justify charging us all more. When I was 21 I had to go before a medical review board before I could start the police academy. I was 6'6" 270 pounds, benching well over 400, squatting well over 500 and could run a 4.75 40 yard dash. The height standard only went to 6'4" and 205 pounds !...lol.. my bones weighed that !

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