Healthy body fat percentage?

lebaker310
lebaker310 Posts: 164 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Having a hard time finding out what a good body fat % is for me. I was tested today by a trainer. I am a 23 year old female, 133lbs, 5'6". I work out 5 days a week and eay 80% clean. My body fat percentage was 19%, which is about 25 lbs of fat. the trainer said I should be at 13% lose 8lbs of fat and gain 10 lbs of muscle which would leave me at 134lbs. Not that I don't trust a professional opinion, but he was trying to get me to buy a $55 a week training program so of course he wants me to think I'm fat and disgusting.

If the number don't add up, I'm just going by what he wrote down for me.

Replies

  • donthesitate
    donthesitate Posts: 255 Member
    19% isnt fat....two people can look completely different at the same bodyfat because of muscle mass . 13% is kinda low but that depends on your goals
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    19% for a woman is considered in the athletic category. At 13% you would probably lose fertility and is something usually only done by women in body competitions. Most women would be very happy to reach 19%. I'd find a different trainer that has a clue.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    19% for a woman is considered in the athletic category. At 13% you would probably lose fertility and is something usually only done by women in body competitions. Most women would be very happy to reach 19%. I'd find a different trainer that has a clue.

    This. 13% is pretty extreme. 19% is definitely quite fit.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    13% is way too low and unhealthy.
  • skadoosh33
    skadoosh33 Posts: 353 Member
    19% is high for a man and could be for a woman as well. It depends on breast size for women. If you are an A-cup then you could definitely go down a few more. This also depends on who did they body fat calculations and how many sites. Was it accurate?
  • ShannonMK9
    ShannonMK9 Posts: 65 Member
    Had to look it up - 19% is a good body fat to be at as "According to the National Institutes of Health, the recommended amount of body fat for women is between 20 and 21 percent."

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/80407-average-body-fat-percentage-women/#ixzz2fOLwqte6

    this chart I found helps also
    Body Fat Standards for Women Recommended by Age Group
    20 to 29 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 69+
    Very low <16 <17 <18 <19 <20
    Low 16-19 17-20 18-21 19-22 20-23
    Optimal 20-28 21-29 22-30 23-31 24-32
    Moderately high 29-31 30-32 31-33 32-33 33-35
    High >31 >32 >33 >34 >35


    Read more on FamilyEducation: http://life.familyeducation.com/weight/health/35880.html#ixzz2fOMso2Kl

    So ya, him wanting you to get down to a 13% isn't recommended for any adult female age group and isn't real health and can cause fertility issues as you will not have enough body fat to maintain hormone levels.
  • lebaker310
    lebaker310 Posts: 164 Member
    Well I'm definitely not an A cup, more like a 36 D. I've been doing a decent amount of strength training and some cardio. I've lost about 10 lbs in the past two months.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    19% is high for a man and could be for a woman as well. It depends on breast size for women. If you are an A-cup then you could definitely go down a few more. This also depends on who did they body fat calculations and how many sites. Was it accurate?

    No, 19% is not high for a woman. At 16 to 17% a woman can lose her period and lower than that can actually be dangerous to health. Women are meant to carry more fat than men, it's just the way we're made. Boobs aren't all fat so I don't see how cup size figures into a body fat calculation!
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    19% is high for a man and could be for a woman as well. It depends on breast size for women. If you are an A-cup then you could definitely go down a few more. This also depends on who did they body fat calculations and how many sites. Was it accurate?

    No, 19% is not high for a woman. At 16 to 17% a woman can lose her period and lower than that can actually be dangerous to health. Women are meant to carry more fat than men, it's just the way we're made. Boobs aren't all fat so I don't see how cup size figures into a body fat calculation!
    Totally agree. 19% is in the "athletic" range for women. As mentioned, a few points lower and bad things start to happen, including setting a woman up for osteoporosis later in life, and statistically, increased mortality. Any woman at 20%, plus or minus a couple, has reached the promised land from a health perspective.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    13% is not unhealthy, but it's extremely low for a woman who is not an athlete. To give a comparison, models are often around 15%. 19% is not fat.
  • skadoosh33
    skadoosh33 Posts: 353 Member
    Well breast tissue is mainly subcutaneous fat, and the larger the breast, the more fat. Dropping too low of body fat% can cause issues in some women. It will depend on how much lean body mass you have. The more you have, the lower your body fat can be since the actual fat in pounds will increase. Below, both types would have about the same amount of fat in pounds but completely different %.

    96lbs of LBM @ 19% 119lbs
    117lbs of LBM @ 15% 138lbs
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Well breast tissue is mainly subcutaneous fat, and the larger the breast, the more fat. Dropping too low of body fat% can cause issues in some women. It will depend on how much lean body mass you have. The more you have, the lower your body fat can be since the actual fat in pounds will increase. Below, both types would have about the same amount of fat in pounds but completely different %.

    96lbs of LBM @ 19% 119lbs
    117lbs of LBM @ 15% 138lbs

    I give up. Yes all breasts are just big blobs of fat sitting on our chests. That's the reason why when we lose weight all women become totally flat chested.

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