Why I hate Body Fat Percentage!
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vismal
Posts: 2,463 Member
People freak over their body fat percentage! They freak about it more then their weight. We all want to lose fat, not just weight, I know. So people start to obsess over losing body fat percentages. They get monthly tests at their gym and they let it determine whether they feel as though they had a good month. I'm here to tell you to STOP obsessing over that number. I actually think it's the LEAST IMPORTANT number us fitness folk follow, but probably not for the reasons you are thinking. So why do I think we should all STOP worrying about body fat percentage?
The number one problem with using body fat percentage to track progress is accuracy. There simply isn't a very accurate, reliable, affordable way to track your body fat percentage. Let's examine some of the most popular ways to test body fat. We'll start with bio electrical impedance devices. Those scale you step on, or the handheld device you grab. These are basically trash. They measure total body water to determine your body fat percentage. Unless you are at exactly the same level of hydration each and every time you use the machine, they will not be accurate for you. There is no way to tell if your hydration level is the exact same as it was last month so I place these devices near the bottom as far as accuracy is concerned.
A good set of calipers when used by a trained professional can be better but still have problems. If a very expensive set of calipers, being used by a professional still have a margin of error, how accurate do you think the ones you have at home that you are using on yourself are? The more sites used to measure with calipers, the more likely the number is to be accurate, but also if you are measuring 9 sites on your body, that's 9 opportunities to measure incorrectly and skew results.
Bod pod, and underwater weighing are more accurate then the above two methods but are expensive and sometimes hard to come by. They too can suffer from inaccuracies due to hydration level as well. Dexascan might be the gold standard but who has access to them and is willing to pay for monthly tests? I don't even know where I could get one done in my area.
So we have identified that it's hard to get an accurate body fat percentage. Even in a perfect world, where we could know exactly what the number was, I still feel it's not that important. People get a certain number in their head. Most men shoot for 10% and most women for 15-18. Why is this? Well, someone, at some point got it out there that 10% for men and 15% for women are when the much sought after 6-pack appears. There are some big problems with this. First off, it's not true for everyone. Different people will show abs at different levels of body fat. It depends on genetics and overall lean mass. So if your goal is a 6 pack, don't chase a meaningless number, chase a 6 pack. I wanted a 6 pack so I lost fat until I had one. If your goal is 10% body fat because you want a 6 pack, and calipers tell you that you are at 10% but you don't have a 6 pack will you be happy? Of course not! If your goal is appearance based simply use your actual appearance to measure progress!
Some people follow body fat percentage because they think they are gaining muscle while losing fat and that accounts for why the scale has been stalled. I'll make this part quick. You are not gaining mass and losing fat! You simply aren't! Muscle weight comes on far too slow. An untrained male can gain about 26 lbs of lean mass in his first year of training if he is eating in a SURPLUS. Women can gain about half that much. If the max you can hope for is 1-2 lbs of lean mass a month, and that requires eating in a surplus, do you really think you gained 3-4 lbs of muscle in 1 month at the same time losing 3-4 lbs of fat? You're simply letting an inaccurate body fat measurement lead you into thinking progress is being made when you have actually stalled.
Finally some worry the weight they are losing is muscle and not fat so they follow body fat percentage to ensure this is not the case. I feel the "I don't want to lose muscle" fear is WAY overblown. If you lose weight at a reasonable speed, eat adequate protein, and do strength training then muscle loss just isn't a big concern. When you have lots of fat to lose your body will use fat as fuel in a deficit. That's what fat is for. It's stored when the body has a surplus of energy to be used later when there isn't enough energy from intake to meet the bodies needs. Muscle loss only really becomes a concern when you get fairly lean, or when you lose weight while not doing any kind of strength training or having a diet low in protein.
TL/DR There isn't an accurate and affordable way to determine body fat percentage, and even if their was, being a certain percentage does not mean you will look a certain way.
The number one problem with using body fat percentage to track progress is accuracy. There simply isn't a very accurate, reliable, affordable way to track your body fat percentage. Let's examine some of the most popular ways to test body fat. We'll start with bio electrical impedance devices. Those scale you step on, or the handheld device you grab. These are basically trash. They measure total body water to determine your body fat percentage. Unless you are at exactly the same level of hydration each and every time you use the machine, they will not be accurate for you. There is no way to tell if your hydration level is the exact same as it was last month so I place these devices near the bottom as far as accuracy is concerned.
A good set of calipers when used by a trained professional can be better but still have problems. If a very expensive set of calipers, being used by a professional still have a margin of error, how accurate do you think the ones you have at home that you are using on yourself are? The more sites used to measure with calipers, the more likely the number is to be accurate, but also if you are measuring 9 sites on your body, that's 9 opportunities to measure incorrectly and skew results.
Bod pod, and underwater weighing are more accurate then the above two methods but are expensive and sometimes hard to come by. They too can suffer from inaccuracies due to hydration level as well. Dexascan might be the gold standard but who has access to them and is willing to pay for monthly tests? I don't even know where I could get one done in my area.
So we have identified that it's hard to get an accurate body fat percentage. Even in a perfect world, where we could know exactly what the number was, I still feel it's not that important. People get a certain number in their head. Most men shoot for 10% and most women for 15-18. Why is this? Well, someone, at some point got it out there that 10% for men and 15% for women are when the much sought after 6-pack appears. There are some big problems with this. First off, it's not true for everyone. Different people will show abs at different levels of body fat. It depends on genetics and overall lean mass. So if your goal is a 6 pack, don't chase a meaningless number, chase a 6 pack. I wanted a 6 pack so I lost fat until I had one. If your goal is 10% body fat because you want a 6 pack, and calipers tell you that you are at 10% but you don't have a 6 pack will you be happy? Of course not! If your goal is appearance based simply use your actual appearance to measure progress!
Some people follow body fat percentage because they think they are gaining muscle while losing fat and that accounts for why the scale has been stalled. I'll make this part quick. You are not gaining mass and losing fat! You simply aren't! Muscle weight comes on far too slow. An untrained male can gain about 26 lbs of lean mass in his first year of training if he is eating in a SURPLUS. Women can gain about half that much. If the max you can hope for is 1-2 lbs of lean mass a month, and that requires eating in a surplus, do you really think you gained 3-4 lbs of muscle in 1 month at the same time losing 3-4 lbs of fat? You're simply letting an inaccurate body fat measurement lead you into thinking progress is being made when you have actually stalled.
Finally some worry the weight they are losing is muscle and not fat so they follow body fat percentage to ensure this is not the case. I feel the "I don't want to lose muscle" fear is WAY overblown. If you lose weight at a reasonable speed, eat adequate protein, and do strength training then muscle loss just isn't a big concern. When you have lots of fat to lose your body will use fat as fuel in a deficit. That's what fat is for. It's stored when the body has a surplus of energy to be used later when there isn't enough energy from intake to meet the bodies needs. Muscle loss only really becomes a concern when you get fairly lean, or when you lose weight while not doing any kind of strength training or having a diet low in protein.
TL/DR There isn't an accurate and affordable way to determine body fat percentage, and even if their was, being a certain percentage does not mean you will look a certain way.
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Replies
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Wonderful info! Well written!
I will ask the burning question though....
How do you recommend tracking progress?0 -
Good question! I track through multiple ways. I will list all the things I track starting with what I value the most to the leastWonderful info! Well written!
I will ask the burning question though....
How do you recommend tracking progress?
1: Progress pictures/ the mirror. (These simply do not lie, you either look better or you don't!)
2. The way my clothes fit
3. Tape measurements
4. Scale weight
If 3 out of 4 of those things indicate progress is being made, I can be fairly sure that progress is being made!0 -
bump to read when I am awake0
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I never track Body fat %. If I feel like I look good and feel good then that's really all that matters to me! Looking at all the numbers gets frustrating. Thanks for the post
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Good question! I track through multiple ways. I will list all the things I track starting with what I value the most to the leastWonderful info! Well written!
I will ask the burning question though....
How do you recommend tracking progress?
1: Progress pictures/ the mirror. (These simply do not lie, you either look better or you don't!)
2. The way my clothes fit
3. Tape measurements
4. Scale weight
If 3 out of 4 of those things indicate progress is being made, I can be fairly sure that progress is being made!
Tape measures can increase due to bloating or increased fat or water retention.
Scale weight can increase due to water weight or fat or lean mass or all of them.
Some people are going to obsess about anything and everything. Instead of saying they shouldn't focus on body fat (which actually is a good thing to track along with weight and measurements) you should have just said people should just stop obsessing about numbers in general. I think people should take as many data points as possible. Weight, measurements, calipers, bio electrical impedance, lifting stats, blood tests, mile times, etc.
You point out that the tests are not accurate, which I agree, but if they use the same method over and over it gives them a fairly constant trend. They might be off 5%, but they will probably always be off 5%.0 -
But if a body fat percentage technique has a margin of error of +/- 5% then to me it's 100% worthless. So if it says 15% I could be as high as 20 which means I still have lots of fat to lose, or as low as 10 which means I have very little fat left to lose. The trends aren't reliable either meaning they are not always off by the same amount. If that were true they would have more use. I agree tape measurements and scale weights can be thrown off by water retention. But If you weigh yourself daily, and take a weekly average, comparing week to week over the course of a month, that will account for water weight swings. Scale weight would only increase due to lean mass if you were actively trying to gain lean mass, in which case, you want scale weight to go up.
Tape measures can increase due to bloating or increased fat or water retention.
Scale weight can increase due to water weight or fat or lean mass or all of them.
Some people are going to obsess about anything and everything. Instead of saying they shouldn't focus on body fat (which actually is a good thing to track along with weight and measurements) you should have just said people should just stop obsessing about numbers in general. I think people should take as many data points as possible. Weight, measurements, calipers, bio electrical impedance, lifting stats, blood tests, mile times, etc.
You point out that the tests are not accurate, which I agree, but if they use the same method over and over it gives them a fairly constant trend. They might be off 5%, but they will probably always be off 5%.0 -
dunno why but I am having so much fun saying bod pod over and over again0
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Using scale weight has all the possible inaccuracies and outside factors that can throw it off that goes with monitoring body fat.
However if you weigh the same way every time, then over time you can get an idea of your general weight even though it will not be exact.
What's wrong with doing the same thing with body fat percentage?
I would trade out your number 4: Scale weight with Body Fat %.
Just tracking with my scale my weight went down 1 lb but my body fat went down 4 %. I also was tracking with photos, clothing size, and measurements. But I get much more excited about losing body fat than I do about weight.
*edited to fix pictures*0 -
Scale weight is only inaccurate if your scale is broken. Yes scale weight can be skewed by water retention but it should be going down over time. You can weigh yourself daily for free so you can have several data points to plot. The more accurate ways to measure body fat aren't usually something you can do daily, or even weekly. So it takes a long time to get enough data points to start getting a trend. This is why I put it at the bottom of the list as far as importance. You progress pictures are excellent at proving me point, looking at those do you need a machine to tell you that you've lost fat? Of course you don't it's evident to anyone that you have! Congrats on that by the wayUsing scale weight has all the possible inaccuracies and outside factors that can throw it off that goes with monitoring body fat.
However if you weigh the same way every time, then over time you can get an idea of your general weight even though it will not be exact.
What's wrong with doing the same thing with body fat percentage?
I would trade out your number 4: Scale weight with Body Fat %.
Just tracking with my scale my weight went down 1 lb but my body fat went down 4 %. I also was tracking with photos, clothing size, and measurements. But I get much more excited about losing body fat than I do about weight. 0 -
I agree with you...we are always telling people stay off the scale they lie...you can be smaller at a heavier weight etc...
Then we all fuss over BF%...I admitted was one of them...notice I said was...
I had a number in my head of where I wanted to be and where I thought I was and when someone told me I wasn't...I almost cried...almost...but it definately changed my mood...which is odd...because I am really liking how I look.
So why the hell should one number throw me off so much.
I mean cripes I wear a size 5/6 jean...and I weigh 154lbs...I look pretty damn good for a mom of a 20 year old.
Numbers lie period. The only number that is gonna have any effect on me from now on is the one on the bar...the rest I don't give a crap about...but even those numbers wont dictate my mood...up or down I am lifting some heavy a$$ed weight and that makes me happy.
Thanks I needed this today....0 -
But if a body fat percentage technique has a margin of error of +/- 5% then to me it's 100% worthless. So if it says 15% I could be as high as 20 which means I still have lots of fat to lose, or as low as 10 which means I have very little fat left to lose. The trends aren't reliable either meaning they are not always off by the same amount. If that were true they would have more use. I agree tape measurements and scale weights can be thrown off by water retention. But If you weigh yourself daily, and take a weekly average, comparing week to week over the course of a month, that will account for water weight swings. Scale weight would only increase due to lean mass if you were actively trying to gain lean mass, in which case, you want scale weight to go up.
Tape measures can increase due to bloating or increased fat or water retention.
Scale weight can increase due to water weight or fat or lean mass or all of them.
Some people are going to obsess about anything and everything. Instead of saying they shouldn't focus on body fat (which actually is a good thing to track along with weight and measurements) you should have just said people should just stop obsessing about numbers in general. I think people should take as many data points as possible. Weight, measurements, calipers, bio electrical impedance, lifting stats, blood tests, mile times, etc.
You point out that the tests are not accurate, which I agree, but if they use the same method over and over it gives them a fairly constant trend. They might be off 5%, but they will probably always be off 5%.
Here's an example of why taking all data points is important in some circumstances:
I was doing competition prep for a show last April. In the last month my body fat measurements weren't lining up with my scale losses and the measurements weren't dropping in the right places. My body was starting to burn up lean mass. That's actually very important to know.
When people use bio electrical impedance the trend when dropping fat is almost always linear. It rarely goes +5% then -5% then -2%. It's consistently off almost the same % every time. The only time that I've seen a huge swing in body fat on those or calipers is significant water retention or dehydration. That's either after drinking over a gallon of water or after having the stomach flu/food poisoning.0 -
My new favorite quite is going to be "The only number that matters is the number on the bar!"I agree with you...we are always telling people stay off the scale they lie...you can be smaller at a heavier weight etc...
Then we all fuss over BF%...I admitted was one of them...notice I said was...
I had a number in my head of where I wanted to be and where I thought I was and when someone told me I wasn't...I almost cried...almost...but it definately changed my mood...which is odd...because I am really liking how I look.
So why the hell should one number throw me off so much.
I mean cripes I wear a size 5/6 jean...and I weigh 154lbs...I look pretty damn good for a mom of a 20 year old.
Numbers lie period. The only number that is gonna have any effect on me from now on is the one on the bar...the rest I don't give a crap about...but even those numbers wont dictate my mood...up or down I am lifting some heavy a$$ed weight and that makes me happy.
Thanks I needed this today....
Contest prep is literally the exception to nearly every rule there is in regards to fitness. All the things that usually never matter, matter a lot in prep. I would venture a bet that less then 1/2 of 1/2 of 1% of people on here will ever contest prep. I would agree that body fat percentage monitoring is much more important for someone in prep but again, that population, especially on this board, is going to be a HUGE minority.
Here's an example of why taking all data points is important in some circumstances:
I was doing competition prep for a show last April. In the last month my body fat measurements weren't lining up with my scale losses and the measurements weren't dropping in the right places. My body was starting to burn up lean mass. That's actually very important to know.
When people use bio electrical impedance the trend when dropping fat is almost always linear. It rarely goes +5% then -5% then -2%. It's consistently off almost the same % every time. The only time that I've seen a huge swing in body fat on those or calipers is significant water retention or dehydration. That's either after drinking over a gallon of water or after having the stomach flu/food poisoning.0 -
So the guy with a six pack is telling me not to worry about my body fat percentage? Translation: Don't worry about your body fat percentage if you can look in the mirror and be sure it's super low already.
so is the mom with a little pudge around her middle still...working on getting it gone but why is that number anymore important than clothing size or scale weight or tape measure?0 -
I haven't long been active on these forums, but from what I have read from you vismal, you speak so much sense!0
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1: Progress pictures/ the mirror. (These simply do not lie, you either look better or you don't!)
2. The way my clothes fit
3. Tape measurements
4. Scale weight
If 3 out of 4 of those things indicate progress is being made, I can be fairly sure that progress is being made!
I agree with you, to an extent. I like to use a variety of different measurement systems, because I just don't trust my mind/mirror to tell me when I look better. My self image is so poor and my view of my body is so distorted that I could look ten pounds of fat and still not see any change in the mirror.0 -
Scale weight is only inaccurate if your scale is broken. Yes scale weight can be skewed by water retention but it should be going down over time. You can weigh yourself daily for free so you can have several data points to plot. The more accurate ways to measure body fat aren't usually something you can do daily, or even weekly. So it takes a long time to get enough data points to start getting a trend. This is why I put it at the bottom of the list as far as importance. You progress pictures are excellent at proving me point, looking at those do you need a machine to tell you that you've lost fat? Of course you don't it's evident to anyone that you have! Congrats on that by the way
Thank you. Happily I've been able to keep it off and am looking forward to updating it with another photo this July.
But I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on the BF subject. I agree it's important to not get obsessed with any number/goal, but I don't think that ignoring BF% all together is something to promote.
It was hard for me to see the difference in myself during, and with photos and measurements taken monthly it was helpful to see my BF% go down every week when my weight yo-yo'd 5lbs. I'm not sure how well I would have stuck with it if I had just relied on the other measurements.0 -
No, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is if I got my body fat tested and it was higher then I thought it was it wouldn't actually change the way I looked. My 6 pack wouldn't disappear if all of a sudden I learned my body fat was higher then 12%. I would still look exactly like I look! You need to worry about how much fat you carry both for aesthetic reasons and health reasons. But as you pointed out, you can usually tell that just by looking at a picture.So the guy with a six pack is telling me not to worry about my body fat percentage? Translation: Don't worry about your body fat percentage if you can look in the mirror and be sure it's super low already.0 -
That's silly! Here's a graph of my body fat % trending down 7% over the past six months--We'll start with bio electrical impedance devices. Those scale you step on, or the handheld device you grab. These are basically trash.
Studies and reviews generally find BIA scales as being +/- 3% accurate. Thus, if my number is 25%, I may really have 22% body fat or 28% body fat. While that's a wide range, those same studies/reviews generally find BIA scales to be consistent. Thus, my trend of -7% is actually indicative of serious progress!
That's why--as with weight--you measure at a consistent time each day, typically first thing in the morning after peeing. With the exception of unusual events--periods, sodium spikes, alcohol binges, endurance workouts, etc.--you get fairly consistent measurements from day to day.Unless you are at exactly the same level of hydration each and every time you use the machine, they will not be accurate for you.
Exactly? Nope. So, I ignore tiny changes (the +/- 0.2% this week) and focus on trends (the -7% in 6mo.)There is no way to tell if your hydration level is the exact same as it was last month
Georgia State University--who tested to determine the accuracy of each method--disagrees with you and puts BIA and Skinfold Caliper tests at about the same accuracy level. More important, they provide tips you can use to increase the accuracy of both types of measurements.so I place these devices near the bottom as far as accuracy is concerned.
http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/bodycomp.html
Of course, if high accuracy is critical, pay for a Dexa or Bodpod!
Me? I'm happy to have an easy way to track that I'm making progress in this domain. 0 -
So the guy with a six pack is telling me not to worry about my body fat percentage? Translation: Don't worry about your body fat percentage if you can look in the mirror and be sure it's super low already.
The point is that anyone can look in the mirror and see if they are losing body fat or not.0
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