Why I hate Body Fat Percentage!

I think what Vismal is saying (and he can correct me if I am wrong) is not so much omg don't do this its a waste of time so much as he is saying that too many people become myopically focused on achieving the magic number of 10% or 18% and ignore other factors that are arguably more important like...how much energy do they have....how strong are they feeling....how far can they run....what is their functional strength....how do they look.

That said I think its perfectly fine to measure bodyfat percentage and have a goal in mind, just as long as you are rational enough to realize that measurements aren't 100% accurate and your goal might end up needing to shift as you learn more about your own body.

That can be said about everything. Don't focus only on scale. Don't focus only on body fat. Don't focus only on looks (this can be one of the worst). There are tons of goal posts people have in fitness or weight loss and they let those determine their worth.

Well yeah but if we distill it down like that then really the answer to every question ever posed on MFP is "Don't be dumb".

I've seen you ask the same question that you have previously answered for others.

So...you are saying don't be dumb? :-). Not sure what you are referring to unless you mean early on when I found for 6 weeks my scale weight wasn't decreasing. I wasn't so much worried about it (didn't change my routine) as I was just surprised by it. If you are referring to something else not sure what perhaps be more specific.

very interesting read about how much muscle one can expect to naturally build (with out steroids, HGH, etc) till they reach thier genetic limit

NOTE: All the formulas to arrive at your maximum muscle potential in this article are based on natural male bodybuilders who are extremely dedicated individuals and have lifted for oftentimes 10+ years.

http://www.builtlean.com/2011/03/30/how-much-muscle-can-you-gain-naturally/

very interesting read about how much muscle one can expect to naturally build (with out steroids, HGH, etc) till they reach thier genetic limit

NOTE: All the formulas to arrive at your maximum muscle potential in this article are based on natural male bodybuilders who are extremely dedicated individuals and have lifted for oftentimes 10+ years.

http://www.builtlean.com/2011/03/30/how-much-muscle-can-you-gain-naturally/

lol thanks i'm a little off today

this is why the number that's most important to me is the number of lbs on the barbell.

Heh. Those vary too.

I'll obsess if I darn well want to obsess, so there!

Good to know. My scale tells me my percentage. It depresses me.

very interesting read about how much muscle one can expect to naturally build (with out steroids, HGH, etc) till they reach thier genetic limit

NOTE: All the formulas to arrive at your maximum muscle potential in this article are based on natural male bodybuilders who are extremely dedicated individuals and have lifted for oftentimes 10+ years.

http://www.builtlean.com/2011/03/30/how-much-muscle-can-you-gain-naturally/

How close are the men's numbers to women, in your opinion?

I ran mine and I think over a lifetime of lifting it is fairly close. I'm about two solid years in with about 133 pounds lean mass and it says my max is about 158.

very interesting read about how much muscle one can expect to naturally build (with out steroids, HGH, etc) till they reach thier genetic limit

NOTE: All the formulas to arrive at your maximum muscle potential in this article are based on natural male bodybuilders who are extremely dedicated individuals and have lifted for oftentimes 10+ years.

http://www.builtlean.com/2011/03/30/how-much-muscle-can-you-gain-naturally/

How close are the men's numbers to women, in your opinion?

I ran mine and I think over a lifetime of lifting it is fairly close. I'm about two solid years in with about 133 pounds lean mass and it says my max is about 158.

That's what I was thinking. I'm at about 129 pounds of lbm (hydrostatic assessment)and I'm hoping to get to 133 with a 12 week bulk this winter. Of course, my bf is and will be way higher than yours - you look awesome!

Thank you! My body fat is higher now than in the picture. I'm trying to gain. One thing to remember when gaining is that just like fat loss, lean gains are not linear. (Note: These are all approximates based on a wide variety of data) I gained 3 pounds of lean mass in my first 8 week coming off a strict diet. I gained 1 pound of lean mass the next 8 weeks and half a pound in the next 8 weeks. I'm going in for another weigh in next week.

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I agree with you but this only applies to people who are not overweight or obese. I think if you are overweight it is important and necessary to keep track of your BF%.

very interesting read about how much muscle one can expect to naturally build (with out steroids, HGH, etc) till they reach thier genetic limit

NOTE: All the formulas to arrive at your maximum muscle potential in this article are based on natural male bodybuilders who are extremely dedicated individuals and have lifted for oftentimes 10+ years.

http://www.builtlean.com/2011/03/30/how-much-muscle-can-you-gain-naturally/

How close are the men's numbers to women, in your opinion?

I ran mine and I think over a lifetime of lifting it is fairly close. I'm about two solid years in with about 133 pounds lean mass and it says my max is about 158.

That's what I was thinking. I'm at about 129 pounds of lbm (hydrostatic assessment)and I'm hoping to get to 133 with a 12 week bulk this winter. Of course, my bf is and will be way higher than yours - you look awesome!

Thank you! My body fat is higher now than in the picture. I'm trying to gain. One thing to remember when gaining is that just like fat loss, lean gains are not linear. (Note: These are all approximates based on a wide variety of data) I gained 3 pounds of lean mass in my first 8 week coming off a strict diet. I gained 1 pound of lean mass the next 8 weeks and half a pound in the next 8 weeks. I'm going in for another weigh in next week.

I just tried and failed at a 12 week bulk. I'd go up a couple of pounds and then drift back to where I was. 4 1/2 pounds of lean mass is completely awesome, especially with your base.

Consistently overeating is WAY harder than people think it is. I think more people eat at maintenance and then gain through binges than consistently adding too much to their plate

I have no problem eating. I gain more fat than I should because I can eat. I will have to go through lots of mini cuts. I do think a lot of people just fear eating if they've been fat before. They call it the former fat boy syndrome. Sometimes it's more successful (although seemingly very slow) to just try to recomposition.
http://www.jcdfitness.com/2009/10/the-former-fat-boy-syndrome/

very interesting read about how much muscle one can expect to naturally build (with out steroids, HGH, etc) till they reach thier genetic limit

NOTE: All the formulas to arrive at your maximum muscle potential in this article are based on natural male bodybuilders who are extremely dedicated individuals and have lifted for oftentimes 10+ years.

http://www.builtlean.com/2011/03/30/how-much-muscle-can-you-gain-naturally/

How close are the men's numbers to women, in your opinion?

thats a good question.

here is a link to a calculator that you put your hieght and a few other inch measurements and it gives you an idea of how much you would weight at your maximum muscle potential at a given BF %

http://www.weightrainer.net/bodypred.html

it doesn't toggle between male and female, which would suggest that it doesn't matter (or its a poorly constructed calculator).

here is a link to an article with the formulas the calculator is based on. It doesn't specifically address the differences between men and women, other then to say that men will naturally have more muslce building potential because thier bodies produce more testosterone

http://www.weightrainer.net/potential.html

all we know is that the information is based on a study of Male natural BB. My bet is that the chart isn't that accurate for most women.




All i wanted to say was that 26 lbs of muscle in a year, even your first year is very unlikely.

if anyones done it they were probably well above average in genetics, and perhaps somehow underweight to begin with. or they used test or something.

I was thinking about this last night, and i remembered a local guy that is the exact same height as me, but appears to have maybe twice as much muscle. Didn't really sync with my notions of whats really within the realm of possibility for a guy my size. so i chalked it up to him probably be well above average in genetics.

then i remembered he was also the guy that offered to take me through a testosterone cycle.

I guess my point is just that people should have more realistic expectations.

Interesting- I know that for me, I have lost maybe 1 lb over the past few months, but with checkins at my gym (having a professional measure body fat with calipers), I have dropped almost 10 % body fat. I am stronger, in good cardio shape, look much smaller, and have dropped a clothing size. And basically have lost no weight.

Seriously? I understand the scale number thing...but really 1 pound makes such difference? I am not doubting your words but it's just too good to be true...

Interesting- I know that for me, I have lost maybe 1 lb over the past few months, but with checkins at my gym (having a professional measure body fat with calipers), I have dropped almost 10 % body fat. I am stronger, in good cardio shape, look much smaller, and have dropped a clothing size. And basically have lost no weight.

Seriously? I understand the scale number thing...but really 1 pound makes such difference? I am not doubting your words but it's just too good to be true...

I mean, I would LOVE it if my scale was wrong! But I weight myself once a week, same time of day....and yeah. The difference has really been the body fat for me (I upped my lifting game) anad it is definitely visible. I put on a dress yesterday with short sleeves (which were like a little too tight last year), and it fit perfectly. The shirts that I have purchased recently haven been smalls and extra smalls (except for Theory- why do they run so small!?), the dresses and skirts have all been smalls. They would have all been mediums last summer.

Interesting- I know that for me, I have lost maybe 1 lb over the past few months, but with checkins at my gym (having a professional measure body fat with calipers), I have dropped almost 10 % body fat. I am stronger, in good cardio shape, look much smaller, and have dropped a clothing size. And basically have lost no weight.

Seriously? I understand the scale number thing...but really 1 pound makes such difference? I am not doubting your words but it's just too good to be true...

I mean, I would LOVE it if my scale was wrong! But I weight myself once a week, same time of day....and yeah. The difference has really been the body fat for me (I upped my lifting game) anad it is definitely visible. I put on a dress yesterday with short sleeves (which were like a little too tight last year), and it fit perfectly. The shirts that I have purchased recently haven been smalls and extra smalls (except for Theory- why do they run so small!?), the dresses and skirts have all been smalls. They would have all been mediums last summer.

Wasn't it "I Lift Heavy Acrylics" who did a year recomp - maintenance + heavy lifting. 134 to 134 lbs and the difference is breath-taking.