Why I hate Body Fat Percentage!

usmcmp · May 2014

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I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

and dave draper in the middle. i'm not sure what your driving at here

The guy posted he was afraid of having low body fat and still being 200 pounds. I was showing him a few bodybuilders with low body fat and what their height/weight was. The chances of him getting to 10% and being 200 pounds is not likely.

likitisplit · May 2014

show previous quotes

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

and dave draper in the middle. i'm not sure what your driving at here

The guy posted he was afraid of having low body fat and still being 200 pounds. I was showing him a few bodybuilders with low body fat and what their height/weight was. The chances of him getting to 10% and being 200 pounds is not likely.

Unless...of course...mini trampoline?

usmcmp · May 2014

show previous quotes

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

and dave draper in the middle. i'm not sure what your driving at here

The guy posted he was afraid of having low body fat and still being 200 pounds. I was showing him a few bodybuilders with low body fat and what their height/weight was. The chances of him getting to 10% and being 200 pounds is not likely.

Unless...of course...mini trampoline?

Elliptical and 5 pound dumbbells.

jofjltncb6 · May 2014

In...

...for later.

usmcmp · May 2014

In...

...for later.

You're a few days late.

likitisplit · May 2014

show previous quotes

In...

...for later.

You're a few days late.

I think he has his website alert set on mini-trampoline.

No_Finish_Line · May 2014

show previous quotes

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

and dave draper in the middle. i'm not sure what your driving at here

The guy posted he was afraid of having low body fat and still being 200 pounds. I was showing him a few bodybuilders with low body fat and what their height/weight was. The chances of him getting to 10% and being 200 pounds is not likely.

chances of 90% of the population looking like them without steroids is near 0

actually to be honest with you, they don't look half as roidy as todays bodybuilders, but they were all on them

usmcmp · May 2014

show previous quotes

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

and dave draper in the middle. i'm not sure what your driving at here

The guy posted he was afraid of having low body fat and still being 200 pounds. I was showing him a few bodybuilders with low body fat and what their height/weight was. The chances of him getting to 10% and being 200 pounds is not likely.

chances of 90% of the population looking like them without steroids is near 0

actually to be honest with you, they don't look half as roidy as todays bodybuilders, but they were all on them

Which goes to prove my point to him even more. The guy that was concerned isn't going to be shredded and weigh 200 pounds unless he's 7 feet tall (I have a friend who competes and is natural. He is 7 feet tall and weighs 240 pounds).

likitisplit · May 2014

show previous quotes

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

and dave draper in the middle. i'm not sure what your driving at here

The guy posted he was afraid of having low body fat and still being 200 pounds. I was showing him a few bodybuilders with low body fat and what their height/weight was. The chances of him getting to 10% and being 200 pounds is not likely.

chances of 90% of the population looking like them without steroids is near 0

actually to be honest with you, they don't look half as roidy as todays bodybuilders, but they were all on them

The chances of 90% of the population looking like them WITH steroids is pretty close to 0 too.

No_Finish_Line · May 2014

show previous quotes

I love body fat percentage.. it helps me not think about how I'm not a typical 5'6" 130lb woman but a beautiful 5'6" 172lb woman. It also helped me not freak out because the scale wasn't moving. To each their own really.. I would love to see more people "freak out" about BF% than "OMG WHY AM I NOT LOSING LB WEIGHT"

I freak out because I do not want to keep losing body fat % and still be in the 200s ib. I would look way to muscular. Apparently I already look muscular. Ha this is just the beginning.

Guy on the left is Frank Zane. Three time Mr. Olympia (1977,1978, 1979). 200 pounds and 10% body fat at 5'9".

Guy on the right is Arnold. Don't need to tell you about his competition history. 250 pounds and 11% body fat at 6'2".

and dave draper in the middle. i'm not sure what your driving at here

The guy posted he was afraid of having low body fat and still being 200 pounds. I was showing him a few bodybuilders with low body fat and what their height/weight was. The chances of him getting to 10% and being 200 pounds is not likely.

chances of 90% of the population looking like them without steroids is near 0

actually to be honest with you, they don't look half as roidy as todays bodybuilders, but they were all on them

Which goes to prove my point to him even more. The guy that was concerned isn't going to be shredded and weigh 200 pounds unless he's 7 feet tall (I have a friend who competes and is natural. He is 7 feet tall and weighs 240 pounds).

oh i follow you now

jofjltncb6 · May 2014

show previous quotes

In...

...for later.

You're a few days late.

I think he has his website alert set on mini-trampoline.

^this

(Also, I've determined that OP and I have remarkably similar opinions on nearly everything I've seen him post about, so maybe I reasoned that there was no point in my even reading this thread. Yeah, okay, so I didn't even notice it until today.)

usmcmp · May 2014

show previous quotes

In...

...for later.

You're a few days late.

I think he has his website alert set on mini-trampoline.

^this

(Also, I've determined that OP and I have remarkably similar opinions on nearly everything I've seen him post about, so maybe I reasoned that there was no point in my even reading this thread. Yeah, okay, so I didn't even notice it until today.)

Now that you are here the thread is complete.

arewethereyet · May 2014

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*

You just have me hope and motivation. I am 125 and I look wonderful IN clothes, put on a suit and blech! My thoughts have been geared towards BF, exercise and weightlifting, and I know I am on the right track. Picture 2 I can see SUCH a difference! Great job

ballroomdancer9 · June 2014

I just joined this site. Thank you for this post! I just got a professional body fat % test done. Reason being, I am 5' 3.5" tall and weigh 168 lbs. By every chart I have seen, I am clinically obese. I figured I needed to weigh 120 at a maximum based on my height. Boy was I shocked to find I had a whopping 120 lbs of muscle tissue! Basically, if I weighed 120 lbs, I would have 0% body fat... yuck and not very attractive for a woman or anyone:(. If I weigh 140 lbs, I would have about 20% body fat and be a size 6. So, instead of thinking I needed to lose 48 lbs, I only need to lose 28 lbs more...

You are correct that many body fat testing options are not accurate, but my father was a professional body builder, and I found out I inherited his genes.. can gain muscle very close to the rate of a typical male... so for me it was eye opening and completely changed the way I think about my body! If you can afford to get it done correctly, I would highly recommend it.

I see a lot of women posting that they weigh in the 130-140 range and want to get down to the 110's... Based on what I learned, that may not only be unattainable but a completely unhealthy goal that will lead to discouragement, failure, or worse... loss of lean muscle tissue for weight loss which lowers the metabolism and will make it much easier to regain the lbs lost plus 10% more!

erickirb · June 2014

I just joined this site. Thank you for this post! I just got a professional body fat % test done. Reason being, I am 5' 3.5" tall and weigh 168 lbs. By every chart I have seen, I am clinically obese. I figured I needed to weigh 120 at a maximum based on my height. Boy was I shocked to find I had a whopping 120 lbs of muscle tissue! Basically, if I weighed 120 lbs, I would have 0% body fat... yuck and not very attractive for a woman or anyone:(. If I weigh 140 lbs, I would have about 20% body fat and be a size 6. So, instead of thinking I needed to lose 48 lbs, I only need to lose 28 lbs more...

You are correct that many body fat testing options are not accurate, but my father was a professional body builder, and I found out I inherited his genes.. can gain muscle very close to the rate of a typical male... so for me it was eye opening and completely changed the way I think about my body! If you can afford to get it done correctly, I would highly recommend it.

I see a lot of women posting that they weigh in the 130-140 range and want to get down to the 110's... Based on what I learned, that may not only be unattainable but a completely unhealthy goal that will lead to discouragement, failure, or worse... loss of lean muscle tissue for weight loss which lowers the metabolism and will make it much easier to regain the lbs lost plus 10% more!

Sorry but 120 lbs of non-fat is not all muscle, and as you lose weight you will lose some LBM, usually 10-30% depending on genetics, diet, and exercise regimen. so if you lost 30 lbs you would weigh 138, and probably have lean mass in the 115 lb range, meaning you would be 16.7% BF, which is still pretty low, but not the same as if you still had 120 lbs lbs, which would have you at 13%.

That said 120 is still probably too low for you say you were 120 your lbm may be in the 110-112 which would be 6.7-8.8% BF, which would be to low for you.

Azdak · June 2014

I just joined this site. Thank you for this post! I just got a professional body fat % test done. Reason being, I am 5' 3.5" tall and weigh 168 lbs. By every chart I have seen, I am clinically obese. I figured I needed to weigh 120 at a maximum based on my height. Boy was I shocked to find I had a whopping 120 lbs of muscle tissue! Basically, if I weighed 120 lbs, I would have 0% body fat... yuck and not very attractive for a woman or anyone:(. If I weigh 140 lbs, I would have about 20% body fat and be a size 6. So, instead of thinking I needed to lose 48 lbs, I only need to lose 28 lbs more...

You are correct that many body fat testing options are not accurate, but my father was a professional body builder, and I found out I inherited his genes.. can gain muscle very close to the rate of a typical male... so for me it was eye opening and completely changed the way I think about my body! If you can afford to get it done correctly, I would highly recommend it.

I see a lot of women posting that they weigh in the 130-140 range and want to get down to the 110's... Based on what I learned, that may not only be unattainable but a completely unhealthy goal that will lead to discouragement, failure, or worse... loss of lean muscle tissue for weight loss which lowers the metabolism and will make it much easier to regain the lbs lost plus 10% more!

The measurements will change as your journey continues, which is not a big deal. I don't know what method they used to estimate your BF %, but that FFM is an usually high number. For someone your height (and a non-weight lifter), I have usually only seen that kind of FFM on someone who was 100+ pounds overweight. So I would not be alarmed if subsequent readings result in a lower number--don't automatically assume you did something "wrong" to "lose muscle".

In essence, you are quite correct in stated that knowing ones body composition is important is important for setting a realistic goal weight.