Low BMI with high body fat %

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saanjana
saanjana Posts: 20 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi All,

Wondering if anybody else out there with a low BMI and high body fat. I am at a BMI of 21 and body fat % of 35 measured by calipers. With military and machine measurements, I'm 30%. I have always tracked my fitness by how much I weight and how my clothes fit - apparently that hasn't been a good measure and my body fat is super high.

I'm 5'8 141 and though I'm happy with my weight (have about 5-10 lbs more to lose), but I need to find a way to reduce my fat percentage.

Anybody else in a similar situation? And how are you tackling it?

Replies

  • FFfitgirl
    FFfitgirl Posts: 369 Member
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    Lift heavy stuff over and over again. Burpees push-ups squats.
    You could stay the same size weight wise but lose clothing sizes with weight training.


    I'm a crossfit junkie myself
  • saanjana
    saanjana Posts: 20 Member
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    Hey thanks for the advice.

    Not to sound ignorant, what is cross fit? Is it a video?
  • swertyqwerty
    swertyqwerty Posts: 81 Member
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    I'm not sure if I count, because I am overweight, but by BMI standards I'm not obese yet I am around 37% body fat.
  • bingbingwing89
    bingbingwing89 Posts: 4 Member
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    Lift heavy weight like other poster mentioned. I do deadlifts, squats, etc... with heavy weights. Most people guess my weight about 10-20# lighter than I am. Increasing your lean body mass through weight training will lower you body fat percentage.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    I'm not sure if I count, because I am overweight, but by BMI standards I'm not obese yet I am around 37% body fat.
    you ARE obese, by body fat standards. Conversely, I am overweight, but currently am at 24 percent body fat. Ive always been a ball of muscle and used to be self conscious about it. The good news is that you can correct that with exercise and healthy eating, which I'm sure you are already doing or you wouldn't be here.
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
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    Yup.. Low weight, high body fat. :/ I go to gym.. it's a slow process for me.
  • Glaziazisaur
    Glaziazisaur Posts: 30
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    Me too. My BMI is 19 and body fat is 29 or so. If you can, find out if it is subcutaneous or internal fat, because internal fat is much more damaging (which, last I checked a couple years ago, is what mine is)

    I'm not sure what to do about it either :/
  • saanjana
    saanjana Posts: 20 Member
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    Thanks for the messages. Glaziazisaur - how can I check if my body fat is subcutaneous or internal fat?
  • WantBestME
    WantBestME Posts: 128 Member
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    my BMI is 24.8..but fat % is 44%... is this very abnormal?

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