Body fat % very high but BMI not obese/overweight
transientcanuck
Posts: 82 Member
Hey everyone
I have had my body fat percentage measured and cannot believe how high it was considering my BMI. At the time I weighed 68 kg (150 lbs) at 5'3, and my BF% was 39%.
After a few months of exercising and eating at my deficit, I managed to get down to 61 kg (134 lbs), which is within a healthy BMI. However, my BF was still at a "very high" 34%.
I look at pictures of people with "very high" BF and I don't think I look anything like that. But the scales don't lie. I guess BMI and BF% aren't completely mutually exclusive, but you wouldn't think that someone within a healthy BMI could have a BF% in the obese range!
Does anyone else have this problem, and how can I lower my BF% when I already don't have a lot of weight to lose?
I have had my body fat percentage measured and cannot believe how high it was considering my BMI. At the time I weighed 68 kg (150 lbs) at 5'3, and my BF% was 39%.
After a few months of exercising and eating at my deficit, I managed to get down to 61 kg (134 lbs), which is within a healthy BMI. However, my BF was still at a "very high" 34%.
I look at pictures of people with "very high" BF and I don't think I look anything like that. But the scales don't lie. I guess BMI and BF% aren't completely mutually exclusive, but you wouldn't think that someone within a healthy BMI could have a BF% in the obese range!
Does anyone else have this problem, and how can I lower my BF% when I already don't have a lot of weight to lose?
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Replies
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What scales don't lie? I mean, how are you measuring. Many ways to measure BF are notoriously unreliable.
I can understand why you wouldn't want to post pictures but they may be more helpful to establish.5 -
I got my body fat measured by callipers at the gym 2-3 years ago. My BMI was in the normal range, and while I'd gained weight, I still looked fairly average. Was told my BF % was in the obese range. I was absolutely floored. (And a bit suspicious.) But hey, what do I know? I tell myself to just keep eating well and working out (cardio & strength training) and it should take care of itself.0
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Just to add the term "skinny fat" is a common term for "medically obese normal weight" basically having a normal bodyweight while having higher than normal bodyfat and is a real condition. Although, as I mentioned, I wouldn't jump to that conclusion yet.
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I trusted the accuracy in the scales that my personal trainer used, although I admit that I had only taken my BF measurements using that particular scale. This scale had me hold onto a bar (attached with a cord) while standing on the scale.
Below are some photos of me that were taken when I was 68 kg. They're not the best photos, but hopefully they can help.
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I had a similar problem at one point, do strength training, you would be amazed at even what a light weight lifting routine on a regular basis can achieve.
I had lost a whole bunch of weight years back and barely saw any change in my body fat percentage, but I was doing a ton of cardio (biking, running/eliptical etc)
Since September I have gone from about 23% to 18% through a regular strength training routine - the strength training will help retain some of the muscular development.
Sounds like you are doing well though otherwise, congrats on your progress so far!0 -
@transientcanuck The most accurate ways to test body fat % are DEXA and hydrostatic. Unless you had either of those tests, the test used to measure your BF% was most likely unreliable.
You can lower your body fat by exercising and lifting weights.
Just to give you an idea of what 39% and 34% BF actually look like…
I'm 194 lbs, 5'4".
In the picture on the left, I am 39% BF. In the picture on the right, I am 34% BF.
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Agree with the above. I've pretty much always been "skinny fat" - underweight bmi but super high bf%. I started doing some intense lifting and adding in HIIT and I dropped bodyfat rapidly. Sadly I've gotten a little lax and am skinnyfat again, but it can be done!0
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This is something I'm struggling with also. I'm 5'5 and 117lbs, so my bmi is at the low end of normal, but my body fat % is around 24 according to the analyser I use. My aim is to get it to around 18% so I'm currently eating at a deficit and lifting heavy (well heavy for me anyway!)
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Thanks everyone for your input.
Would you suggest me to therefore eat at a smaller deficit, but add in more strength training? I am currently eating around 1300 calories a day and only doing walking/yoga for exercise. I make sure I eat plenty of protein as well (at least 60 g a day), but could I be eating more? Thanks!0 -
transientcanuck wrote: »Thanks everyone for your input.
Would you suggest me to therefore eat at a smaller deficit, but add in more strength training? I am currently eating around 1300 calories a day and only doing walking/yoga for exercise. I make sure I eat plenty of protein as well (at least 60 g a day), but could I be eating more? Thanks!
You do not need eat fewer than 1300 calories.. in fact, you could be eating much more than that.
60 grams of protein a day is not much. So yes, you could be eating a lot more. The past few days I have been eating less protein because I was in the hospital for pneumonia and bronchitis. Otherwise, I eat anywhere from 120-150 grams of protein daily.1 -
FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »@transientcanuck The most accurate ways to test body fat % are DEXA and hydrostatic. Unless you had either of those tests, the test used to measure your BF% was most likely unreliable.
You can lower your body fat by exercising and lifting weights.
Just to give you an idea of what 39% and 34% BF actually look like…
I'm 194 lbs, 5'4".
In the picture on the left, I am 39% BF. In the picture on the right, I am 34% BF.
daaaamn 5% BF change is huge o.o2 -
Totally agree with FatFreeFolicking. Get a DEXA scan done. That's the only way to know your body fat %. As a big plus, it will also tell you how healthy your bones are.0
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those scales are NOT accurate. doesn't matter if a trainer used it or not. Still not accurate.
I never had my body fat percentage tested, but I suspect that when I was at my highest weight of 140 and 5'4", even though I wasn't yet overweight based on bmi, my body fat percentage was high. I had a lot of extra fat on me.2 -
Weights and BF% are useful data points but the mirror is more so. Do you need a DEXA scan to decide if you like the way your body looks and feels?
From a health perspective hip to waist and wasit to height ratios are easy to calculate and can give you some free perspective on health risk based on dimensions.
I hit a BMI of 22.5, not far from the middle of the healthy range... and still had the same beer belly and skinny arms I always had. I didn't calculate my bodyfat but I knew what the tape measure and mirror told me.1 -
FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »transientcanuck wrote: »Thanks everyone for your input.
Would you suggest me to therefore eat at a smaller deficit, but add in more strength training? I am currently eating around 1300 calories a day and only doing walking/yoga for exercise. I make sure I eat plenty of protein as well (at least 60 g a day), but could I be eating more? Thanks!
You do not need eat fewer than 1300 calories.. in fact, you could be eating much more than that.
60 grams of protein a day is not much. So yes, you could be eating a lot more. The past few days I have been eating less protein because I was in the hospital for pneumonia and bronchitis. Otherwise, I eat anywhere from 120-150 grams of protein daily.
Eesh, not fun. Feel better!!!0 -
I have a body fat percentage of 31.5%. I'm 5'1.5" and 56 and 122 lbs., so normal BMI, and body fat percentage is higher for post-menopausal women. When I started MFP a year ago, it was around 34%. This picture of me is pretty accurate. Most people don't think my BF is that high because I have some muscle tone and fairly flat abs, but I have an hourglass shape, with bust and hips and some upper arm fat. I've always had a more "feminine" body shape, and BF percentages are not kind to that shape.0
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I have exactly this problem. I am currently 139.8lbs, down from 147.5lbs at 5'4". My body fat was around 33.5% when I started and I am now down to 132, though I think it's going to be really hard to get to my target of around 20%.
I first used old scales which put me at 39% body fat but I suspect they were a little inaccurate as other methods like calipers, online calculators and my new Tanita body composition scales all come out to 31-32%.
My BMI is now 24 so within the healthy range and my measurements are quite small (27 inch waist, 35 inch hips etc.) but I am very small framed and have tiny wrists, calves and ankles. Most of my body fat is concentrated on my thighs, upper arms and bottom area.
The lightest weight I've been in recent years was 121 lbs and my waist was 25 inches and I fit into a UK size 8 (US size 4 I believe) but my body fat was still around 27%.
It's really hard to get it down, but at the moment I'm strength training, doing HIIT, some low intensity cardio and trying to eat at a deficit (1400-1500 per day) while trying to get at least 80-90 grams of protein per day.
It gets frustrating because my high body fat is clearly visible with my clothes off but with clothes on people don't notice so much as I wear clothes to hide the larger areas and people tell me to stop dieting and think I'm crazy when I talk about how high my body fat is.0 -
This is something I'm struggling with also. I'm 5'5 and 117lbs, so my bmi is at the low end of normal, but my body fat % is around 24 according to the analyser I use. My aim is to get it to around 18% so I'm currently eating at a deficit and lifting heavy (well heavy for me anyway!)
It said you were 24% BF?! I know I can only see your one picture but I don't think that is right at all....
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I did this test and it says I'm 28% BF. I don't know how accurate it is though.
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator0 -
Sorry but the body fat test via this link is way out! Is has me at 22% and I'm actually 32%!!!!!0
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Yeah, if there's poor accuracy in scales, calipers and other instruments I wouldn't put much faith in an internet calculator.0
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Hello! I am 5'4 and 124lbs and my body fat on January 27th was 34.5%.
Since I found this out I have started lifting weights 3x a week (I got a trainer to do me a programme) and I do bodyattack 2x a week too.
I have lost NO weight since I started MFP a few weeks ago (eating maintenance cals), but my body has shrunk
My next DEXA is on March 2nd and I can't wait to see what my % is now, because I just KNOW it's way less!
I love hearing body fat success stories!0 -
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Asher_Ethan wrote: »I did this test and it says I'm 28% BF. I don't know how accurate it is though.
http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator
it says i'm 22.33 based on my measurements at this moment. no idea if it's accurate. I'm slightly underweight based on bmi and not muscular at all based on sight. Taking any measurements myself is going to be off though. I also think that my stomach is bigger at this time of day than early in the morning.
guessing it might be close to accurate actually in thinking about it and looking at pictures of that body fat percentage in women. I had to round down or up for a lot of the measurements that were exactly in the middle of two numbers. not sure how that changes things.0 -
what is the point of getting a fancy dexa scan to determine some random number anyway? seems like a good way to shame someone, but not much else. you can look in the mirror or take pictures to determine if you need to lose weight, lose fat, or build muscle. no dexa scan necessary.0
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This is something I'm struggling with also. I'm 5'5 and 117lbs, so my bmi is at the low end of normal, but my body fat % is around 24 according to the analyser I use. My aim is to get it to around 18% so I'm currently eating at a deficit and lifting heavy (well heavy for me anyway!)
There is absolutely no way your body fat is 24%.
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Body fat calculators are utter rubbish, Im 5ft8 and weigh 123lbs. Some body fat calculators said my body fat was 14.5%, another said 19% and one said 31%! Better to go with how you feel personally.0
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If the BF scale suddenly said 15%, would that change how you feel about your appearance?
The numbers are just there to guide us - what matters is what we see and how we feel.
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what is the point of getting a fancy dexa scan to determine some random number anyway? seems like a good way to shame someone, but not much else. you can look in the mirror or take pictures to determine if you need to lose weight, lose fat, or build muscle. no dexa scan necessary.
I get a DEXA because of my bone density, for medical reasons. Not to check body fat. The body fat result is a bonus for me. 0
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