Abnromally high body fat percentage?

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jessgallison
jessgallison Posts: 26
in Fitness and Exercise
I bought a scale that also measures body fat percentage and BMI. I am 5'4 and weigh 130 pounds. I just started running everyday and working out, but I still led a pretty active lifestyle. Im 20 and walk all around and ride horses and stuff. I stepped on the scale and it said by body fat is 32 percent! According to that i'm 'obese' but it said my BMI is only 22.5.

I have a REALLY hard believing I am really that unhealthy. Does anyone understand why this might be? I have a hard time believing the scale is THAT absurdly off, but I'm really confused.

Replies

  • hulietta
    hulietta Posts: 19 Member
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    You're perfectly fine. You can look at the chart on the website below.

    http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/library/blbodyfatcharts.htm
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Your body fat percentage doesn't sound right for your height and weight. I'm 5'4" and 160 and my body fat percentage is 29%. I would say exchange the scale and try again. Or weigh at a different time. In the morning, after you use the bathroom, before you eat, NAKED. If you're holding water weight or on your period, your number will be skewed. If you're holding water, the water in your body is higher, so your body fat % is lower - but not in actuality, but that's how it reads on a scale or other BF test. Same with your period, it makes you bloated, same thing with the water.
  • nikki_zav
    nikki_zav Posts: 320 Member
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    My scale is way off too. When measured by my trainer, my Body Fat % is 38.4, but my scale said 42....pretty big difference. Depending on your hydration levels, the scale can read differently. I would do some research online to determine what your body fat really is. If you belong to a gym, maybe ask one of the trainers to take measurements for you if they have some free time.

    Here is a pretty simple guide I found after the first post:
    http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Body-Fat-Using-the-US-Navy-Method
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    Those scales work by sending an electric current through you but they only actually test the lower half of your body. If you carry more of your fat on your lower half it will give you a high reading. Also, the amount of water in your system will affect the reading. I can take a reading on mine first thing in the morning right after using the restroom and totally naked and it will read much higher than if I do the exact same thing but get my feet wet first! You'd be better off getting tested by a professional or at least ordering a set of the calipers you can use on yourself. Then just use the scale to watch for a downward trend.
  • Aetarac
    Aetarac Posts: 135 Member
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    to my understanding those type can be off by like 5% what you do to compensate is to take the averages during the week. As other have stated to the electrical impedance is dependent on hydration and where you store fat.
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
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    I have a scale that does that. My body fat percentage can fluctuate a whole percent in an hour. I have a difficult time believing that I can gain/lose 1% body fat (about 3 lbs) in an hour. It's just like your weight at home vs. the doctor's office. You don't put on 4 lbs. in the car!

    The best method for determining body fat is water displacement. However, if you're looking for a general trend, use the same scale and look for a downward trend.

    BTW, 32% (by my charts) is still within the "healthy" range for women in your age group.
  • jessgallison
    jessgallison Posts: 26
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    I always take measurements in the morning before I drink anything or take a shower. The thing is, the scale doesn't fluctuate, it basically always says 32. My BMI has been going down, as has my weight, but the body fat percent doesnt really move...
  • valeriebpdx
    valeriebpdx Posts: 499 Member
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    My Tanita BF scale cannot possibly be right. I just turned 40 years old, am 5'7", usually weigh between 155-160 lbs, and it usually gives me a BF percentage around 38-40. My BMI is on the highest point of normal but I have run four marathons in the last five years, with all the requisite training (OK, I really half-assed it for the last one, but ...). So I have a hard time believing I have a higher BF% than most Biggest Loser contestants. And all my fat is in my upper body, so that's not it, but I *am* chronically dehydrated, which they say will give you an inflated number. Must conclude that the scales are useless.
  • brityn
    brityn Posts: 443 Member
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    They're really inaccurate. I've read that you can't depend on them to be accurate, but they're consistently inaccurate, if that makes sense. Like if you weigh your self on two different scales and they're off by 5 lbs, the body fat ones are the same. So as long as you consistenly weigh yourself on the same body fat scale the "loss" of body fat will be accurate. The starting point might not be exactly right, but the drop in body fat as you get into better shape will be right. Does that make sense?
  • AndH
    AndH Posts: 13 Member
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    bump

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