body fat 13.6%..water weight...help

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lovelylightz
lovelylightz Posts: 139 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Earlier I bought a scale and checked my total body fat and it read 13.6%...can someone help me understand what that means..I also checked my total body water and it read 56%...

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  • kekilou90
    kekilou90 Posts: 4 Member
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    The scales are only a guide, the measurements aren't spot on. They give a good to what is making up your weight. 13.6 body fat would be an extremely lean female, maybe even a competitor who lifts a lot and eats clean, you would Beable to see abs! And water is fine, it should not drop low, we are made up of water after all
  • dammitjanet0161
    dammitjanet0161 Posts: 319 Member
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    Explanation of body water that I was given with my results from a recent a health screening check:

    "Body water % relates to your body's hydration levels. Body fat does not store water as well as muscle. Therefore people with lower levels of body fat will have higher levels of body water. Our results show that body water % can be a more accurate test of body fat than body fat %. However, body fat % does not relate to the amount of water you drink but the body's ability to store water. Ideal range for women is 50-55%. If you have than 55% then great, it's not an issue. Less than 50% and you may need to reduce your body fat levels a little and replace with muscle".

    You always have to take these private health checks and their ideal ranges with a pinch of salt as they can be a bit "cookie cutter", but your results seem to fit with what they're saying: you have a fairly low body fat so your water level is correspondingly higher therefore you must have a good amount of muscle.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    lovelylightz wrote: »
    Earlier I bought a scale and checked my total body fat and it read 13.6%...can someone help me understand what that means..I also checked my total body water and it read 56%...

    Do you look like a bodybuilder? I mean a competitive bodybuilder? If not, the the 13% body fat is not accurate.
    Here is a link with photos to help you get a draft idea:
    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/
  • lovelylightz
    lovelylightz Posts: 139 Member
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    I doubt I look that fit haha
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited April 2015
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    It probably means your scales are rubbish. I've got some that tell me I'm 30%.
    Swap?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    13.6% BF for a female would be incredibly low...
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    Chances are your scale is wrong .
  • vypressme
    vypressme Posts: 228 Member
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    OP, I'm at around 20%, but my scale would say 38%.

    Bioimpedance scales are rubbish, forget about that number. Use the scale for scale weight only. Get a caliper if you want a cheap easy way to measure bodyfat. Even the tape measure is better.

    There are some good ones out there like Tanita, but most commercial scales aren't reliable for BIA at all.
  • gdyment
    gdyment Posts: 299 Member
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    lovelylightz wrote: »
    Earlier I bought a scale and checked my total body fat and it read 13.6%...can someone help me understand what that means..I also checked my total body water and it read 56%...

    They are useful if you compare to yourself on the same scale. Ie, the absolute number might be off, but 10% is leaner than 15% is leaner than 20% on any of those scales. Even the dunk tanks aren't all that accurate and calipers depend on the person using them.

    If 4 weeks from now you are only down 1 pound but the bodyfat is 11.2 you can use that as another tool to track results. Tape measure is probably best though.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    Yeah 13.6% is pretty awesome for a woman and probably on the boarder of much too low. Those BI devices are not great and easily thrown off. If you're really interested in your BF% then find a place that will do a Dexxa scan or somebody really good with Calipers.
  • somsack
    somsack Posts: 1 Member
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    13% is pretty low for a female unless you're competing. I recommend a body fat caliber
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    lovelylightz wrote: »
    Earlier I bought a scale and checked my total body fat and it read 13.6%...can someone help me understand what that means..I also checked my total body water and it read 56%...

    ignore it

    you just aren't that low - not unless you can see all your sinews
    pretty sure that's close to / if not below essential body fat for a woman at 10-13%

    my scales tell me I'm 30% BF .. which is total and utter rubbish as I'm more like 23-24%
  • susanlouise
    susanlouise Posts: 18 Member
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    Mine tells me I'm 20% when I know I'm more like 30%! I use the scale but don't believe it.
  • lovelylightz
    lovelylightz Posts: 139 Member
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    Thanks guys!! I'm not gonna trust the scale..

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