Why is my body fat percentage high even though I'm not overweight/obese?

kimberlygrace2015
kimberlygrace2015 Posts: 12 Member
edited November 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys!

Alright, so I'm a female (clearly), 19 years old, 5'7", and between 140-145 pounds. My BMI is 22.2 (which is in the middle range of average), and I look to be a healthy weight but still considered slim by my friends and others. The other day, I used a body composition monitor scale and it said my body fat percentage is 34.8%. Out of curiosity, I looked up a chart of what ideal body fat percentage would be based on gender/age, and every chart I found listed 34.8% as obese. Now I do know I've gained a little weight since starting college (maybe 5-7 pounds or so, nothing super drastic), but I know for a fact that I am not even overweight, let alone obese. So why would my body fat percentage be so high even though I'm slim-looking and definitely not obese? Even though I know I'm not overweight, it still doesn't make me feel too good. Could the scale have been wrong? Or is there something I'm missing?

Thanks for any help! (:

Replies

  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    At home (or even shopping centre) scales are often extremely off. Go off what you see in the mirror, not what a scale tells you.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Because that thing you used is very inaccurate :)
  • dave_in_ni
    dave_in_ni Posts: 533 Member
    I agree whatever you used is incorrect, I use body fat callipers, I am over weight and I am currently at 23% body fat.
  • kimberlygrace2015
    kimberlygrace2015 Posts: 12 Member
    Hm, okay. My friend wrote down my measurements so maybe she mixed something up. The scale could also be wrong. I don't really get how it would measure body fat, anyways... It was a scale you stood on that had something resembling a bike handle that you held and it measured, apparently.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    kimberlygrace2015 wrote: »
    Hm, okay. My friend wrote down my measurements so maybe she mixed something up. The scale could also be wrong. I don't really get how it would measure body fat, anyways... It was a scale you stood on that had something resembling a bike handle that you held and it measured, apparently.

    It didn't measure body fat. It showed you pretty much a random number.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    You'd have better luck asking a Magic 8-Ball if you were overfat than using a scale.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited February 2016
    kimberlygrace2015 wrote: »
    Hi guys!

    Alright, so I'm a female (clearly), 19 years old, 5'7", and between 140-145 pounds. My BMI is 22.2 (which is in the middle range of average), and I look to be a healthy weight but still considered slim by my friends and others. The other day, I used a body composition monitor scale and it said my body fat percentage is 34.8%. Out of curiosity, I looked up a chart of what ideal body fat percentage would be based on gender/age, and every chart I found listed 34.8% as obese. Now I do know I've gained a little weight since starting college (maybe 5-7 pounds or so, nothing super drastic), but I know for a fact that I am not even overweight, let alone obese. So why would my body fat percentage be so high even though I'm slim-looking and definitely not obese? Even though I know I'm not overweight, it still doesn't make me feel too good. Could the scale have been wrong? Or is there something I'm missing?

    Thanks for any help! (:

    Scales are wrong ...do a visual check based on pictures

    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/
  • Trump2016
    Trump2016 Posts: 80 Member
    edited February 2016
    Even though the scale could be inaccurate:

    It's entirely possible for a 5'7 145 pound woman to be out of shape.

    A sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet that doesn't support preserving muscle, for example, would ruin the composition and there would be an imbalance of body fat and lean muscle -- so it very well could just be that you are lacking the LBM to support a physique with which you're comfortable at that weight.

    At the end of the day, calculations aren't the A to Z - you know if you're out of shape. All it really takes is a mirror and honesty. If you're out of shape and dissatisfied with it, take steps to correct that. If not, enjoy the fact that there was a misstep in the calculation.

    Simple.

    Judging by what very little I can see, you seemingly are not out of shape, but I wouldn't know.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Although the scale is likely inaccurate, it doesn't mean that you BF% still isn't high. If you have little muscle mass, then it's very easy to have a hi BF%. I'm on my phone so I can't see well, but if you don't already, incorporating strength training into your fitness plan is a good idea
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Do you do resistance training, work a physically demanding job?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Those scales are not accurate.

    However...having 35% body fat while in the middle of the healthy BMI range doesn't surprise me. The majority of people do not do any kind of resistance training and instead spend their days sitting and not lifting anything heavier than their phone for a few minutes or a gallon of milk for 30 seconds. Muscles are a use them or lose them kind of thing and modern life doesn't require us to use them very often.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    @kimberlygrace2015 - which one of these do you look most like?

    body-fat-percentage-women.jpg
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Some of the replies made me chuckle. :)

    If you want to know your BF%, you need a bod pod. http://www.health.utah.edu/peak/services/health-fitness-testing/body-composition.php
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    I am in a similar position. I lost 50 lbs to get to healthy BMI. My scale reads around 19% BF and when I got a DEXA scan, which is more accurate, it told me 30%. This is what is commonly known as skinny fat. I plan on starting weight training soon.

    On inaccuracy of scales, have people seen they tend to underestimate or overestimate the BF, or do they do both?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    richardgavel wrote: »
    I am in a similar position. I lost 50 lbs to get to healthy BMI. My scale reads around 19% BF and when I got a DEXA scan, which is more accurate, it told me 30%. This is what is commonly known as skinny fat. I plan on starting weight training soon.

    On inaccuracy of scales, have people seen they tend to underestimate or overestimate the BF, or do they do both?

    They can be off either way.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited February 2016
    Mine tells me I am 30% at 5'8, 134, heavy lifter. Haha I am not lean but not 30%. My profile pic doesn't look like 30% to me
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    Mine tells me I am 30% at 5'8, 134, heavy lifter. Haha I am not lean but not 30%. My profile pic doesn't look like 30% to me

    Agreed. Though I am terrible at judging bf so I'm not going to attempt to give you a number either :)

    I have no idea what my bf% is. I have very uneven fat distribution so the picture guides are not useful to me. It shall remain a mystery for the time being, as I know a place that does DXA scans but don't plan on having one right now.
  • shano25
    shano25 Posts: 233 Member
    Inaccurate. I'm 5'7", 140lbs, I do weight training 3-4 times a week + cardio +yoga and I stepped on one of those scales and it told me I had 35% body fat. So I laughed at it. I had friends who used the same scale, who weigh more than me and live sedentary life styles and the scale gave them a lower number. Go by what the mirror tells you.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    Mine tells me I am 30% at 5'8, 134, heavy lifter. Haha I am not lean but not 30%. My profile pic doesn't look like 30% to me

    Agreed. Though I am terrible at judging bf so I'm not going to attempt to give you a number either :)

    I have no idea what my bf% is. I have very uneven fat distribution so the picture guides are not useful to me. It shall remain a mystery for the time being, as I know a place that does DXA scans but don't plan on having one right now.

    I'm not asking for a number as I am not overly concerned but I k ow it's not 30%. Just pointing out the scapes are inaccurate
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    I am 5'7" and when I was 140-145lb I was way over 30% fat. I had little muscle base. My measurements were way up.
    At 123lb I was under 15%, at 127lb I was 15-17ish% and that is my sweet spot.
    I am fine boned.
  • LHWhite903
    LHWhite903 Posts: 208 Member
    shano25 wrote: »
    Go by what the mirror tells you.

    Okay, but I have some loose skin from losing weight. How can I tell what's underneath that?

    My Aria says 133.5 lbs and 24.5% BF but I know I can't be 100% sure of it's accuracy.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    darrensurrey wrote: »
    Some of the replies made me chuckle. :)

    If you want to know your BF%, you need a bod pod. http://www.health.utah.edu/peak/services/health-fitness-testing/body-composition.php

    DEXA 4 compartment model or GTFO!
  • kimberlygrace2015
    kimberlygrace2015 Posts: 12 Member
    edited February 2016
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    I just took these today. I'm not extremely muscular, but I've been in some type of sport for most of my life (gymnastics, karate, swimming, or volleyball) and I do resistance training with machines pretty much every time I work out, which is 3-4 times a week. As I said, I'm not noticeably muscular but I can feel some muscle and I can lift heavier objects for a while (have to for work), so I feel like I'm pretty strong for what I look like. I do have extra fat that I've gained since college, though (I can tell by the wide view), but I don't think it's THAT much.
  • akboy58
    akboy58 Posts: 137 Member
    My Fitbit Aria scale has had me at 19-20% body fat since I started daily weigh-ins last August. I had heard that those impedence readings were notoriously inaccurate; and the other day when I finally got my nutritionist to take measurements with calipers, she came up with 14% body fat. Guess which measurement I'm taking!
  • nicolemarie999
    nicolemarie999 Posts: 91 Member
    The scales use bioimpediance, there is a high error value and your hydration levels can greatly affect the number you will get...many scales will also have a 'sedentary' or 'fit' setting, the number may change by 5% by changing this setting.
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