I'm apparently obese? 5'6" 176lbs 26%
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js8181
Posts: 178 Member
I had my second session with a personal trainer today. I was more flexible and stronger than I was the last time (a month ago) but my body fat was the exact same. Not only that, it put me in the 'obese' range. Now, I'm not dumb, I know I could lose a few pounds. Maybe even 20! But I really don't think I'm obese. Am I looking at the chart wrong, and is 26% not really obese? Or could there have been something wrong with the calculator? Here's my photo.
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Don't know what calculations your trainer is using, but by using MFP's calculator for BMI, it says you're around middle-high of the overweight section, not obese.
editted to add: the calculator also states the highest normal weight for your height is around 155 lbs.3 -
I learned today, body fat doesn't have an overweight category. You're either normal or obese so don't be alarmed.
BMI is not the same as body fat.10 -
VintageFeline wrote: »I learned today, body fat doesn't have an overweight category. You're either normal or obese so don't be alarmed.
BMI is not the same as body fat.
oh i see thank @VintageFeline
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A quick Google search and I doubt your 26%. Probably about 20%. My guess is your personal trainer mislead you or made an error. I had a personal trainer tell me I was 32% at 115 pounds, possible? but not likely. I suspected it was his was of drumming up business.
Sure other fellas will chime in. Don't sweat the numbers anyhow.5 -
BMI isn't a percentage! BMI = ( Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters x Height in Meters ) )
It isn't a percentage of anything, it is just a number. So don't look at the BMI chart for BF%.0 -
I wouldn't sweat the numbers. I know it's easy to get fixated on them, but it's more important to judge your healthiness on what you see and how you feel. You're in no way obese based on your picture!
Just to put things into perspective, my father is a runner and he's also very, very muscular. He's a short guy who weighs about 160lbs, so BMI calculators always have him in the overweight category. My dad is an athlete who's all muscle, though, and could run laps around most people. He's always encouraged me to strive for feeling healthy before letting a number worry me too much.
Good luck with everything. 3 -
No, I realize that. I have 26% body fat according to the test this morning, and according to this, I am in the 'obese' category for men. http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/60/112/what-are-the-guidelines-for-percentage-of-body-fatjeebieheebies wrote: »BMI isn't a percentage! BMI = ( Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters x Height in Meters ) )
It isn't a percentage of anything, it is just a number. So don't look at the BMI chart for BF%.
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You appear to be carrying some extra fat in your upper body, so you could have a higher number without the more obvious appearance of a large belly. Hard to say more w/out knowing test methodology and conditions. The table you reference has nothing between "average" and "obese", so it's a lowish threshold. Based on the pic only, I would put you more in the 22-23% range, but there's not a big difference between that and 26%.
Also, depending on the methodology, 1 month might not be long enough for you to have changed enough to move outside the standard of error for the test. In other words, your fat may have decreased 1-2%, but the test is not sensitive enough to pick that up.2 -
As someone with an exercise science degree I can tell you 26% body fat for men is obese. More than 33% for women is obese. In our society we just aren't used to the standards. That isn't to say I think you look bad though!9
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If your trainer told you that his chart says your obese, quite frankly he's an idiot and uneducated for not knowing he gave you bad information. Or he's trying to get more sessions out of you. You are 28.4 bmi which is overweight but not obese. 25% body fat (1/4 of your weight) sounds like a lot but it really isnt. It's around average for men and definitely in average for women. Remember you have fat distributed everywhere and fat plays a very important biological function. You needn't be as concerned until your body fat gets over 30%. To put things in perspective, many athletes fall within 15-20% and bodybuilders have to go to extreme, often dangerous lengths to get to 4%. Sub 10% is extremely rare other than with endurance athletes.3
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rennickm1986 wrote: »If your trainer told you that his chart says your obese, quite frankly he's an idiot and uneducated for not knowing he gave you bad information. Or he's trying to get more sessions out of you. You are 28.4 bmi which is overweight but not obese. 25% body fat (1/4 of your weight) sounds like a lot but it really isnt. It's around average for men and definitely in average for women. Remember you have fat distributed everywhere and fat plays a very important biological function. You needn't be as concerned until your body fat gets over 30%. To put things in perspective, many athletes fall within 15-20% and bodybuilders have to go to extreme, often dangerous lengths to get to 4%. Sub 10% is extremely rare other than with endurance athletes.
I'm sorry but this paragraph just isn't correct. Men and women have different standards for body composition and health. And just because it is an 'average' value doesn't mean it is best for health. Also consider that BMI does not take into account body composition. Male athletes are certainly lower than 15-20%, and males can safely go as low as 4% body fat with no adverse effects since their hormones and reproductive systems are not dependent on body fat. As a personal trainer and exercise science graduate I can tell you less than 10% body fat for men is not dangerous, and your personal trainer is probably trying to help you. With that being said, if your trainer used skin calipers or bioelectrical impedance there is a really high chance the value was wrong.10 -
rennickm1986 wrote: »If your trainer told you that his chart says your obese, quite frankly he's an idiot and uneducated for not knowing he gave you bad information. Or he's trying to get more sessions out of you. You are 28.4 bmi which is overweight but not obese. 25% body fat (1/4 of your weight) sounds like a lot but it really isnt. It's around average for men and definitely in average for women. Remember you have fat distributed everywhere and fat plays a very important biological function. You needn't be as concerned until your body fat gets over 30%. To put things in perspective, many athletes fall within 15-20% and bodybuilders have to go to extreme, often dangerous lengths to get to 4%. Sub 10% is extremely rare other than with endurance athletes.
Perhaps you missed the OPs link to the source of the "obese" label. It's a national standard--not something the trainer made up. It actually shows that the trainer is trying to base the evaluation on the standards established by his professional organization. Certainly one can disagree with those standards, but then they would need equally accredited standards to do so.
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Ok thank you. But my question remains: am I obese? Or could my BF reading have been wrong?As someone with an exercise science degree I can tell you 26% body fat for men is obese. More than 33% for women is obese. In our society we just aren't used to the standards. That isn't to say I think you look bad though!As someone with an exercise science degree I can tell you 26% body fat for men is obese. More than 33% for women is obese. In our society we just aren't used to the standards. That isn't to say I think you look bad though!
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The methodology was a machine where I stand on a sensor platform while also holding onto these handles. So all electronic.0
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Ok thank you. But my question remains: am I obese? Or could my BF reading have been wrong?As someone with an exercise science degree I can tell you 26% body fat for men is obese. More than 33% for women is obese. In our society we just aren't used to the standards. That isn't to say I think you look bad though!As someone with an exercise science degree I can tell you 26% body fat for men is obese. More than 33% for women is obese. In our society we just aren't used to the standards. That isn't to say I think you look bad though!
Why does it matter. According to your BMI you're not obese. According to the body fat charts you are, because they have nothing in between normal and obese. You have some excess body fat, why does it matter what an arbitrary chart categorises it as if you are either happy or working to further reduce it?8 -
Well To be brutally honest: the answer is I have issues with my body and so a chart saying that I am obese gives me anxiety. :-/VintageFeline wrote: »Ok thank you. But my question remains: am I obese? Or could my BF reading have been wrong?As someone with an exercise science degree I can tell you 26% body fat for men is obese. More than 33% for women is obese. In our society we just aren't used to the standards. That isn't to say I think you look bad though!As someone with an exercise science degree I can tell you 26% body fat for men is obese. More than 33% for women is obese. In our society we just aren't used to the standards. That isn't to say I think you look bad though!
Why does it matter. According to your BMI you're not obese. According to the body fat charts you are, because they have nothing in between normal and obese. You have some excess body fat, why does it matter what an arbitrary chart categorises it as if you are either happy or working to further reduce it?
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You are not obese by any standard I am familiar with.2
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The methodology was a machine where I stand on a sensor platform while also holding onto these handles. So all electronic.
That's bioelectrical impedance and is really dependent on how hydrated you are and can be iffy, so take it with a grain of salt and focus on health. The right body composition will follow.5 -
Ok thank you. But my question remains: am I obese? Or could my BF reading have been wrong?As someone with an exercise science degree I can tell you 26% body fat for men is obese. More than 33% for women is obese. In our society we just aren't used to the standards. That isn't to say I think you look bad though!As someone with an exercise science degree I can tell you 26% body fat for men is obese. More than 33% for women is obese. In our society we just aren't used to the standards. That isn't to say I think you look bad though!
Plus even if you are technically "obese" that isn't the same as what we coloquially know or call obese. If you start strength training it will shift your reading since it is a ratio. But you don't appear to be obese. If that makes any sense.2 -
The BMI Index is a bunch of malarkey, at 5'5" and 188lbs I'm well passed obese 4 months out of 12 even though I have quite a bit of muscle, the BMI Index does not take this into account.0
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