Excellent Body Composition Page

songbyrdsweet
songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
I was looking for a reminder on how to calculate my body weight for my desired body fat %, and I found this website. It explains why straight weight loss isn't always the best goal based on your body fat %. It's got some math but I was able to do it, and I'm terrible. haha :)

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/body-fat-chart.php

Replies

  • TranceGirl
    TranceGirl Posts: 121 Member
    WOW Awesome! This helped me find out that when I lose 15pounds, I will have 18% body fat. No point in trying to lose 20 when that would put me on the verge of anorexia!

    Awesome find! Thanks!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    WOW Awesome! This helped me find out that when I lose 15pounds, I will have 18% body fat. No point in trying to lose 20 when that would put me on the verge of anorexia!

    Awesome find! Thanks!

    Glad to help!! And it's nice to see you have LESS to lose. :) I was happy to see I have only 3 lbs more to lose than what I had anticipated! Yay for muscle mass!
  • LadyOfOceanBreeze
    LadyOfOceanBreeze Posts: 762 Member
    wow! you have been a member since '05!
    you look amaaaaazing! hope I can get there
    within the next few years too:flowerforyou:
    thanks for the great info & link!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    wow! you have been a member since '05!
    you look amaaaaazing! hope I can get there
    within the next few years too:flowerforyou:
    thanks for the great info & link!

    Haha, I know, it's WEIRD! There are only a handful of us that have been here this many years. I haven't tracked my food for that long, took about a year off because of some personal issues. But I love it here! :)

    Oh and thank you!!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Very interesting find. Based strictly on BMI I should weigh 150, but using that site, to get to 13% body fat I should weigh 190. Definitely an eye opener. Cool!
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
    This is exactly what I did, and I agree, this is the best way to set goals! I set my goal for 135 lb, which is ~20% body fat for me. It goes to show that BMI is not the be all and end all...at the lower end of a healthy BMI for my height, I'd have less than 5% body fat. :S
  • Riebop
    Riebop Posts: 275
    Thanks for posting this! I'll have to do it when I get home. I despise using BMI to determine what my ideal weight is.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    This is exactly what I did, and I agree, this is the best way to set goals! I set my goal for 135 lb, which is ~20% body fat for me. It goes to show that BMI is not the be all and end all...at the lower end of a healthy BMI for my height, I'd have less than 5% body fat. :S

    At the lower end of mine, I'd be dead! :laugh:
  • _Khaleesi_
    _Khaleesi_ Posts: 877 Member
    Am I super slow? I can't figure out how to do this... do I take all of those measurements?

    Dear Original Poster: I am crazy jealous of your display pic. It is epic.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    I have used that several times, it's a great chart. Also below is a good site to calculate caloric needs based on body fat and the goal you set for your body fat.



    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm
  • Tree72
    Tree72 Posts: 942 Member
    Thanks so much for sharing. It reassures me that my goal is right on track. When I get down to 148 I should be right around 20% body fat. Once I see what that looks like I may want to go down just a bit more.
  • BifDiehl
    BifDiehl Posts: 474
    Bump so I can do this when I get home from work...
  • meadows654
    meadows654 Posts: 164
    I knew it would be ok for a 5ft woman to weigh ~130 lbs! :laugh:

    I just have to keep working out my muscles and cardio burn to drop the fat!

    Thanks for the link. :flowerforyou:
  • mrtentaclenun
    mrtentaclenun Posts: 174 Member
    I can't help but feel its not right. It doesn't take height into account at all, and according to it I am fitness, which I am like 30lbs overweight still... Oh well.


    JUST KIDDING I did my math wrong, I'm acceptable, not fitness. Ignore me.
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
    Bump, love this!!
  • LotsOtots5
    LotsOtots5 Posts: 174
    omg I hope my sucky math skills are showing because it says my body fat percentage is 71%. Would that be considered obese?
  • LotsOtots5
    LotsOtots5 Posts: 174
    Okay i re did it and got 5%. That can't be right either!!! I'm the worlds worst body fat percentage calculator!!!
  • LotsOtots5
    LotsOtots5 Posts: 174
    now I got 94%. Could I blame this on 5 kids?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html


    here is the navy calculator which is a bit easier for those having a little trouble.


    i will say, both calculators have me listed at 18% body fat, but I have had multiple caliper test and it shows I am at 12%. If you have wide hips or muscular, things could be a bit off. This is a great resource, the best thing though is to get a caliper and a measuring tape.
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
    This is exactly what I did, and I agree, this is the best way to set goals! I set my goal for 135 lb, which is ~20% body fat for me. It goes to show that BMI is not the be all and end all...at the lower end of a healthy BMI for my height, I'd have less than 5% body fat. :S

    At the lower end of mine, I'd be dead! :laugh:

    BUT AT LEAST WE'D HAVE LOW BMIs!!! :laugh:
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
    http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html


    here is the navy calculator which is a bit easier for those having a little trouble.


    i will say, both calculators have me listed at 18% body fat, but I have had multiple caliper test and it shows I am at 12%. If you have wide hips or muscular, things could be a bit off. This is a great resource, the best thing though is to get a caliper and a measuring tape.
    Wow, I must say, I like this online calculator better than the results I get when I use my calipers!! Most of my fat is in my thighs, so I think waist/hips underestimates my fat. Though, it's pretty close (-2%) to what my calipers give me, so it's pretty accurate for a measurement test!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html


    here is the navy calculator which is a bit easier for those having a little trouble.


    i will say, both calculators have me listed at 18% body fat, but I have had multiple caliper test and it shows I am at 12%. If you have wide hips or muscular, things could be a bit off. This is a great resource, the best thing though is to get a caliper and a measuring tape.
    Wow, I must say, I like this online calculator better than the results I get when I use my calipers!! Most of my fat is in my thighs, so I think waist/hips underestimates my fat. Though, it's pretty close (-2%) to what my calipers give me, so it's pretty accurate for a measurement test!

    For most, it will probably be fairly accurate. I will say, for me, it's 33% off, which is a difference of 200 calories; meaning, if i went with the 18% body fat, i would eat 200 less calories, creating a larger deficit and leading to a plateau faster. This is why, I always suggest calipers. From the results of others, it seems to be only off by 2%. I think it tends to be more accurate for women.
  • Tree72
    Tree72 Posts: 942 Member
    These two calculators give me vastly different results. The first one says 27.39 while the second one says 38.0. :huh: Since my BMI is currently 28.5 I'm going to be optimistic and think that the first one is closer to reality. I do have quite a bit of belly fat still, but my arms and legs have some noticeable muscle definition.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html


    here is the navy calculator which is a bit easier for those having a little trouble.


    i will say, both calculators have me listed at 18% body fat, but I have had multiple caliper test and it shows I am at 12%. If you have wide hips or muscular, things could be a bit off. This is a great resource, the best thing though is to get a caliper and a measuring tape.
    Wow, I must say, I like this online calculator better than the results I get when I use my calipers!! Most of my fat is in my thighs, so I think waist/hips underestimates my fat. Though, it's pretty close (-2%) to what my calipers give me, so it's pretty accurate for a measurement test!

    For most, it will probably be fairly accurate. I will say, for me, it's 33% off, which is a difference of 200 calories; meaning, if i went with the 18% body fat, i would eat 200 less calories, creating a larger deficit and leading to a plateau faster. This is why, I always suggest calipers. From the results of others, it seems to be only off by 2%. I think it tends to be more accurate for women.

    I had my body fat tested with calipers which are much more accurate than the online calculator. Pretty much any gym has calipers and someone who can use them, or even a bioimpedance machine that you hold onto. I work out at the rec center and they had a dietician come in and do caliper testing for $5.
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