Set me straight, Somebody!!

You don't have 0 percent body fat. :bigsmile:

So you've calculated your body fat % and have your total weight? And when you multiplied the percentage as a decimal by the total pounds you got a relatively small number (compared to total weight)? That number is your "fat weight" and you subtract it from total weight to get your "lean mass weight."

So if you've done all that and got 151 pounds of lean mass, that is your weight without fat and the other number is the weight of your body fat...obviously added together equals your total weight.

Not sure if this answers what you wanted to know?

Hi

I just googled healthy body fat pecentage and this is what I found

Age Underfat Healthy Range Overweight Obese
20-40 yrs Under 21% 21-33% 33-39% Over 39%
41-60 yrs Under 23% 23-35% 35-40% Over 40%
61-79 yrs Under 24% 24-36% 36-42% Over 42%

You don't have 0 percent body fat. :bigsmile:

So you've calculated your body fat % and have your total weight? And when you multiplied the percentage as a decimal by the total pounds you got a relatively small number (compared to total weight)? That number is your "fat weight" and you subtract it from total weight to get your "lean mass weight."

So if you've done all that and got 151 pounds of lean mass, that is your weight without fat and the other number is the weight of your body fat...obviously added together equals your total weight.

Not sure if this answers what you wanted to know?

Yes thats exactly what I did... my question is about a goal weight, if I have 64 lbs of pure fat should I lose all 64 lbs?

It's easiest to determine a goal "weight" if you have a goal "body fat percentage" first. I chose 12% for myself. I used to the calculator on Tom Venuto's website and determined that the weight that goes along with that bf% for me is around 115, but it should also be kept in mind that goal weight should be a range and not a set number since we fluctuate daily.

Also, with the "lean mass" calculation you are also getting things like water, blood vessels, etc. which will disappear when losing fat since there are less cells to store water in and the body has no need to bring blood to areas that are shrinking or disappearing.

As you lose body fat, you will almost certainly lose a measure of lean mass with it. If you lose 64 pounds, it will not be 64 pounds of nothing but fat leaving you with no fat at all. Some will be from the lean mass measurement. However, you can minimize the muscle loss by doing strength training while losing fat.

Even though some people disagree, it is nearly impossible to lose all fat and nothing but fat while losing weight. You will lose more percentage of fat than other stuff, but as your body gets smaller, for instance, you won't need to have thicker bones to support what isn't there anymore.

Does that make sense?

This has been really helpful to me as I have had the same questions. Other issue I have is I calculated body fat on a couple sites and every one tells me something different even though I put the same measurements in. What is the "correct" calculator to use?

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/waist-to-hip-ratio-calculator/waist-to-hip-ratio-chart.php
This is like one stoop shopping........gives you all the tools to measure bmi bmr and body fat%......not perfect, nothing is, but it is helpful. You measure your neck, waist, hips, forearm and wrist to determine body fat percentage....... And it tells you where you are at on the ever elusive "charts". Good luck