BMI & Body Fat...

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Jeneba
Jeneba Posts: 699 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Sooooo confusing! My BMI is 18.9% but I am apparently 24% fat! What's this all about???? What is a healthy range for body fat and how do I go about reducing mine????? Thanks to all of you in advance! :flowerforyou:

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  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
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    Google it, but I know that 25% fat is about average for a woman. We need extra fat stores in our body (compared to men) to allow us to bare children.
  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
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    toning and strength exercises!
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member
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    That's a perfectly reasonably body fat percentage for a woman.

    Under 20% and there is a risk of an-ovulation because the body feels it doesn't have enough fat stores for a child.
    Under 19 or 18 you risk amennora. Both drastically increase the risk of osteoporosis.
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
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    I don't try to worry about figures too much - I can't see how one calculation can be correct for however many people there are on the earth lol - I know that it wouldn't be great for me to get wrapped up in it either!! I think if you are happy with how you look why bother with them :-))
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    From your picture and your weight, height, I would think that you are just fine.
  • Jeneba
    Jeneba Posts: 699 Member
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    Thanks Everyone! I guess I was just shocked to find out that 1/4 of me is That Jiggly Stuff....
  • KyleJCooper
    KyleJCooper Posts: 44 Member
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    Don't forget that as we age, our percentage of lean body mass (non-fat body composition) goes down, and our percentage of body fat goes up. This happens everywhere at a slow rate - around our internal organs, within our muscles, etc. You are 54 so your percentage of body fat is totally acceptable, especially given your BMI and (like said above), your picture. Also, if you got that number from a bio-impedence scale (which runs a current through you and depends on your water content to work), these are notoriously inaccurate, especially if you are dehydrated or your feet are bone-dry. You look great, don't focus on some stupid numbers that really don't mean that much! BMI was never means to be used as an individual standard of fitness - it is supposed to be used to compare body makeup across populations of people.

    Also - remember to factor weight training into your lifestyle if you haven't already to slow the muscle-->fat transition that inevitably happens as you age. Cheers!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    OK, BMI isn't a percentage, it's just a number, and it's not a very accurate one at that, so don't worry a ton about BMI. As to body fat %, women are generally required to have about 14% as a minimum, below that and you risk illness, but above 14% is perfectly healthy. The average woman is between 20 and 28% body fat, the lower end of that is more healthy, but anywhere in that range is perfectly fine, if you want to go lower than that and be more lean, that's fine, but just know, as a woman ages, the average acceptable body fat % goes up. Also, remember, about 3 to 10% of your body fat can be from your breasts, so the larger the breasts, the more that needs to be taken into account.
  • Jeneba
    Jeneba Posts: 699 Member
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    BACK TO THE GYM!!!!!!!!
  • mrsnorman
    mrsnorman Posts: 45
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    your body fat calculation may be completely off, you dont look like you have anything you could lose to me?!
  • beernutz
    beernutz Posts: 136
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    How do you know you are 24% bodyfat? Did you have a caliper test done by a trained professional or a dunk tank test? Did you use an impedance measuring device like a combination scale/body fat device or a hand-held device?

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