BF% question

Bump. I'd love to know the answer too as I know NOTHING about Body Fat percentages.

I don't know about your goals, up to age 35 25% is still considered healthy so I'd go for that first. Weight training and whole foods should be your best friend. Once you lose 10% bf (I don't know about time frame) you can re-evaluate your goals.

There are several try googling these:

Katch McArdle Formula (most accurate)
Harris-Benedict formula

I use this site to work out my BF% the tape measure method is the one I use.
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html
Don't worry about the caliper stuff, just scroll down until you find where you put the figures in and the tape method is in there.

I hope it helps!

Cool!

Its really helpful to know the figures are correct!!

I don't think 20% is the goal/average for women - seems a little low! Only because I know once you get below about 17% potential health risks can occur, like loss of your period and reproductive functions. I think 20% is a GREAT goal (its mine in fact!), but I think 23-28% is more likely to be more of the standard in health for women.

Currently, I'm 24% body fat if you wanna check out my pictures to get a better idea!

1% a month would be awesome
20% for a woman is super low
Whole foods, protein, weight training, keep training sessions under an hour, aim for slow weight loss
As you know, BF% measurements have huge daily/method/hydration fluctuations, so aim for consistent measurements, and be strong when they fluctuate or stagnate.

Calipers are under a £10

I think 1% is about average until you get closer to your goal, it may slow down a bit. 20% is actually pretty low. 25-30% is actually healthy for a woman. Once you get lower, you get into fitness and then athlete levels.

My BF% is about 12-13%. I'm a male and 37 years old. I am not a fitness expert or an athlete. If I get below 12% I struggle with sleeping and with strength during training. So be careful of going too low.

If you want to reduce your BF% you want to make sure you get enough protein. About .8g to 1g per pound of body weight.
You might want to consider supplementing with protein drinks. Don't take in extra protein unless you are lifting weights. It will just add calories and lead to weight gain.

I would also recommend a weight training program that works every major area of your body (legs, back, arms, shoulders, abs, chest). This will increase lean mass (muscle and bone) across your body and increase your metabolism. Do the weight training 3-4 days a week and add in some cardio on off days.

The best way to lose body fat is to do it slowly with a consistent weight training program.

Last week I went and did the BodPod (on base), which is considered the "gold standard" of body fat testing.

I'm 43 yrs old, 5'8" and 140.2 lbs


Here are the results of my test:

Thoracic Gas Volume - 3.159 L (no clue what that is)
Body Density - 1.046 kg/L
Body Volume - 60.828 L
Body Mass - 140.206 lb
Fat Free Mass - 108.66
Fat Mass - 31.546
% Fat Free Mass - 77.5
%Fat 22.5

My Body Fat is 22.5% - Lowest Rating of "Moderately Lean"
My RMR is 1316 kcal/day
TDEE is Low active 2000 kcal/day


I'd do some reseach online and see if they have a BodPod in your area (some colleges have them) and see how much it cost, they will go over the results with you and help you find a calorie intake for your goals. I found the results invaluable, I will go back every few months to gage my progress.

Hope that helps - Good Luck!!!!!!

If you look in the mirror and see a fit and beautiful person that you are quite pleased with, and you go get your bf% tested and it says 26%, would you change things? I hope not.

Well said, more people need to think like that!