Ideal body fat totals

kittenmcgowan
kittenmcgowan Posts: 83 Member
edited December 25 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,
What are everyone's ideal body fat totals? My trainer reckons 25% for a woman who just wants to be healthy and not super fit, although some prefer 20%. I'm at 40% now, and have a LONG way to go, but I'm interested to hear what anyone else things.

PS feel free to add me if you want to as well.

:tongue:
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Replies

  • sathor
    sathor Posts: 202 Member
    My goal is 10% (which even being a bit over is still good) and I am at 25% now.
  • ExplorinLauren
    ExplorinLauren Posts: 991 Member
    lol ... Since getting an Aria scale.. it tells me I'm 45% fat. Basically half my body is lard. Yep... it sucks.
    Can't wait to hear the answers :)
  • stargazer008
    stargazer008 Posts: 531
    Mine's around 15 or % so I'm fine with that :)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    My current is 12% but my goal is 6%
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I'm somewhere around 20% right now, and *almost* happy, so around 18-20%.
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    My ideal was 20%. Then I surpassed it. My wish would be 15%. I don't know how much harder I'll need to work to get there. I'm at 18.6%. Been losing pretty consistently as I work my *kitten* off.

    22% November 2011
    20.5% March 2012
    18.6% July 2012
  • kittenmcgowan
    kittenmcgowan Posts: 83 Member
    lol ... Since getting an Aria scale.. it tells me I'm 45% fat. Basically half my body is lard. Yep... it sucks.
    Can't wait to hear the answers :)
    Yeah I was 43% when I started too... It's going slowly
  • kittenmcgowan
    kittenmcgowan Posts: 83 Member
    My current is 12% but my goal is 6%
    Is that even healthy? (I'm not challenging you, I genuinely don't know)
  • knumommi
    knumommi Posts: 29 Member
    I am at 27% body fat (47 lbs) and at a lean body mass of 127LBS
    Id like to be at 18% which tells me I should weigh about 140-145 LBS

    obese women are 32% +
    average women are 25% to 31 %
    fitness women are 21% to 24%
    athletes are 14% to 20 %
    essential fat is 10 to 15%


    obese men 25% +
    average men 18% to 24%
    fitness men 14 to 17%
    athletes men 6 to 13%
    essential men 2 to 5%
  • kittenmcgowan
    kittenmcgowan Posts: 83 Member
    I am at 27% body fat (47 lbs) and at a lean body mass of 127LBS
    Id like to be at 18% which tells me I should weigh about 140-145 LBS

    obese women are 32% +
    average women are 25% to 31 %
    fitness women are 21% to 24%
    athletes are 14% to 20 %
    essential fat is 10 to 15%


    obese men 25% +
    average men 18% to 24%
    fitness men 14 to 17%
    athletes men 6 to 13%
    essential men 2 to 5%

    Hey wow that's fantastic information. I had no idea it was so VASTLY different for women and men! I wonder why we womenfolk are allowed to be so much 'softer' than the boys? Ok so I've got a looooong way to go to be NOT obese anymore. Having always been overweight it's going to be interesting to see what my mass should be when I'm a decent fat %.
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    My current is 12% but my goal is 6%
    Is that even healthy? (I'm not challenging you, I genuinely don't know)

    For men, yes.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    I want 10 but at 14 now
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    ...I had no idea it was so VASTLY different for women and men! I wonder why we womenfolk are allowed to be so much 'softer' than the boys?...
    1) Boobs.

    2) Testosterone (men have it, women don't - at least not in anywhere near the same quantities).
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    I am at 27% body fat (47 lbs) and at a lean body mass of 127LBS
    Id like to be at 18% which tells me I should weigh about 140-145 LBS

    obese women are 32% +
    average women are 25% to 31 %
    fitness women are 21% to 24%
    athletes are 14% to 20 %
    essential fat is 10 to 15%


    obese men 25% +
    average men 18% to 24%
    fitness men 14 to 17%
    athletes men 6 to 13%
    essential men 2 to 5%

    Hey wow that's fantastic information. I had no idea it was so VASTLY different for women and men! I wonder why we womenfolk are allowed to be so much 'softer' than the boys? Ok so I've got a looooong way to go to be NOT obese anymore. Having always been overweight it's going to be interesting to see what my mass should be when I'm a decent fat %.

    Our essential body fat % is needed in order for our reproductive systems to properly work. Fall below essential and it will be hard to get pregnant, and the doctor will more than likely tell you to gain weight in order to carry a baby.
  • knumommi
    knumommi Posts: 29 Member
    Yeah just found this info two days ago and used all the tools on here and www.fat2fitradio.com/tools to check all my numbers. I like having a certain percentage of body fat as a goal instead of weight since you gain muscle back as well. Also it made me measure the inches of everything which is more of a success then a number from the scale.

    As to the men vs women I have no idea why the difference.

    I just know when i loose weight a lot of the fat comes from my bra first, sorta depressing, but if it means being healthier I'll get used to it.
  • ang3h
    ang3h Posts: 185 Member
    Ideally I would like to be 18-20% but I will never be able to eat clean enough to maintain that. I love junk too much. I think currently I am 22-25% if the online calculators are really anything to go by and that's as good as it's probably gonna get for me!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages
  • Techn0mancer
    Techn0mancer Posts: 46
    Currently a bit over 33%.. shooting for 18%
  • blonde71
    blonde71 Posts: 955 Member
    I'm at ~19% and that's where I want to stay. Low enough but easily maintainable for me.
  • kittenmcgowan
    kittenmcgowan Posts: 83 Member
    Yeah just found this info two days ago and used all the tools on here and www.fat2fitradio.com/tools to check all my numbers. I like having a certain percentage of body fat as a goal instead of weight since you gain muscle back as well. Also it made me measure the inches of everything which is more of a success then a number from the scale.

    As to the men vs women I have no idea why the difference.

    I just know when i loose weight a lot of the fat comes from my bra first, sorta depressing, but if it means being healthier I'll get used to it.

    Hah you can have mine. I'm huge in the chest department, and always have been, first into a bra, always larger chest than my friends blah blah blah. I'm CURRENTLY an F and hoping to shrink down to a DD, that'd be a reasonable size... normal clothes fit DD.
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    Ideally I would like to be 18-20% but I will never be able to eat clean enough to maintain that. I love junk too much. I think currently I am 22-25% if the online calculators are really anything to go by and that's as good as it's probably gonna get for me!

    Calculators are horribly wrong with body fat percentage. You should do a test in a gym or the doctor's.
  • SARgirl
    SARgirl Posts: 572 Member
    How does everyone measure body fat? I've used the online calculators and they say I'm 21% but I wonder how accurate they really are?
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    Yeah just found this info two days ago and used all the tools on here and www.fat2fitradio.com/tools to check all my numbers. I like having a certain percentage of body fat as a goal instead of weight since you gain muscle back as well. Also it made me measure the inches of everything which is more of a success then a number from the scale.

    As to the men vs women I have no idea why the difference.

    I just know when i loose weight a lot of the fat comes from my bra first, sorta depressing, but if it means being healthier I'll get used to it.

    Hah you can have mine. I'm huge in the chest department, and always have been, first into a bra, always larger chest than my friends blah blah blah. I'm CURRENTLY an F and hoping to shrink down to a DD, that'd be a reasonable size... normal clothes fit DD.

    Thankfully mine stayed in place despite losing 30 lbs and tons of fat.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages



    after looking at this DEFINITELY want to get to 10
  • 780ck
    780ck Posts: 40 Member
    This is the website that I was referred to and it breaks down the %.
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/
    I definitely have some work to do as well!
  • ktrn0312
    ktrn0312 Posts: 722 Member
    My Aria scale has me at 31.4%. I had arbitrarily picked 25% to be my goal to achieve. Thanks for this post with some valuable information. My new goal is to aim for less than 24% now.
  • kittenmcgowan
    kittenmcgowan Posts: 83 Member
    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages



    after looking at this DEFINITELY want to get to 10

    Hehe just don't go to 7%, that's just plain SCARY!
  • kittenmcgowan
    kittenmcgowan Posts: 83 Member
    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

    Thanks heaps for posting that, it's an awesome resource! Thinking 20-25% is PERFECT for me!
  • ExplorinLauren
    ExplorinLauren Posts: 991 Member
    Yeah just found this info two days ago and used all the tools on here and www.fat2fitradio.com/tools to check all my numbers. I like having a certain percentage of body fat as a goal instead of weight since you gain muscle back as well. Also it made me measure the inches of everything which is more of a success then a number from the scale.

    As to the men vs women I have no idea why the difference.

    I just know when i loose weight a lot of the fat comes from my bra first, sorta depressing, but if it means being healthier I'll get used to it.

    Hah you can have mine. I'm huge in the chest department, and always have been, first into a bra, always larger chest than my friends blah blah blah. I'm CURRENTLY an F and hoping to shrink down to a DD, that'd be a reasonable size... normal clothes fit DD.

    I wish. LOL.... I'm DD, and I can NEVER find clothes. :( Esp shirts... I buy XL just so things fit around my tata's ... but most of the time, it doesn't fit well around my girls, and it hangs wrong in all the wrong places :(
  • cynthiaj777
    cynthiaj777 Posts: 787 Member
    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages



    after looking at this DEFINITELY want to get to 10

    Hehe just don't go to 7%, that's just plain SCARY!

    I want the 15% v. 15% where it shows muscle v. thin. I don't want that much damn definition, but I just want that little body fat like in the blue bikini picture.
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