bodyfat

wow terri that was a cool link. if i did it right it says i have about 22% body fat. thats encouraging but i still need some work to do especially in the midsection only b/c i want to get back to where i was a few months ago.

kassia
 
LeanneM said:
I had a similar experience last year. I had a DEXA scan done just to see where I was at -- and ended up devastated at how high it turned out! My Tanita scale had been telling me that I was about 20% BF, but the DEXA scan (which, along with hydrostatic testing, is considered to be the gold standard of BF testing) told me that I was 25%. (The DEXA technician told me that the home scales always run low.) At that point in time, I was 36, weighed about 116 pounds (at just under 5'4"), and was wearing a size 2.

Like I said, I was just devastated since that seemed so high to me! Allison (CrazyStepper) gave me great advice: we are more than just a number, and I've really tried to take that to heart. Although my body fat is still higher than I'd like it to be, I'm trying to ignore the numbers on the scale (both weight and body fat), and just concentrate on how healthy I feel and how much I like my new muscles.

Runfree, the very fact that you can teach a bootcamp class shows that you're healthy and fit -- and strong!

It's a struggle for so many of us, but, like everyone has said, we would never be that hard on our friends, so we need to go easier on ourselves, too! :)
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The research I found says the home scales measure high for lean or average people, low for obese. I have always found they measure high. The measurement test above shows me 30%, but my calves are very big and muscular, I cannot wear regular boots, so it is interesting that measurement skews things. In fact, I never do calf raises and the like because they are so strong already.
 
No, actually women supposedly need to have 8% minimum bodyfat (again, an estimated number someone has determined) in order to maintain normal bodily and hormonal functions. I've been as low as 10% and had no problems in that area. As with any number, I take the 11% figure lightly. At various times, using various methods, I've ranged from 10-19%.

I figure as long as I'm healthy, eating well, and taking care of myself, the numbers are just that - numbers. I'm interested in finding a fairly accurate method of tracking my bf % to make sure I don't fall too low, or let it climb without my being aware of it.
 
8% is a number for the essential fat, and not at all recommended for women. The number I see in research is 15% or lower is dangerous. Below 8% and your body absolutely does not function, but under 15% and it does not function well.
 
And I had heard that 13-19% is the healthiest range for younger adult women. At 8%, I would think that there would be a danger of losing your periods, that kind of thing.
 
A few months ago I got really frustrated with m BF%. I was tested several different ways and had a wide range of results, from 18% to 26%. I was depressed and frustrated for a while until I also realized that it's how I FEEL and how I LOOk that matters.
Sandra

I found the following article on a bodybuilding website and thought it was some good food for thought:


Body fat estimations are a frustrating but necessary aspect of successful physique-change programs. They are frustrating because the numbers you come up with, regardless of what method you employ, are rarely all that accurate. I've known noticeably chubby people to claim a body fat percentage of 10 while those sporting signs of a six-pack lament over a percentage of 20.

What gives? Well, all body fat estimator methods are flawed. The possible exception to this is dissection. So if you really want to get an absolutely accurate body fat percentage, find a qualified doctor to dissect you.

Those of us who don't want to be dissected are left to seek out a more workable and less final method for measuring body fat even if it won't give us a number we can bet the farm on. Understand this, the actual number is really meaningless. Would you rather be the chubby guy with a 10 or the one with the six-pack and a 20?

Like with measuring our bodyweight as discussed back on the Tracking Your Bodybuilding Training Program page, there is no reason to get fussy about the accuracy of the individual measurement. Rather, we just need to know if our body fat percentage is increasing or decreasing.

Ultimately, the best indicator of your true body fat percentage will come when you lift up your shirt.:D
 
dorothyrd said:
8% is a number for the essential fat, and not at all recommended for women. The number I see in research is 15% or lower is dangerous. Below 8% and your body absolutely does not function, but under 15% and it does not function well.
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Dorothy, isn't that number different for men and women? It seems like I remember that from somewhere, but I can not remember.
 
Yes, for men the number for essential bodyfat is 5%, women 8%. But the term essential is the fat needed to keep the organs warm and the body running. All other fat is stripped, so that is why what is recommended is higher than the essential bodyfat. A person would not want to live on essential fat only.

Another interesting thing for endurance athletes. Endurance training, such as for marathons causes the muscles used for endurance to be marbled with fat. This happens over the time of the training. The body adapts to the training by making a fuel source more readily available. This is genetic, some folks more marbled than others, but someone who never trained, and started, over time would get more marbled as they go. Now this does not show up in appearance, as this is throughout the muscle, the muscle actually gets leaner looking, but would show up in things like DEXA and electrical impedance.
 
Terri - Thanks for the test. This morning I measured 30% on my Tanita scale in Athlete Mode. (I pretty much haven't been able to get lower than 30% this month which is ironic since I'm eating better and training harder). According to the test, I measured 20% which made me feel a whole let better. Even if it's 3% off, I'd be happy at 23%. I do use measurements and would rather have smaller measurements than a smaller number on the scale. I would also rather have a smaller body fat percentage and a higher number on the scale than vice versa.

Marcy
 
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