Body Fat Percentage vs. BMI
Could someone please explain the difference to me? I'm 5'5'', 20 years old, and have a body fat percentage of 20.5 - is this decent? What should I be aiming for? CC lists my BMI at 21.8, which is healthy - knowing that its an approximation, I figured it wouldn't be out of the question that the number on my scale and my BMI were actually the same thing, but I have no earthly idea!
Thanks in advance for any help :)
However, it does not take into account you body composition at all, so it is inherently flawed. I have a BMI of around 35, but I am in no way "morbidly obese" as BMI charts would suggest. So go with the body fat percentage, as that's a much better predicter of health. The fact that your bf% and BMI are similar are coincidental.
Also, 20% body fat is quite reasonable for a woman, though someone else can probably give a more detailed range of what is normal (though I think 20% is healthy, or at least close to). And, from what I hear, those scales that measure body fat can be inaccurate, though I've never actually used one myself, I would imagine they may work to moniter the change in body fat.
Ah! Thank you very much - that helped a lot. I just didn't understand the difference at all...
I bought a new scale yesterday and was attracted to the body fat %age feature, because I'm coming to the point that I'd like to gauge the growth of my muscle and not so much the numbers on the scale. (Though if they'd go down, that'd be a nice perk ;D). I've been working out (cardio and weight lifting) about 3x a week for the last 3-4 weeks... I'm hoping that the # is decently accurate, but like all things, you have to take it with a grain of salt, I s'pose! :) it more about how you feel anyway :D
Again, I appreciate the response!
My scale instructions say results will be less accurate if you measure:
after a hard workout
first thing in the morning
after a big meal
I have found it to be true. Usually, I will take my weight and bf% at different times because of this.
If your trying to judge your composition go with your body fat percentage as BMI in my opinion is a compleate and utter waste of time and energy.
My husbands BMI is about 32 wihich classes him as "seriously over weight" which is compleatly insane. He has a body fat percentage of about 18 and and is quite blatently in good shape (i have a picky in my gallery) he's just got a fair amount of muscle which is heavy so it tilts the scales and puts is BMI though the roof.
Body fat wise .......
For a woman a figure model would have a body fat of about 10%, while a healthy range is concidered to be 22-32% percent (varies slightly depending on age)
Im currently about 23% im fit and healthy by anyones standards alot of girls would kill to be my weight however i still have a few too many wobbly area's for my liking, so im currently aiming for about 16-18% which from the photo's ive seen will give me the toned /fit look im aiming for. (sexy action babe ..haha)
However beware below 20% is concidered "underfat" and you have to conciously keep yourself healthy at that wieght, getting to that body fat wrongly "ie simply losing weight" is not gonig to make you look good it will just make you look anorexic.
You need to eat right, work out and work hard to maintain a healthy body and increase your muscle mass to pad you out and stop you looking like a waif. Also i think its at about 12%-14% you start losing your "monthly" visitor and while i wouldn't nessisarilly concder that a bad thing haha you might.
I think maintaining a healthy body at anything much below about 16% stops being a "fitness plan" and becomes a "way of life" however ive never been anywhere near that low so im not sure im sure one of the super fit girls can give you a better idea.
Lastly danielle was right about the scales they arn't accurate i think they can be upto about 5-8% out either side and depend very much on what youve eaten and drank that day.
That said i use mine all the time, they give me a good guilde. I know they are off but as long as i stand on them at the same time of day (for the most consistant reading ie first think in the morning with an empty bladder) and the % is going down i at least know im moving in the right direction.
danielle860: Why is it considered less accurate to measure first thing in the morning? I've heard that it's the best time to weigh yourself.
To the OP - A BF% of 20 is actually between the fitness/athletes ranges, and your BMI tells you that you have a normal/healthy weight for your height, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Check out the BF chart on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_fat_percent age
This is all very confusing to me because.... a couple years ago when I had a fitness evaluation by the personal trainer at my gym, I had a body fat % of 18 and it was suggested that it was a bit high and I had room for improvement. My cousin was exceptionally healthy and fit and his body fat % was 12%. I've heard it's common for hardcore athletes to be in the single digits for body fat %.
Knowing that, I find it hard to believe 22-32% to be a healthy range and below 20% to be "underfat". Then again, you're speaking in the context of women. I wonder if the "healthy body fat % range" is different for men than it is for women. Personally I'd like to get down around 12% myself.
Hmm, nevermind... after reading the wikipedia link white_rabbit posted I guess my view of body fat% ranges was correct. I looks like women really do tend to need more body fat.
Original Post by xeonicus:
This is all very confusing to me because.... a couple years ago when I had a fitness evaluation by the personal trainer at my gym, I had a body fat % of 18 and it was suggested that it was a bit high and I had room for improvement. My cousin was exceptionally healthy and fit and his body fat % was 12%. I've heard it's common for hardcore athletes to be in the single digits for body fat %.
Knowing that, I find it hard to believe 22-32% to be a healthy range and below 20% to be "underfat". Then again, you're speaking in the context of women. I wonder if the "healthy body fat % range" is different for men than it is for women. Personally I'd like to get down around 12% myself.
Hmm, nevermind... after reading the wikipedia link white_rabbit posted I guess my view of body fat% ranges was correct. I looks like women really do tend to need more body fat.
Your a man the body fat "healthy ranges" are much much different for a man than for a woman because women are supposed to have more fat for baby making.
the average healthy range for a man is 10% - 18% (varies dependent on age. ) so your trainer was right 18% is the very top end of healthy for a man
Thank you guys so much!! :)
I've been dieting since January (with a break in March for a cruise... and midApril-midMay because I was moving out of my dorm back to the house and all), so I feel like I've gotten rid of the vast majority of the fat I want to lose. (20lbs of it! :D) I'd be content with a little bit more, but nothing worth obsessing over.
(We ladies do need a higher fat content for all those should-be-squishy parts that you guys love so much! ;D)
My goal is probably going to be around 18% body fat, but I will be very healthy about it. I just had no idea about where I should set my hopes! I typically get 1200cal/day (I burn 1700 when sedentary) and when I exercise, I make sure that my caloric defecit never exceeds about 800, so I will have about 300cal more to eat.
On my scale (It's a Taylor #5571) I was the same bf% (on the normal setting) last night before bed (post work out) as I was this morning. I'll try it again when I get home from work, but so far it has been pretty consistant. At least I can measure the change :D
Well it sounds like you have a plan :) dunno if it helps but im calorie cycling atm to try and recomposition as it were. (lose fat/gain muscle) and its working pretty well im down 4% BF (but scales havn't moved haha)
I eat "maintaince" on lifting days so allow my body the fuel it needs to actually build muscle (you can't build much muscle on a deficit ... or at maintanace normally but im relying on beginers luck gains for now haha)
then i leave my fat losing/dieting to "cardio" and "Rest" days where i don't need so many calories and i can afford the deficit without hurting my muscle building goals to much.
right now im doing this (at least i am when it go's to plan ... this week got messed up when i did lifiting on the wrong day but the theory's in place
)
- Monday - lower body lifting - Maintaince Calories
- Tuesday - light cardio (dont want to strain the legs after lifting) - deficit calories
- Wednesday - Upper body lifting - Maintaince Calories
- Thursday - HIIT / cardio - deficit calories
- Friday - Full body lifting - Maintaince Calories
- Saturday - fun activity (take kids park to play ball etc) - deficit calories
- Sunday - rest day - deficit calories
What I do is weigh myself every Wednesday morning, without measuring bodyfat. Then I measure my bodyfat on Thursday after work, before working out and dinner. I pay no attention to the weight. Seems to work pretty well, and the best way to get consistent results.
Original Post by danielle860:
white rabbit - I was talking about measuring bodyfat, not weighing yourself. I am not positive, but I would imagine morning is not the best time to measure bodyfat because you have a better chance of being dehydrated, which can interfere with the measurement on those scales.
What I do is weigh myself every Wednesday morning, without measuring bodyfat. Then I measure my bodyfat on Thursday after work, before working out and dinner. I pay no attention to the weight. Seems to work pretty well, and the best way to get consistent results.
Aye that mihgt work .. i still do it in the morning i might be slightly dehydrated but at least i'll be consisitantly dehydrated every morning .. i know my scales arn't accurate anyway so it makes no difference as long as the % is going down.
I agree with smartjock256. For me to be at a healthy BMI, I would have to be at 145 lbs for my height of 5' 9". Maybe I can come back in my next lifetime as 145 lbs, but I am 215 lbs, with yes, some baby fat still (can you say that when you are 37). My goal is 190, because I have a fair amount of muscle on my large frame - think 46" chest! As my BMI stands now I am considered medically OBESE! Boo Hoo
Original Post by huckaberry:
SKINNY IS SO BAD FOR A GUY, especially if you have a very strong Adam's Apple. Skinny guy is to a woman as obese woman is a guy -- It's unattractive as hell.
I really beg to differ. I think it's all about personal preference - there are many women who find skinny men attractive and there are also guys who find obese women beautiful. But this is all kind of beside the point.
As stated, BMI can be misleading as it doesn't take fitness level or body composition into account. Body fat percentage is much better to go by.
Of course men date obese women, but what kind of men date these women? You know what kind I'm sure -- it's why you're here on caloriecount. You have to lose weight, get out of high school, and leave behind all those people that labeled you "the overweight girl." In college, you'll be thin, you can start over, and you can move on up in you caliber of guys and not have to settle for the bottom of the barrel. j/k
Try not to get your whole perception of reality from Disney cartoons.
Where are you drawing your data from? You're like me, you get your data from personal experience and observation. Which really means that neither one of us have really any evidence.
Start a new thread on caloriecount and ask which body types does everyone prefer in the opposite sex. Skinny, Average, Athletic, Muscular, Overweight, and Obese.
Caloriecount isn't that great of a representative sample, however.
