My body fat is 18%. I have had it measured several times with calipers. BUT.... I still have so much belly giggle. Is it normal to have significant giggle at 18%? Does anyone know a site where I can see pictures of different body fat percentages on women? Are there other women in this forum at 18% that are willing to share a picture? Is it possible that I am not being measured right? At this point, am I dealing with stretched out pregnancy skin? I am starting to think that my giggle is just here to stay.
Thanks!
i'm at 17%- and yes, i have a 'shimmer' of fat on my belly that is there-- i had 3 kids tho-- so i feel like it's residual skin stretch that just happens to lay on my lower abdomen... when i stretch- it tends to hang... ick... so it's not full of fat, but it's a shimmer of it i like to think...
i'd say about 2% of my fat is in low belly / hips and the rest of the 15% is in my @ss & legs!
my pics are on my gallery-- they need to be updated-- last shots in mexico in brownish bikini i was back to 19% bf, now i'm back down to 17%
regardless, all of us are genetically different- some people carry it in some spots others don't.
don't forget with female hormones, we have a tough battle with the lower abdominal / hip/ butt/ thigh areas... we are meant to have some fat there for reproductive benefits & estrogen production!
worry more about how fit & healthy you are w/a good bf % like 18-- of course, work the area to add more mass under the fat-- but cutting carbs & eating clean 6x a day will crush ab fat! it did mine!
Thanks for the responses, ladies.
iamme - I looked at your gallery pics and I can't imagine that you have too much shimmer going on. My stomach doesn't look anywhere near what yours looks like. Your abs look great! This is why I am concerned that my trainer has been measuring me wrong. Or maybe its really just stretched out skin.
stefiann - I am also not anywhere near a size 2/4. I am more like an 8. I try not to worry about the problem areas, but it would be nice to see some improvement with my efforts to reduce the shimmer.
Thanks again!
mandy- again, the greatest percentage of my bf is in my butt/thighs-- i have those 'shimmer' pockets on my low abs & my low hips-- which are ANNOYING bc I have the S curve on my flanks-- but those pockets on my hips/low abs SUCK.
and don't relate it to clothes size-- AT ALL! stefi is a 2/4- you're an 8-- well, i'm an 8/10!
i'm 5'7" and 155-160 lbs depending on my training day of week/ttom/sodium/fiber/etc! I carry a LOT of mass... no one believes that i weigh near 160!
point is-- your trainer could be doing it wrong or could be doing it right- i am a freak with the bf stuff, i have it tested weekly by my trainer w/tape measures & calipers & then 2x a month by two other trainers using the bio/impedence & calipers & take the average of all 3 to be somewhere in the middle... some times of the month the readings vary 15-20-- but i average it out to be around 17 either way right now & my weight on the scale is reading lower-- so...
a water based displacement test is supposed to be most accurate-- but hard to find but at universitys- the calipers/bio-impedence error is +/-3% either way...
relax girl! we all carry our weight differently! there is NOTHING wrong with body fat on the female form when it's within a athletic to healthy range! the average female carries 33% body fat-- so be thankful you are on the athletic side!
just keep working with weights-- curb the cardio to non-excessive- and be proud of how your form works-- that's what i keep trying to tell myself anyways-i mean, i can kick @ss in & out of the gym with my strength & endurance- i have to calm about it & remember the good side of my body machine - even tho i want 10% body fat!
agreed 100%- size doesn't matter! being healthful does!
I agree, stefiann. And being a size 2/4 probably means you are looking pretty good to boot :) I'm actually not too worried about the size of my pants, just as long as they are comfortable. I think even when I was 18 and weighed 105, I still couldn't fit into a 2/4 because I have always had wide hips.
iamme - it is good to hear that someone else isn't 115 pounds. My weight fluctuates from 137-142 (I'm 5'4") pretty regularly and I can't seem to get the numbers to stay any lower then that. People are always surprised at how I weigh too.
Thanks again, ladies!
It is rare for women to have no jiggle at all, I believe; our bodies are designed to carry more fat than men's, because of the whole reproductive thing. Women with 6-pack abs are VERY muscular and VERY thin, body-fat-percentage-wise. Firming up may take muscle-building rather than fat reduction, since 18% is a great BF % to have for a woman. Good work on that, by the way! I can't wait to get near that number myself...probably at about 40% right now - and before you say to yourself 'wow, she must be enormously fat'... I am! I'm about 65 pounds overweight, by my estimates.
