Body Fat

[Guest guest]

I sure hope I couldn't have lost that much muscle. I like the water

weight idea. Now that there's less of me to retain all that water.

> Lean mass is anything that's not fat - including water, bones,

skin, internal

> organs. There's no way you lost 11 pounds of muscle. It was

probably just water

> weight.

>

>

[Guest guest]

> Yikes!! That's scary! According to that I've lost 40 pounds of

fat

> while losing 11 pounds of muscle!

>

> I feel so much stronger now- I know I'm stronger actually. I could

> have sworn that I'd have gained muscle! I must be doing something

> wrong.

>

>

>

I sincerely doubt that you've lost 11lbs of muscle . I doubt

you've lost any. Remember we're talking " lean mass " not muscle. Lean

mass is lots more things than muscle, in fact it's EVERYTHING that's

not fat. Ie. organs, bones, skin, water, last nights dinner. If

you've lost loads of " weight " then your lean mass probably will drop

too. You've added muscle, (you're stronger, so i think you must

have!) but your skin has shrunk and you're retaining a lot less fluid

in your smaller body.

Good for you!!!

Phoenix

[Guest guest]

I am not there yet so i can't speak from experience. But I do beleive there

are women onthis board who have maintained their b/f% under 20, some for a

few years already just by following BFL. It's just a matter of keeping the

same BFL lifestyle and staying focused on your goals. Some people stop

exercising or start eating poorly once the 12 wk challange is over, and that

is how their bf% starts to creeping up again

HTH

betty.

In a message dated 2/7/03 2:47:32 PM, no_reply writes:

> No one answered my  post yesterday but I am really curious.  Do you

> think everyone can get there body fat below 20% and keep it there?  I

> don't know what I should have as my goal

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a nutshell, yes, most BFLers can get their body fat safely below 20% and keep

it there... if that's what they want. This is an answer to somebody else's

question, but I think it covers everything. I meant to post it for you yesterday

but I completely spaced.

~~~

17% is actually very healthy for an active woman. As long as you get there in a

healthy way (strength training and healthy eating, not a starvation diet and

hours of cardio) most women won't have a problem with estrogen levels and

menstrual irregularities unless they're well below 12%. That's why bodybuilders

and fitness competitors tend to only drop into the single digits for a few weeks

of competition and then they come back up into the low or mid-teens to maintain.

The average American woman is 33% body fat. The most often cited healthy range

for women is 20-25%. Professional (women) skiers and swimmers and softball

players tend to be around 18-22%. Distance runners are usually around 17-19%.

Professional aerobics instructors and fitness competitors in the off season tend

to be around 14-17%. Fitness and figure competitors go onstage in the 9-13%

range. Olympic gymnasts and ballerinas tend to be around 10%. Female

bodybuilders are always in the single digits for competition. If you've ever

seen pictures of Pam Brown with her trophy, she was 6% in that photo. Wait...

here it is: http://www.bodychangers.com/pbrown_inter.shtml

I like to be around 14-16%. That's where I am in most of my photos. It's lean

but it's maintainable without doing anything stupid. I've been below 20% for

years and I'm in excellent health. If you've ever checked out my What I Eat

page, I'm hardly starving myself or doing anything unhealthy to keep a low

percentage. In fact, most of time I'm carrying around a giant cooler of food

that would make Jethro Bodine jealous. :-)

Where you set your final goal is a very personal thing. If you're looking for

general good health, a small pant size, and easy maintenance, 20-25% might be an

excellent goal. If you want a lean, athletic look with good muscle definition

and nothing jiggling in a bikini, you have to go lower. Most people don't know

what their final percentage will be until they get there and live at that weight

for a while. If you have to eat too little and train too hard to maintain it,

you'll be unhappy and won't stay there very long. It's kind of self-regulating

in that regard. Nobody's going to drop their body fat dangerously low and not

realize it.

If you go to the Files section of the club, I put a Fat Loss / Muscle Gain

calculator in there (Microsoft Excel). It helps you figure out how many pounds

of fat you would need to lose and how much muscle you would need to gain to hit

a particular percentage and weight. It can help you decide if your goals are

realistic.

Body fat

No one answered my post yesterday but I am really curious. Do you

think everyone can get there body fat below 20% and keep it there? I

don't know what I should have as my goal

[Guest guest]

In my opinion, it just takes different amounts of time for people to get below

20%. Granted if you're putting in a full effort. As for me, I have no goals...

I KNOW that sounds bad, but for me, setting a goal, then not reaching it really

gets me down. I just figure that GENERALLY if I'm losing inches, and I feel

good, and FEEL strong and athletic I'm doing something right. I like being able

to just get on the treadmill and do 2.5 miles in 20 min for FUN, and not getting

all tired, and then doing my HIIT on the eliptical and flailing like a maniac on

there makes me FEEL good. Hell, I watch people sit on those things for 1/2 hour

doing a moderate stride and I'm thinking " You're wasting your time... " LOL Hee

hee....

~kimmah

Body fat

No one answered my post yesterday but I am really curious. Do you

think everyone can get there body fat below 20% and keep it there? I

don't know what I should have as my goal

[Guest guest]

This is my favorite online BF test, and you only have to measure 3

places. It is a much better health indicater than a scale and more

accurate than the electronic bf scales.

http://www.biofitness.com/bodyfat.html

Becky

> How important is it for me to get this measured? I am C1W2D6 and

so

> far I have just been relying on the scale---which I hear is BAD! I

> just don't have the ambition to measure and I don't have access to

> calipers, although now that I think about it, my mom has a scale

that

> measures body fat. I did take before pics and wow, was that

> inspirational. I had no idea what I REALLY looked like in my

> underwear. I am noticing that I feel stronger and tighter all over

> (definately sore!) and I have lost 7 pounds. I have a long ways to

> go. I'm 224 (down from 231 !!) and would like to be a healthy

strong

> 140-150 lbs. oh yeah, I am 5'4.

> What do you guys think?

> Angie from IA

[Guest guest]

--- This scale said I am 7% less than the caliper readings.

In , " Becky

<rebeccahampton@c...> " <rebeccahampton@c...> wrote:

> This is my favorite online BF test, and you only have to measure 3

> places. It is a much better health indicater than a scale and more

> accurate than the electronic bf scales.

> http://www.biofitness.com/bodyfat.html

>

> Becky

>

> > How important is it for me to get this measured? I am C1W2D6 and

> so

> > far I have just been relying on the scale---which I hear is BAD! I

> > just don't have the ambition to measure and I don't have access to

> > calipers, although now that I think about it, my mom has a scale

> that

> > measures body fat. I did take before pics and wow, was that

> > inspirational. I had no idea what I REALLY looked like in my

> > underwear. I am noticing that I feel stronger and tighter all over

> > (definately sore!) and I have lost 7 pounds. I have a long ways to

> > go. I'm 224 (down from 231 !!) and would like to be a healthy

> strong

> > 140-150 lbs. oh yeah, I am 5'4.

> > What do you guys think?

> > Angie from IA

[Guest guest]

It's supposed to be within .7% +or- of an accurate caliper test.

I don't know...

Becky

> > > How important is it for me to get this measured? I am C1W2D6

and

> > so

> > > far I have just been relying on the scale---which I hear is

BAD! I

> > > just don't have the ambition to measure and I don't have access

to

> > > calipers, although now that I think about it, my mom has a

scale

> > that

> > > measures body fat. I did take before pics and wow, was that

> > > inspirational. I had no idea what I REALLY looked like in my

> > > underwear. I am noticing that I feel stronger and tighter all

over

> > > (definately sore!) and I have lost 7 pounds. I have a long ways

to

> > > go. I'm 224 (down from 231 !!) and would like to be a healthy

> > strong

> > > 140-150 lbs. oh yeah, I am 5'4.

> > > What do you guys think?

> > > Angie from IA

[Guest guest]

--- Unfortunalety the closer you get the harder it gets to loose

it.You might achieve 20% this time around with real hard work as

usual.

Jen

In , tiffinyshantelle

<no_reply@y...> wrote:

> I'm just curious as to around how much body fat I can/will lose

> this time around. This is my 3rd challenge (2nd official). Has

any

> one of you started at around 27% bodyfat? If so, what did you end

> at? My goal is 17%. Does this sound reasonable? Thanks for any

> input! -Tiffiny

[Guest guest]

I don't think challenge number makes a difference, but I agree that

it's harder once you get closer to your goal. Consider this though,

last challenge, I started around 25-26% and ended at 17%, so it is

possible to lose that much. Give it your all and you can do it!

> I'm just curious as to around how much body fat I can/will lose

> this time around. This is my 3rd challenge (2nd official). Has

any

> one of you started at around 27% bodyfat? If so, what did you end

> at? My goal is 17%. Does this sound reasonable? Thanks for any

> input! -Tiffiny

[Guest guest]

Hi Tiffiny!

I started C1 at 28% and got down to 21%. C2 I went from 21% to 17%. I maintain

now (1 year later) comfortably at 17.5%. I'd say your goal is a good one. You'll

reach it only with hard work and lots of dedication!

Good luck

Maggie

body fat

I'm just curious as to around how much body fat I can/will lose

this time around. This is my 3rd challenge (2nd official). Has any

one of you started at around 27% bodyfat? If so, what did you end

at? My goal is 17%. Does this sound reasonable? Thanks for any

input! -Tiffiny

[Guest guest]

Those are awesome results; do you have a picture folder?

Re: body fat

Hi Tiffiny!

I started C1 at 28% and got down to 21%. C2 I went from 21% to 17%. I

maintain now (1 year later) comfortably at 17.5%. I'd say your goal is a

good one. You'll reach it only with hard work and lots of dedication!

Good luck

Maggie

body fat

I'm just curious as to around how much body fat I can/will lose

this time around. This is my 3rd challenge (2nd official). Has any

one of you started at around 27% bodyfat? If so, what did you end

at? My goal is 17%. Does this sound reasonable? Thanks for any

input! -Tiffiny

[Guest guest]

That is awesome!!!! I wish I had tested my body fat. WTG!!!

Bridgette

> Well, I just had my body fat tested, exactly 9 weeks to the day. I

> have gone from 33.7% to 27.2%. Total loss of 12lbs of fat and a

> gain of 1.5lbs of muscle!!!

>

> Who hoo!!

>

> Just had to share!

>

> Brett in Idaho

[Guest guest]

Way to Go!!! You've made great progress. It's so exciting to hear

success stories You're doing it....keep forging ahead:)

Tinkle

[Guest guest]

How tall are you? It's kind of hard to determine if the guy is nuts without

knowing your height. Here are two things to keep in mind:

1) Body fat readings are only estimates and they can be wildly goofy. Unless

you're like 4 feet tall, I really doubt you have another 20 pounds to lose.

2) There are two ways to lower your percentage of body fat. The not so obvious

way is by gaining muscle. Sometimes after years of dieting, women will have very

little lean mass for their height/weight. Training hard, eating well, and

gaining a little muscle will make their body look a lot better than if they just

keep cracking down on the diet and trying to get lighter.

Here's a link to one of my old posts comparing various body fat percentages:

http://skwigg.tripod.com/wow/id30.html

Here's a link to the club Files section where the Fat Loss / Muscle Gain

calculator can be found:

/files/

body fat

can anyone tell me what a good number is for body fat. I was 154

pounds before I started bfl now I am 126 pounds ..was a size 13 now

am a size 6. I got my bodyfat measured and he said it was 25.5 and I

have to lose 20 more pounds of body fat. I can see where I can just

wanted feedback..thanks christine

[Guest guest]

What method was used for the bodyfat testing? It is hard question to

answer because there are so many factors that play into the actual

number.

Colleen

PS Great job so far!

> can anyone tell me what a good number is for body fat. I was 154

> pounds before I started bfl now I am 126 pounds ..was a size 13 now

> am a size 6. I got my bodyfat measured and he said it was 25.5 and

I

> have to lose 20 more pounds of body fat. I can see where I can just

> wanted feedback..thanks christine

[Guest guest]

While I think knowing your bodyfat percentage is important to learn

the real truth over what the scale lies to you about, you have to

remember tho its just a guide - to watch it go down preferably. So

no matter where you start as long as its going down you are moving

in the right direction - and thats whats important. Obsessing about

the percentage number is like obsessing about clothing sizes - we

are better than that and are more than just a number - let it go -

concentrate more on health and less on statistics :-)

<<joni>>

To dream of being someone you're not is a waste of the person you are

[Guest guest]

Good points to remember. Thanks!

Re: body fat

While I think knowing your bodyfat percentage is important to learn

the real truth over what the scale lies to you about, you have to

remember tho its just a guide - to watch it go down preferably. So

no matter where you start as long as its going down you are moving

in the right direction - and thats whats important. Obsessing about

the percentage number is like obsessing about clothing sizes - we

are better than that and are more than just a number - let it go -

concentrate more on health and less on statistics :-)

<<joni>>

To dream of being someone you're not is a waste of the person you are

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

<<What is a good body fat percentage?>>

Depends on a few factors like age but this chart gives a general

overview: http://healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm

<<joni>>

*knowing your bodyfat percentage is the real truth to being fit*

[Guest guest]

Here's an old post on the subject of body fat percentages:

http://www.skwigg.com/id30.html

Body Fat

What is a good body fat percentage?

[Guest guest]

Body fat calculators are all over the place depending on which one you

use and which measurements it asks for. The closer you are to

" average " the more accurate the estimates are. If you're short or tall

or heavy or muscular or very petite, they get progressively wackier.

If that one seems way off, just pick another one that seems more

reasonable. All that matters is that you use the same testing method

each time (for the sake of comparison) and that the numbers are going

down.

> Can someone please tell me just how accurate body fat tests are? The

> last one I had said that at 5' - 2 " and 130lbs., I had 38% body fat!

> Bearing in mind that it was the measurment test and neither the hydro.

> nor the caliper. Thanks!

[Guest guest]

The websites that use measuring tape measurements give me weird

numbers for my fat percentage (35% on biofitness!) but on the Omron

I am only 20.5%, anywhere from 20%-24% on the Tanita scale, plus if

you look at me there's no way I'm 35% BF (I'm 22 yrs old, 5'6 " and

130 lb.) so my experience has been that the measurement tests are

highly inaccurate! HTH

~Meg

>

> Can someone please tell me just how accurate body fat tests are?

The

> last one I had said that at 5' - 2 " and 130lbs., I had 38% body

fat!

> Bearing in mind that it was the measurment test and neither the

hydro.

> nor the caliper. Thanks!

>

[Guest guest]

I got curious about how to figure body fat percentage so i looked online and found a calculator. I don't have calipers, so I had to use a ruler and make a very rough estimate for the calculator and according to it, my body fat percentage is 14. I measured two places -- my bicep and above my hipbone -- since I can't see the other suggested places to measure on myself. I think that's a bit low of the truth, really, but can someone tell me what's a good percentage to shoot for and where I can buy some calipers to get an accurate measurement? My waist is 31.5 and my hips are 38.

[Guest guest]

,

Ideally, you should be between 18 and 22 percent body fat for healthy, between 12 and 18 percent body fat for athletic. You can buy calipers online by doing a search, but I got mine at GNC for a pretty good price, but you have to really practice to get good at doing body fat with them. It took me a long time to get to where I knew how to pinch them to get an accurate measurment, but after a lot of practice I did manage to get to where I'm within a couple of % from bio impedience, so I know they can be accurate. I too, would guess your measurment is a bit low of accurate. I'm looking for the calculator I use to use on a client that I had who was too large for me to get an accurate reading with calipers or bio impedience. It is based on height, weight, and body measurments. I tested it against my calipers and against the bio impedence machine at the gym and it is pretty close to accurate. As soon as I find it, I'll post it to the group page for everyone.

Tonya

Re: body fat

I got curious about how to figure body fat percentage so i looked online and found a calculator. I don't have calipers, so I had to use a ruler and make a very rough estimate for the calculator and according to it, my body fat percentage is 14. I measured two places -- my bicep and above my hipbone -- since I can't see the other suggested places to measure on myself. I think that's a bit low of the truth, really, but can someone tell me what's a good percentage to shoot for and where I can buy some calipers to get an accurate measurement? My waist is 31.5 and my hips are 38.

[Guest guest]

We have a GNC store. We also have an athletic equipment store -- maybe they'll have one. I have an electronic body fat calculator that is supposed to figure it by your putting your thumbs on these metal plates but I don't trust it.

Re: body fat

I got curious about how to figure body fat percentage so i looked online and found a calculator. I don't have calipers, so I had to use a ruler and make a very rough estimate for the calculator and according to it, my body fat percentage is 14. I measured two places -- my bicep and above my hipbone -- since I can't see the other suggested places to measure on myself. I think that's a bit low of the truth, really, but can someone tell me what's a good percentage to shoot for and where I can buy some calipers to get an accurate measurement? My waist is 31.5 and my hips are 38.