The Student Room Group

Body Fat %

Well the main reason i started this thread was because i just got my body fat % measured for the first time and was shocked to find that i'm only 10.3% body fat. I was amazed though i'd be at least 15%. But no! This thread is mainly for me to brag in, and also for anyone elses experiences of body fat % (i'm sure that's not what i mean).

What do you guys think a decent bf% would be?

on top of that where have all the BB threads gone?

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Reply 1
I got mine just recently as I had a fitness assesment at my gym and they measured it... mine came out at 5.5% (I assume it is only this low as I'm growing fast at the moment.) I had a look for what this meant and found this table:
Classification Women (% fat) Men (% fat)
Essential Fat 10-12% 2-4%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-25%
Obese 32% plus 25% plus

I assume you were measured with some kind of machine... web sites or tables that try to calculate it often get this value way wrong, as they assume way too much and unless you line up with these assumptions, the value you get can be completely off. Machines can also be inaccurate, so don't take them as completely accurate either. I was measured with a weight scale type machine with metal contacts to place your feet on.
Reply 2
Do you have a 6-pack?
Reply 3
They used this machine that looked like one of those data loggers from a physics lab. Aparantly they're alot more accurate than calipers. They put these sticky metal plate things on my foot and my hand and it gave out a reading.

I do have a 6 pack to soem extent, it's not really defined yet, but the fitness instructor guy that did the test told me that's cause of the beer (that's the only bad thing i eat/drink, and that's only at the weekends, the rest of the time i stick to my diet fairly well (the GI diet if anyone interested, think i've lost around 60lbs of fat in about 9 months, and put on about 20lbs of muscle on it)), so i plan to up my CV exersize a fair ammount soon to try and shift that excess.

Just to any one else trying to lose weight, it is possible to look the way you want to as long as your not lazy

EDIT: the other thing i was wondering is if it's dangerous to go below a certain bf%

Also damn John C that bf is low. nice going
Reply 4
Have any of you seen that special k advert where everyone calls that girl a loser? Well her special k body fat analysis reading was 34.5%, making her obese. When I pointed it out to people they didn't believe me, they said I must be wrong and 34% must be healthy otherwise they wouldn't have it on the advert.
God knows what mine is, but im looking to develop a prime beer belly by the end of the summer so it looks like i have a small child......

No?

No need to be jealous just cause your belly aint sponsered by stella artois!
Reply 6
I did it, I dont seem to be able to lose them,there alot of things to do before the fat test,you should get good night sleep the day before,not eat with in 3 hours before the test,try to avoid any caffiene drinks and do not exercise before the test...I've done it using different machine one which has a plastic thing that they put on different parts of skin and then it kinda find the average or whatever and another which you hold insert your height and weight and it finds it up...though each machine gives a different value..healthy is between 25%-32% for women and less than that for men and 18% is excellent
Reply 7
I know its not accurate but from looking at pictures on forums and calculators I estimate my body fat to be around 17-18%, but i wanna get down to 10% that means me losing 13pounds and not losing any muscle though.
Reply 8
wait, can u calculate your body fat by ureself?
Reply 9
electrical impedence methods are notoriously bad. Calipers in my experience are ghey too (a method with just one skin-fold site though - more sites probably = more accurate)

immersion **** is probably the only decent measure of bf%

its best to just go by the mirror usually I think
Reply 10
that was funny.. you put down most of the methods for being inaccurate then say "its best to just go by the mirror". good one

I used a caliper and got 10% +/- 2% I think, that was quite fun to find out
Reply 11
Taldarion
Well the main reason i started this thread was because i just got my body fat % measured for the first time and was shocked to find that i'm only 10.3% body fat. I was amazed though i'd be at least 15%. But no! This thread is mainly for me to brag in, and also for anyone elses experiences of body fat % (i'm sure that's not what i mean).

What do you guys think a decent bf% would be?

on top of that where have all the BB threads gone?


Abu Dhabi is a wicked place man, i hear they are so rich down there they resurface the roads every year
Reply 12
well i kinda worked out my bf myslef i estimated by looking at that table with height against weight and worked out how overweight i was lol and that was my percentage could be coincedince or thats how lol but i worked it out myself that when measureed it was the same lol.

Also yeh the kellogs woman is technically Grade 2 Obese, but i spose they put that high number to advertise that anyone can join in and that really fat people are that bad, its so everyone will buy it i sopse if they used a stick thin woman with 5% then noone would buy it.

also you need 10% bf or less to be able to properly see your abs.
Reply 13
acey10
wait, can u calculate your body fat by ureself?



yes - here :smile:
Reply 14
mik1w
that was funny.. you put down most of the methods for being inaccurate then say "its best to just go by the mirror". good one

I used a caliper and got 10% +/- 2% I think, that was quite fun to find out



i didnt mean that your actual bf% can be deduced from appearance - but that you should just determine when to start/stop cutting, and how to do it, by your appearance. If you can know your bf% accurately (or atleast consistantly) then use it, but **** that gives different readings all the time is rubbish
Reply 15
sb1986
Abu Dhabi is a wicked place man, i hear they are so rich down there they resurface the roads every year


it's pretty decent here, hot and sunny all year round which is really good. Unfortunatly it's 21 to drink at most bars here though (even though the actual drinking age is 18) but we manage to get by pretty well in the end. They dont quite resurface the roads every year, however they diod just finish building the second seven star hotel in the world just down the road from where i live (the other one is in Dubai which is in the same country as Abu Dhabi)it is absolutaly massive. Apoparantly it cost 40 quid to just go and look round it!!
Reply 16
At 10% your abs should be clearly defined and noticeable, which leads me to think that you aren't 10% bodyfat, the method you described sounds like electrical impedance method which is very inaccurate.

Go for calipers and see what you get, although this depends largely on whos doing it for you.


As for that speccial K advert, I thought the same thing, then you have to factor a few things into it, such as, women naturally have a higher bodyfat% than men as they store fat in their boobs and bum more than men, for example, a 6-pack for a bloke occurs round about 12% whereas on a women its about 18%. Also, if you look at the women in the advert shes clearly saving a few for winter, so 34% would be about right for her.
Reply 17
rock_tenth
electrical impedence methods are notoriously bad. Calipers in my experience are rubbish too (a method with just one skin-fold site though - more sites probably = more accurate)

immersion **** is probably the only decent measure of bf%

its best to just go by the mirror usually I think



Agreed, the electrical impulse ones that run through your feet only atleast, are total **** imo.
imasillynarb
At 10% your abs should be clearly defined and noticeable, which leads me to think that you aren't 10% bodyfat, the method you described sounds like electrical impedance method which is very inaccurate.

Go for calipers and see what you get, although this depends largely on whos doing it for you.


Got a good book/site for me to look at to work it out with calipers ? I've always been interested to know what my percentage is, even though I'm pretty fit.
Reply 19
imasillynarb
At 10% your abs should be clearly defined and noticeable, which leads me to think that you aren't 10% bodyfat, the method you described sounds like electrical impedance method which is very inaccurate.

Go for calipers and see what you get, although this depends largely on whos doing it for you.
.


But you see the fat is just on my stomach pretty much, my arms/legs have almost no fat on, as in i can see most quite a few of the veins in my arms. Also quite a few people have told me it's more accurate than calipers, but they're not really experts!!