Body fat percentage
There was a health fair at work this week, and I went to get my body fat percentage tested. It’s something I’ve always wanted to know. Unfortunately, they were using the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) method, which isn’t very reliable (or so I hear – the guy doing it said it’s accurate within a range of 3%). It sends a small electric current through your body, and the faster it goes through your body, the less body fat you have (the current travels faster through water/muscle than fat). But the results can be all skewed depending on what you drink, eat, etc. Anyway –
I held this device with my arms out in front of me:
The result? 31.7% body fat. Whoa. And, I am at a “high” risk with a BMI* of 28.5. Here is what wikipedia thinks my body fat percentage should be:
| Description | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Essential fat | 10-13% | 1-3% |
| Athletes | 14–20% | 6-13% |
| Fitness | 21–24% | 14–17% |
| Average | 25–31% | 18–24% |
| Obese | 32%+ | 25%+ |
Are you calling me obese, wikipedia? Really?! Really?!?!?!!?
Honestly, I am not surprised. I know I have fat on me. Hello. I can grab my stomach. Check out my left arm, and the left side of my stomach in the photo below.
Buah ha ha. Jiggle jiggle! I was really hoping they would just take out one of those calipers and grab my arm or stomach. I wonder if my health insurance would cover a real body fat analysis test. I am curious to see how accurate the 31.7 number is. It’s probably pretty accurate. I am jiggly.
I would like to do this test in a year, to see if anything has changed. The optimistic person in me hopes that I can get down to a healthy weight, but the realistic person knows that the weight I am at now has kind of been my body’s setting point. I am athletic, I feel comfortable with my body… so there is no rush to lose weight. I’ll get there when I get there.
The good news is, I also had my blood pressure tested, and it was 120/80 (and that was after I found out I am at “high risk” for… something).
Have you ever had your body fat percentage tested? What was your percentage? Did the results make you want to change anything about your current lifestyle?
*I have never really taken BMI seriously.
Themocracy
I used to get mine tested on a fairly regular basis. I haven’t done it in a while though. My gym has that same machine you picture above. I was right around 24-25% at my best body fat %. I think I’ve been afraid to test it lately because I don’t want to know if it’s much higher than that. haha.
I just signed up for a program at my gym where you have to maintain (or lose) weight over the holidays. It begins Nov 15 and ends Jan 3. I’ve participated in this program for about 5 years now and always maintain within 1 lb. It helps me stay focused during the holidays and try not to overdo it.
That sounds like a really cool program! Last winter was the first time I didn’t gain weight over the holidays… that made me feel good 🙂
I’m a little confused how that thing could tell just by holding it?
I would like to get a body fat analysis done, too.
You enter your height and weight in in, then hold it with both hands. It sends a pulse through one had and sees how long it takes to go through your body to the other hand… and estimates your fat % based on that.
I’m very curious to have mine tested. I have a low weight and BMI but am not nearly as toned as I should be.
I’ve never had mine tested. I do have one of those scales that supposedly measures body fat, and I’m happy with what it tells me. But I take those read outs with a grain of salt. I don’t know how accurate it really is. Level of hydration, I’ve heard, can really change the results. I suppose if you use the same devise each time and perhaps at the same time of day, you should be able to see an upward or downward trend.
I’ve tried it before, and it was a little higher than I thought it would be. But geez- with a 3% swing, it really doesn’t mean too much to me!
Yes. Yes. Didn’t change right away. Kept gaining more weight. Chest pains. ER. Diagnosed diabetic, type 2. BIIIIIGGGG lifestyle change!
Still jiggling, but definitely less than that day!
Good for you 🙂
I mean, you lead an active lifestyle & eat healthy… Who cares what the # says? I mean, obviously it could be an indicator of health issues later but I think you are doing the right things now.
Thanks! That is the same thing I was thinking.
to be honest, i’m scared to get it tested…LOL. i am afraid of what the results will mean. I believe that our gym does free hydrostatic weighing and caliper measurements as well. i should probably just bite the bullet and go do it!!!
We used to have one of those in my college gym. I was always a different percentage. I think they are a good guesstimate of percentage but it is so variable and if you are dehydrated then its way off. I think if you eat healthy and exercise then you are good.
I’ve never had mine tested. Mostly because I don’t really want to know. I am pretty squishy. But I’m healthy too, so I guess I do what I can and worry more about being fit and healthy than about being skinny.
I had a trainer who was a bodybuilder and competitive swimmer and she told me that BMI can’t be taken too seriously because according to the math she is morbidly obese due to her muscle mass.
I have a low BMI according to Wii fit, but i need to lose weight for me.
I’ve had mine taken a bunch of times (when I’ve worked with a trainer). My body fat is lowish (18%) but my BMI is borderline high because I’m pretty muscular. I like it that way.
When I first joined my gym and had it tested it was right after I had my last baby. Literally 6 weeks after. My body fat that they measured 18% A few years later they tested it again and it was 14%. I have no idea how accurate it is, but I seem to get similar results with my home body fat scale too (between 14-18% depending on what time of day and how much water I have had to drink). Although if I had to guess, even though I weigh about the same now I think my body fat is higher because I haven’t been exercising and I just don’t feel very “fit” right now. Who knows though since I quit my gym and have no place to get it tested. I would LOVE to use the thing you got to use. When my brother was dancing (he was a ballet dancer) he got his body fat tested in the water chamber thing that is supposed to be the most accurate you can get. He had crazy low body fat but I don’t remember what it was.
My blood pressure is always super low and I guess I’m pretty healthy (besides the unpredictable things that have happened due to nothing I could have prevented) so who cares what my body fat or BMI are really. I think when I was doing triathlons my BMI put me in the underweight category but according to my doctor I was fine, just have tiny bones.
I forgot the part of my comment I really wanted to leave! You are beautiful and are so healthy and can do so many things that who cares what your percentages are. Those things are so inaccurate anyway and probably don’t mean anything anyway. Would someone who was not at a healthy percentage really be able to run marathons? No! I think the fact that you are healthy and can do so much says it all.
Thanks Tori 🙂
I think some of us just carry more fat – I do, and you don’t. And when they try to make these categories, it makes people like you and me both worry since we are on opposite ends of the spectrum!
Sometimes when I see that someone like you is “obese”, I discount that I am “obese”…but I really am. sigh.
I am about 50/50 fat and non fat. I do want change, I just think all that fat messes with my brain.
I hope I didn’t make you feel bad! I didn’t mean to.
Your comment cracks me up! And losing fat is HARD. I have always been like this!
I have a bathroom scale that gives weight and body fat (using current also). You are right, hydration does affect the reading. I’ve seen it change as much as 4% depending on hydration. It stores personal information (age, gender) so you have your own button to push so it knows if it is weighing male or female. If I push hubby’s button, my % of body fact drops waaaay down. But when I am on mine (indicating female) it is even higher than yours (obese). My BMI is fine and I am not over weight by any other chart, standard, etc. HOWEVER, I do have a lot of weight in my stomach so I think that is why my number is so &^%$#@ high. I don’t fret over it too much and just use it as a reference point. Before I lost 30 pounds a few years ago it was even higher.
I have one of those scales at home, and it’s always sad when it displays the results. I haven’t checked in a while though — I should!
I tested my BMI once and almost had a breakdown. I mean I know I am heavy but seeing that number just made me feel awful about myself. So I said Fuck It and am focusing on being healthy despite what that number might say about me to other people or even myself.
I can’t recall what it is now. I think I blocked it out. Coping mechanism! 😉
I hadn’t looked mine up in a long time either. I don’t think it is a very good measurement of how fit you are.
I have a scale that tells me my body fat percentage. I think it is kind of lame and inaccurate though. What I really want to do is go into one of those pod things to get it measured! My husband has a pair of the calipers- those things hurt, especially when doing the arm and leg! Not my stomach so much bc there is more to grab there I think 😉
We had a health fair at work a while back, and I had my body fat percentage tested with one of those things. Which, by the way, I don’t trust at all. I think the water displacement method is probably the most reliable, but I don’t really think I want to know…
<3 <3
I have been caliper tested in the past…once as a freshman in college (don’t remember what they told me other than telling me I was “fat” at 5’5″ 115lbs at the time…and tried to sell me on personal training…talk about crushing someone who already had a borderline ED at the time) and then in conjunction with bootcamp classes a couple of years ago. I honestly don’t remember those numbers but remember being shocked at how high they were.
I would like to get tested again (have been thinking about this a lot lately actually) but then wonder why? I am FINALLY to a point where I am generally comfortable with my body. I know I have a few pounds to lose but I also know I am within a healthy weight range with healthy BP, blood sugars, cholesterol, etc, and I am proud of my baseline fitness level (lots to work on but I am no slug either).
You are in a good spot! Just skip the test! 🙂
It IS an interesting number to find out and it can be fun to see if you can get it to change, but I’ve also found that it’s one of the hardest ones to change.
I have one of those scales that measures it via the BIA method and it’s always registered around 22-25%. When the personal trainer at the gym did the caliper test it said 22%. So it doesn’t seem to matter what I do; my percentage stays steady.
I don’t even want to know. THe fact that I’m exercising more than I have in my entire life is good enough for me at this point.
I’ve never had my body fat percentage tested. I’ve done those online calculators, and my Wii Fit guestimates, but I dont really pay attention to them. I feel good, thats what matters.
I’ve had mine tested before, when I was seeing a nutritionist (who was also a body builder). He said they weren’t super accurate, and that calipers were more accurate, but that it was better than the scale. I was around 19% last time I checked, months and months ago. I’d love to have it checked again, and see where I am now.
I’ve never had my body fat percentage taken but I want to. I’m just worried that getting it done will give me yet another thing to become obsessive about! Then again, there’s a good possibility that seeing it could help lessen my obsession with weight.
I can’t believe it’s trying to indicate that you’re obese, that’s ridiculous! You are nowhere near being obese.
In general, I try to avoid tests like this, not just because I’ve struggled with anorexia, but because I fixate on numbers in general and obsess if they’re not “normal.” I do this with my blood tests all the time, ie “Why are my triglycerides that high?” It’s ridiculous. I think it’s really about health and happiness and energy level. The “norms” don’t apply to everyone. You seem very happy and healthy and energetic, so you’re good in my book 🙂
I agree with you. Numbers only have meaning to a certain extent… and the weird thing is that they mean something different for everyone!
Thanks 🙂
You are an adorable and athletic kitty cat.
I used to know my % but I don’t want to look right now at all.
I use one just like that every couple of months and would say it’s generally accurate. I more try to view it as seeing if the number is going up or down. I do like using BF because I have worked very hard to lose weight and now the number on the scale isn’t the whole story
How is that even possible with all the running you do? You must burn 4 million calories a week. I’m stunned.
I think it must be all of that soy ice cream I ate while training 😉
I have had it done before. Calipers and all. blah. I’ll have to look at what the results were but I’ve regressed since then. So it’s not the same. BMI is the blow. lol.
I love that you have such a great attitude about the number!
I’ve been measured twice. The first time, last year (in the middle of marathon training), it was a little low, and the University’s exercise physiologist said she’d like to see it go up. This year, it was just around 23% or so, and she seemed happy with that. This was with calipers. Those suckers hurt.
…This all being said, she also seems like she’s just waiting to scream ‘eating disorder’ at me every five seconds and then tell me not to run.
I take all of it with a grain of salt.
Ha. Eating disorder? If you have one, who is eating all of the food you post on your blog? LOL.
I think it’s best to take it with a grain of salt too.
I’ve had it tested before…..I’ll spare you the actual number but it was actually a bit lower than I would have liked. Like, single digets low. I did do the caliper method at my gym though (taken by a trainer as part of a health assessment).
Honestly, I didn’t worry about it too much, but it did get me thinkking that I needed to make sure to get in my cals!
You need to get the “pinch” test back…it is so much more accurate. That thing said I had 26% which is almost obsese for me and when I had it done at my PT, the right way as they call it, I was 21%!
That is what I want to do, at some point! I wonder if I can get it done at the doctor’s office!