% Body Fat??

**JKDBunny** · 31-05-2010 08:52 PM

Quick question (poss a silly one I know but bear with Im only a newbie lol!):

Have noticed some of you guys talking about body fat %? What does this exactly relate to and can i use it to help with weight loss?

I figured its to do with how much fat you have per kg of overall weight? Did i get that right?

If its relevant for us girlies how do I find out mine?

Cheers chaps!

**comanight2** · 31-05-2010 09:00 PM

yeah you got it! Reduce that and you have less fat and more muscle (and other stuff) "Athletic" men have < 10% and "Athletic" women have < 15% (in think).

**ATZ** · 31-05-2010 09:04 PM

Bodyfat % is exactly that - what percetage of your overall weight is fat.

So if you weighed 200lb @ 20% BF you'd have 160lb of lean body mass and 40lb of Fat.

Bear in mind that lean body mass (LBM) includes muscle, connective tissue, water, glycogen, organs, bones etc. This can often be misleading when people talk about gaining LBM in creatine for example (very often it's extra water retention).

The best way to work out your own BF % is to use calipers which give you skinfold measurements over 3, 5 or 7 sites on your body. These measurements have then been converted into BF percentages by people far more clever than me.

The way it can help you in your weight loss efforts, is by monitoring you BF you can tell if diet and training are working in ridding fat rather than hard earned muscle. If diet is successful skinfolds should be going down with weight.

**ATZ** · 31-05-2010 09:05 PM

Quote

Originally Posted by comanight2

yeah you got it! Reduce that and you have less fat and more muscle (and other stuff) "Athletic" men have < 10% and "Athletic" women have < 15% (in think).

Under 20% is good going for a woman.

**comanight2** · 31-05-2010 09:10 PM

Quote

Originally Posted by ATZ

Under 20% is good going for a woman.

ahh cool. Dont often have to work it out for the fairer sex.

**polky** · 31-05-2010 09:41 PM

I find it so strange that women are so much higher. One of the female gym instructors I know has a great physique and can deadlift 1.5x her bodyweight and told me she has 22%bf which I couldn't believe! (I've also stopped winging about mine to her!)

**Tauren** · 31-05-2010 10:28 PM

As ATZ says, its pretty much the measurement for monitoring your body. You don't want to be losing weight, but actually losing muscle, or trying to gain muscle but just gaining fat. If you are just going by the scales though, that might happen.

And calipers are by far the the best way to go. Don't do what I did and waste money on the rubbish electric scales which claim to measure bodyfat - they don't.

This is one of many sites to use if you have calipers:

http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

- it also has a tape measure method for measuring BF (don't know how accurate that is, but its likely to be better than nothing).

**polky** · 31-05-2010 10:42 PM

Yep, it really annoys me that my gym uses this "amazing" new electronic measuring device which seems to vary about 2% depending on how well hydrated you are!

I was in the back office and noticed that they had some incredibly expensive profession callipers in a lovely velvet-lined box, I asked the gym girl I was in there with and she said that nobody knows how to use them and that they have been there for years.... Grrrr I hate it when stuff is wasted, I would be more than happy to buy them off them but of course it is a chain gym so nobody is actually in the position to make that kind of call!

**anabolic** · 31-05-2010 10:50 PM

Quote

Originally Posted by polky

Yep, it really annoys me that my gym uses this "amazing" new electronic measuring device which seems to vary about 2% depending on how well hydrated you are!

I was in the back office and noticed that they had some incredibly expensive profession callipers in a lovely velvet-lined box, I asked the gym girl I was in there with and she said that nobody knows how to use them and that they have been there for years.... Grrrr I hate it when stuff is wasted, I would be more than happy to buy them off them but of course it is a chain gym so nobody is actually in the position to make that kind of call!

maybe they will fall into your gym bag "accidentally" one day...

**JKDBunny** · 01-06-2010 05:53 AM

Quote

Originally Posted by Tauren

As ATZ says, its pretty much the measurement for monitoring your body. You don't want to be losing weight, but actually losing muscle, or trying to gain muscle but just gaining fat. If you are just going by the scales though, that might happen.

And calipers are by far the the best way to go. Don't do what I did and waste money on the rubbish electric scales which claim to measure bodyfat - they don't.

This is one of many sites to use if you have calipers:

- it also has a tape measure method for measuring BF (don't know how accurate that is, but its likely to be better than nothing).

Cheers Tauren that link has helped! Def gonna look into it (although once I can afford them!).

Makes sense now when I looked on the scales and I hadnt lost anything in a month, yet have had to start wearing a belt with my *fat* jeans! Feeling more slimline around the waist and this is despite not going to the gym in a week! (protein shake must still be working then!).

Thanks for the help guys!