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Really...my body fat is THAT much??!!
Diet & Health / 2:46 AM - Wednesday November 18, 2009

Really...my body fat is THAT much??!!

I decided to join a gym today and the trainer there did a body fat test with calipers. Okay now I am 37 years old, 5'9" and 148 lbs. When he calculated everything, my percentage came to 30%, which is labeled as "acceptable", but only 2% away from being overweight! He measured my bicep, tricep, back and right above my hip bone. The funny thing is, he said he couldn't even get a good grip on that area right above my hip bone because there wasn't much there to grab. Really now, am I that close to being overweight?

- Asked by Female, 36-45

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1. You're a woman. The supraspinale skinfold is going to pick up abdominal obesity, which is far more likely to affect men than women. I've seen women with enough fat to qualify them as having two asses, but they still have flat bellies.

2. You can have fat elsewhere. In fact, you do. Everyone does.

3. You could be underweight and still have a high fat %. You noted your weight, which is really irrelevant when it comes to use of skinfold calipers.

4. Skin fold tests can give a variance of about 3-4% either way, so your body fat is likely to be anywhere between 26-34%, depending on the quality of the calipers, the skill of the tester, the areas of fat distribution around your body, ethnicity and a varierty of other biological factors.

5. YOUR RESULT WAS ACCEPTABLE. You're going to the gym, you have a fairly normal weight compared to height (I can't measure BMI using feet and pounds, I use metres and kilos, but I know that 5'9" is about 175cm and 148lb is about 65-70kg, which would put you at a BMI somewhere around 22, which is right in the middle of the normal range), and exercise helps improve your overall fitness and body composition. You haven't stated any health concerns, so any changes you feel you need to make with your body composition will be relatively easy, so there's no point stressing about it.

6. Some trainers like to overestimate things you want to reduce (such as body fat) and underestimate things you want to increase (such as strength) so that you'll feel like you have more to be proud of in a couple months when you're re-tested. It's not the most ethical thing, and I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that this is what's happened, but it does happen.

- Response by ryanthegreatarj, An Intellectual Guy, Male, 18-21, Fitness

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You are in a good range, said, the paople at the gym, forget the big two percent. You are at the gym while most people are sitting at home! You are doing wonderful and it probably shows. So...don't worry about the numbers, enjoy the gym, and more than likely the lovely looks that you get while there. Have Fun and continue on your path.

- Response by spookypeenut, An Alternative Girl, Female, 36-45, New York, Other Profession

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You left out your stomach?

In any case, this is one reason that none of us should take any of this crap to heart.

If you are happy with what you weigh and how you look, that should be good enough. Don't let a stranger with a Name Tag convince you that you are defective. Use your own wisdom and judgement and be secure with your opinion.

- Response by randyl, A Married Girl, Female, 36-45, Los Angeles, Who Cares?

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Women in your age group that only do cardio, have done no weight training and have dieted, skipped meals, or not eaten well will tend to have a higher percentage of body fat. Thirty percent isn't a huge amount, so I'm not sure why you are trippin. People have 45% body fat! Anyway, women store fat right under the scapulae. Also women tend to develop saggy triceps, which is a typical fat storage area for women. He should have done the 5 spot fat test though, which would include the front of the thigh and more accurate for females.

Try getting the test again from a different trainer if you want a comparison. But don't be surprised if its even higher.

- Response by msheartbeat, A Trendsetter, Female, 36-45, San Francisco, Self-Employed

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No Way are you near being overweight!
I am looking at my BMI index right now and it says that a women with a small frame who is 5'9 should be between 151 and 170 pounds. A women with a large frame can be anywhere from 165 to 182.
So if you are 148 pounds you are actually underweight!

- Response by missbinky, A Thinker, Female, 26-28, Vancouver, Who Cares?

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no, you just have a body composition that is low on the muscle side, higher on the fat side. Its not about "weight". YOu can be NOT "overweight" and still have an unhealthy body composition. On the other hand, I have met women the same height and weight as you, who are 15% body fat. EXACT same weight, different body composition. Stop worrying about the scale, and start doing some muscle building.

- Response by girldownunder, A Life of the Party, Female, 29-35, Sydney, Medical / Dental

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dont listen to all that bullshit. only one person knows when they feel they are overweight, YOU!i am sick at the site of these skeletal type women that prance around with legs so frail looking like they could break! a woman looks the sexiest when she has a few curves and not a divivg board figure.just remember to eat healthy and get moderate exercise once a day.

- Response by demoman53, A Guy Critical, Male, 56-65, Other Profession

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30% body fat is actually obese...not just overweight

I hope you are doing weight training

- Response by meowmeowww, A Thinker, Female, 36-45, San Francisco, Technical

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you are talking about BODY FAT being 30% right?

Not your BMI which does not take into consideration body fat vs lean muscle.

- Response by meowmeowww, A Thinker, Female, 36-45, San Francisco, Technical

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