STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

jen · Kate Spade

So I got my bf% tested...

Drew · Gucci

Well, you said it yourself, you'll have to go elsewhere for the reading. Did you say you PAID for that reading? If so, you HAVE to go back and get re-tested by someone else.

PS. I am so jealous of your 11-12% body fat. My big-fat, chocolate loving thighs keep me at 14%.

bean · Kenneth Cole

quote:
Originally posted by: jen
"and I could tell the girl was kinda confused about what to do (this is at a college) and she seemed to be a little green about how to conduct the test. Anyhow, I go through it and she tried telling me my bf is 21%!!!!!!! Normal for my age/height/activity level is 19%!!!! Okay, so although I work out more than 95% of the U.S. population, you can see each muscle on my body, I eat a low-cal diet,and last time I checked I was 13.9%, now somehow I'm above normal?! I didn't check the results until after I left and now I'm so mad! I paid money for a janky read that tells me nothing. I've been working really hard lately and I thought I'd be at 11-12%, then this girl tells me 21%! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to find somewhere else to go!"

hey jen, the test could've been way off. what kind of test did the girl use?

I don't know too much about bodyfat tests, but I've heard many times that the only truly accurate test involves being submerged in water. there are other fairly but not as accurate tests, but even being off by a few percentages makes a huge difference. it could be the difference of as much as several pounds of fat!

11-12% is remarkably low for a woman who's not a professional athelete. I don't know if a normally athletic woman can get that low unless she's doing major weightlifting.

maybe you should do the same test you did when you tested 13.9%?? that way you can measure your progress. 13.9% is plenty to be proud of, I don't know if you *should* do lower!

-- Edited by bean at 14:19, 2005-02-02

-- Edited by bean at 14:20, 2005-02-02

poptart · Coach

I would put the test out of your mind, because that surely can't be right. I had the same thing happen to me when some evil woman at 24 hour fitness was trying to get me to leave my gym and join their's - she told me my body fat was 25% and I had been having it tested periodically for about a year, using two methods, and it never exceeded 21.

However, normal is considered 18-23%, so I would agree with the other girls that you probably shouldn't go below 14%. I doubt if you would even be able to, given that the range for female competitive athletes is 16%-19% (I got these stats off the USA Today website). Here's a slightly different version: http://www.csgnetwork.com/bodyfatcalc.html

Dunking is the most effective, but a combination of the calipers and the electrical current method can be accurate enough and can help you gauge your progress. Just always have the same person administer the caliper test.

HTH

Drew · Gucci

Lisa, that test is completely useless! I put in my wieght and waist size and it returned an estimate of 20%. I played around with the numbers just to see, and I would be very amused to see where they get this estimate. Its totally inaccurate, not even close enough to be called an estimate.

poptart · Coach

Oh, gosh sorry! I wasn't recommending the estimator on that site!

Sorry, no I only included it for the ranges. Any body fat estimator that is online is going to be complete crap.

Drew · Gucci

Oh, I didn't mean to yell at you Lisa! I was more venting because I tried their calculator and it was so bogus. I didn't even read the page itself...

poptart · Coach

quote:
Originally posted by: Drew
"Oh, I didn't mean to yell at you Lisa! I was more venting because I tried their calculator and it was so bogus. I didn't even read the page itself..."

Oh, you weren't yelling at all! I just felt bad 'cause I wasn't that clear.

jen · Kate Spade

My poor boyfriend went with me and got so upset at the reading because 'now he has to listen to me complain about how fat I am' as he put it. I know it can't be right, but it bothers me because I expected to be all proud of all the hours I put into it, then I get this load of crap. She used electro something or another with cords, I don't know, it looked weird to me.

lynnie · Chanel

I don't know too much about this stuff- but I think that estimates that tell you that you are under 15 % are probably the estimates that are wrong- not the ones that say you are around 20%- which I would even consider low.

Drew · Gucci

Sorry, Linnie, but you don't know what you are talking about.

honey · Gucci

quote:
Originally posted by: jen
"My poor boyfriend went with me and got so upset at the reading because 'now he has to listen to me complain about how fat I am' as he put it. I know it can't be right, but it bothers me because I expected to be all proud of all the hours I put into it, then I get this load of crap. She used electro something or another with cords, I don't know, it looked weird to me. "

i'm sorry this happened to you. i know how this sort of thing can totally screw up your day. over the summer i had some guy on the street measure my body fat (i kept seeing them all around so i figured i'd give it a try) anyway he gave me a number that was very, very high and it completely ruined my day, actually it ruined my week. so it's kind of good to hear that this has happened to someone else, even though it sucks for you.

lynnie · Chanel

hmm, i still think that 20-25% is perfectly normal and athletic. I am active, 125lbs, 5'6", and around 20%. It never even occurred to me to drop below this.

lynnie · Chanel

http://www.purefitnessuk.com/body_fat_percentage.shtml

Here is a good chart, although I'm wary about the body fat calculators.

jen · Kate Spade

Lynnie, every body is different and everyone has different goals. I'm trying to compete in fitness so therefore, my goal is to get to 10% bodyfat. I'm guessing I'm actually around 12-14 right now and I am very healthy at this point. Of course 10% is not for everyone, but it is one of my dreams to compete in fitness.

bean · Kenneth Cole

quote:
Originally posted by: jen
"I'm trying to compete in fitness so therefore, my goal is to get to 10% bodyfat. I'm guessing I'm actually around 12-14 right now and I am very healthy at this point. Of course 10% is not for everyone, but it is one of my dreams to compete in fitness."

oh I'm sorry jen, I didn't know that! what types of workouts do you do and what are going to compete in?

-- Edited by bean at 19:45, 2005-02-02

jen · Kate Spade

That's okay Bean! I do cardio 4-6 times a week. I also do a 4 day split with very heavy weights for upper body and low weights for lower body. I want to do figure which is the less muscular, more soft looking women. I just don't have the flexability or gymnastic background for fitness. I also don't think I could get that big!

In figure, all you do is stand there and the judges rate you on your overall tone. In fitness, women do routines.

I say this is what I want, but it's very hard to do with school, work, friends, family, sorority etc. I'm constantly trying to get more lean but I guess in the back of my head I know at this moment in my life, it probably won't happen. Maybe this summer I can devote more time to training though. I also plan to get certified to be a trainer this summer.

The reason this all means to much to me is because I used to be fat. My entire family is obese. My 21 year old brother has the cholesterol of an overweight 40 year old man. My mom is diabetic. My dad is very inactive. He can hardly walk after having knee replacement. It breaks my heart to see my family killing themselves slowly. As I leave for the gym, they're all watching t.v and eating McDonalds. It's very sad and I hate it. I never want to be like that. That's why I want to be a trainer, so people can be healthy and happy. Okay, enough emotional stuff for tonight!

Joina · Kenneth Cole

Jen - I admire your drive! I am also studying for PT certification through ACE. Where are you getting yours?

bean · Kenneth Cole

quote:
Originally posted by: jen
"The reason this all means to much to me is because I used to be fat. My entire family is obese. My 21 year old brother has the cholesterol of an overweight 40 year old man. My mom is diabetic. My dad is very inactive. He can hardly walk after having knee replacement. It breaks my heart to see my family killing themselves slowly. As I leave for the gym, they're all watching t.v and eating McDonalds. It's very sad and I hate it. I never want to be like that. That's why I want to be a trainer, so people can be healthy and happy. Okay, enough emotional stuff for tonight! "

wow... that is AWESOME that you've gotten below 14%... and all on your own?!

I would love to lower my bf. I think I'm around 18-19% (although who knows, with the inaccuracy of these tests) which is bit less than I was before I got into a regular workout routine 10 months ago, but I think I've hit a plateau. my bf won't seem to budge now! I do weights and although I'm a little more muscular than I was before I started using weights, I find it SO hard to build muscle! I think it's genetic. can't say I've seen too many buff asians walking around. it's also frustrating because I hear supposed fitness experts claim that it's pretty much impossible to build muscle & lose fat at the same time. so how do you balance cardio with weightraining??!

my little sister is overweight with high cholesterol and our grandmother developed adult diabetes. now I'm helping my sis w/ her eating habits and getting into a more effective workout routine. she's already lost about 6-7 pounds in four weeks!

Joina · Kenneth Cole

Bean - it's great that you are motivating your sister! One of the main reason of wanting to be a personal trainer is to motivating people and the satisfaction of helping others.