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-   -   Measurements, body fat, goal weight... (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=472975)

lilyotv Sun, Apr-10-16 02:37

Measurements, body fat, goal weight...
 
Hi there. I'm doing Atkins but my Dad sent me protein power to read and it sure is interesting!

I tried to go through the measurement/weight goal exercise and was really surprised by my result. I always thought my waist was at the narrowest point (where it's about 29"). I used their 'measure at belly button' instructions and got a waist of 32"! So with that and hips of 37", my hip/waist ratio put me right on the border between apple and pear. I have a very slim upper body proportionate to my lower body and I'm a pretty classic pear, so this surprised me.

My body fat calculation came out at a whopping 32.3". I'm 5' 1.5" and weight about 133lbs. I'm pretty athletic and I wear a size 4 mostly, sometimes 2. So this was surprise#2....

Then I tried to calculate my ideal body weight and felt like it was too confusing to follow.

Anyone been there/done that and have some insights to offer? I'm willing to accept that I'm carrying more fat than I thought, just surprised!

Thanks PP peeps! :)

teaser Sun, Apr-10-16 03:21

If your body fat percentage calculation is surprising to you, it's probably because it's wrong. This is a very imprecise method of calculating body fat percentage.

The "widest part of the hips" is an area where we can carry substantial amounts of muscle. Change nothing else, and increase the muscle in that area--and this sort of calculation will increase your calculated body "fat" percentage. And obviously, wrongly so.

lilyotv Sun, Apr-10-16 04:04

Thanks Teaser, it does seem rather approximate as a method. I do think my muscular body composition gives me higher BMI reads, weight, etc.

However, I do have some lower belly fat and lower body fat in legs & hips...That being said, I kind of thought I was more in mid - high 20's body fat % wise.

I did decide to lower my goal weight from 130 to 125 based on the calculation. Assuming I have 90lbs lean mass right now, my goal range based on that was 115-125. My mother, who is built much like me but who has always been thinner, weighs much closer to 115. I will see how things go and how I look and feel at 130 and adjust.

bkloots Wed, Apr-13-16 12:03

Hi, Lily. After a lifetime of trying various techniques to measure body fat (calipers, scales, etc) I finally found a place locally--a university rec center--that offered Bod Pod measuring for only $35. Next to underwater weighing, the Bod Pod is considered the "gold standard" of accuracy.

Talk about a shock! I'm definitely an x-treme pear-shaped person, and doubtless many years older than you. But I workout and feel very good about how I've maintained muscle strength and general fitness. I'm about 15lbs above my lowest reasonable weight of about 135. Not too bad, and mostly located in my butt and thighs. BMI around 28. Okay so far. I'm working on it.

The stupid Bod Pod kicked out the figure for me of 42% fat. Crickey!! That's almost half of me! It took me days to get undepressed over that number.

I finally talked myself down from the ledge. I made a couple of dietary changes I should have made long since. No more denial! I put on my "goal pants" and zipped them up and wore them to an occasion. Not perfect, but close. I reminded myself that nobody who knows me thinks of me as a fat person (or cares if I were) and neither should I. I'm not posting my body fat percentage on my forehead.

So...before you get to stewing about body fat, keep your primary goal of health and well being in mind, and enjoy your life. That's what I plan to do.

MickiSue Wed, Apr-13-16 14:28

My "body fat" scale tells me that I am 31.1% fat. Then, helpfully, adds that that is "overfat."

Whether it's accurate or not, I have no idea. All I know is that, about 30 lbs ago, it was telling me that I was 36% fat. So I'll take it, you know?

I do have a handheld Omron, which is so so at accuracy. But I'm not quite sure where it is at the moment.

Barb, FWIW, as we age, we are "permitted" to have a higher percentage of body fat, because it becomes a lot more effort to sustain muscle mass.

But I'm with you: I don't want to be skinny fat. So I keep moving.

bkloots Wed, Apr-13-16 14:54

Quote:
Barb, FWIW, as we age, we are "permitted" to have a higher percentage of body fat,
Yes, the charts do allow for that...somewhat. In addition, "studies show" the lowest mortality rates for older people (70ish) in the "overweight" category. A little more fat = live a little longer? I'll take that, too--as long as I can sit down and stand up and walk straight. :lol:

bluesinger Wed, Apr-13-16 15:13

It's surprising how things are changing in my body. I mean, how often do I need to snap my fingers? I probably haven't done that in 30 years, but for some reason last week I did. My left thumb handled it just fine, but not my right. Now I'm teaching my right hand to use that muscle again.

Aging is fun.

bkloots Wed, Apr-13-16 15:18

I've decided to be defiant in a perverse sort of way and add my BF to my stats. I don't plan to visit the Bod Pod again any time soon, but it might be reassuring to someone else that I can have perfectly fine stats in other respects, and still have a "shocking" body fat percentage. Not that anybody pays much attention to these things.

Kinmount Wed, Apr-13-16 17:22

The Protein Power calculations have got to be among the most confusing and convoluted formulas I've ever seen. When I did mine at the beginning of Feb it came out to 53% body fat. WHAT??? was my first reaction.

The calculations also told me my idea weight range is 120-136. I haven't weighed 125 since high school, and there's not much chance of 136 being a realistic number 40 years later.

At the end of the day I don't need or trust some mathematics to tell me I'm carrying around excess fat. I can see it when I look in the mirror. And down the road when a bunch of this is shed and I feel better looking in the mirror, that's all that matters.

MickiSue Wed, Apr-13-16 18:34

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinmount
At the end of the day I don't need or trust some mathematics to tell me I'm carrying around excess fat. I can see it when I look in the mirror. And down the road when a bunch of this is shed and I feel better looking in the mirror, that's all that matters.


THIS.

We all have a picture of the ideal ME inside us. And, the "I look and feel good" ME, as well, who usually is not, necessarily, the ideal.

I'm still 9 lbs from goal. But even though I know I AM "overfat", I am so much LESS overfat than even 5 months ago, and it's what I've been aiming for.

bluesinger Wed, Apr-13-16 18:50

My experience with losing, gaining, losing, gaining and the impact it has on my life is this: Most people don't even notice. The first time I got really thin I waited for something momentous to happen. I was left singing, "Is That All There Is?" There was a producer lurking around making certain I could still fit into my costumes, but I don't think the audience ever cared. I've had husbands who wanted me thinner and husband who accepted me no matter my weight.

The best way for me is to cover the mirrors and go by how I feel.

bkloots Thu, Apr-14-16 07:31

Quote:
husband who accepted me no matter my weight.
Husbands are notoriously oblivious to a lot of things wives care about. The only time that works really well is in the category of weight management. :lol: My first DH took up cooking (I was the breadwinner--he was the bread-maker) and I ended up close to 200 lbs. Happily, he also cooperated with my weight LOSS efforts. Present DH didn't even notice the 30lbs I put on from the time we met to the time we married. Granted I do pack it on in places that are always bulgy (thighs and butt), but still! It's clearly up to me alone to decide what size, weight, and shape will make ME happy. DH is simply happy with ME. :D

Marriage is a dance, isn't it?

MickiSue Thu, Apr-14-16 08:57

Marriage IS a dance. Sometimes a slow song, sometimes head banger rock...you just know you'll be dancing, right?

My husband is the naturally tall, slender athlete. He doesn't understand struggling with weight, but he accepts that I am doing my best, at whatever I am doing.

He's also happy for me, that I feel happier about my weight. Which, you know, is not the same as feeling proprietary about it.

ReneeH20 Thu, Apr-14-16 10:14

There are just too many factors to it to go by straight math.

"BMI has some limitations and an actual diagnosis of overweight or obesity should be made by a health care professional." This is a disclaimer that is on the results of my dexascan.

I had a dexascan - full body imaging done at my doctor's (who specializes in Obesity medicine) office when I started on Dec 30, 2014 at 280 pounds. I had another one the end of March at 177 pounds. I will get the results of that scan tomorrow. The scan actually shows and measures lean muscle mass, fat, and bone. Lots of data, but it said I had a BMI of 40.4. Normal BMI is between 18 and 25.

56% of my body was fat. I see on my notes that we were aiming for 32% fat.

That said, my husband loved me at my lowest weight and my highest weight. It did not matter one bit to him. When I started seeing my doc, he told me that I didn't need lose anything that he loved me the way I was. He even was somewhat concerned about it until I told him I was doing it for my health and to feel better.


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