Body fat %, how overweight am I?

Regular

117

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

The Health - O - Meter?!?!? Do you really trust the readings from anything with -O- in the middle??? It sounds like a kids toy.

Member

27

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

Very good point.
That probably sums up the whole scale thing

DW67 - 2007-08-02 3:45 PM

The Health - O - Meter?!?!? Do you really trust the readings from anything with -O- in the middle??? It sounds like a kids toy.

Expert

706

Spring (Houston), TX

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

_{Not BF related, but weight related:}

I love my doc. Today I went to see her and told her about my training and that I"m not losing weight. There are many reasons in my life why that may be - I won't go into those. But, I'm 5'9". According to her, for a man, at 5'0" you should weigh 100 lbs then add 7 lbs for every inch above that. So at 5'9", I should weigh 163. But, according to her, if you are over 40 you should add 10 lbs and over 50 another 20 lbs.

So, my doc said I'm only 7 lbs overweight. I wanted to kiss her!!

I still don't like what the BF monitor says - and it is accurate with caliper measurements. It has me at about 17% right now.

My Race Log

Extreme Veteran

522

MN

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

Unless you are a lifter you probably have a decent 20 pounds to drop. Not to worry. Cut out 300 cals a day, switch to more of a protein based diet, and start doing tri training and it will fly off.

My Race Log

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

Per Dr. C. Everett Koop's

http://www.shapeup.org/bodylab/frmst.html

Everything You Want to Know About Body Fat

WHAT IS THE HEALTHY RANGE OF BODY FAT?

For the average adult the healthy range of body fat is shown below. The ranges are different for men and women depending on their age.

AGE (Years)	HEALTHY RANGE OF BODY FAT FOR FEMALES	HEALTHY RANGE OF BODY FAT FOR MALES
18 - 39	21 - 32%	8 - 19%
40 - 59	23 - 33%	11 - 21%
60 - 79	24 - 35%	13 - 24%

Professional and superior amateur athletes often have a body fat percentage much lower than the average person. For example, male marathon runners have been found to have body fat as low as 3.3 percent and female Olympic swimmers have been found to have body fat as low as 14.5 percent.

My Race Log

Veteran

117

Ridgewood, NJ

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

I have nearly the exact same numbers. 6' 1" , ~207 with my scale giving me BF of 27%-29%. Thought it was BS 'til I saw pictures from a race in my tri top. Ouch! No more cookies for me.

My Race Log

Champion

5575

Butler

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

lfrick - 2007-08-02 5:02 PM Sorry to tell you, but you are a little overweight. I am 6'0, 38 yrs old and before I started training, was at 215. I am now around 180 have have a BF% hovering between of 14-16% and a BMI of 24.8 so I am at the very high edge of being normal. I need to still lose 5-10 lbs. Depending on how old you are, you may be fine. As you get older, you are going to want to slim down as it is much harder to lose the weight as you age. Keep training, eating right and you should be fine.

I still believe this is hard to say without an accurate BF%/seeing pictures. Saying that 6'0" 205 is overweight does not give enough details. For example, Arnold Schwartnegger was less than 6ft tall and probably weight 250lbs plus when he was competing, would anyone say he is fat??? He was solid muscle. The OP might be solid muscle and infact might be using a scale that shows BMI and not BF%. He really needs to go to a gym and have the pinch test done first.

My Race Log

Champion

5495

Whizzzzzlandia

Silver member

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

My advice: Eat right, train right, sleep right, kiss your loved-ones goodnight, and throw the scale out the window.

That's got to be the best advice I've heard in years.

PS... I don't own a scale.

My Training Log My Race Log

Regular

87

Cedar Park, TX

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

I'm in the normal range for BMI (5'3", 125 lbs.), but the calculators are not accurate for athletes. They will even tell you that. You probably do have a little to lose, but I wouldn't say you are obese. I was actually shocked when I saw that I was technically overweight a few months after my son was born (I've NEVER been overweight!). That's when I started running! I think we as Americans have come to accept being heavier. I often look at people and think they are "normal" when they are probably really overweight. We have just adjusted our standards. It is very sad. I have never had my BF measured, but I'd like to, especially since I've been exercising regularly now for a year.

Kelli

Veteran

232

Glen Carbon

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

kproudfoot - 2007-08-03 6:32 AM

lfrick - 2007-08-02 5:02 PM Sorry to tell you, but you are a little overweight. I am 6'0, 38 yrs old and before I started training, was at 215. I am now around 180 have have a BF% hovering between of 14-16% and a BMI of 24.8 so I am at the very high edge of being normal. I need to still lose 5-10 lbs. Depending on how old you are, you may be fine. As you get older, you are going to want to slim down as it is much harder to lose the weight as you age. Keep training, eating right and you should be fine.

I still believe this is hard to say without an accurate BF%/seeing pictures. Saying that 6'0" 205 is overweight does not give enough details. For example, Arnold Schwartnegger was less than 6ft tall and probably weight 250lbs plus when he was competing, would anyone say he is fat??? He was solid muscle. The OP might be solid muscle and infact might be using a scale that shows BMI and not BF%. He really needs to go to a gym and have the pinch test done first.

6ft and 250 even if it is all muscle is not really healthy. That puts an enormous strain on your organs and joints. Plus, have you ever raced a bodybuilder? Easy pickings-you have to keep running though, if they catch you , your dead meat. :

Champion

5575

Butler

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

lfrick - 2007-08-03 9:55 AM

kproudfoot - 2007-08-03 6:32 AM

lfrick - 2007-08-02 5:02 PM Sorry to tell you, but you are a little overweight. I am 6'0, 38 yrs old and before I started training, was at 215. I am now around 180 have have a BF% hovering between of 14-16% and a BMI of 24.8 so I am at the very high edge of being normal. I need to still lose 5-10 lbs. Depending on how old you are, you may be fine. As you get older, you are going to want to slim down as it is much harder to lose the weight as you age. Keep training, eating right and you should be fine.

I still believe this is hard to say without an accurate BF%/seeing pictures. Saying that 6'0" 205 is overweight does not give enough details. For example, Arnold Schwartnegger was less than 6ft tall and probably weight 250lbs plus when he was competing, would anyone say he is fat??? He was solid muscle. The OP might be solid muscle and infact might be using a scale that shows BMI and not BF%. He really needs to go to a gym and have the pinch test done first.

6ft and 250 even if it is all muscle is not really healthy. That puts an enormous strain on your organs and joints. Plus, have you ever raced a bodybuilder? Easy pickings-you have to keep running though, if they catch you , your dead meat. :

Correct, but my point was more to the fact that you can't look at just your height to weight ratio and determine if you are over weight. You need a more accurate BF% test and even low BF% does not equal good health. I am pretty sure I could smoke old Arnold in a tri but then again the clydesdale division was made for people like him, not for people like me.

My Race Log

Veteran

232

Glen Carbon

Subject: RE: Body fat %, how overweight am I?

Good point.

Body fat %, how overweight am I? (Page 2)

REGISTER TODAY