So what is your ideal % body fat ???

[Louis]

All this talk about obesity has me thinking. What do you consider the ideal % body fat for your situation?

Obviously, 24 year old racer-boys will have a different answer from 50-somethings, men different from women, but just the same, what is your ideal number?

Louis

[regularguy412]

I've been at 8-9 percent before and it felt just about right to me. I was climbing at my best and I seemed to sleep better, too. Not sure if the sleeping had any real correlation, but sure seemed to at the time.

Mike in AR

[Louis]

From Wikipedia

According to Health Check Systems,[1] The American Council on Exercise[2] has categorized ranges of body fat percentages as follows:

Description-----Women --- Men
Essential fat ---12-15% ---2-5%
Athletes ------16–20%---- 6–13%
Fitness ------- 21–24% ---14–17%
Acceptable---- 25–31% ---18–25%
Obese ----------32%+ -----25%+

I find the "acceptable" numbers kind of scary...

[gt6267a]

From Wikipedia

According to Health Check Systems,[1] The American Council on Exercise[2] has categorized ranges of body fat percentages as follows:

Description-----Women --- Men
Essential fat ---12-15% ---2-5%
Athletes ------16–20%---- 6–13%
Fitness ------- 21–24% ---14–17%
Acceptable---- 25–31% ---18–25%
Obese ----------32%+ -----25%+

I find the "acceptable" numbers kind of scary...


i was really pleased with my ranking until realizing that i need a sex change to qualify. oh well, this meatball is too high a % fat. tasty, but not good for ya'.

[SimonC]

Without trying (i.e. dieting) I'm usually in the 9.5-10.5% region. Less than that and you'd probably be able to see through me!

[davids]

I'm in the mid to high teens, depending on which method I use to roughly calculate my percentage. I think, as a middle aged man, I should be low to mid teens. I should be 5-10 pounds lighter to be at my ideal weight.

Below 10% just seems unrealistic.

[Too Tall]

This feels "right" to me. When I drop to 6-8% it is usually at the peak of some ridiculous preparation for an event and I feel not so great...but fast ;) At 10% + feels bloated, hatin' life.

[GoJavs]

8-9% is my goal. I've been stuck on 12-13% for about a year. If anyone can help me figure out how to stop binging in the middle of the night, I'd truly appreciate it... :rolleyes:

[znfdl]

Low enough that I can get into my pants :banana:

[BURCH]

Low enough that I can get into my pants :banana:

Exactly...don't want to have to be buying new pants when you could be buying new bike Stuff!!! :beer:

[Fat Robert]

i stay around 7-8% for most of the year

used to be able to get down to 4-5, but there is no way I'm giving up beer and pastries to do that at my age

[Sandy]

So what is an easy way to reasonably accurately measure one's body fat percentage?


Somewhat Slimmer Serotta Sandy

[Sandy]

Low enough that I can get into my pants :banana:

High enough so that you can't get them off after a big meal?? :)


Slacks Sandy

[Dave B]

I am so far past obese it is kind of scary. Not like Freddy vs Jason scary, but more like, ohh crap I'm going to become diabetic scary.

Off to walmart to pick up a Trek!

[gt6267a]

So what is an easy way to reasonably accurately measure one's body fat percentage?


Somewhat Slimmer Serotta Sandy


i have a tanita scale that throws out numbers they claim are BF ... mine is about 20%. it seems when the tanita style scales are discussed, most people pan them, but if i work the math on body and fat to a caliper test done a few years ago, it is close. not perfect, but a decent measurement. for testing purposes ... if anyone would like to pony up the cash for me to take a dip test and then compare with my tanita, i am game.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . is that I'm just above 10%. But 15% wouldn't surprise me. I haven't had it measured for probably 10 years. But I feel good, I'm riding good, and my girlfriend tells me I look good, so I'm happy.

BBD

[BURCH]

i have a tanita scale that throws out numbers they claim are BF ... mine is about 20%. it seems when the tanita style scales are discussed, most people pan them, but if i work the math on body and fat to a caliper test done a few years ago, it is close. not perfect, but a decent measurement.


Interesting. Do you think if a short extremely muscular guy got on it (like a fullback in the NFL) it would throw an extremely inaccurate reading? It only takes into account you weight and height, right? Or are there other measurements?

[Too Tall]

Use the Tanitas in evenings when you are the most hydrated and at same time each evening. Over the yrs. I think they are very decent.

[zap]

Low enough that I can get into my pants :banana:

Zin, not good if you wear 40. Good if it's 32.

I had bf measured once and if I'm not mistaken it was around 12%. I felt fat at the time and not at my ideal cycling weight. I'm currently 15 lbs lighter since I weighed and measured bf and am real close to my 20's racing weight. I have no idea what my current bf% is.

[gt6267a]

Interesting. Do you think if a short extremely muscular guy got on it (like a fullback in the NFL) it would throw an extremely inaccurate reading? It only takes into account you weight and height, right? Or are there other measurements?

From their website:

The monitors use Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA) to monitor multiple components of overall health. The results are analyzed along with gender, age, height and weight for the most accurate and comprehensive at-home reading ever available. Measurements include Weight, Body Fat %, Body Water %, Daily Caloric Intake, Metabolic Age, Bone Mass, Muscle Mass, Physique Rating, and Visceral Fat Rating.

-----------


Basically they put a small electrical charge through you and measure the impedance and include that with your weight, height, and sex in calculating BF. It might not even be a formula but a set of tables.

Per your NFL meatball question, I don’t really know but suspect massive anomalies do mess with the results. Your example of a NFL player or a severely mal-nourished person might be off their charts … other potential situations to mess with the BF include massive under / over hydration and full / empty stomach.

My use of the scale is more about precision than accuracy. I wake up, shower, and weigh / check BF. No doubt it fluctuates, but I am guessing my hydration, stomach fullness, whatever averages out. I am interested in the trends more than the actual numbers.

For example, I have lost about 20 lbs since January. According to the scale, my body fat has dropped about 4%. If I work the math to see my no-fat weight according to the scale, it seems to have gone down. Over the same time, I have been working out the same or more. It seems unlikely I have lost a lot of muscle. My guess, the thing is not perfectly accurate but provides some feedback.

[Louis]

Interesting. Do you think if a short extremely muscular guy got on it (like a fullback in the NFL) it would throw an extremely inaccurate reading? It only takes into account you weight and height, right? Or are there other measurements?

My (relatively early model) Tanita also has an "athlete" mode for super-super fit people who exercise a huge amount. So, in addition to impedance, height, and weight, there is that addition factor.

Clearly what they've done is measure a whole bunch of people using some "reference" methods (probably dunk tank and calipers, and anything else they could think of) then measured the body impedance, then looked at how to improve the correlation of the impedance method to the "reference" methods. Variables that had a huge impact on the correlation (e.g. weight and height, and apparently whether or not you are truly a hard-core athelete) need to be included, and variables that have little impact (e.g. hair color and length of your fingernails) do not.

Louis

[jbl]

I use an inexpensive pair of calipers (Accu-Measure (http://www.accumeasurefitness.com/)). When I'm at a peak training for an event, I am usually down around 6%. I go to 8-10% when I'm piddling around, e.g. this past winter when I was barely doing anything except working on my dissertation. I start feeling pretty bad when I go under 6%, and 10% feels pretty lethargic to me. 6-7% seems to be that magical place where I feel fast, fit, and alive.

[BURCH]

Very cool. Didn't really know much about Tanita before this post. I was curious about the muscular part because I used to always fail the BMI test in the military when they just used height and weight, but once they used the tape I was fine. I have more of that fullback build with a big chest small waist type build. I was curious how it accounted for that. It is hell when buying suit jackets!!!

[Kines]

i stay around 7-8% for most of the year

used to be able to get down to 4-5, but there is no way I'm giving up beer and pastries to do that at my age

+1, +1, +2 (beer), and +1.

KN

[jhcakilmer]

8-9% is my goal. I've been stuck on 12-13% for about a year. If anyone can help me figure out how to stop binging in the middle of the night, I'd truly appreciate it... :rolleyes:

This is my #1 weakness, especially if I am having a difficult time falling to sleep. I think I've fixed it by eating low calorie foods, like popcorn......it fills you up, but has very low calories. I also drink flavored seltzer water.....lemon/lime is my personal favorite. It has some flavor, but zero calories.

Also, eat a good solid dinner, more protein, and less carbs. I'm not saying a ton of protein, but maybe more so then other meals. It will keep you filled longer, and allow you to last for 10-12 hours over night.

Finally, brush your teeth shortly after dinner. That helps stem the cravings. This has worked for me, but is subjective

[Fixed]

bro what do think these cats are at ..

[Louis]

You folks are setting the bar pretty high for me. (or should I say pretty low?)

OK, my goal will be 10%. I'm currently (when well hydrated) at 15%. I won't make it to 10% this summer, but if I'm really good over the winter, then maybe next year. I think this will require a significant use of willpower.

I am conflicted about doing things like small meals and going to bed hungry (to get down to 10% I may have to start doing that). Setting that up as something good seems so out of whack, when there are so many people across the world (and in Haiti where I grew up) who do that involuntarily every day.

Yes, we live in a land of plenty. Too much plenty, for some of us.

Louis

[Fat Robert]

what works for me


1) ride to work. no truck.

2) bring lunch to work. a tupperware with 1000 cal of food. that's what I get from 7-4. no snacks.

3) ride home.

4) let myself have 2-3 beers a week

5) trade a pastry for a proper meal now and then. or, if I'm doing a 1500jkoule ride that day on top of commuting, have a pastry as snack while I work on writing that evening/morning

6) eat a pastry for the hell of it.


balance, and watch the calories in. I've also found I'm leaner and ride better with 6 hours of training a week, with 50%+ at power levels of L4+ than I did with 15 hours a week and 20% of it at L4+. call me a Willett convert. I kept the stuff that was really making me fast and cut out everything else.

[jhcakilmer]

I've said this before, and I'm sure people will disagree, but a vegan diet would allow you to loose the weight easily (relative), and healthy. Really, you don't have to become a complete vegan, but the simple reality is there are more calories in animal products, period. And no, you don't have to eat meat to get enough protein in your diet.

I'm a pretty big guy (6'3" 220lbs 10% bf), I love to ride, but I also swim, run, and weight train...periodically. I require a lot of calories, and 99% of them come from a plant source (I love ice cream, and I eat it quite a bite, it's my weakness...I'm bad). I rarely feel sore, or lack energy, even after intense workouts. In fact in the winter of 2005 I wanted to see how much I could max in bench press, and I gave myself 3 months. I went from 225 to 355, and never had a single issue with recovery....and I didn't use any protein supplements.

I'm not criticizing a well rounded standard diet, I'm just saying if you do the math you can loose weight just by eating less dairy, and meat, and more veggies, whole grains, beans, and fruits. Most people probably can't give up those things, but if you can, then this could help you loose extra weight.

Also, eating things raw, as much as possible will help. Frying your food with lots of olive oil will not help.

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: coffee, Bagel (whole grain), banana, and grapes
Snack: Trail mix (3-4 cups)
Lunch: sandwich (PB&J), and huge salad (mixing bowl size)
Dinner: Pasta (Whole Wheat), broccoli, Bread
4L of water, not including workout (I usually average 3-5L/Day)

My wife's an awesome cook, and she is the one that got me started on this lifestyle, and I've never felt better.