Wow take a look at that! Where do you stand? As you can see, as the levels of body fat begin to increase, loss of definition becomes more and more apparent. Don’t take this too close to heart though, because 2 people with the same body fat percent can actually look totally different. See below:
Will 2 people with the same body fat % look the same?
No. It isn’t all about body fat percent, it’s about lean muscle mass too. If these 2 women were the same height, let’s say 5’ 5”, I bet the girl on the left weighs around 118 and the one on the right, 95 lbs. How you build muscle (or not) will determine the your physique. Left girl obviously lifts weights and right girl does not, but the layer of fat from their muscle to skin is the same. Does this make sense? Body fat is just the thickness of the fat you have. Your overall shape is determined by your musculature.
What’s your body fat %?
Above is a great chart that matches up your body fat % with fitness level. The people in “essential fat” are usually Olympic athletes or serious fitness competitors. At this low of a body fat % women will lose their periods completely! I hear that most bikini models are around 14-15%, so that would put them in the “athlete” level.
How to find your body fat percent?
1. Skinfold Measurement (Skin Pinch)
2. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (Handheld/Scale Deviced)
3. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (Dexa Scan)
4. Height and circumference methods (Measurement Collections)
5. Hydrostatic Testing (Underwater Density Test)
The skin fold test is what I used to determine by body fat percent. You will need a personal trainer or someone who knows how to use calipers to do that for you because he or she will have to pinch your fat and measure the mm of fat thickness in 7 different areas, some of which you will not be able to reach for yourself, like your back.
I know a lot of you may not have access to calipers, a personal trainer, or a gym, so here’s a quick and semi accurate way to see where you stand. This is #4, the height and circumference method – use this online calculator, a scale, and a measuring tape to see where you fall:
http://www.active.com/fitness/calculators/bodyfat/
[Edit 7/20/2011: A lot of girls were telling me that they got bf%’s in the low 30s when they knew they were around the 20s. Thanks for the call out. For whatever reason that calc seems to be very off. Try this one instead? Although, this is not as accurate as a caliper measurement by a fitness professional!]
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/
Remember, this will not be completely accurate so proceed with caution!
What am I?
In the picture above, I am 17.5% body fat and 118.4 lbs. I’m 5’5”.
Finding a balance…
Don’t get too sucked in by the numbers. What matters is how you look and feel at the end of the day. I know a lot of young girls just want to be 105 lbs and will do anything to get there. (I get so many emails about this…) But remember, if you want to get thin, take into consideration your health as a whole. Think of it as getting FIT not as getting skinny. I love that through my workouts, not only have I achieved a more toned body, but I also have gotten so much stronger!
Some of us want the skinny actress look, others want bigger butts or bigger boobs, while a select few fancy looking like body builders on steroids (see 1st photo). Whatever it is you want, I encourage you to follow through with you goals as long as you feel strong and healthy doing it. Okay? Also, remember to be happy with the journey too. Because what happens when you get to your goal weight and you don’t experience an instant burst of joy like you had always dreamed? Well, that’s why you gotta embrace your healthy lifestyle. Keyword: lifestyle. It doesn’t end when you reach your goal…it becomes your life. So love it now.
That calculator is bullshit actually, nvm.
I’m fat my body fat percentage is 24.7% Most other calculators say 19-21% wtf is going on
i dont get this too! a nutricionist took my body fat today and she said i am 20%. But i’m fat! i know i have a lot of lean muscle mass under the fat, nevertheless i still dont believe i’m 20%…
wow! i am actually pretty surprised, because i am 13 and i have 17.5% fat, is that bad because i look nothing like the 18%. :D
One thing I don’t understand is why do women that have children think it’s not normal to achieve fitness and a lean body? I didn’t know giving birth and having children means you do not exercise or eat right. I think mother’s in general feel that having children reduces them as a person. It doesn’t. it’s natural and normal to have children. There are tons of father’s out there that don’t have this sort of issue. They don’t create this sort of stress for themselves. You can have children and still enjoy your life and you can still be considered fit and healthy.
I enjoyed this article. Thanks for sharing cassie.
I just had my body fat measured in the Bod Pod- I was surprised to find out I was at 10%. I’m 35, have to kids ages 6 and 3, I weigh 136 and I’m 5’7″. I run and dance and eat very healthy, unprocessed food, and I don’t eat sugar. I still menstruate. But the 10% puts me in the “risky” category. I have a lot of muscle mass and not a lot of fat, but I’m still healthy. I think body type has to be taken into consideration. My midsection is definitely not “ripped” as some of the pictures of women in this body fat category suggest.
We have a scale that measures body fat % (not sure how accurate it is) and it says I’m 21%. I am 42 (with 4 kids) so that puts me at the “lean” mark for women which I’m happy with. Here is a body fat chart to see where you stand (I notice some charts vary a few percent).
http://www.builtlean.com/2010/08/03/ideal-body-fat-percentage-chart/
I’m about 18 to 20%
Cassie, I like that you always focus on the healthy & happiness part in conjunction with the specifics of weight and fitness. Most people don’t get that if they are unhappy with their life & body no matter what their weight is, they will not instantly become happy even if their body changes. The happiness is on the inside! Appreciate your body and then appreciate it more and more and more as you get close to the fitness and weight you want :)
I tried the second BMI calculator and it said i was 23.76%. which is weird because that means I’m larger than the girl in the pic who is 20%. I workout everyday and I do a lot of weight lifting so it seems a bit off but who knows. Like you said it’s different depending on the person. It’s funny because I weigh 107 lbs, but no one believes me when I tell them that! They think I’m like 90 lbs. I’m also only 5″2. But anways that is very interesting..gonna probably check out more calculators and compare. Thanks for the post!
Cassie, I wish you didn’t post that online calculator. Those calculators do not take your natural built and height into consideration. It measured me at 31%. Now, I am 5’4″, barely a 100 lbs, active, and a competitive runner and actually around 12-14% at the moment. During my college running years at one point I dropped down to 94-95 lbs and about 10% body fat. (It wasn’t an eating disorder, just the 80+ miles training, I have to eat a LOT to keep it at least at 100 lbs, 12% and have my period.) Anyways, even when I was at 10%, similar online calculators would put me around 28-30%. I think it is because I have a boyish figure, not much difference between my hips and waist for example… One online calculator at one point actually suggested I was overweight based on the ratio between my hips & waist. Hm, yea…. So, girls, do not necessary trust these online calculators. Even a scale calculating bf% is more accurate.
Hey Casey, great post! Just to let you know that the picture of you with your body fat percentage and weight isn’t showing up.
Good luck with your competition, you are such an inspiration to all of us!
weird! no idea…
I fall around 25 % and I’m trying to be in at least 20 % :)
I got really bummed out when I had the Bod Pod test to find out my body fat was 21%. But then I remembered that we have fat in all of our cells – even our brain!! I’m about to compete in a bikini competition tomorrow so I’m probably around 18% right now but I’d like to see 15% on me, but that’s just not realistic for me to be happy and well balanced.
at this point my goal is to keep growing muscle so I can look leaner while also enjoying food and life!
great blog!
omg!!!! i totally read ur blog girl!!!!
I´m somewhere between 25 % and 30% Wow,that´s a lot,i don´t like it:))) I hope to drop the fat percentage soon,i´m working on it. Really interesting this post Cassey,thanks.
But…is eathing healthy and working out enought or should i consider something more specifically for losing fat?