108 lbs, 30% Body Fat?? Can that be correct?

[JanaPhotoFit]

So I recently had my BF% measured at 24 hour fitness. The dude measured the fat off the back of my arm, bicep, belly button area, and near my scapula added up those totals, and said I had a BF of 30%. Is that possible, being at 108lbs? I weight train nearly everyday (for over a year, during christmas though, i skipped the gym for several weeks), I eat clean, get 100+ grams of protein everyday and keep the carbs 70 or lower. I'm a fairly skinny person. I can see some definition in my arms and legs. I do have some flab, but I didn't think i had THAT much extra flab. I'm 5 ft 4in, wear a size 0-2.

I'm very shocked by the number he came up with. Did he measure me correctly?

Anyone else have this problem?

[aj1407]

So I recently had my BF% measured at 24 hour fitness. The dude measured the fat off the back of my arm, bicep, belly button area, and near my scapula added up those totals, and said I had a BF of 30%. Is that possible, being at 108lbs? I weight train nearly everyday (for over a year, during christmas though, i skipped the gym for several weeks), I eat clean, get 100+ grams of protein everyday and keep the carbs 70 or lower. I'm a fairly skinny person. I can see some definition in my arms and legs. I do have some flab, but I didn't think i had THAT much extra flab. I'm 5 ft 4in, wear a size 0-2.

I'm very shocked by the number he came up with. Did he measure me correctly?

Anyone else have this problem?

thats bout the same as a greggs jam doughnut

think ur doin it wrong

didnt realise female, prob still wrong tho

[sonti]

Measurements at a gym tend to be fairly inaccurate but it is certainly possible that you've been doing things wrong in the gym/kitchen and have low muscle mass/higher fat. 30% at 108lbs and 5'4? I've been that size before and I find it hard to picture 30% at that (it's pretty underweight as is). Can you post a picture?? If you can weight train nearly every day for a year then I can almost certainly say your programming is off though.

[Tinyblu]

I would try to get a second opinion. In my experience, the skin fold caliper tests are pretty accurate if the person taking them knows what they are doing. Sounds like user error to me...

[heidismommy]

It's possible for a person to be at a low weight and not necessarily have a low percentage of body fat. However, at your stats that scenerio doesn't seem likely as your weight is very low. It is likely you weren't measured correctly, most methods of measuring body fat have a pretty large margin of error anyway. Go by how you look and feel. If you feel you want to look more defined, working to put on body mass first would be the way to go.

[Cara0915]

That's what is called "skinny fat".
The 30% does seem high though at those stats.
Maybe try it again and compare

[Tinyblu]

It's possible for a person to be at a low weight and not necessarily have a low percentage of body fat. However, at your stats that scenerio doesn't seem likely as your weight is very low. It is likely you weren't measured correctly, most methods of measuring body fat have a pretty large margin of error anyway. Go by how you look and feel. If you feel you want to look more defined, working to put on body mass first would be the way to go.

Totally off topic... @heidismommy...Holy abdominals Batman! I wanna be your ab twin when I grow up!!! AWESOME!!!

[heidismommy]

Totally off topic... @heidismommy...Holy abdominals Batman! I wanna be your ab twin when I grow up!!! AWESOME!!!

Thank you !

[AliMay]

I would get it tested again but it could still be in the high 20's.

I used to be skinny-fat. I was only 110lbs, size 0, and measured at around 27% consistantly before I started lifting. I wasn't expecting it because I ran cross-country and thought I was fairly fit at the time. Boy was I wrong! I wasn't eating nearly enough calories to support muscle growth, and all that running probably catabolized the little muscle I did have. Sometimes the small clothing sizes can be an indicator of not a lot of muscle mass.
But, you training for a year and assuming you at least have somewhat of an idea about it, I think it seems off.
Good luck figuring it out!

[AliMay]

Totally off topic... @heidismommy...Holy abdominals Batman! I wanna be your ab twin when I grow up!!! AWESOME!!!

And right there with you. Dang girl! definitely mirin those abs.

[heidismommy]

And right there with you. Dang girl! definitely mirin those abs.

Thank you .

[rdferguson]

Even if the test is done correctly, the results are +4%. So, 30% really means 26-34%. 30% may not seem realistic, but 26% might be.

Granted, caliper tests can't account for individual differences in storage of body fat, and there are always outliers for whom the results will never resemble an accurate figure. Same as how your 3RM being 90% of your 1RM is an average generalisation, rather than something everybody conforms to.

Or the trainer just fudged. It happens.