My bodyfat percentage *gulp*...how many lbs. do I have left to lose?

[Fighter2002]

Well, I discovered something shocking. I just received some digital bodyfat calipers from this site (FatTrack II by Accufitness). Anyways, I took measurements on my upper, middle, and lower body. Guess what it came out as?

38.4% bodyfat. Holy ****...I almost can't believe it. At the gym (while a trainer was attempting to sell their services to me) they did a bioelectrical impedence test (one of those handheld things instead of the scale kind -- similar to what they use to monitor heart rate on treadmills) and it said I was 21% bf. Now I know those impedence tests aren't accurate and is it normal for those impedence tests to be that far off?

Anyways, my weight is:

210 lbs. @ 38.4% bodyfat. How much more weight do I need to lose to get down to 8-12% BF?

[RonJ73]

Although both numbers could be way off, the point is it's high. I would focus on losing fat through a healthy diet, cardio and weight training rather than worrying about specific numbers at the moment.

Measure your bodyfat by the mirror, that's going to tell you more than the calipers are. You won't get a percentage number, but you'll know how you look. Simple pinch tests will help as well.

Just remember, diet wise, get yourself plenty of water. 1g or more a day. Never eat carbs and fats in the same meal. You're 210 lbs, so make sure you're getting around 2100 calories a day. Make sure you're getting at LEAST 210 grams of Protein, but no more than about 300 grams. 210 would be ideal. Keep your calories from Carbs and Fats roughly the same. This will be 40% protein, 30% carbs, 30% fats. Keep the carbs and fats clean. Low Saturated fats. A lot of green veggies.

Keep the cardio sessions at 30-45 minutes. As you get used to it, increase intensity but keep the time around the same.

If you need more info, let me know. I'm more of a diet guru rather than a exercise guru, but I'll be glad to tell you what I know.

[Aussie machine]

How many pounds of fat = 1 body fat percentage

[RonJ73]

That depends. If you weigh 200 lbs, and your body fat % is 10%, you have 20 lbs of fat.

If you weigh 300 lbs and your body fat % is 10%, you have 30 lbs of fat.

If you weigh 210 lbs and your body fat % is 38.5%, you have 80 lbs of fat...which seems rather high to me. I suspect that the 38.5% is incorrect unless you're really short.

You would have to drop about 60lbs of pure fat in order to get to the 10% range, if those numbers are accurate. I suspect they're not.

[James_D]

Fighter, there's no way you're 38% bf. I've seen your transformation pics, and I reckon you're a lot closer to 20% than you are to 40%. I'm not sure your bf% would have been quite that high even in the "before" pics.

The impedence tests usually have an accuracy of +/-5%, so going on that you could potentially still be at about 26%, which means you'd have 55lb of bf, and about 30lb to lose to get down to around 10%. Having said that, if you'd eaten, taken caffeine or exercised prior to the test that would have affected the results as well.

Anyway, I reckon your calliper measurements must have been off somehow, but don't let any of these figures get you down because you've already achieved amazing results, and if you work hard at it you'll be able to drop that 30lb by the end of the summer no worries.

[Fighter2002]

Well...I retook my measurements and it says I'm at 27% bodyfat, which seems to be much more correct than 38.4%. So that means I have 27 lbs. of fat to lose before I reach 10%, correct? Is there a "pounds of fat" calculator online that I can use to figure it all out?

[kbfunTH]

What is your height, bodyweight and % BF right now?

[Fighter2002]

Okay, okay...since I RTFM'ed and took my bodyfat *correctly*, I feel like a complete idiot right now. The calipers now say that my bf% is 25%. So, to get to 10% I'm going to need to weigh 173.75 lbs. Which means I have 35 more lbs. to lose. This morning I'm at 208.5.

Yup...I'll be able to get there by July!!

[RonJ73]

That sounds a lot more "right". Just keep working in a normal, positive motion. Don't lose more than 2-3 lbs in a week or chances are you're losing muscle. Keep the water intake high. Keep the food intake clean and moderate. Keep the cardio and lifting going at a normal pace and you should do just fine. I was gonna say before, at 210 lbs, you must be like 4'2" in order to have that high of a percentage of bodyfat (when you said it was 38).

[Woodson]

anyone know a good link to body fat calculations...

I'm 26%-27% of body fat. My weight is 222 lbs. I want to get to 14%. How do I calculate how many pounds I have to loose.

[derry]

I think you gotta lose about 25lbs.

[2BBuilt]

http://www.freeweightloss.com/calculator2.html

Based on the above web page's Optimum Weight calculator you have between 31-34lbs to loose.

-2B

[d!abolic]

LOL! You screwed something up man. I saw the pics from your other thread, and there is no way in hell that you can be over 25%! What they told you at the gym sounds pretty accurate.

[Fighter2002]

d!abolic: Yup...I screwed something up. I retook the measurements yet again and they come to 22.5%. Each time I *am* getting closer to 20%. Looks like it's going to take some practice to get more accurate here!

[d!abolic]

How does it feel to have your BF% nearly halved in less than 24 hours?

[Fighter2002]

d!abolic- It feels freaking great! I have a crapload of confidence that is astronomical compared to 24 hours ago. I can do aerobic activities that I've never been able to do before while I was fat. Oh, and the best part is the chicks. My dates have quadrupled in the last 24 hours. I can barely keep up what with my success rates doubling so quickly! All in 24 hours! (end sarcasm)

[2BBuilt]

This is exacly what I've been looking for! 24 hours to the perfect body. I'm only 15 min from f-ing anyone I want. Britney Spears make room for me this week!!!



-2B

[Tamacracker]

WTF is a lliac? It's askin for a measurement on that.

[Anomalos]

i have a question people,lets say we have an 150lb man and an 200lb man, they have the same amount of lean body mass (bones ,muscle etc).Why then the 200lb man has to eat 2000 calories to lose weight and the 150lb man 1500? it doesnt make sense,is the fat burning fat and you need extra calories to maintain your metabolism? weird :P.This might sound like a noob question but i really dont know :P

[LadyLisa]

Originally posted by Anomalos
i have a question people,lets say we have an 150lb man and an 200lb man, they have the same amount of lean body mass (bones ,muscle etc).Why then the 200lb man has to eat 2000 calories to lose weight and the 150lb man 1500? it doesnt make sense,is the fat burning fat and you need extra calories to maintain your metabolism? weird :P.This might sound like a noob question but i really dont know :P

A 200lb man needs more calories to maintain his weight - fat and all. The whole idea behind 10-12X your bodyweight is to not crash your metabolism by eating too far below maintenance. As you weight goes down, your caloric intake needs to be adjusted to reflect the new requirements.

[Anomalos]

but y would someone need "maintenance calories" for fat? i mean we dont want to maintain our fat :P.I think the maintenance calories should be like 15 or 20x your lean body mass.

[LadyLisa]

Maintenance means to keep what you have. Most people don't want to maintain their fat, but unless you are dieting, that is exactly what you are doing in normal everyday eating. And the more body mass you have, the more calories needed to maintain it (just as it is).

The 10-12X (cut) or 15X BW (maint) is just a general rule to follow that pretty much works out for most people. In reality, you really need to figure out your caloric needs based on your BMR and activities.

[JesseCuster]

Hey, Ron.......

Or anyone.

Do you have to take a gram of protein for each pound of weight, or just a gram of protein for lean mass?

Because I'm looking at a lot of protein, if I have to take it for every pound of my fat ass.

[Screenwriter805]

Well, I discovered something shocking. I just received some digital bodyfat calipers from this site (FatTrack II by Accufitness). Anyways, I took measurements on my upper, middle, and lower body. Guess what it came out as?

38.4% bodyfat. Holy ****...I almost can't believe it. At the gym (while a trainer was attempting to sell their services to me) they did a bioelectrical impedence test (one of those handheld things instead of the scale kind -- similar to what they use to monitor heart rate on treadmills) and it said I was 21% bf. Now I know those impedence tests aren't accurate and is it normal for those impedence tests to be that far off?

Anyways, my weight is:

210 lbs. @ 38.4% bodyfat. How much more weight do I need to lose to get down to 8-12% BF?

Hi there! Dont let the numbers get to you. Like these guys say, look in the mirror for the most part to gage how you look, but IMO, its okay to try and get a number to go off of once in a while. Just dont focus on it too drastically, or it will drive you insane. For instance, I have one percent to drop at my current weight that will tell me if I have lost two lbs of lean mass, or gained three poinds of lean mass, and that sort of thing can really mess with you if you dont just take a deep breath, keep your nutrition smart and measured out, and just do what you need to do, and in most cases the percentage drops within a day or so and theres no need to freak out.

Just drink tons of water, train wisely, and eat equally wisely and you will be A-OK!

[csb5731]

Hi there! Dont let the numbers get to you. Like these guys say, look in the mirror for the most part to gage how you look, but IMO, its okay to try and get a number to go off of once in a while. Just dont focus on it too drastically, or it will drive you insane. For instance, I have one percent to drop at my current weight that will tell me if I have lost two lbs of lean mass, or gained three poinds of lean mass, and that sort of thing can really mess with you if you dont just take a deep breath, keep your nutrition smart and measured out, and just do what you need to do, and in most cases the percentage drops within a day or so and theres no need to freak out.

Just drink tons of water, train wisely, and eat equally wisely and you will be A-OK!

I made a haiku for you buddy:

Replies in a thread
Finished thirteen years ago
Expects an answer?

[JayBigHarry]

Hi there! Dont let the numbers get to you. Like these guys say, look in the mirror for the most part to gage how you look, but IMO, its okay to try and get a number to go off of once in a while. Just dont focus on it too drastically, or it will drive you insane. For instance, I have one percent to drop at my current weight that will tell me if I have lost two lbs of lean mass, or gained three poinds of lean mass, and that sort of thing can really mess with you if you dont just take a deep breath, keep your nutrition smart and measured out, and just do what you need to do, and in most cases the percentage drops within a day or so and theres no need to freak out.

Just drink tons of water, train wisely, and eat equally wisely and you will be A-OK!

Uh...this thread was posted literally 11 years ago.

[Former300lber]

Makes me wonder if OP ever got to his goal weight...