Yesterday I had my body comp measured and the tiny tiny machine just sreamed my body fat at me: 30%!!

And I just fell apart.

I am 5'2 tall and weight 125.6 pounds.

I just began a weight loss program which associates everyday sports and a good meal plan as I've written here before. I am just beguining too but... Can that percentage be accurate?!? 30% FAT?!?!?

First off - 30% may sound like a lot - as a woman take it to heart you have parts of your body that are supposed to be a little more padded than men.

I wouldn't sweat this too much - at 125, 30% is only like 35 pounds TOTAL fat on your body. To get down to 15% you'll only need to lose around I think 22 pounds of fat? You can knnock that out in 10-15 weeks. :claplow:


Ahhh... the benefits of being a small person. ;)

That sounds a little high for your height/weight. Keep in mind that it's a human being taking measurements and giving you your body fat percentage. It's not an exact science unless you can have one of those hydrostatic tests done.

If the bathroom scale or other statistics like your body fat throw you for a loop when you see them, don't bother with them. My wife won't step on the bathroom scale at times because mentally, that number, though she knows it doesn't really mean much, tends to derail her ability to maintain forward progress if it's not decreasing. And it doesn't often decrease - most times, when you're coming down from a higher body fat percentage, you're building muscle as you lose fat, so while your scale weight won't decrease, your body composition is improving.

You get the idea. Don't obsess over a number that really doesn't mean much. As long as you're doing the right thing in the kitchen and in the gym, you'll improve. If you don't improve, take a good honest look at how vigilant your effort has been. I'll bet, if you don't make gains, your efforts have not been very focused or true to your goals.

Best 'o luck...

-Roger

Best 'o luck...

-Roger

Great post, Roger. That's pretty much what I was going to say. I know about discouragement, believe me. Was this the first time you got your body fat calculated? If so, the number is probably not real helpful. Check again in 2-4 weeks and see what the difference is. The difference is helpful, the number is not.

I should be around 20-21% fat now. I've been measuring regularly at my gym. This weekend I went to a "health fair" where they measured my body fat for free at 26%! What?!?! They were using a different kind of device, I was in a different circumstance, using a different weight scale (I think the weight scale was way off, making me way lighter than I really am).

Anyway -- sorry to hear that you are discouraged, but I hope it won't ruin your dreams. Keep working at it, and you'll get there. You can do it. We're all in this together.

Thanks a lot guys! I had it measured at a sports fair too and it was the first time I has my body fat measured.

When I got home I just kept looking and looking and looking at my "now" pictures...

I was completely broken when I saw and heard the number. :rolleyes: But guess what... this morning I woke up and went for a 40 min run... I guess that if the number is really so high this is the right time to start doing something and not lay back and let it grow, right?

I lost more than 2 pounds last month dieting and exercising. This month I read a lot more about nutrition and exercising and I am making my ajustments towards what I believe to be the best balanced meal plan and exercise based on what I read here and in other links.

Anyway I am planning on having my BF measured by the end of the month again so I can see if there has been a change and I'll let you know that.

I just have to be patient and sooner than I expect I hope to be posting here my before and after pictures!! After all, most of this plan is about patience ans persistance, right?

:jumping: thanks everyone!

Anyway I am planning on having my BF measured by the end of the month again so I can see if there has been a change and I'll let you know that.

Good plan. Thanks for keeping us updated.

I just have to be patient and sooner than I expect I hope to be posting here my before and after pictures!! After all, most of this plan is about patience ans persistance, right?

Exactly. You got it. Sounds to me like you are well on your way. Good work, and keep it up. You're making progress.

Don't obsess over numbers. Thats all they are - numbers. Go by the way you look, feel and the way your clothes fit. It can take a while to accept this concept but it is silly to let numbers affect your emotions/progress. Lets say you have a great week, you eat well you don't miss a workout you feel awesome. You weigh in and your weight hasn't changed your bf% stayed the same. So what? Is that going to stop you from continuing on? I hope not because common sense tells you that you did awesome that week and you are making a positive change. Don't let the numbers control you. Just keep on keepin on and your desired results will come in time! :D