17% Body Fat

[jrb1980]

I am trying to set some goals, and I think achieving 17% BF (as per capilar's) is a good goal for me. I would rather not focus on the scale, as I get pissy about it.

My ? is: what does 17% body fat look like. Any one have any photos?

I have seen a great photo of 14% but am interested in what 17% looks like. I would like to determine whether this is a good goal for me.

Thanks

[Erik]

It can vary. It's dependent on a person's fat distribution.

[gin]

You could look at the Body for Life web site's success stories. They say what % the winners are in the after photos.

[Erik]

Originally posted by gin@May 24 2006, 01:50 PM
You could look at the Body for Life web site's success stories. They say what % the winners are in the after photos.
Which doesn't mean much since people's bodyfat claims are all over the map.

[jrb1980]

Yeah, see I look at those photos on that site or at bodychangers.com and it says like 14% BF and I'm like..."no you're not." I wanted to know if there was any realisitic place to look.

[Erik]

I've seen people claim single digit percentages and look like more like 20%.

[jrb1980]

Yeah, exactly. That is kind of why it is hard to set a realistic goal. I guess you just have to "go with the flow." I see girls claiming in the high teens though that really look about the same as me and then I get confused. BUT, then I see a photos of the infomous 14% girl who is a friend of yours and I'm like :censor: now that is lean. I have thought about carrying her picture around the show the next girl at the gym who claims to be 14% :lol: instead I will continue to smile and nod with a polite yet incredibly insincere "well, good for you."

[Erik]

Who really cares what some test says your percentage is? I don't. Even when I was super lean, I never got tested. Why? Because I don't care. Look in the mirror. That's the only bodyfat test you need.

[jrb1980]

Good point. I guess it was just for my own goal setting purposes, but you're right.

[Angelkae]

I don't know if this is accurate...

http://www.bodyforlife.com/success/BeforeA...s.asp?cmsId=996 (http://www.bodyforlife.com/success/BeforeAfterAfters.asp?cmsId=996)

[p-funk]

Originally posted by Thunder@May 24 2006, 01:29 PM
Who really cares what some test says your percentage is? I don't. Even when I was super lean, I never got tested. Why? Because I don't care. Look in the mirror. That's the only bodyfat test you need.
was just going to post the same thing until I saw you beat me to it.

[fitnesschick]

i was just gonna say you don't have to set goals that are weight and body fat dependent. :) seems everyone nowadays thinks they are under 20% bodyfat in my gym anyways so it's hard to take it seriously ;)

[andi]

Originally posted by Thunder@May 24 2006, 01:29 PM
Who really cares what some test says your percentage is? I don't. Even when I was super lean, I never got tested. Why? Because I don't care. Look in the mirror. That's the only bodyfat test you need.
yeah, i wish I was your mirror! :drool: :lol:

[Erik]

Originally posted by andi@May 24 2006, 03:04 PM
yeah, i wish I was your mirror! :drool: :lol:
:lol: :ban:

[gin]

Originally posted by fitnesschick@May 24 2006, 02:00 PM
i was just gonna say you don't have to set goals that are weight and body fat dependent. :) seems everyone nowadays thinks they are under 20% bodyfat in my gym anyways so it's hard to take it seriously ;)
It's because of the stupid hand-held body fat testers that the personal trainers use! At my lowest weight it said I was 16% and while I liked looking at the number on the little piece of paper, I knew it was BS. ;)

[sexy_sefora]

Haha ya my omron tells me i'm at 14% :lol:

[absolut_blonde]

One of those handheld monitors told me I was 13% once. Yeah. Right. I'd been working out casually for awhile but really had NO clue what I was doing and in retrospect, was just skinnyfat.

[jrb1980]

Originally posted by Angelkae@May 24 2006, 06:55 PM
I don't know if this is accurate...

http://www.bodyforlife.com/success/BeforeA...s.asp?cmsId=996 (http://www.bodyforlife.com/success/BeforeAfterAfters.asp?cmsId=996)
I would say in her second "after" shot that actually looks pretty close to what I think of as 17-18%

[jaleena]

The electronic thing recently told me I was 36% :funny:
Granted, I was more fluffy than usual, barely seeing a 2-pack, had entirely lost sight of the top horizontal ab line...but still... :funny:
They're biased against short women...it think's I'm lean if I tell it I'm a boy or tall...think's I'm so lean I'm dead if I tell it I'm a tall boy!

[Erik]

The Omron told me I was 64% fat.

[Brandi]

Originally posted by Thunder@May 25 2006, 08:03 PM
The Omron told me I was 64% fat.
That makes me like.... 146% fat :lol:

[jaleena]

That's amazing! Aparently it doesn't like you! Don't know why, though, you're a tall guy... :unsure:

[Chelsinator]

I love these friggin people who claim bf scales and hand held thingys are accurate, when I did 3 different readings one right after the other on one once, just to PROVE how un-reliabke the damn things are, and got 20% on the first one, 37% on the second, and 13% :blink: on the third. Yep, sooooo accurate. :dry:

Buddy of mine used one of those and said in 2 weeks, he dropped 14% bodyfat :dry: 30% to 16%

I want to punch someone in the throat today.

[Erik]

Originally posted by Chelsinator@May 26 2006, 01:32 AM
I want to punch someone in the throat today.
What's else is new? What's gotten into you lately? :blink:

[Lynda]

Originally posted by sexy_sefora@May 24 2006, 07:31 PM
Haha ya my omron tells me i'm at 14%* :lol:
Hey Sexy Sefora...14% - OK so why are you laughing? Do you not think this is possibly accurate? you look very lean and amazing in your avatar!!! Maybe you are close to 14% b.f.

Here is a photo of me at my very leanest ever!!!! From the method of body fat measurement I was using found here http://www.linear-software.com/online.html
I was "supposedly" 17.5 % body fat...so it might give you an example of what 17% looks like on some women, I am 5'8 (and a half) you can see my legs are still out of shape at 17% - this is the last place my body wants to let go of the fat...also you cannot see my calves, but I still have "cankles" even at 17%.
I also appologize for the Tummy skin, I know it is gross to have the hanging skin there but I was once stretch out to 248 pounds, so my little down turned "sad face" belly button area and stretch marks are a permanent reminder of where I've come from.
I'm a honky from the Prairies of Canada - so again I apologize for the extreme pale skin with the red burned "farmer's tan" - attractive isn't it? :laugh:

***oh I also had one of these digital body fat scales...
it is interesting that on this same day...as a 5&#39;8 woman I got a 25% bodyfat reading, <span style='color:purple'>yet if I entered as a 5&#39;8" MAN, it would give me a 16.5% reading </span>:uuhh:

[jrb1980]

I did have capilars taklen though by two different people trained to use them and had the same result within even the fraction of a %

[Erik]

Originally posted by jrb1980@May 26 2006, 12:27 PM
I did have capilars taklen though by two different people trained to use them and had the same result within even the fraction of a %
What do you mean by &#39;trained to use them&#39;. That&#39;s pretty irrelevant. It&#39;s not hard to train someone to use calipers, but an individual isn&#39;t going to be considered proficient until they&#39;ve done hundreds of assessments.

[janey]

When I first joined the gym last year, the electronic thingie said I was 31% bodyfat. :dry:

[jrb1980]

Yes, I meant had done hundreds of tests. I was just really suprised how accurate they were. There is also this big fancy scale at my gym that profeses to tell you all kinds of stuff, including your BF - for kicks I got on and even it was pretty close. 1.5%higher than the capilar tests but close.

Not like it matters but interesting.

[sexy_sefora]

Originally posted by Lynda@May 26 2006, 10:53 AM
Hey Sexy Sefora...14% - OK so why are you laughing? Do you not think this is possibly accurate? you look very lean and amazing in your avatar&#33;&#33;&#33; Maybe you are close to 14% b.f.

Here is a photo of me at my very leanest ever&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; From the method of body fat measurement I was using found here http://www.linear-software.com/online.html
I was "supposedly" 17.5 % body fat...so it might give you an example of what 17% looks like on some women, I am 5&#39;8 (and a half) you can see my legs are still out of shape at 17% - this is the last place my body wants to let go of the fat...also you cannot see my calves, but I still have "cankles" even at 17%.
I also appologize for the Tummy skin, I know it is gross to have the hanging skin there but I was once stretch out to 248 pounds, so my little down turned "sad face" belly button area and stretch marks are a permanent reminder of where I&#39;ve come from.
I&#39;m a honky from the Prairies of Canada - so again I apologize for the extreme pale skin with the red burned "farmer&#39;s tan" - attractive isn&#39;t it? :laugh:

***oh I also had one of these digital body fat scales...
it is interesting that on this same day...as a 5&#39;8 woman I got a 25% bodyfat reading, <span style='color:purple'>yet if I entered as a 5&#39;8" MAN, it would give me a 16.5% reading </span>:uuhh:
I&#39;m laughing because i know how inaccurate the omron is.

This am it said 13.2%, if i was that low i&#39;d be in competition ready mode and wouldn&#39;t have huge ripples in my tummy when i bend over. And i look nothing close to what Leah&#39;s pic @ 14%. :sad:


I&#39;d say it&#39;s off 3-4% but seriously i don&#39;t care what my real bf% is what matters is how i feel and look, right?

I only use the omron for a challenge i&#39;m doing, i gotta have some method of tracking. At least my omron doesn&#39;t go way off, it always follows my progress consistently. Meaning it won&#39;t say 13.2% and then the next day 25%. But i obviously make sure i&#39;m not bloated when using it.

[sexy_sefora]

Oh ya and i get the farmer tan, i&#39;m from Ontario :lol: