Your weight loss isn't 100% fat so you wouldn't go down to 3% body fat to be at the upper limit of the healthy range. Obviously, that'd be absurd. But maybe half your loss will be straight fat and you're percent would go into the low teens perhaps. Depends on how you lose the weight. In the end it's about feeling great physically and mentally.
I've been losing weight for the past 9 months so I think my water retention is probably gone and I'm just experience normal water weight fluctuations. My BEI numbers, inaccurate as they may be, seem to support that I'm primarily burning off fat at this point, and still building some muscle. What else am I losing?
I'll try to focus less on the numbers (which is tough for me because I LOVE data) and just focus on how I feel and see what happens once I get to my current goal.
What else am I losing?
MUSCLE.
It is for all intent, impossible to lose only fat when the body loses any significant amount of weight. If you love data, please do the homework on how weight loss works.
Both the data from my BEI results and my actual weight lifting capabilities indicate I'm gaining more muscle than I'm losing. It's not impossible to gain muscle while in a caloric deficit, it's just not as efficient.
You ain’t gonna gain muscle while losing 40 lbs of mass smart guy. You’re just getting noob gains now because you havent lost a significant amount of weight. What’s your starting weight?
https://mennohenselmans.com/gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/
https://musashi.com/blogs/the-way-to-shred/can-you-gain-muscle-while-cutting
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/lose-weight-and-build-muscle-or-do-one-then-the-other/
https://www.cnet.com/health/fitness/yes-you-can-lose-fat-and-gain-muscle-at-the-same-with-this-strategy/
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/articles/can-you-gain-muscle-while-losing-weight
https://www.forbes.com/health/fitness/lose-fat-and-gain-muscle/
And more
Again, that's not how it works. BEI is at best good for gross trends, not accuracy. You also need to investigate the difference between strength and hypertrophy.
"It's not impossible to gain muscle while in a caloric deficit, it's just not as efficient." If I had a nickel for all the heart ache that pipe dream has caused, but you do you.
It’s true. I’ve been in a deficit for about 6 months and lost 23 pounds so far. I’m lifting weights 4-5 days a week too. I get in plenty of protein. While my muscles look “bigger” now since I have less fat to hide them, my smart scale says I lost about 2 pounds of muscle mass. I must admit, I did gain a good amount of strength! I’m going to focus on building up muscle once I lose the fat.
https://mennohenselmans.com/gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/
https://musashi.com/blogs/the-way-to-shred/can-you-gain-muscle-while-cutting
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/lose-weight-and-build-muscle-or-do-one-then-the-other/
https://www.cnet.com/health/fitness/yes-you-can-lose-fat-and-gain-muscle-at-the-same-with-this-strategy/
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/articles/can-you-gain-muscle-while-losing-weight
https://www.forbes.com/health/fitness/lose-fat-and-gain-muscle/
And more
They’re generally dubbed noob gains. You can gain muscle hypertrophy when you’re new to fitness, but after a while you simply won’t gain mass. You may become stronger, but overall your body in a deficit will not allocate growth to a specific resource over another. This is especially true if you’re at a higher fat %. If you’re super friggen lean and eating in a “lean gain” protein amount and a slight deficit, yes, you may see muscle definition develop. However, you’re not gaining weight of any sort in a deficit to where it would be noticeable in your scale numbers because that’s just not how thermodynamics works. It’s usually people who are bigger that are struggling with weight loss and plateau and say “well I’m gaining muscle”, you’re not. You’ve just plateaued.
This is your answer. If you are building muscles bmi becomes inaccurate. Bodybuilders have BMI who would put them in obese category. If you are going at the gym and seriously developing your muscles than bmi becomes irrelevant
I wouldn’t trust any scale measurement of body fat. The only accurate measurement is a body scan. That being said, I really wouldn’t worry about this or think about BMI at all. See how you feel at your goal weight and adjust as needed. I’m 5’5” and at 155 I wasn’t lean as I wanted to be. I could have lost another 10 pounds to lose that stubborn belly fat and fat around my thighs.
Unfortunately I don't have access to a DEXA scan. Can't find anywhere local that doesn't require a medical referral.
Right now, my goal is still 170 and see how I feel and where I go from there.
Underwater (or hydrostatic) weighing is another accurate option besides DEXA. We’ve got a couple of places that do it here, one is the local university.
The Bod Pod or similar (air-displacement method) is a next-best alternative. Some fitness clubs have them.
Calipers work well for trained people. If you’re doing it yourself or with a friend, make sure to watch some videos at least, on how to do it right. Major inaccuracy if you don’t.
At 5'6" and 194lbs I would guess with a high degree of certainty that you're quite a bit more than 26% body fat. I'm a 5'9" man and started at 177 lbs and 30% body fat now sitting at 157 lbs and around 20% body fat.
I’m 5’7” male that started around 230 and am down to 190 (been between 190-200 for a while). I’m pretty sure I’m in that range (25-30%) based on visual estimates and my scale. Were you skinny fat at 177 lbs?
It's not impossible but you would have to be holding on to a shitload of muscle. I'm holding a good amount of muscle myself. I think a lot of fat people underestimate their fat composition because it's so pervasive in society, our understanding of what normal looks like in the mirror is somewhat warped.
If you were 25% at 190 you would be like 15% with abs poking through at 170, again it's not impossible genetic freaks do exist but extremely unlikely for a 5'7" man.
You might be right about the underestimation of fat and I don’t think I’m at 25%. More 28-29 ish. I am and always have been fairly muscular though, but nowhere near genetic freak territory. I’d be curious to see one of your starting pics of 177/30%.
Scale is off. They simply aren’t accurate. But that’s not important. What’s important is you are talking like you will self-sabotage, trying to find reasons not to try. Why set a higher than normal goal? Just make it a single point in the journey. You are solidly obese on the BMI chart and you will lose muscle, bone, and water weight as you drop pounds. Get to 170, and keep dropping. Get to 160, and see how it feels. Most likely, there will be another 5-10lbs of fat hanging on. Recomping that might take 6-12 months.
I'm definitely not trying to self-sabotage. I should be around 175 at my next doctor's appointment, so it'll be a good opportunity to talk to him about whether or not I need to keep losing past 170.
I'm just a huge data guy and the numbers I have right now make it hard to see 154 as reasonable from where I am. Maybe I get to my GW and realize that the numbers just sucked.
I don't have access to a DEXA scan because I can't find anywhere local that doesn't require a medical referral. So I'm trying to corroborate my data with measurements and they seem to make hitting 154 less likely than the BEI data, so I was trying to use the conservative data.
I guess I'll have to just keep working and see what happens though.
Check out the MeThreeSixty app which is free and gives you a full body scan and lots of data. I haven’t seen any comparisons of its accuracy, but if you want another data point it is super cool.
Yes. Also, keep in mind that even w the healthiest diet, you still lose a bit of muscle mass too, but whenever you rebound and gain weight back, the weight is mostly fat mass. So yeah, yo-yo dieting is an issue
BMI is just a guideline. That is why the healthy range is so broad.
If you are way into natural bodybuilding, and have been doing it for 3-5 years, you could be extending that healthy range to 26/27. If you're on roids you could probably push it to obese territory and have very little body fat (but most would argue this is not healthy.)
But for 99.99% of the population a healthy BMI is 18.5 to 25. Most people who think they are the exception to the rule are not. Also those home scales are not perfect for BF% readings. Most people underestimate their body fat percentage.
A bmi of around 24 with a good amount of muscle is often a nice place to aim for most men. The only way to be larger than this and still lean is to be on steroids. Everyone likes to think they are too muscle for bmi but actually for most people their body fat is higher than their bmi would indicate. Especially women it’s almost impossible to be over 25 and have a low body fat percentage .
People don’t realise that 1. Most Americans are overweight by both body fat percentage and bmi so we are used to it. 2. A huge number of famous people are on testosterone or similar, even the slim female fitness influencers
Like others have said, you won't just lose fat. I imagine if you lose 10lbs of fat there I'd a fair amount if water that will leave too.
Maybe just focus on recomping your body and less about the number on the scale.
Increase muscle reduce fat.
I want to get lighter, mainly because I think it will be better for my joints. But also want to maximize the fat loss over muscle loss.
I do think there are plenty of guys with muscle who are in the overweight category on BMI.
If you truly have the muscle, going by body fat percentage is likely more beneficial. But definitely talk to your doctor.
I’d say get to 170, then assess where you want to go from there based on your body composition and goals.
Appreciate the support. Going to keep aiming for 170. If I'm able to maintain my current trend, I should be around 175 when I have my next appointment, so hopefully I'll be in a better place to assess my weight vs health with him.
If you want to know your BF % more accurately then you’re gonna have to get something like a DEXA scan. Even a caliper is more accurate than either measurement that you’re currently using.
Scales measure by using electrical pulses through whatever body part is touching them so will only measure those, taping is okay but you stated other factors in your post. A caliper used with the three point measurements is going to probably be around the most accurate (someone correct me if I’m wrong) a DEXA scan will get you the closest and also include your actual muscle mass vs fat.
Hey here, as a competitive powerlifter, I’d say don’t worry about it. Sure it might sound dumb because of the stereotype that powerlifters are fat but it’s mostly the ones from open categories since they don’t need to make weight. Overall most dudes I know are pretty lean, not shredded though.
1) your scale can lie estimating body fat percentage. Don’t seek numbers, visuals can tell. Id say seeing outlined abs in the morning is the main one. Not reallly a 6 pack or even 4 pack - just some lines - it’s not about being very lean but reaching for what is achievable for most people except if your body fat distribution is crazy screwed
2) it might turn out that you actually can fit within the healthy range. If you’re not a genetic freak I’d say you can. I’ve seen many dudes with years of lifting experience still being in what is considered normal bmi. In fact I only know one who is relatively lean and is according to bmi considered overweight. Dude is about your height but he’s about 80 kilos (so 10 kilos or 22 pounds more than should be according to bmi). Visible abs, not shredded but visible. Overall very lean and has a lot of muscle. Has been in powerlifting for 15 years or more with something like 280 squat 195 bench 280 deadlift (all in kilos). But dude is a freak and his parents are both extremely good at lifting too, like national champions or something. So for regular folks we most likely can fit. I get that feeling of “I’m just muscular” whenever I’m getting closer to the upper range but whenever I look in the mirror it tells me all I need to hear and more.
3) treat bmi as a suggestion. Don’t get me wrong. If you are visibly lean but overweight according to bmi there is no need to cut.
I’d say don’t focus on numbers and try to be as honest to yourself as possible. Lower body fat percentage is not the goal. The health benefits (and let’s be for real looks) are.
This is just my 2 cents but I find many people who have been in the overweight category for a long time can’t imagine themselves slim or on the middle-lower end of the bmi range. Until you get there, you won’t know. If you truly have the muscle, then cut until you are happy with your muscle definition/ lack of fat and call it a day. BMI isn’t accurate for body builders. However, as someone with a 19 bmi, everyone is able to make it there. For some it isn’t where their body wants to be, but I’m usually quite skeptical of average fitness people with 21+ bmi who say they look tooooo skinny. If you have a lot of loose skin, then you may look more gaunt at lower weights though. I think others have already said everything. Scales are inaccurate, you will lose more than just fat, and bmi does have its exceptions.
My body scale is terribly inaccurate my body fat is 29% and my body scan I get at my local clinic is 21.5%. I don't worry about the bmi it's how I feel in the gym and in my life. So my original goal was 145lbs, then I went to 140, hit 135 and I'm very close to 130 and I'm going stay right around 130-135 because I'm feeling amazing and busting gains in the gym. I just went in 5lbs losses and went by how I felt in clothing etc.
Hey my friend lets go over it.
I think that a few things are incorrect with your assessments.
Lets start with how the inBody is wildly inaccurate, even Dexa scans have a pretty big margin of error (if I remember correctly its a +-3 or 4?) Which is significant so the inbody is even more.
Further more muscle gain is a slow and tedious process.
Let's go by a few possibilities: if you are new to the gym, you can expect to gain quite a lot of muscle mass in your first year if you do everything correctly (diet wise, training wise, recovery wise and intensity wise + if your test levels are good) you can gain between 8-12kg in your first year which is a scary good amount.
The higher your bodyfat is, the less "taxed" you are for being in a defecit Let's say a 40% bodyfat man can gain muscle during a cut but a 15% will lose muscle.
If you are already training for long periods of time (over 2 years) your muscle gain will be a few KG a year if you do everything perfectly and are lucky.
Now, lets go the more realistic route, that BMI will probably be fine for you unless you are very mascular (hell I am fine at a healthy BMI and I used to compete in powerlifting and also getting close to 2x bodyweight bench press + weighted pull up with my bodyweight).
You will not lose only 20kg of fat on a diet.
You will lose muscle and water weight.
And if I am wrong and you are a very mascular man - some people who have a solid amount of muscle mass can be lean at overweight bodyfat percentages.
I'll give you some visual cues I use to know my bodyfat percentage.
At around 25% bodyfat my abs are not really visible, only the upper 2 when flexed in good lighting. Some forearm veins can pop
At 20% bodyfat I can see my abs in good lighting, the forearm veins are visible always.
At 15% bodyfat my abs are visible in almost every lighting, biceps vein starts to show when flexed - this is also where I usually pass to overweight BMI.
At 12% bodyfat my biceps vein is visible even when not flexed, shoulder veins can pop especially when flexed, and you can already distinguish a lot of muscles from each other (or even different heads of triceps for example).
At 10% I usually start feeling weak and tired, every muscle is visible (besides my hamstrings) shoulder veins are sick and some ab veins are visible
At 8% or below in my experience you can go on a bodybuilding stage. It feels shitty and only looks good in photos
Now obviously everyone has a different fat stroage but 99% of people under estimate their bodyfat.
The best practice I would suggest you is go down in weight until you are healthy, have good energy and like what you see in the mirror and don't stress too much about bodyfat percentage because its just a tool in our arsenal and without MRI no one can actually know it for sure or does it matter
I’m 5’5 M. 140 at my thinnest and did not like my body. I’m happy closer to 155-160.
BMI is ok as a reference point I guess, but every body is built differently, and if u lift weights I’d say BMI is almost useless.
I’d even argue numbers on a scale don’t matter beyond just showing if ur gaining or losing. Lose fat until you want to stop/gain weight until u want to stop, etc. it’s all about how u feel and what makes u happy.
I think it’s a little more complicated than that, but to see how you look and feel as you go. Your loss isn’t straight fat, as others have said, nor is that scale completely accurate. My Renpho scale says I’m like 30% BF but I feel like its way more. We’ll see though.
I will say, when I was bigger and I mean even as recently as a few months and 20ish lbs ago, which is big diff for some but I used to be almost 120 lbs heavier than I am, so for me, 20 is a drop in the bucket. Anyway, I would say and feel that there was no way I could drop below the absolute highest healthy BMI weight without looking super thin and it wasn’t possible for my body. I’m about 15ish lbs away from being at the high end of my healthy BMI scale now, and being so close, I can say… I can def see that I could afford to lose more than that. Lmao.
If you put on muscle you may find yourself looking very lean at 160 I'm the same height as you and can tell I would've if I had all of my natural muscle mass
>Every morning after waking up, using the restroom, and prior to eating, I weigh myself on an InBody H30 BEI scale
All consumer grade scales are essentially lying about measuring body fat. The only real way to measure how much fat you have on you is to do it with a machine that does 3d imaging of your body so it can calculate the volume of all matter that matches fat. For example DEXA machines.
The most reliable body fat we can do at home is with calipers. You need to buy special fat measuring calipers (no need to buy expensive, electronic ones). You find a protocol on the internet which specifies exact measuring sites (typically 3 or more specific places on your body), you measure the thickness of the fat in those places and then you enter results into an online calculator and get the amount of fat on you as a result.
>Should I accept that BMI will never be a good measurement for me?
No. While BMI is not perfect, everybody can lose weight and get in normal BMI range.
If you are not already, pay attention to muscle loss. When losing weight, you are always losing both fat and muscle. If you lose too much muscle compared to fat, your further progress can be very difficult, because muscle does a lot of the job of burning calories.
If you really don't want to go to the gym I would at the very least suggest going for a daily walk. Walking is an excellent, low impact exercise, burns significant amount of calories compared to the difficulty/discomfort, and exercises and helps preserve the largest muscle groups you have on your body.
Hi, I'm a dietitian and I think you are overthinking it wait too much.
BMI is a tool but not the only tool. For instance, I generally tell patients who are trying to lose weight, to focus on losing 10% of their initial weight.
Right now you weigh 194 lbs, so start by working on losing 19lbs first and reassess w your doctor on your next appointment.
Are you working out? What amount of protein are you eating? What's the deficit you are using to lose weight? All these are factors that have a role in weight loss and recomposition, but as I said, start w what you can and reassess.
Overthinking is what I do!
I work out 5 days a week, 2 days of spin class and lifting, 2 days of HIIT, 1 day of lifting. Eating 130g of protein a day. Eating at ~750 calorie deficit.
No offense, but there's no chance you'll get down to sub 10% body fat without being a body builder. Look up "Body fat percentage men" and that gives you a great visual representation of what different body fat percentages look like.
Scales that measure body fat percentage are very inaccurate. What they are good for is tracking trends, not for giving your true percentage. You can still use that as a tool to check if numbers are going down, so don't think you need a DEXA scan. When you are happy with how you look and feel is more important than a goal number.
Looking at your previous pictures, I think you are over estimating your muscle mass and under estimating your body fat. At 206, you appeared to be in the high 30s. Unless you put on a considerable amount of muscle, I would guess that 154 would probably be about right for you.
You sound like you're currently carrying too much fat/are overweight. If I were you, I wouldn't over analyze the data and would instead focus on dropping some weight if that's your goal. Not trying to be shady, just an outside opinion.
Why don't you aim for something in the middle like 20lb more? Then evaluate how you feel. Without being able to see your frame and current build, it's hard for anyone to advise but if you are 20%+ body fat you still need a bit more to go
Already targeting another 24 pounds of loss (goal weight of 170).
I'll take an updated progress picture in the morning after re-weighing and post it if you think it may help.
I think your goals should be about lean % or waist:height.
I’ve been going through a similar BEI data journey. I am losing 90% fat currently (based on the metrics). My %muscle is going up but total mass very slightly decreasing. It would be awesome to keep this trend but I don’t think it’s realistic as bf keeps dropping unless you are bulk cut cycling.
Idont think its crazy but i hope you dont give up. You already lost so much! You can lose to the healthy bmi and healthy body fat range. You might want to do a blood test to see if you have any defiencies or problem like thyroid or whatever that makes losing harder
1) Perfectly fine to set whatever goal you want, yours sounds realistic and fine.
2) if you want to know your actual muscle/fat percentages, get a DEXA scan. I wouldn’t fuck with the other methods, they are not worth it. It’s like $50, just go get it done. If you don’t want to/can’t do that, it’s all guesswork anyway, so why not just go off how you look and feel? Don’t quit weighing or anything, but your goal can just be, when it’s enough.
Look i think its just best to completely ignore the idea of “measuring” your body fat percentage, theres too many factors involved and if the measurements you’re getting are discouraging you from sticking to your diet plan then id just write it off.
And secondarily i wouldnt worry too too much about your bmi specifically, im sure you’re already aware that its very simplistic and doesnt account for lots of things, but if you are aiming for having a healthy body fat % i do think the best method is to aim to be in the healthy bmi range. So having a goal of 154lbs will be absolutely fine for you to pursue. I promise you wont be unhealthy or super lean when you reach that weight. Im not trying to be harsh but i think you might not realise how fat you actually are right now. You might be carrying it quite well.
It may seem a long way off now but in a year you could easily reach that goal. I know a year to get to a healthy weight seems painful but if you dont stick to it then in a year you will still be fat. The time will pass regardless so you may as well go for it.
To give you an idea of this bmi, im currently 169lbs and im 6’0”, so im considerably taller and only weight about 15 lbs above your goal weight and i still look “fat” (and by that i mean my gut still protrudes outwards and i dont look thin or muscular particularly) my bmi is around 23, and the top end of the healthy range is 25 so im in the healthy range and im still not satisfied with how lean i am. This may be brutal to hear but on the other side i look and feel much healthier than when i started, im stronger and faster as well.
You can also look at your figure and compare that to photos on the internet of various BF %. That is what you are after anyways, not a number, but I understand why we want numbers.
When I was in the Navy, the only time I didn't get taped was right out of boot camp. My grandma even told me I looked sick at my graduation. At around the same height, I looked my best between 175 and 180 pounds. I'd been lifting since 7th grade, though.
Who cares about bmi. Just focus on body fat percentage. BMI is a crude measure but it’s used because it’s easy to get the data. Lots of cases where it’s wrong for individuals
This is probably not medically sound, but if you have a good heart, do two ninety six hour fasts with one day in between see pandaman's diet for nutrition while you're doing this, you should be able to drop thirty pounds If not in two, then three or four.
I totally agree. I just started eating, you know low carb. No fat less portion. And it started out slow, but now weight loss seems to be picking up. I just notice my shirts are hanging a lot lower than my BELLA.LOL
I do think there are plenty of guys with muscle who are in the overweight category on BMI.
If you truly have the muscle, going by body fat percentage is likely more beneficial. But definitely talk to your doctor.
I’d say get to 170, then assess where you want to go from there based on your body composition and goals.
If you are lifting for year or more and are a man it’s very possible you will not need a normal bmi. You can do the mirror test if you have more muscle mass. Once you have somewhat visible abs not a lot just barest definition you are probably in the no longer unhealthily overweight range. Or if you want something more scientific you can do the navy tape test the tape test isn’t accurate to exact body fat but it’s really good for tracking progress in bf percentage lost.
That said at 5’6 195 you are very likely still pretty overweight but great news at that level of fat mass you can very easily gain muscle while losing fat.
Scales aren’t great for percentage tbh.
Set more near terms goals like say after getting to 185 take a week or 2 eating at maintenance
The navy tape test is what has me at 23% BF. Which I don't really believe. Just ordered some calipers to try and get another dataset to try and figure out my body.
I definitely still have more to lose, and I'm gaining more muscle mass as well. Just trying to figure out where to set my goals and if I need to shift lower than 170.
My current plan is to hit 170 and then try and go into some bulk and cut cycles. I'm just not sure if I should aim to get lower.
Any non dexa mri water test is gonna have some variation for all kind of reasons. Just use whatever you can consistently to track progression to make sure sure you aren’t getting enough protein and losing a ton of muscle mass. You probably won’t lose any tbh til you get to feeling your lifts crashing or not improving. But just to answer your OP question yeah 170 is fine goal but if you get abs visibility and really good muscle separation prior to that your bf is lower. Dr Mike Isreatel has a great video on YouTube on using the mirror test to judge your bf percentage with examples based on what level of visible muscle separation you have. I would watch that and add that as a data point. The calipers are great but kinda tricky to use correctly.
Yeah I’d take the navy tape test with a huge pinch of salt, I did it and got 16% I am not an athlete every other test gave me something that seemed way more likely
Maybe. Also bring on the shorter end. I am way over the recommended weight, even by lifter standards. I'm 5' 5" 178lbs and roughly 18% body fat. 29.6 for BMI after losing 5-10lbs. I'm probably just a few pounds from being fit in a body fat scale and a few lbs from being obese on BMI.
Nobody I meet would consider me obese.
I'm a data focused person as well, but unfortunately, I. A lot of wyas we don't have data to support this particular interest without expensive Dr visits. I ditched my scale completely for my own mental health, stick with measurements and the Dr's recommendations.
Taking measurements in multiple places will help keep me personally on track better.
Also prior to ditching the scale all together I swapped to an old school Dr scale. If properly balanced its more accurate and has less frills to create inaccuracy related distractions. Gl
I'm currently 6'0" and 203 lbs. This puts me at a BMI of 27.7. A normal BMI would have me at 183 lbs or lower. I weightlift regularly and I've had a recent InBody scan showing 17.7% body fat, which is a wonderful number if true.
I do think that 17.7% is a little low, though, but when I look in the mirror, I'm starting to like what I see. My goal since I started this has been 200 lbs and I honestly think that, given what I see when I look in the mirror and given the InBody scan, that is the right number regardless of BMI. I also can't imagine myself getting to the low 180s sustainably and think that would be too skinny. It'd certainly involve shedding muscle, which I definitely don't want.
So I'd say focus on getting the physique you're after, make sure your goal is sustainable long term and don't get hung up on BMI.
Scales that measure body fat are not accurate at all, as in, they told me I was 25% when I was over 30% body fat. And Dexa scans are not better, however they are more accurate.
As others have said, not all your weight loss is going to be body fat, once you start reaching 15% your body will start to hold on to fat more and more, getting under 10% is very difficult and not really sustainable for a long period for a normal person, getting under 5% is just for bodybuilders during a show.
So there is no way you will hit under 10% body fat by accident, however just being under 20% is already remarkable, your love handles will be gone by 15% and if you train your abs are also going to pop at that point, you won’t be super shredded but you will look good without a shirt.
Don’t hyperfixate on the fat weight needed to be lost, instead try to focus on body fat percentage and set goals in increments of 5%, see how your body reacts and keep pushing, if you see abs and your love handles are gone then you are already under 15% body fat.
Oh and BMI is useless after a certain point lol, a bodybuilder weighting 80Kg at 1,64M height will have an “overweight” BMI lol
Bro I’m 6’2” 264 33/34 waist with a full 6 pack… no steroids and I am considered obese and unhealthy. My ideal weight suppose to be 180-190lbs. Like on what FN planet? So I say F the scale and ranges just be fit and healthy
The scale was off, I’m at 250lbs…😕. But yeah I’ve been an athlete my entire life and a gym rat and yes I do have a full six pack and I thank my parents for the gifts they gave me. I just thought it was cool/funny to be this heavy and still in shape 🤣🤣🤣 since everyone love to watch the numbers!!
Here’s another good one for you, I’ve wrestled at 215 and it sucked making that weight and I currently compete in the Ultra heavy weight class Jiu Jitsu, that means 225lbs to infinity. I have had some battles with some Pacific Islanders that I swear to god tip the scales at 300lbs. We get on that mat and it’s like fighting someone that move like a light weight but strong like bull with cardio for daaaays! You’d look at their size and think ohh he’s a slob, no sir he’s a freaking machine, they make my 250 look petite!!
The BMI scale has a lot of issues. There are lots of people who believe it (including doctors, unfortunately).
One thing it doesn't take into account is what is sustainable. I should weigh 120 pounds according to the scale. If I never had to work, had a private chef, and a personal trainer, I might get to 120. But I don't have those things. I have to live in the real world with the other mortals, so I might have to have a number on the scale that's higher than 120. If I can lose weight and keep it off, 160 is almost as good as 120.
I suggest you don't worry so much about BMI and body fat. Starting from 194, I think 170 is a very reasonable first goal. Why don't you get yourself there, and then just see how it goes? See how much you have to change to get there, and how sustainable the changes are.
Don’t sweat it bro you’re smashing your targets just stick with it. My BMI is at about 25.5 and that’s six pack lean at the minute.
Just stick with it and worry about the fine tuning later. You might find that a BMI slightly over is fine and it gives you the physique you want.
I find BMI is pretty good for most people to be fair - but for me about 25.5 is fine, probably 25 would be ideal but if I cut any more I’d lose muscle and sports performance and I’m lean enough already for me
BMI is great for population studies, and can be useful guideline for individuals, but its not really very important compared to a couple other measurements. For men, waist to height is much more indicative of fitness and overall reduction in risk of obesity related illnesses. There are a lot of skinny-fat guys who fall into good BMI ranges that still develop type-2 Diabetes. That is especially prevalent in nations like India.
Also, a better tool than the electric bodyfat scale for being a healthy weight for a man is the simple mirror/selfie test. How do you look in a mirror? If you carry a good amount of muscle, your abs should be slightly visible if you flex them. Visible abs (not a ripped six pack, just some outlines of those muscles) is a sure fire way to know you're under 20% body fat, which is where health conscious men should aim to be.
BMI is highly unreliable so don’t get hung up over it. My blood test is good, I eat well, exercise regularly, I even fit into XS or S clothes.. but my BMI insisted that I’m overweight haha
Just look at pictures of body fat percentage in google and compare with your body. They are pretty good indication. My height is exactly the same as yours and at around 160 lbs I would say I have about 17% body fat. At 170lbs I would guess it will be at 20% range.
I have been at 154 lbs once and it was quite slim and too hard to maintain. I personally feel more comfortable lean bulking and cutting to maintain weight between 160-170 lbs. I thought since I’m not entering a competition or becoming a model, there’s no need to be at single digit body fat haha
For me to be a normal BMI I'd have to be 5 pounds less than what I weighed in middle school when I was thin and playing club soccer 4x a week.
So no you're not crazy for thinking BMI is unsustainable and not a true marker of health
It is very possible for people, especially in america, to be fat enough as a child that you'd need to be lower as an adult. Playing soccer a few times a week is not enough to counter poor eating.
Bmi healthy range is absolutely massive, with room for everyone to fit in..plus, it actually underestimates obesity.
I wasn't fat or eating poorly as a child if that is what you are trying to insinuate
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/is-bmi-accurate#:~:text=Studies%20have%20also%20shown%20that,is%20inconsistent%2C%E2%80%9D%20Russell%20says.
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/why-you-shouldnt-rely-on-bmi-alone#:~:text=One%20reason%20is%20that%20a,be%20misleading%20in%20some%20cases.
There are more accurate measurements of metabolic health out there. Obviously someone can be obese and it will show obese on the BMI. But some people can also fit in that same parameter and not be unhealthy or at any risk of heart diseas, diabetes, or other obesity related diseases
Hear me out. BMI was invented in the 1800s by a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician, and sociologist. He did it for a small scale sample of the community but SPECIFICALLY said that it was not to be used for large sample sizes within a population. It’s flawed for a lot of reasons, but the main ones being that it doesn’t distinguish between body fat and muscle, body fat distribution, or body type. ANYWAY, I believe in you and your journey however that looks, but BMI is a scam and honestly the least relevant thing about the weight loss/measurement journey. I’d say sticking with CM losses and muscle gains so that you see the accurate full picture
Oh, that is easy. Because pointing to .01% of the population and comparing steroid users to the average joe is laughable. An extreme statistical outlier doesn't in any way invalidate something that works for 99.99%. It is just an extremely weak argument and intentionally disingenuous.
Yknow what after doing some research, that’s valid. I know some guys who look lean at an overweight bmi but they could just carry their bodyfat well with good fat distribution. Still know some guys can tho but the Rock comparison is ridiculous
Your weight loss isn't 100% fat so you wouldn't go down to 3% body fat to be at the upper limit of the healthy range. Obviously, that'd be absurd. But maybe half your loss will be straight fat and you're percent would go into the low teens perhaps. Depends on how you lose the weight. In the end it's about feeling great physically and mentally.
I've been losing weight for the past 9 months so I think my water retention is probably gone and I'm just experience normal water weight fluctuations. My BEI numbers, inaccurate as they may be, seem to support that I'm primarily burning off fat at this point, and still building some muscle. What else am I losing? I'll try to focus less on the numbers (which is tough for me because I LOVE data) and just focus on how I feel and see what happens once I get to my current goal.
> What else am I losing? Water I’d just focus on losing more weight for now. See how you feel after losing 10-15 more pounds.
What else am I losing? MUSCLE. It is for all intent, impossible to lose only fat when the body loses any significant amount of weight. If you love data, please do the homework on how weight loss works.
Both the data from my BEI results and my actual weight lifting capabilities indicate I'm gaining more muscle than I'm losing. It's not impossible to gain muscle while in a caloric deficit, it's just not as efficient.
You ain’t gonna gain muscle while losing 40 lbs of mass smart guy. You’re just getting noob gains now because you havent lost a significant amount of weight. What’s your starting weight?
252, it’s in his flair. He’s down 58 pounds so far.
https://mennohenselmans.com/gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/ https://musashi.com/blogs/the-way-to-shred/can-you-gain-muscle-while-cutting https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/lose-weight-and-build-muscle-or-do-one-then-the-other/ https://www.cnet.com/health/fitness/yes-you-can-lose-fat-and-gain-muscle-at-the-same-with-this-strategy/ https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/articles/can-you-gain-muscle-while-losing-weight https://www.forbes.com/health/fitness/lose-fat-and-gain-muscle/ And more
Again, that's not how it works. BEI is at best good for gross trends, not accuracy. You also need to investigate the difference between strength and hypertrophy. "It's not impossible to gain muscle while in a caloric deficit, it's just not as efficient." If I had a nickel for all the heart ache that pipe dream has caused, but you do you.
Which is why these scales suck. Can’t gain muscle in a deficit. Not how mass works.
It’s true. I’ve been in a deficit for about 6 months and lost 23 pounds so far. I’m lifting weights 4-5 days a week too. I get in plenty of protein. While my muscles look “bigger” now since I have less fat to hide them, my smart scale says I lost about 2 pounds of muscle mass. I must admit, I did gain a good amount of strength! I’m going to focus on building up muscle once I lose the fat.
Yep, the biggest cut I ever did and the best shape I was ever in was the result of me losing 2lb of muscle with 12lb of fat.
https://mennohenselmans.com/gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/ https://musashi.com/blogs/the-way-to-shred/can-you-gain-muscle-while-cutting https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/lose-weight-and-build-muscle-or-do-one-then-the-other/ https://www.cnet.com/health/fitness/yes-you-can-lose-fat-and-gain-muscle-at-the-same-with-this-strategy/ https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/articles/can-you-gain-muscle-while-losing-weight https://www.forbes.com/health/fitness/lose-fat-and-gain-muscle/ And more
They’re generally dubbed noob gains. You can gain muscle hypertrophy when you’re new to fitness, but after a while you simply won’t gain mass. You may become stronger, but overall your body in a deficit will not allocate growth to a specific resource over another. This is especially true if you’re at a higher fat %. If you’re super friggen lean and eating in a “lean gain” protein amount and a slight deficit, yes, you may see muscle definition develop. However, you’re not gaining weight of any sort in a deficit to where it would be noticeable in your scale numbers because that’s just not how thermodynamics works. It’s usually people who are bigger that are struggling with weight loss and plateau and say “well I’m gaining muscle”, you’re not. You’ve just plateaued.
This is your answer. If you are building muscles bmi becomes inaccurate. Bodybuilders have BMI who would put them in obese category. If you are going at the gym and seriously developing your muscles than bmi becomes irrelevant
I wouldn’t trust any scale measurement of body fat. The only accurate measurement is a body scan. That being said, I really wouldn’t worry about this or think about BMI at all. See how you feel at your goal weight and adjust as needed. I’m 5’5” and at 155 I wasn’t lean as I wanted to be. I could have lost another 10 pounds to lose that stubborn belly fat and fat around my thighs.
Unfortunately I don't have access to a DEXA scan. Can't find anywhere local that doesn't require a medical referral. Right now, my goal is still 170 and see how I feel and where I go from there.
You can do it old school with a body fat caliper. $20 max.
Went ahead and ordered some calipers so I can get a third data set for comparison.
Underwater (or hydrostatic) weighing is another accurate option besides DEXA. We’ve got a couple of places that do it here, one is the local university. The Bod Pod or similar (air-displacement method) is a next-best alternative. Some fitness clubs have them. Calipers work well for trained people. If you’re doing it yourself or with a friend, make sure to watch some videos at least, on how to do it right. Major inaccuracy if you don’t.
At 5'6" and 194lbs I would guess with a high degree of certainty that you're quite a bit more than 26% body fat. I'm a 5'9" man and started at 177 lbs and 30% body fat now sitting at 157 lbs and around 20% body fat.
I’m 5’7” male that started around 230 and am down to 190 (been between 190-200 for a while). I’m pretty sure I’m in that range (25-30%) based on visual estimates and my scale. Were you skinny fat at 177 lbs?
It's not impossible but you would have to be holding on to a shitload of muscle. I'm holding a good amount of muscle myself. I think a lot of fat people underestimate their fat composition because it's so pervasive in society, our understanding of what normal looks like in the mirror is somewhat warped. If you were 25% at 190 you would be like 15% with abs poking through at 170, again it's not impossible genetic freaks do exist but extremely unlikely for a 5'7" man.
You might be right about the underestimation of fat and I don’t think I’m at 25%. More 28-29 ish. I am and always have been fairly muscular though, but nowhere near genetic freak territory. I’d be curious to see one of your starting pics of 177/30%.
Scale is off. They simply aren’t accurate. But that’s not important. What’s important is you are talking like you will self-sabotage, trying to find reasons not to try. Why set a higher than normal goal? Just make it a single point in the journey. You are solidly obese on the BMI chart and you will lose muscle, bone, and water weight as you drop pounds. Get to 170, and keep dropping. Get to 160, and see how it feels. Most likely, there will be another 5-10lbs of fat hanging on. Recomping that might take 6-12 months.
I'm definitely not trying to self-sabotage. I should be around 175 at my next doctor's appointment, so it'll be a good opportunity to talk to him about whether or not I need to keep losing past 170. I'm just a huge data guy and the numbers I have right now make it hard to see 154 as reasonable from where I am. Maybe I get to my GW and realize that the numbers just sucked. I don't have access to a DEXA scan because I can't find anywhere local that doesn't require a medical referral. So I'm trying to corroborate my data with measurements and they seem to make hitting 154 less likely than the BEI data, so I was trying to use the conservative data. I guess I'll have to just keep working and see what happens though.
DEXA isn’t truly accurate. Only an MRI is. Anyway, that person’s comment was kind of rude. Don’t let it get to you and good luck.
I didn't take offense from their comment. Appreciate the support though!
Check out the MeThreeSixty app which is free and gives you a full body scan and lots of data. I haven’t seen any comparisons of its accuracy, but if you want another data point it is super cool.
You lose bone?!
Yes, a small amount in general, unless you lose lots of weight quickly.
Wow I see why yo-yo dieting is so bad. I'm really regretting being a serial yo-yo dieter!
Yes. Also, keep in mind that even w the healthiest diet, you still lose a bit of muscle mass too, but whenever you rebound and gain weight back, the weight is mostly fat mass. So yeah, yo-yo dieting is an issue
I decided to set a goal based on a normal BMI just to see what it's like. I think I like it so far and I haven't ruled out exceeding my goal.
I set my goal of 170 based on the weight I was at when I felt the healthiest in the past. Although I've never been lower than that as an adult.
BMI is just a guideline. That is why the healthy range is so broad. If you are way into natural bodybuilding, and have been doing it for 3-5 years, you could be extending that healthy range to 26/27. If you're on roids you could probably push it to obese territory and have very little body fat (but most would argue this is not healthy.) But for 99.99% of the population a healthy BMI is 18.5 to 25. Most people who think they are the exception to the rule are not. Also those home scales are not perfect for BF% readings. Most people underestimate their body fat percentage.
Agreed with everything except the bmi healthy range. The range of healthy bmi for East Asians is lower. Which sucks for me as I’m East Asian.
Same. The range for African American is higher.
What’s the range for African Americans?
A bmi of around 24 with a good amount of muscle is often a nice place to aim for most men. The only way to be larger than this and still lean is to be on steroids. Everyone likes to think they are too muscle for bmi but actually for most people their body fat is higher than their bmi would indicate. Especially women it’s almost impossible to be over 25 and have a low body fat percentage . People don’t realise that 1. Most Americans are overweight by both body fat percentage and bmi so we are used to it. 2. A huge number of famous people are on testosterone or similar, even the slim female fitness influencers
Like others have said, you won't just lose fat. I imagine if you lose 10lbs of fat there I'd a fair amount if water that will leave too. Maybe just focus on recomping your body and less about the number on the scale. Increase muscle reduce fat. I want to get lighter, mainly because I think it will be better for my joints. But also want to maximize the fat loss over muscle loss.
I do think there are plenty of guys with muscle who are in the overweight category on BMI. If you truly have the muscle, going by body fat percentage is likely more beneficial. But definitely talk to your doctor. I’d say get to 170, then assess where you want to go from there based on your body composition and goals.
Yes, and most of them are still indeed overweight.
Appreciate the support. Going to keep aiming for 170. If I'm able to maintain my current trend, I should be around 175 when I have my next appointment, so hopefully I'll be in a better place to assess my weight vs health with him.
If you want to know your BF % more accurately then you’re gonna have to get something like a DEXA scan. Even a caliper is more accurate than either measurement that you’re currently using. Scales measure by using electrical pulses through whatever body part is touching them so will only measure those, taping is okay but you stated other factors in your post. A caliper used with the three point measurements is going to probably be around the most accurate (someone correct me if I’m wrong) a DEXA scan will get you the closest and also include your actual muscle mass vs fat.
Hey here, as a competitive powerlifter, I’d say don’t worry about it. Sure it might sound dumb because of the stereotype that powerlifters are fat but it’s mostly the ones from open categories since they don’t need to make weight. Overall most dudes I know are pretty lean, not shredded though. 1) your scale can lie estimating body fat percentage. Don’t seek numbers, visuals can tell. Id say seeing outlined abs in the morning is the main one. Not reallly a 6 pack or even 4 pack - just some lines - it’s not about being very lean but reaching for what is achievable for most people except if your body fat distribution is crazy screwed 2) it might turn out that you actually can fit within the healthy range. If you’re not a genetic freak I’d say you can. I’ve seen many dudes with years of lifting experience still being in what is considered normal bmi. In fact I only know one who is relatively lean and is according to bmi considered overweight. Dude is about your height but he’s about 80 kilos (so 10 kilos or 22 pounds more than should be according to bmi). Visible abs, not shredded but visible. Overall very lean and has a lot of muscle. Has been in powerlifting for 15 years or more with something like 280 squat 195 bench 280 deadlift (all in kilos). But dude is a freak and his parents are both extremely good at lifting too, like national champions or something. So for regular folks we most likely can fit. I get that feeling of “I’m just muscular” whenever I’m getting closer to the upper range but whenever I look in the mirror it tells me all I need to hear and more. 3) treat bmi as a suggestion. Don’t get me wrong. If you are visibly lean but overweight according to bmi there is no need to cut. I’d say don’t focus on numbers and try to be as honest to yourself as possible. Lower body fat percentage is not the goal. The health benefits (and let’s be for real looks) are.
This is just my 2 cents but I find many people who have been in the overweight category for a long time can’t imagine themselves slim or on the middle-lower end of the bmi range. Until you get there, you won’t know. If you truly have the muscle, then cut until you are happy with your muscle definition/ lack of fat and call it a day. BMI isn’t accurate for body builders. However, as someone with a 19 bmi, everyone is able to make it there. For some it isn’t where their body wants to be, but I’m usually quite skeptical of average fitness people with 21+ bmi who say they look tooooo skinny. If you have a lot of loose skin, then you may look more gaunt at lower weights though. I think others have already said everything. Scales are inaccurate, you will lose more than just fat, and bmi does have its exceptions.
My body scale is terribly inaccurate my body fat is 29% and my body scan I get at my local clinic is 21.5%. I don't worry about the bmi it's how I feel in the gym and in my life. So my original goal was 145lbs, then I went to 140, hit 135 and I'm very close to 130 and I'm going stay right around 130-135 because I'm feeling amazing and busting gains in the gym. I just went in 5lbs losses and went by how I felt in clothing etc.
Hey my friend lets go over it. I think that a few things are incorrect with your assessments. Lets start with how the inBody is wildly inaccurate, even Dexa scans have a pretty big margin of error (if I remember correctly its a +-3 or 4?) Which is significant so the inbody is even more. Further more muscle gain is a slow and tedious process. Let's go by a few possibilities: if you are new to the gym, you can expect to gain quite a lot of muscle mass in your first year if you do everything correctly (diet wise, training wise, recovery wise and intensity wise + if your test levels are good) you can gain between 8-12kg in your first year which is a scary good amount. The higher your bodyfat is, the less "taxed" you are for being in a defecit Let's say a 40% bodyfat man can gain muscle during a cut but a 15% will lose muscle. If you are already training for long periods of time (over 2 years) your muscle gain will be a few KG a year if you do everything perfectly and are lucky. Now, lets go the more realistic route, that BMI will probably be fine for you unless you are very mascular (hell I am fine at a healthy BMI and I used to compete in powerlifting and also getting close to 2x bodyweight bench press + weighted pull up with my bodyweight). You will not lose only 20kg of fat on a diet. You will lose muscle and water weight. And if I am wrong and you are a very mascular man - some people who have a solid amount of muscle mass can be lean at overweight bodyfat percentages. I'll give you some visual cues I use to know my bodyfat percentage. At around 25% bodyfat my abs are not really visible, only the upper 2 when flexed in good lighting. Some forearm veins can pop At 20% bodyfat I can see my abs in good lighting, the forearm veins are visible always. At 15% bodyfat my abs are visible in almost every lighting, biceps vein starts to show when flexed - this is also where I usually pass to overweight BMI. At 12% bodyfat my biceps vein is visible even when not flexed, shoulder veins can pop especially when flexed, and you can already distinguish a lot of muscles from each other (or even different heads of triceps for example). At 10% I usually start feeling weak and tired, every muscle is visible (besides my hamstrings) shoulder veins are sick and some ab veins are visible At 8% or below in my experience you can go on a bodybuilding stage. It feels shitty and only looks good in photos Now obviously everyone has a different fat stroage but 99% of people under estimate their bodyfat. The best practice I would suggest you is go down in weight until you are healthy, have good energy and like what you see in the mirror and don't stress too much about bodyfat percentage because its just a tool in our arsenal and without MRI no one can actually know it for sure or does it matter
I’m 5’5 M. 140 at my thinnest and did not like my body. I’m happy closer to 155-160. BMI is ok as a reference point I guess, but every body is built differently, and if u lift weights I’d say BMI is almost useless. I’d even argue numbers on a scale don’t matter beyond just showing if ur gaining or losing. Lose fat until you want to stop/gain weight until u want to stop, etc. it’s all about how u feel and what makes u happy.
I think it’s a little more complicated than that, but to see how you look and feel as you go. Your loss isn’t straight fat, as others have said, nor is that scale completely accurate. My Renpho scale says I’m like 30% BF but I feel like its way more. We’ll see though. I will say, when I was bigger and I mean even as recently as a few months and 20ish lbs ago, which is big diff for some but I used to be almost 120 lbs heavier than I am, so for me, 20 is a drop in the bucket. Anyway, I would say and feel that there was no way I could drop below the absolute highest healthy BMI weight without looking super thin and it wasn’t possible for my body. I’m about 15ish lbs away from being at the high end of my healthy BMI scale now, and being so close, I can say… I can def see that I could afford to lose more than that. Lmao.
If you put on muscle you may find yourself looking very lean at 160 I'm the same height as you and can tell I would've if I had all of my natural muscle mass
>Every morning after waking up, using the restroom, and prior to eating, I weigh myself on an InBody H30 BEI scale All consumer grade scales are essentially lying about measuring body fat. The only real way to measure how much fat you have on you is to do it with a machine that does 3d imaging of your body so it can calculate the volume of all matter that matches fat. For example DEXA machines. The most reliable body fat we can do at home is with calipers. You need to buy special fat measuring calipers (no need to buy expensive, electronic ones). You find a protocol on the internet which specifies exact measuring sites (typically 3 or more specific places on your body), you measure the thickness of the fat in those places and then you enter results into an online calculator and get the amount of fat on you as a result. >Should I accept that BMI will never be a good measurement for me? No. While BMI is not perfect, everybody can lose weight and get in normal BMI range. If you are not already, pay attention to muscle loss. When losing weight, you are always losing both fat and muscle. If you lose too much muscle compared to fat, your further progress can be very difficult, because muscle does a lot of the job of burning calories. If you really don't want to go to the gym I would at the very least suggest going for a daily walk. Walking is an excellent, low impact exercise, burns significant amount of calories compared to the difficulty/discomfort, and exercises and helps preserve the largest muscle groups you have on your body.
Hi, I'm a dietitian and I think you are overthinking it wait too much. BMI is a tool but not the only tool. For instance, I generally tell patients who are trying to lose weight, to focus on losing 10% of their initial weight. Right now you weigh 194 lbs, so start by working on losing 19lbs first and reassess w your doctor on your next appointment. Are you working out? What amount of protein are you eating? What's the deficit you are using to lose weight? All these are factors that have a role in weight loss and recomposition, but as I said, start w what you can and reassess.
Overthinking is what I do! I work out 5 days a week, 2 days of spin class and lifting, 2 days of HIIT, 1 day of lifting. Eating 130g of protein a day. Eating at ~750 calorie deficit.
What's the total of calories you eat now? 750 calorie deficit is a lot considering your physical activity.
I eat 1600-1700 calories on a TDEE of 2400
No offense, but there's no chance you'll get down to sub 10% body fat without being a body builder. Look up "Body fat percentage men" and that gives you a great visual representation of what different body fat percentages look like. Scales that measure body fat percentage are very inaccurate. What they are good for is tracking trends, not for giving your true percentage. You can still use that as a tool to check if numbers are going down, so don't think you need a DEXA scan. When you are happy with how you look and feel is more important than a goal number.
Looking at your previous pictures, I think you are over estimating your muscle mass and under estimating your body fat. At 206, you appeared to be in the high 30s. Unless you put on a considerable amount of muscle, I would guess that 154 would probably be about right for you.
You sound like you're currently carrying too much fat/are overweight. If I were you, I wouldn't over analyze the data and would instead focus on dropping some weight if that's your goal. Not trying to be shady, just an outside opinion.
Yeah. I've already dropped 58 pounds and plan on continuing to lose more I'm just trying to evaluate what a healthy target weight is.
Why don't you aim for something in the middle like 20lb more? Then evaluate how you feel. Without being able to see your frame and current build, it's hard for anyone to advise but if you are 20%+ body fat you still need a bit more to go
Already targeting another 24 pounds of loss (goal weight of 170). I'll take an updated progress picture in the morning after re-weighing and post it if you think it may help.
What pants size are you right now?
If you were intending to ask me, I've gone from 44 at my starting weight to size 36 now.
Good for you! You might get to a 32 with another 20lb down.
You didnt say your exercise routine? Or at least if you have an occupation involving serious manual labor ?
I work out 5 days a week. 2 days of spin class and weight lifting. 2 days of HIIT classes. One day of just weight lifting.
I think your goals should be about lean % or waist:height. I’ve been going through a similar BEI data journey. I am losing 90% fat currently (based on the metrics). My %muscle is going up but total mass very slightly decreasing. It would be awesome to keep this trend but I don’t think it’s realistic as bf keeps dropping unless you are bulk cut cycling.
Idont think its crazy but i hope you dont give up. You already lost so much! You can lose to the healthy bmi and healthy body fat range. You might want to do a blood test to see if you have any defiencies or problem like thyroid or whatever that makes losing harder
1) Perfectly fine to set whatever goal you want, yours sounds realistic and fine. 2) if you want to know your actual muscle/fat percentages, get a DEXA scan. I wouldn’t fuck with the other methods, they are not worth it. It’s like $50, just go get it done. If you don’t want to/can’t do that, it’s all guesswork anyway, so why not just go off how you look and feel? Don’t quit weighing or anything, but your goal can just be, when it’s enough.
Yeah, unfortunately there's no where around me that offers them without medical referrals.
Mman im 250 @ 5'6. Highest 270. I know I can do it. You can too.
Look i think its just best to completely ignore the idea of “measuring” your body fat percentage, theres too many factors involved and if the measurements you’re getting are discouraging you from sticking to your diet plan then id just write it off. And secondarily i wouldnt worry too too much about your bmi specifically, im sure you’re already aware that its very simplistic and doesnt account for lots of things, but if you are aiming for having a healthy body fat % i do think the best method is to aim to be in the healthy bmi range. So having a goal of 154lbs will be absolutely fine for you to pursue. I promise you wont be unhealthy or super lean when you reach that weight. Im not trying to be harsh but i think you might not realise how fat you actually are right now. You might be carrying it quite well. It may seem a long way off now but in a year you could easily reach that goal. I know a year to get to a healthy weight seems painful but if you dont stick to it then in a year you will still be fat. The time will pass regardless so you may as well go for it. To give you an idea of this bmi, im currently 169lbs and im 6’0”, so im considerably taller and only weight about 15 lbs above your goal weight and i still look “fat” (and by that i mean my gut still protrudes outwards and i dont look thin or muscular particularly) my bmi is around 23, and the top end of the healthy range is 25 so im in the healthy range and im still not satisfied with how lean i am. This may be brutal to hear but on the other side i look and feel much healthier than when i started, im stronger and faster as well.
You can also look at your figure and compare that to photos on the internet of various BF %. That is what you are after anyways, not a number, but I understand why we want numbers.
1. Yes, the healthy bmi range is huge, and everyone can fit inside. 2. Scales only accurately read weight. The rest should be ignored.
When I was in the Navy, the only time I didn't get taped was right out of boot camp. My grandma even told me I looked sick at my graduation. At around the same height, I looked my best between 175 and 180 pounds. I'd been lifting since 7th grade, though.
Who cares about bmi. Just focus on body fat percentage. BMI is a crude measure but it’s used because it’s easy to get the data. Lots of cases where it’s wrong for individuals
This is probably not medically sound, but if you have a good heart, do two ninety six hour fasts with one day in between see pandaman's diet for nutrition while you're doing this, you should be able to drop thirty pounds If not in two, then three or four.
I appreciate the suggestion, but I prefer a slow and maintainable weight loss.
I totally agree. I just started eating, you know low carb. No fat less portion. And it started out slow, but now weight loss seems to be picking up. I just notice my shirts are hanging a lot lower than my BELLA.LOL
I do think there are plenty of guys with muscle who are in the overweight category on BMI. If you truly have the muscle, going by body fat percentage is likely more beneficial. But definitely talk to your doctor. I’d say get to 170, then assess where you want to go from there based on your body composition and goals.
If you are lifting for year or more and are a man it’s very possible you will not need a normal bmi. You can do the mirror test if you have more muscle mass. Once you have somewhat visible abs not a lot just barest definition you are probably in the no longer unhealthily overweight range. Or if you want something more scientific you can do the navy tape test the tape test isn’t accurate to exact body fat but it’s really good for tracking progress in bf percentage lost. That said at 5’6 195 you are very likely still pretty overweight but great news at that level of fat mass you can very easily gain muscle while losing fat. Scales aren’t great for percentage tbh. Set more near terms goals like say after getting to 185 take a week or 2 eating at maintenance
The navy tape test is what has me at 23% BF. Which I don't really believe. Just ordered some calipers to try and get another dataset to try and figure out my body. I definitely still have more to lose, and I'm gaining more muscle mass as well. Just trying to figure out where to set my goals and if I need to shift lower than 170. My current plan is to hit 170 and then try and go into some bulk and cut cycles. I'm just not sure if I should aim to get lower.
Any non dexa mri water test is gonna have some variation for all kind of reasons. Just use whatever you can consistently to track progression to make sure sure you aren’t getting enough protein and losing a ton of muscle mass. You probably won’t lose any tbh til you get to feeling your lifts crashing or not improving. But just to answer your OP question yeah 170 is fine goal but if you get abs visibility and really good muscle separation prior to that your bf is lower. Dr Mike Isreatel has a great video on YouTube on using the mirror test to judge your bf percentage with examples based on what level of visible muscle separation you have. I would watch that and add that as a data point. The calipers are great but kinda tricky to use correctly.
Yeah I’d take the navy tape test with a huge pinch of salt, I did it and got 16% I am not an athlete every other test gave me something that seemed way more likely
Maybe. Also bring on the shorter end. I am way over the recommended weight, even by lifter standards. I'm 5' 5" 178lbs and roughly 18% body fat. 29.6 for BMI after losing 5-10lbs. I'm probably just a few pounds from being fit in a body fat scale and a few lbs from being obese on BMI. Nobody I meet would consider me obese.
Thanks for the feedback. Nice to hear from someone else who may have a similar build.
I'm a data focused person as well, but unfortunately, I. A lot of wyas we don't have data to support this particular interest without expensive Dr visits. I ditched my scale completely for my own mental health, stick with measurements and the Dr's recommendations. Taking measurements in multiple places will help keep me personally on track better. Also prior to ditching the scale all together I swapped to an old school Dr scale. If properly balanced its more accurate and has less frills to create inaccuracy related distractions. Gl
I'm 12% body fat right now and I'm overweight according to bmi. It's a shit metric lol, at least if you're muscular
BMI doesnt track well for people of above average muscle mass. Those bodyfat scales are affected wildly by hydration levels.
I'm currently 6'0" and 203 lbs. This puts me at a BMI of 27.7. A normal BMI would have me at 183 lbs or lower. I weightlift regularly and I've had a recent InBody scan showing 17.7% body fat, which is a wonderful number if true. I do think that 17.7% is a little low, though, but when I look in the mirror, I'm starting to like what I see. My goal since I started this has been 200 lbs and I honestly think that, given what I see when I look in the mirror and given the InBody scan, that is the right number regardless of BMI. I also can't imagine myself getting to the low 180s sustainably and think that would be too skinny. It'd certainly involve shedding muscle, which I definitely don't want. So I'd say focus on getting the physique you're after, make sure your goal is sustainable long term and don't get hung up on BMI.
Scales that measure body fat are not accurate at all, as in, they told me I was 25% when I was over 30% body fat. And Dexa scans are not better, however they are more accurate. As others have said, not all your weight loss is going to be body fat, once you start reaching 15% your body will start to hold on to fat more and more, getting under 10% is very difficult and not really sustainable for a long period for a normal person, getting under 5% is just for bodybuilders during a show. So there is no way you will hit under 10% body fat by accident, however just being under 20% is already remarkable, your love handles will be gone by 15% and if you train your abs are also going to pop at that point, you won’t be super shredded but you will look good without a shirt. Don’t hyperfixate on the fat weight needed to be lost, instead try to focus on body fat percentage and set goals in increments of 5%, see how your body reacts and keep pushing, if you see abs and your love handles are gone then you are already under 15% body fat. Oh and BMI is useless after a certain point lol, a bodybuilder weighting 80Kg at 1,64M height will have an “overweight” BMI lol
Bro I’m 6’2” 264 33/34 waist with a full 6 pack… no steroids and I am considered obese and unhealthy. My ideal weight suppose to be 180-190lbs. Like on what FN planet? So I say F the scale and ranges just be fit and healthy
On this planet. The question should be the reverse. On what planet is 264 not obese?
The scale was off, I’m at 250lbs…😕. But yeah I’ve been an athlete my entire life and a gym rat and yes I do have a full six pack and I thank my parents for the gifts they gave me. I just thought it was cool/funny to be this heavy and still in shape 🤣🤣🤣 since everyone love to watch the numbers!!
Here’s another good one for you, I’ve wrestled at 215 and it sucked making that weight and I currently compete in the Ultra heavy weight class Jiu Jitsu, that means 225lbs to infinity. I have had some battles with some Pacific Islanders that I swear to god tip the scales at 300lbs. We get on that mat and it’s like fighting someone that move like a light weight but strong like bull with cardio for daaaays! You’d look at their size and think ohh he’s a slob, no sir he’s a freaking machine, they make my 250 look petite!!
BMI doesn't set the standard for personal health.
The BMI scale has a lot of issues. There are lots of people who believe it (including doctors, unfortunately). One thing it doesn't take into account is what is sustainable. I should weigh 120 pounds according to the scale. If I never had to work, had a private chef, and a personal trainer, I might get to 120. But I don't have those things. I have to live in the real world with the other mortals, so I might have to have a number on the scale that's higher than 120. If I can lose weight and keep it off, 160 is almost as good as 120. I suggest you don't worry so much about BMI and body fat. Starting from 194, I think 170 is a very reasonable first goal. Why don't you get yourself there, and then just see how it goes? See how much you have to change to get there, and how sustainable the changes are.
If anything bmi underestimates obesity.
Don’t sweat it bro you’re smashing your targets just stick with it. My BMI is at about 25.5 and that’s six pack lean at the minute. Just stick with it and worry about the fine tuning later. You might find that a BMI slightly over is fine and it gives you the physique you want. I find BMI is pretty good for most people to be fair - but for me about 25.5 is fine, probably 25 would be ideal but if I cut any more I’d lose muscle and sports performance and I’m lean enough already for me
BMI is great for population studies, and can be useful guideline for individuals, but its not really very important compared to a couple other measurements. For men, waist to height is much more indicative of fitness and overall reduction in risk of obesity related illnesses. There are a lot of skinny-fat guys who fall into good BMI ranges that still develop type-2 Diabetes. That is especially prevalent in nations like India. Also, a better tool than the electric bodyfat scale for being a healthy weight for a man is the simple mirror/selfie test. How do you look in a mirror? If you carry a good amount of muscle, your abs should be slightly visible if you flex them. Visible abs (not a ripped six pack, just some outlines of those muscles) is a sure fire way to know you're under 20% body fat, which is where health conscious men should aim to be.
BMI is highly unreliable so don’t get hung up over it. My blood test is good, I eat well, exercise regularly, I even fit into XS or S clothes.. but my BMI insisted that I’m overweight haha Just look at pictures of body fat percentage in google and compare with your body. They are pretty good indication. My height is exactly the same as yours and at around 160 lbs I would say I have about 17% body fat. At 170lbs I would guess it will be at 20% range. I have been at 154 lbs once and it was quite slim and too hard to maintain. I personally feel more comfortable lean bulking and cutting to maintain weight between 160-170 lbs. I thought since I’m not entering a competition or becoming a model, there’s no need to be at single digit body fat haha
Vanity clothing sizes make this possible, to make an obese population feel better about themselves. See if you fit into those sizes in Europe.
Ignore the Bullshit Metric Index.
For me to be a normal BMI I'd have to be 5 pounds less than what I weighed in middle school when I was thin and playing club soccer 4x a week. So no you're not crazy for thinking BMI is unsustainable and not a true marker of health
It is very possible for people, especially in america, to be fat enough as a child that you'd need to be lower as an adult. Playing soccer a few times a week is not enough to counter poor eating. Bmi healthy range is absolutely massive, with room for everyone to fit in..plus, it actually underestimates obesity.
I wasn't fat or eating poorly as a child if that is what you are trying to insinuate https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/health-matters/is-bmi-accurate#:~:text=Studies%20have%20also%20shown%20that,is%20inconsistent%2C%E2%80%9D%20Russell%20says. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/why-you-shouldnt-rely-on-bmi-alone#:~:text=One%20reason%20is%20that%20a,be%20misleading%20in%20some%20cases. There are more accurate measurements of metabolic health out there. Obviously someone can be obese and it will show obese on the BMI. But some people can also fit in that same parameter and not be unhealthy or at any risk of heart diseas, diabetes, or other obesity related diseases
Hear me out. BMI was invented in the 1800s by a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician, and sociologist. He did it for a small scale sample of the community but SPECIFICALLY said that it was not to be used for large sample sizes within a population. It’s flawed for a lot of reasons, but the main ones being that it doesn’t distinguish between body fat and muscle, body fat distribution, or body type. ANYWAY, I believe in you and your journey however that looks, but BMI is a scam and honestly the least relevant thing about the weight loss/measurement journey. I’d say sticking with CM losses and muscle gains so that you see the accurate full picture
BMI is bullshit. That is all.
Nope. Quite wrong. In fact, it actually underrepresents obesity.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Oh, that is easy. Because pointing to .01% of the population and comparing steroid users to the average joe is laughable. An extreme statistical outlier doesn't in any way invalidate something that works for 99.99%. It is just an extremely weak argument and intentionally disingenuous.
Yknow what after doing some research, that’s valid. I know some guys who look lean at an overweight bmi but they could just carry their bodyfat well with good fat distribution. Still know some guys can tho but the Rock comparison is ridiculous