Body Fat in Women

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spicypumpkin

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I have been doing weight training for about a year. I have gained a lot of weight going from about 105 lbs to 117 where I am now. My question is, what is the minimum healthy amount of body fat a woman can have? I read the sticky and it said that you should not go below 16%. But I am around 18-19 percent, and I can't see any muscle definition at all. Maybe my body fat scale is off or something. Should I be measuring it in the morning before I have eaten anything? I think the scale may be giving me lower numbers because I have been weighing myself at the end of the day, after I have eaten. Last night, I got on the scale and it said my fat % was 15. I had eaten a lot and I had drank a lot of water that day. This morning, before I ate anything, it said I was at 20.9%. Big difference. So, Here are all of my questions:

What is the lowest body fat % a woman can go before it gets to be unhealthy?

At what body fat % do muscles start to show?

When and how should I be testing my body fat to ensure an accurate reading from my scale?

By the way, I am 17, 5'6" and I weigh 117lbs.
 
I won't state the minimum bf% because I'm no expert at that, but I will say these things;

- Scales which "claim" to measure bf% are made of epic phail
- Whether muscles in a certain part of your body are visible or not, depends mostly on whether your body has decided to store fat there and prioritise it over other areas.
If you keep losing fat, chances are your muscles will show, however depending on your genetics, this may never be achievable while keeping a healthy amount of fat - for that specific area.

I'd say the best time to measure your bodyfat is when you're not full or hungry. How? With measuring tape. There are several good formulas online which combine several different measurements and other characteristics (like the weight, height and age) to give a more accurate bf% estimate.


Everyone is different.
 
Those body fat measuring scales are grossly inacurate and usually as you found not even consistent. And those formulas based on circumerance measurements are also not very acurate for most people. The best body fat estimation method is by skin fold calipers. The more skin folds taken the more acurate it is, but it must be done by a well trained person to be acurate. The time of the day or hunger level should not affect the accuracy of the measurement.

One way to know that you have reached an unhealthy (for you) body fat level is when you stop menstrating. I think that ranges from 8-15% for most women, but that is a very large range, so you need to determine what is healthy for you.

Muscle will show differently in different parts of your body, depending on where you tend to store fat. If you are a pear shape you might have great definition in your arms and upper torso and still have a lard butt and thighs, and vice versa.
 
Sorry. I meant, how do I get the most accurate reading from my scale? I don't have the money to do any of the fancy stuff, and I don't have the time or transportation to go to someone who knows how to use calipers.
 
If you don't have the owners manual, I'm sure you could find it online. It should tell you how to get the most accurate reading for the scale. I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but I don't think you can get a consistently accurate reading with electronic scales. If you could get it done with calipers one time, and take pictures of yourself, you could somewhat gauge your gains and losses from there. Just a suggestion. Good luck.
 
These scales are highly inaccurate for your actual results. However, if you do things properly you MAY be able to use it to judge progress (constant move downwards of number).

Hydration and same time of day will be key. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis works off of two charges sent through the body. Fat act as a conductor of those charges, more fat, less travel time. However, it also bounces off of muscle tissue and water. The less water you have the higher your body fat % will be.

I tell people if you must use one of those scales make sure you do your weigh in for lbs/kg in the morning and body fat readings at night.

Hope this helps.
 
Wouldn’t it depend on your build, not just numbers on a scale or graph? Like, for me, I’m just under 120 lbs at 5 feet three inches, but my doc would “love” me to stay under 114 or so. That said, being that I don’t tend to gain in my upper body (read, I’m flat chested), I have nice defined arms but more of a pear shaped bottom than I care to have . . .
 
I don't think body fat should depend on build. I think you're confusing it with weight, at least when your talking in health terms. I want as high a weight as possible and as low a body fat percentage as possible. As long as I stay around 120 lbs, I'm fine. I really wouldn't mind weighing more.

I too am stuck with a small chest. I discovered that I just don't put on fat in my chest area or my bottom for that matter. It all goes to my belly. Since that's not the shape I want, and I can never get anything different by gaining fat, I've decided to gain muscle. My arms are bigger than they were. I've also focused on my chest a lot. But, I've discovered that I need really low body fat to see my abs, since that's where all of the fat goes. So you're right in the sense that your build dictates where your body fat goes, but not whether or not your amount body fat is healthy.
 
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