What's a good Body fat % to be healthy?

[Papagayo]

What's a good body fat % to have to be healthy?

I bought one of the weight scales (from Sharper Image) that calculates body fat (have no idea how it works). I'm not sure how accurate it is, but my body fat is between 20% to 22%..

I'm 5'7" and now I weigh about 158lb. Lost 15 pounds in 2 months..

 

[Juno]

i think 16% is good, i don't know. your weight should be fine.

i was 5'8" and 155 back in high school senior year and my doctor told me to lose 10 pounds because i was 10 pounds over the average. right now i'm still 5'8" and gained to 185 thanks to workout program. no matter how heavy i am but i'm still bulked up.

 

[xospec1alk]

i read somewhere that reading your bf% at night is more accurate than in the morning. something about body composition or something and how those at-home things work...just an fyi

 

[Ika]

16% is fine. I think the average is 14%, but really, don't sweat it. Just make sure you stay active, and that's all that really matters.

 

[Special K]

Those scales use bioelectrical impedance to give you a bodyfat reading, and are highly inaccurate. You can change the reading quite a bit depending on your hydration levels and amount of muscle.

 

[axelfox]

Michael Jordan had something like 7%?

 

[NanoStuff]

The less you have, and the less your body weight deviates, the longer you will live. I think that pretty much answers it.

I wouldn't worry about 20%, but if you want less, go for it.

 

[vi edit]

Those scales are wildly innaccurate. But then ,measuring by calipers can be too.

Personally I'd try and shoot for under 18%.

20%-22% is a little flabby IMHO.

 

[Itchrelief]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
20%-22% is a little flabby IMHO.

But he would make a great burger?

 

[FoBoT]

22 is ok

 

[jlbenedict]

20% is still considered to be healthy..

but, the lower the bodyfat, the bigger your e-penis will be
trust me.. do a search

 

[Whisper]

I remember hearing a recommendation somewhere of 15% as being quite "healthy," although I could be wrong. I think it's 30% that's considered obese (or thereabouts), so at least you're quite a ways below that

I also recall seeing a graph somewhere showing the different average bf %ages of various types of athletes. NBA players were around 8-10%, baseball players around 12-15%, etc. Olympians were the lowest, being in the ~5% range.

 

[zendari]

16-18 I think is a reasonable target for anyone.

 

[Scarpozzi]

If you get around 10% it's hard to float when you swim... I like staying between 12-18%...I'm probably over 20% now, but should be back in my range in another 2 weeks.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Our general goals at the gym were to drop people under 30% (supposedly about halves the health risks associated) and then drop them under 20% (about halves them again). Anything below 20% are smaller gains. For the more athletic we went for 10-12% for the guys and 14-16% for the girls.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: Special K
Those scales use bioelectrical impedance to give you a bodyfat reading, and are highly inaccurate. You can change the reading quite a bit depending on your hydration levels and amount of muscle.

Good point. You should really test yourself every day for about a month, at different times and so on. Then look at your data and ballpark it. After that start taking it at least once a month at roughly the same time to watch for changes.

 

[BoldAsLove]

Im 13% now, and i consider myself pretty healthy...I am 6'1 163

 

[sash1]

Originally posted by: axelfox
Michael Jordan had something like 7%?

yeah, but he was an athlete. Mine was 5% back in HS. Now I think I'm around 8-9%

I think average is around 15%, though I'm really not sure

 

[iwantanewcomputer]

lower != healthier. i really doubt anything under 15% makes you healthier, given reasonable levels of cholesterol/ blood fat etc. I'm not sure, but it may make you more susceptible to getting sick if you have an extremely low BF.

african marathoners who run 150+miles a week often have 5-10%...same with bodybuilders.

 

[azoomee]

Key thing -- assuming you're a guy the teens (lower) is good.

If you're a woman, then my understanding was that it should be in the low 20's or maybe high-teens.

 

[Koing]

10-15% is something to shoot for. If your 15-20 you should be definately within that range. If your 21-25% you should be just about there or 16-18% but it really should be lower.

Having your bf% too low for long periods is not good for you. You will be more suspectible to getting ill!

Koing

 

[Deeko]

I'm your height and weight, I'm about 9%

 

[SVT Cobra]

Those scales are not accurate, especially if you exercise more than twice a week.

Go buy a real BF measurer.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

Originally posted by: Koing
10-15% is something to shoot for. If your 15-20 you should be definately within that range. If your 21-25% you should be just about there or 16-18% but it really should be lower.

Having your bf% too low for long periods is not good for you. You will be more suspectible to getting ill!

Koing

my bodyfat % is about 8% the last time i measureed with caliper. i'm 5'10" 150 lbs, but i consider myself to be athletic/cut. i've never been healthier, so i guess it depends. low body fat is definitely bad if you are a woman, or a guy who doesn't excercise (aka geek skinny). but if you hit the gym often, and you control your eating, then it should be fine. good job on the weight loss.

 

[Papagayo]

Thanks..
I am trying to lose some of the fat. I do consider myself pretty good fit. But losing less than 20% seems to be hard..


My abs are starting to show through my tummy fat..