Author Topic: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.  (Read 2426 times)

BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« on: 27 March, 2017, 02:03:26 pm »
Just for fun we used one of those machines in some shops that measure you for height, weight, etc. What does it all mean?

My bmi is dead centre ok, body fat worryingly is only just in the average for my age. I've always been tall and thin. At just over 30 i filled out but never had a middle aged spread or even much of a belly. People who i work with see me as a skinny guy who's quite fit and healthy. I eat what i want and never put on weight. I've been 12 stone 7lb for probably 18 years.

So what's with the borderline poor fat content?

We've bought a body analyser scales, partly for my geekiness but also to check the stats every 3 weeks or so. Don't see the point checking more frequently.

So what should I do to get the most out of the scales and for health? I've restarted the daily cycle commute after 4 months off. 15 miles round trip which gives me a relatively short 54 to 60 minutes cycling per day.

If my goals are to reduce fat content and increase lean body mass, what should I do?

BTW diet is ok. A mixture of vegetarian, oily fish and red meat once a week. I don't eat much sweet things and try to avoid processed foods. I'm a bit low on fruit though purely because I just can't get on with a lot of them. I can't think of any i particularly like, mostly tolerate fruit.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« Reply #1 on: 27 March, 2017, 03:03:59 pm »
I think we have discussed in previous threads that these machines are not very accurate.

IMHO a dirt-cheap tape measure is more useful.
Combine this with skinfold callipers, an accurate weighing machine and a Mark I eyeball, you can gauge fat distribution and much else.


Re: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« Reply #2 on: 27 March, 2017, 03:32:52 pm »


If my goals are to reduce fat content and increase lean body mass, what should I do?

Eat a little under maintenance, with enough protein for activity level and lift heavy stuff

Re: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« Reply #3 on: 27 March, 2017, 03:51:31 pm »

So what should I do to get the most out of the scales and for health?
Put the scales in a pannier and ride up hills.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« Reply #4 on: 28 March, 2017, 12:28:25 am »


If my goals are to reduce fat content and increase lean body mass, what should I do?

Eat a little under maintenance, with enough protein for activity level and lift heavy stuff

This. Decrease carbs, increase protein and lift heavy weights.

Re: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« Reply #5 on: 28 March, 2017, 12:20:37 pm »
Perhaps it's better to maintain lean body mass but reduce fat percentage. Not looking for the muscle look but more about better performance on the bike and general health. I've got the leg strength for cycling and I work the core at home. It's the fat percentage that's a bit too high for me. Used to be 12 to 15%, now on the borderline between average and poor about late 20s / early 30% IIRC

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« Reply #6 on: 28 March, 2017, 12:31:45 pm »
I did a bit of work on measuring fat percentage a few years ago.  There are several exotic ways to measure it, of which your scales with electrodes are the worst, and a set of skinfold measurements are hard to beat.

simonp

Re: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« Reply #7 on: 28 March, 2017, 12:56:20 pm »
For low-cost way to track body fat %, get one of these:

http://www.accumeasurefitness.com/accu-measure-fitness-3000-body-fat-caliper.html

Based on recent results, in "athlete" mode body fat scales roughly match the value I get with these, i.e. around 15% body fat. (8-10mm suprailiac skinfold).

In standard mode the scales are >20%.

They do need a little skill to use but the design is clever - it has a click action which indicates when the correct pressure has been applied and then you release.

Re: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« Reply #8 on: 28 March, 2017, 03:12:55 pm »
Perhaps it's better to maintain lean body mass but reduce fat percentage. Not looking for the muscle look but more about better performance on the bike and general health. I've got the leg strength for cycling and I work the core at home. It's the fat percentage that's a bit too high for me. Used to be 12 to 15%, now on the borderline between average and poor about late 20s / early 30% IIRC

If you want to drop fat you will also drop muscle.

The best way to minimize muscle loss while cutting is to ensure adequate protein while cutting food and to have some element of resistance training to maintain most of your muscle. (As an aside the amount of protein generally recommended by strength coaches etc always seems really high to me but see what works for you)

If you are new to resistance training, you may have the Holy Grail of losing fat and gaining muscle but it won't last long.

In general strength athletes are generally in a cut or bulk .

Re: BMI, BMR, Body Fat, Lean Body Mass, Percentage Water, etc.
« Reply #9 on: 29 March, 2017, 12:05:34 am »
Perhaps it's better to maintain lean body mass but reduce fat percentage. Not looking for the muscle look but more about better performance on the bike and general health. I've got the leg strength for cycling and I work the core at home. It's the fat percentage that's a bit too high for me. Used to be 12 to 15%, now on the borderline between average and poor about late 20s / early 30% IIRC

If you want to drop fat you will also drop muscle.

The best way to minimize muscle loss while cutting is to ensure adequate protein while cutting food and to have some element of resistance training to maintain most of your muscle. (As an aside the amount of protein generally recommended by strength coaches etc always seems really high to me but see what works for you)

If you are new to resistance training, you may have the Holy Grail of losing fat and gaining muscle but it won't last long.

In general strength athletes are generally in a cut or bulk .

If you're on the wrong side of 20% and relatively new to weight lifting, both are doable.