Please help with my body fat percentage?

Question

i always was terrified of my weight for being 216 at 5'11. i thought i was just fat and no muscle or anything, cuz i use to weight 260 and slimmed down. when my family asks how much i weigh and i tell them, they dont really believe me, they think i weigh less.

so i did lots of online body fat tests with measurements and such, and they all come out to 17.5 %, 178.2 lbs of lean muscle, bone, and water, and 37 pounds of fat. is this good? im asking because it says i have 17% body fat, but 37lbs of fat seems like alot. please help.

also, i do work out and am defined although not liek a body builder or such, and i do have a belly not huge but not flat either, but does have an outline of a 4 pack and the pecs and stuff. idk. just please help im confused

Answer 1

Consult a specialized dietitian.

Answer 2

There really is nothing wrong with your body fat percent but if you would like a better appearance then i would definitely recommend improving your daily habits. Look into exercising and eating better. A good combination of both with slowly drop your body fat percent over time.

Answer 3

The only way to get an accurate BMI is a dunk tank. All others are estimates that may not fit your body type. At 6'1" and 205 all the tests say I am 25 to 40 lbs. overweight. But my doctor says my weight is perfect for my muscle mass and build. You may want to get down around 200 from the way you describe yourself, but surely not much lower if you lift.

Answer 4

First of all, you're one step ahead of the curve by simply understanding that body composition is a much more accurate measure of overall health than weight. While there are several factors contributing to ideal body fat percentage including age, gender, height and weight...your 17.5% is average if you are not yet 30, and ideal if you are over 30. If you want to lean out, 15% is a good goal to start. As long as you are below 20% you are avoiding serious risk factors concerning your heart. In addition, most toxins that are stored in fat are reduced as you build muscle and burn fat. Congrats on your progress so far.

Also, online fat tests are very inaccurate. If you can, visit a local university or health club that can give you a proper body comp test. Even those have large margins of error, but can be very helpful to approximate your fat percentage and spot trends in losses/gains.