Care to talk Body Fat with me?

[KingCanuteIAm]

I have been introduced to the concept of body fat as being a better measure of how you are physically than weight....which has left me with a few questions

So, I am 30 and weigh X which is about 1 stone more than I weighed when I was 25 and about 2 stone more than when I was 17.

Going on weight I think I would like to lose about 1.5 stone.

Going on body shape I think I need to lose at least that, if not slightly more - but I can only judge that as it happens IYSWIM.

But, according to the body fat thingy I am slap in the middle of the ideal range - the ranges go Lean, Ideal, Average, Above Average.

So, the question - see, there was one
If I lose 1.5 stone, will I drop out into the lean section on the body fat scale and is that a bad thing?

I just have no idea what i am doing - I had just got the hang of scales and someone goes and throws in all this new fangled stuff... Arrgggghhhh!

so how do you work out your body fat then?

Surely it depends on your shape too? I don't know much about it tbh, but although I could do to lose 21 lbs or so, I've still got great shape, so carry the extra lbs fairly well.

Ideally you need to use a combination of:
BMI (or perhaps weight for height)
Waist to Height ratio
and Percentage Body Fat.

Just using 1 of these will not give an accurate picture.

Body fat is taken with calipers - you literally pull the fat way from the muscle and measure it. Do a calculation or two and you have you % body fat - simple
You can get body fat machines but they are not all the reliable - unless you get expensive ones!

Knickknack, talk to me about waist/weight to height? I don't like BMI, it seems horrendously flawed to me!

Solo, I can carry a stone happily, however, after that it tends to "pool" around my hips/bum/thighs turning me into a proper pear shape (which I am not usually).

I also don't want to get caught in the trap of aiming to weigh the same as I did when I was 18 and end up in a horrid up/down cycle. I just want to get to a point that is healthy for me (both weight/fat and fitness). To do it I need to know exactly how to measure that!

Canute, it might be Thur evening before I get a chance to reply properly...I'll come armed with facts and figures

Oh, that is great Knickknack, I would really appreciate it. I hate feeling half informed - I always have the over-ridding feeling that a little knowledge can be dangerous

havent forgotten about you! just very busy, will definitely be on here all daysometime on Sunday

BMI = weight/(height)2
ie weight divided by (height squared)
This shows your weight in relation to your height.
40 extremely obese
It does not take into consideration the fact that muscle weighs more than fat.
However it is still a good indicator (obvious exceptions include bodybuilder and long distance athlete)

Waist:Hip Ratio (WHR)
Relates to the distribution of fat within the body.
Measure waist at narrowest point.
Measure hips/buttocks at widest point.
WHR = waist divided by hips
Women: WHR greater than 0.8= apple shaped (more at risk from cardiovascular disease and diabetes etc)
WHR less than 0.8 = pear shaped (less at risk).

% Body Fat
Measures fat just below the skin, from several parts of the body, using skin fold calipers.
Not a very accurate way of determining obesity...but useful as another indicator.
Women: more than 30% body fat = obese.

Of the 3, BMI is the most accurate for most people.

Does any of that help?