What's a good body fat %?
 

I just ordered one of those fancy scales which reads out your body fat percentage. That's great and all, but I don't have any clue what a healthy body fat range is. Can somebody help me with that? I'm a 26 year old healthy woman - not athletic. Thanks!

Paty

Hi, Paty
 

I have one of those too. Yours didn't come with a book?

Anyway, anything over 25% for anyone is considered too high. At your age, around 20% would be considered a good number for someone not athletic. Women should have a higher % than men. OF course, the lower the number the more cut you would look.

Ahhh... I ordered the scale from drugstore.com & it hasn't come in the mail yet. I wondered if there'd be some kind of handbook referring to BF %. Glad to know there is. Thanks for your info!

Paty

Any recommendations for which scale to get?

And, do we really trust that it accurately measures body fat?

My understanding was that the only truly accurate way is the submersion/displacement method, and that the electrical conductivity method was completely unreliable.

Re: What's a good body fat %?
 

Paty, check out the attached graph at the end of the first post in this thread : Using BF% as goal. It will give you an idea of BF% at various weights.

HTH
Nat

Hi, Joseph...
 

I have the Tanita scale.

I don't know how accurate it is (or is not), but I do know that mine, my two daughters and their boyfriends, and my husband have all been on it and the % seems appropriate for our weight/fitness levels.

Body fat scales
 

That is not necessarily true. Even the underwater weight method is not completely reliable. They just guess at how much air is left in your lungs while you are under water.
Just like your weight, your body fat reading on a scale will change through the day because of your hydration level. The higher your hydration level, the better your body conducts electricity. So, the more hydrated you are, the lower the reading. If you are into the numbers, this is the good/bad part. First thing in the morning, you are usually dehydrated. Your weight is the lowest it will be all day (the good), but your body fat percentage checks the higest (the bad). Pick a time to check you body fat, and stick to it. (I check first thing in the morning) If you are what Tanita considers "an athlete" (You exercize more than 10 hours a week, and have been doing this for quite a while AND your resting heart rate is 60 bpm or less), you should consider getting a scale with an athlete setting. If you share the scale with another person, look for a scale that allows multiple configurations.
In the long run, what you are really looking for, is a reference to let you know if you are gaining or losing body fat. The body fat scales do this better and far easier than any other method.