Body fat questions...

[runnergirl]

So I got measured at 21% with calipers, which seems about right. I did the math, and to get to 17 or 18% I need to lose about 7 lbs of fat.

For those who have low bf, is it genetic? Do you have to work to maintain that #?

All other things being equal, is the effort to get down to a "competative" bf worth it for racing, will 7 lbs alter my ability to climb? (Bikemomma, pink kona?)

[Nanci]

http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12207

Runnergirl,

Look at this article, it explains exactly how losing fat will help you climb.

Nanci

[runnergirl]

As with most cycling things, the article is fairly male specific (if I were a guy, my height weight ratio would place me as a top notch climber-clearly the formula doesn't translate).

The mt. Bike chick website had an interesting article about anaorexia in female pros that discussed climbing vs. sprinting in women's races that was somewhat helpful, but still fairly detached from the level I am at now. I was hoping some ladies who have raced/are racing might have personal insight to share.

[Dogmama]

You don't say how old you are, but 21% BF is pretty darn good!

You need to make sure you don't lose muscle with the fat. Muscle burns lots more calories than fat. Nutrition is the key. If you're determined, you might want to start at fitday.com. You can log your daily food in & get an idea of your calories, fat & carb %, etc.

[Musclicious505]

hi runnergirl - I dont know that my response will be a lot of help from a racing standpoint but I am a former bodybuilder and i generally keep my bodyfat pretty low year round. Im usually about 12 in my "off season" and 9 ish right now. For me the secret is moderation in eating year round and not letting it drift much higher. I do eat whatever I want once or twice a week and the rest of the week its fairly high protein, lo fat and moderate carbs. The challenge for me with cycling is making sure I get enough carbs to get me through the rides. I find that cycling definately has helped me keep the bodyfat low and I am able to eat more calories now that I am riding about 5 times a week (plus indoor cardio like the elliptical trainer). I know it sounds like a lot of sacrifice but keeping my weight and bodyfat down helps tremendously with pretty much any endurance type sport. I have a pic on yahoo member profiles under the name musclicious505 if you wanna see how about 7 ish percent looks on me. Im not a bodybuilder anymore but still compete now and then in figure contests and hope to try racing next summer.

[Pedal Wench]

Someone buy that girl an Oreo...

hi runnergirl - I dont know that my response will be a lot of help from a racing standpoint but I am a former bodybuilder and i generally keep my bodyfat pretty low year round. Im usually about 12 in my "off season" and 9 ish right now. For me the secret is moderation in eating year round and not letting it drift much higher. I do eat whatever I want once or twice a week and the rest of the week its fairly high protein, lo fat and moderate carbs. The challenge for me with cycling is making sure I get enough carbs to get me through the rides. I find that cycling definately has helped me keep the bodyfat low and I am able to eat more calories now that I am riding about 5 times a week (plus indoor cardio like the elliptical trainer). I know it sounds like a lot of sacrifice but keeping my weight and bodyfat down helps tremendously with pretty much any endurance type sport. I have a pic on yahoo member profiles under the name musclicious505 if you wanna see how about 7 ish percent looks on me. Im not a bodybuilder anymore but still compete now and then in figure contests and hope to try racing next summer.

[Dogmama]

hi runnergirl - I have a pic on yahoo member profiles under the name musclicious505 if you wanna see how about 7 ish percent looks on me. Im not a bodybuilder anymore but still compete now and then in figure contests and hope to try racing next summer.

Wow! You look fabulous! How often do you lift when you're riding 5X week?? Do you do splits or full body? I want your legs!

[CatBerge]

Runnergirl...I've been off the radar for a while... But I think that there are exceptions to the rule about being light and a climber. I am pretty heavy for being 5ft5 inc. I weigh between 126-132 depending on the year. I am one of the fastest women climbers in ultradistance events. I have the Course record for the Everest Challenge, 29,000 ft of climbing in 220 miles and usually ride with the fastest men in ultra-events with a lot of climbing.
I would guess my body fat is around 14%. I don't really keep track of any of that.... but those are the estimates a personal trainer gave to me, and was measured by my sports doctor at one time.
According to charts in some bicycling magazines... they say that I should be a sprinter.... well those charts obviously are just generalizations and do not apply to us all.
Cheers,
Cat.

[KSH]

re: body fat scales - most are not that accurate. Their value lies in their being consistently inaccurate. So, they are good as a tracking tool, but you shouldn't necessarily take them too seriously.

That's the truth. I spent extra money buying one that measured body fat... and it said I was at 23%, which might be correct? Not sure. At my leanest, I was at 18%... and I have gained some fat... so I am sure it has gone up.

Then, I stepped on the scale another day... I had gained 1 pound... and it said I was at 25% body fat. Yea. Right.

I returned that scale and spent less money on one that just tells me how much I weigh.

[madisongrrl]

Are these body fat scales usually higher or lower than your actual body fat reading? I've heard mixed information...

[natheless]

KSH - You get the best result with the BF scales by averaging readings taken over several days - you can fluctuate quite a bit based on time of day, hydration level, etc. I like my BF scale, despite its flaws, because I have been trying to get away from putting too much stock in just the number on the scale, which tells you so little about your body composition.

It depends on your needs - sometimes, it seems far easier to just go by the way your pants fit!


Madisongrrl - From what I saw when I was researching them, they usually overestimate BF, at least for women (this is because they really only test the lower half of the body, and that's where most women tend to store the most fat.) So, your BF would generally be 5-7% lower than your scale reading.

[btchance]

I have a question in the opposite direction, how do you know you are too low on body fat, and what is an approximate number?

I ask this because 6mo ago I was measured by the nutrition doctors at the university at 17%, while their recommended bottom number was 21, although they didn't think 17 would be a problem. I have since started exercising a lot more, and have dropped down a couple of sizes without losing any weight or eating differently. Now I have started to have irregular periods, which the doctors attribute to stress, but I don't know about that as I have been similar stress levels for years, and this actually started during a break from most of the stress. This is worrisome to me because I already have pretty small bones. When I broke my arm in multiple places when I was 20, they actually did a bone density scan because the density looked pretty light on x-ray, and when they operated, the surgeon said my bones were the size of an 11yo, so this is definately something I'm worried about.

[Grog]

I heard about 12% being a serious health treshold, but I haven't researched this. I'm kind of worried too. Let me know what information you find... and what we should do about it.

[Adventure Girl]

The only method to get an absolutely accurate measurement of body fat percentage is...
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an autopsy.

[Yasmin]

I have a question in the opposite direction, how do you know you are too low on body fat, and what is an approximate number?

I ask this because 6mo ago I was measured by the nutrition doctors at the university at 17%, while their recommended bottom number was 21, although they didn't think 17 would be a problem. I have since started exercising a lot more, and have dropped down a couple of sizes without losing any weight or eating differently. Now I have started to have irregular periods, which the doctors attribute to stress, but I don't know about that as I have been similar stress levels for years, and this actually started during a break from most of the stress. This is worrisome to me because I already have pretty small bones. When I broke my arm in multiple places when I was 20, they actually did a bone density scan because the density looked pretty light on x-ray, and when they operated, the surgeon said my bones were the size of an 11yo, so this is definately something I'm worried about.

When you start missing periods & are nowhere near menopause you can assume your body fat is getting too low. I know because I struggle with this problem myself. Eat, my dear, eat. Your body is putting on muscle & replacing the fat. Even though the scales read the same it sounds like this is what's going on. Muscle will have you burn up more energy...good if you want to lose weight, bad if you're trying to maintain. Don't be afraid of the food, your body is telling you it needs it.An example for you: last week I cycled 525km because I'm in training for a major 200km hill ride event in Jan 06. I wear a heart-rate monitor which tells me how much energy I burn up. For me to maintain at 50kg (112lbs) I require about 4,000kcals/day. This is double the average. If I fall below 50kg I lose energy & my periods mess up.
If you're at risk of osteoporosis (thin bones) the last thing you want your body thinking is that you're starving it because it will take calcium & minerals from your bones. Vicious circle.
Good luck!
Yasmin.