I went to get body fat percentage checked out of curiosity, since I haven't had it done since high school and the dreaded calipers. Anyway, it was lower than I anticipated (which was weird because there is still fat I want to get rid of), and the "fitness trainer" on campus wanted to have a talk with me about body fat percentage, and how if it goes below 20% women have problems with not enough estrogen circulating, and it could cause permanent damage (including the ability to have kids in the future).
I told her I have been working hard to loose weight, I've been lifting, eating properly, cardio, and am happy with the results so far but that I wasn't at goal yet. I told her I wasn't tied to a number on the scale, but that goal is essentially a flat stomach, or rather, to have an "athletic, toned, muscular body." She said to me, "Do you want to be skinny or healthy?" I was shocked. I didn't think I had to choose. I told her I didn't want to be a stick- I'm proud of muscles. She was essentially telling me that goals were not healthy.
But I look at the pictures here of women who have been working out awhile, I look at pictures of the hundreds of women athletes that I would love to look like, and I can't imagine that they would be considered unhealthy. I'm thinking that since she is a campus "fitness trainer" she is used to dealing with 18/19 year olds who are anorexic or something, not women who want muscle (which she actually mentioned how women don't want muscle- when I told her I wasn't one of them, that I do want muscle).
It just really upset me that she was telling me goals were unreasonable when I see other women accomplishing similar goals that appear healthy. I don't think goals are unhealthy, and I'm not trying to obtain them in an unhealthy way. Like I said, I eat (a lot, 6-8 meals a day every 2-3 hours with a goal about 1700 cal/day because there is still some fat I want to loose around the waist), I have switched to full body workouts 3x a week, and cardio (HIIT and long distance running on different days).
Do other women who have been exercising awhile (I'm only at 6 month mark) and are at or around their main body goals (I know we're always tweaking our goals, but are close to where they want to maintain) have problems or told their body fat percentage is too low? For women athletes, what would a goal body fat percentage be?
Any comments or ideas (or even encouragement or if you agree with her, I guess it doesn't hurt to get multiple opinions) would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Body Fat Percentage vs. "Being Healthy"
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cassiegose
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Hello,
Wow I can see your frustration. I would definitely be a little upset to get that kind of advice from a "trainer". In opinion (and please keep in mind that I am not a doctor) I do not think 20% body fat isnt any way unhealthy. At 20% body fat you would fall into the "athletic" range on the body fat chart. I think if you were to get below 12% and keep it there for an extended amount of time then there would be something to worry about. I'm in the process of training for a show and goal is to get body fat down to 14-15%. If I thought having this low was going to prevent me from having kids in the future or if I thought that i was permanently damaging body i defintely wouldn't be trying to reach this goal.
I think the fact that she asked you if you want to be "skinny or healthy" indicates that A) she has dealt with alot of girls with eating disorders and perhaps misunderstood your goals? Or B) She is an idiot. I know that eating disorders are insanely common amoung young women so perhaps she was just concerned that you were headed in that direction? I honestly hate the term "skinny". I definitely don't think that a person with less fat on their body is compromising their health in any way... unless of course they are actually anorexic or are maintaining a dangerously low amount of body fat for an extended amount of time. Even female bodybuilders will get their down to the single digits when preparing for a show... however they only keep it that low long enough to compete then get it back up to double digits.
advice to you... Next time maybe go to a gym and have a personal trainer there measure your body fat. It sounds like you are on the right track and I think its great that you are trying to gain muscle. As I said, I'm not a member of the medical profession nor am I in any way encouraging you to get your down to dangerously low levels. But I do think that it is possible for a young lady to maintain an athletic range of without compromising their health.
Good luck to you girl! :)
Cassie
Wow I can see your frustration. I would definitely be a little upset to get that kind of advice from a "trainer". In opinion (and please keep in mind that I am not a doctor) I do not think 20% body fat isnt any way unhealthy. At 20% body fat you would fall into the "athletic" range on the body fat chart. I think if you were to get below 12% and keep it there for an extended amount of time then there would be something to worry about. I'm in the process of training for a show and goal is to get body fat down to 14-15%. If I thought having this low was going to prevent me from having kids in the future or if I thought that i was permanently damaging body i defintely wouldn't be trying to reach this goal.
I think the fact that she asked you if you want to be "skinny or healthy" indicates that A) she has dealt with alot of girls with eating disorders and perhaps misunderstood your goals? Or B) She is an idiot. I know that eating disorders are insanely common amoung young women so perhaps she was just concerned that you were headed in that direction? I honestly hate the term "skinny". I definitely don't think that a person with less fat on their body is compromising their health in any way... unless of course they are actually anorexic or are maintaining a dangerously low amount of body fat for an extended amount of time. Even female bodybuilders will get their down to the single digits when preparing for a show... however they only keep it that low long enough to compete then get it back up to double digits.
advice to you... Next time maybe go to a gym and have a personal trainer there measure your body fat. It sounds like you are on the right track and I think its great that you are trying to gain muscle. As I said, I'm not a member of the medical profession nor am I in any way encouraging you to get your down to dangerously low levels. But I do think that it is possible for a young lady to maintain an athletic range of without compromising their health.
Good luck to you girl! :)
Cassie
Last edited by cassiegose on Fri Jun 19, 2009 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Great words of advice Cassie!
teppum42,
According to the American Council on Exercise, a healthy body fat % for a female is between 20-25% I am going to agree with Cassie on her interpretation of the trainer. I'm guessing she misunderstood you or she's an idiot. While triathlon training body fat got as low as 15% and I had many friends telling me I looked anorexic. Looking back at pictures I must agree. Just had mine done at the gym the other day and now I'm around 20%. I feel healthier than ever and don't desire to go much below that unless I compete again.
It irritates me more than anything when I hear a trainer make statements like, "women don't want muscle". Does that mean the alternative would be that they want fat? Of course not! Since I began training, most women I speak to who are interested in getting fit want to be healthy and toned. Unless your passion is bodybuilding, which would be where the "big muscles" come into play. From what I read, you're doing exactly what you need to be doing and your body will thank you for it! Good luck to you and all your endeavors. Keep up the great work
teppum42,
According to the American Council on Exercise, a healthy body fat % for a female is between 20-25% I am going to agree with Cassie on her interpretation of the trainer. I'm guessing she misunderstood you or she's an idiot. While triathlon training body fat got as low as 15% and I had many friends telling me I looked anorexic. Looking back at pictures I must agree. Just had mine done at the gym the other day and now I'm around 20%. I feel healthier than ever and don't desire to go much below that unless I compete again.
It irritates me more than anything when I hear a trainer make statements like, "women don't want muscle". Does that mean the alternative would be that they want fat? Of course not! Since I began training, most women I speak to who are interested in getting fit want to be healthy and toned. Unless your passion is bodybuilding, which would be where the "big muscles" come into play. From what I read, you're doing exactly what you need to be doing and your body will thank you for it! Good luck to you and all your endeavors. Keep up the great work
Bottom line here is, ignore her.
She is either ignorant, or inexperienced, so why try get help off people who can't or won't help you properly.
I totally agree, that going lower than 12% fat in the leng-term for women, might cause issues, but the trainer was quite wrong to say most of what she said.
You need to evaluate yourself as a person here. You are someone who wants acceptable goals, and has run a race recently as well.
You have a lot to be proud of, and your attitude around here shows what a warm, good hearted person you are.
You have absolutely NOTHING to be ashamed, embarrassed or upset about. You have great goals, great motivation, and a great attitude to yourself and others and if you want to make more of the genetic gifts you have, you go for it, and don't let anything or anyone get in your way, because you ARE worth it.
You can see what a good looking person you are, so why wouldn't you want to make more of the qualtiies, you've grown up to have? Other people do it, and you have a right to be what you have sene other healthy females be physically.
So whatever you do, ignore people that don't support, or don't understand why you are doing it. If they make it obvious they don't want to understand or can't understand, it's a waste of time.
Plenty of people will understand, and certainly I don't think anybody on here would fail to understand, why you're doing what you're doing.
Some poeple you meet might take the attitude of why do you want to change, you look great as you are, and with respect you do look like a glowing, vibrant person, and if your goals aren't unhealthy, why should you have to justify them?
Just keep doing what you are doing, if it works for you, and keep being proud of yourself. Whatever you do, you have proven yourself many times over, to be a person this community needs and deserves and this site will always be here to support you, and we will look out for you, and we will care about you, because you're one of us.
I'm proud to know people like you, and I feel pride for what you have done and continue to do. You should be proud of you too, because you're doing brilliantly, you look fantastic for it, and every second of effort you make, is really worth it not just now, but for the long-term too, and I would always respect your goals and you as well.
So stick at it, and good luck yeah
She is either ignorant, or inexperienced, so why try get help off people who can't or won't help you properly.
I totally agree, that going lower than 12% fat in the leng-term for women, might cause issues, but the trainer was quite wrong to say most of what she said.
You need to evaluate yourself as a person here. You are someone who wants acceptable goals, and has run a race recently as well.
You have a lot to be proud of, and your attitude around here shows what a warm, good hearted person you are.
You have absolutely NOTHING to be ashamed, embarrassed or upset about. You have great goals, great motivation, and a great attitude to yourself and others and if you want to make more of the genetic gifts you have, you go for it, and don't let anything or anyone get in your way, because you ARE worth it.
You can see what a good looking person you are, so why wouldn't you want to make more of the qualtiies, you've grown up to have? Other people do it, and you have a right to be what you have sene other healthy females be physically.
So whatever you do, ignore people that don't support, or don't understand why you are doing it. If they make it obvious they don't want to understand or can't understand, it's a waste of time.
Plenty of people will understand, and certainly I don't think anybody on here would fail to understand, why you're doing what you're doing.
Some poeple you meet might take the attitude of why do you want to change, you look great as you are, and with respect you do look like a glowing, vibrant person, and if your goals aren't unhealthy, why should you have to justify them?
Just keep doing what you are doing, if it works for you, and keep being proud of yourself. Whatever you do, you have proven yourself many times over, to be a person this community needs and deserves and this site will always be here to support you, and we will look out for you, and we will care about you, because you're one of us.
I'm proud to know people like you, and I feel pride for what you have done and continue to do. You should be proud of you too, because you're doing brilliantly, you look fantastic for it, and every second of effort you make, is really worth it not just now, but for the long-term too, and I would always respect your goals and you as well.
So stick at it, and good luck yeah