Below 15% body fat unhealthy...what about the boobless?

I read that it is unhealthy for women to be below 15% body fat.  I have seen women at 16% body fat who appear really lean ... but they have T&A (T*ts and ass).
 
I found out today that I came down from 22% body fat 3 or 4 weeks ago to 19% body fat now (while only losing a pound on the scale).  I wanted to ultimately get down to 16%, however, I still have a good layer of fat around my midsection and I am thinking that I may need to go below the 15% threshold if I want to see some abdominal action. 
 
The reason I am thinking this is because I have zero boobs and a small butt, and they seem more eager to disappear than my midsection (which sucks).  I think if I had boobs and booty action then at 19% my figure would be a whole nother story.  Don't T&A play a factor in the BF%?

I wouldn't sweat the numbers, so much, they are there to make sure your progressing correctly, gaining muscle lossing or maintaining your fat levels. See how you feel and how you look when your at your 16%. I honestly don't know at what point we ladies get too lean (that is never going to be my problem). If you want to get pregnant you need a bit of fat hanging on. If you stop having your period you have gone too low (that much I know), unless you are working twords competition. Someone else will chime in with some more concrete facts at some point (hopfully), but for now i still will say concentrate more on how you look and feel, rather than the numbers.

I think "the numbers" are a little off because most charts say below 15% is too lean or "olympic athlete lean" I've read but I'm at 15% and have some fat around the bottom of my belly and my hips. A little on the thighs and butt too. When I was at 11% I could see all of my abs nicely and didn't have too much fat on the hips.

I think "T&A" does play a factor in the charts, because women are expected to carry more body fat than men because we have an excess of it in our breasts, hips and butt. I'm between an A and a B cup, and I don't really have a butt, so I just consider myself closer to a guy when I think about bodyfat percentage.

Girls are supposed to be lean at 15% but guys are supposed to be lean at 10% and shredded at 7%. I'm lean at 12% and shredded at 9-10%. I think with women you really have to figure it out for yourself as women can be so different in terms of T&A and that will make a big difference in how much body fat you carry.

5'6" 125/ Bench: 115 / Front squat: 90 / Deadlift: 205 / Pullups: 10

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Right, I will definetly have to go by the way I look and feel.  I am just hoping I can drop another 2% by August.
 

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

I think "the numbers" are a little off because most charts say below 15% is too lean or "olympic athlete lean" I've read but I'm at 15% and have some fat around the bottom of my belly and my hips. A little on the thighs and butt too. When I was at 11% I could see all of my abs nicely and didn't have too much fat on the hips.

I think "T&A" does play a factor in the charts, because women are expected to carry more body fat than men because we have an excess of it in our breasts, hips and butt. I'm between an A and a B cup, and I don't really have a butt, so I just consider myself closer to a guy when I think about bodyfat percentage.

 
 
Rippedchick, you should like you have my body type in terms of T&A, which means I have a major ways to go before I am looking lean.  You must of had to bust ass to get your BF% so low.  Did you have any problems plateauing (spelling?) on your journey to leanness?  My trainer says I may be facing one here soon, in which I won't know what to do because I am already carb cycling and switching up my routine left and right every time I feel like I am getting used to something.

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

I think "the numbers" are a little off because most charts say below 15% is too lean or "olympic athlete lean" I've read but I'm at 15% and have some fat around the bottom of my belly and my hips. A little on the thighs and butt too. When I was at 11% I could see all of my abs nicely and didn't have too much fat on the hips.

I think "T&A" does play a factor in the charts, because women are expected to carry more body fat than men because we have an excess of it in our breasts, hips and butt. I'm between an A and a B cup, and I don't really have a butt, so I just consider myself closer to a guy when I think about bodyfat percentage.

Girls are supposed to be lean at 15% but guys are supposed to be lean at 10% and shredded at 7%. I'm lean at 12% and shredded at 9-10%. I think with women you really have to figure it out for yourself as women can be so different in terms of T&A and that will make a big difference in how much body fat you carry.

 
 
This is good to know.
 
I am approx 26% body fat (according to the chart---OBESE...this is why I did not want to know what the percentage is b/c I am classified as fat)...Even after losing 50 pds I am still a D cup so I figure all my fat  and how it is distributed can't be all "bad" (my belly concerns me tho and that is why continue to keep working on it)...
I dont have a cholesterol prob anymore
my asthma/allergies are almost gone
I am a size 3/4
I can live with that.
 
 
  

ORIGINAL: Jane

ORIGINAL: rippedchick

I think "the numbers" are a little off because most charts say below 15% is too lean or "olympic athlete lean" I've read but I'm at 15% and have some fat around the bottom of my belly and my hips. A little on the thighs and butt too. When I was at 11% I could see all of my abs nicely and didn't have too much fat on the hips.

I think "T&A" does play a factor in the charts, because women are expected to carry more body fat than men because we have an excess of it in our breasts, hips and butt. I'm between an A and a B cup, and I don't really have a butt, so I just consider myself closer to a guy when I think about bodyfat percentage.

Girls are supposed to be lean at 15% but guys are supposed to be lean at 10% and shredded at 7%. I'm lean at 12% and shredded at 9-10%. I think with women you really have to figure it out for yourself as women can be so different in terms of T&A and that will make a big difference in how much body fat you carry.

This is good to know.

I am approx 26% body fat (according to the chart---OBESE...this is why I did not want to know what the percentage is b/c I am classified as fat)...Even after losing 50 pds I am still a D cup so I figure all my fat  and how it is distributed can't be all "bad" (my belly concerns me tho and that is why continue to keep working on it)...
I dont have a cholesterol prob anymore
my asthma/allergies are almost gone
I am a size 3/4
I can live with that.


 

At 26% bf and size 3/4 you have to be carrying that bf in your breasts for the most part. And 26% isn't obese on the chart I use. I think it's just average. But yea those charts are pretty useless since women are so different. Pics are really the only way to know.

5'6" 125/ Bench: 115 / Front squat: 90 / Deadlift: 205 / Pullups: 10

Follow me! www.twitter.com/bobbigoes

ORIGINAL: bettyrider



Rippedchick, you should like you have my body type in terms of T&A, which means I have a major ways to go before I am looking lean.  You must of had to bust ass to get your BF% so low.  Did you have any problems plateauing (spelling?) on your journey to leanness?  My trainer says I may be facing one here soon, in which I won't know what to do because I am already carb cycling and switching up my routine left and right every time I feel like I am getting used to something.

Again, pics are the only way to tell if we look similar or not. There are so many variables.

I actually have trouble keeping weight on. I would be rail thin if I didn't work at it. Of couse skinny does NOT mean low body fat. I am a pretty extreme ecto and work hard to keep myself at a decent weight. Just like heavy people work hard to keep their weight down.

I do, however, have to work pretty hard to get down near 11%. That takes a very strict diet and I'm pretty bad at sticking to one, mostly because I'm not hungry and don't want to eat when I'm supposed to.

I think it's odd that your trainer is predicting you'll hit a plateau. That's like mentally setting you up to hit a wall. I think if you are doing everything right diet and exercise wise I see no reason for you to hit one.

What bf% are you at now and how did you calculate it?

5'6" 125/ Bench: 115 / Front squat: 90 / Deadlift: 205 / Pullups: 10

Follow me! www.twitter.com/bobbigoes

There is a degree of error with any body fat test even hydrostat, but the issue is more about where the fat lies.  Some have higher degrees of intramuscular fat vs subcutaneous so you may look 11 percent but be 15 if your intramuscular fat is a tad higher and the subcutaneous is lower.  I used to have very low subcutaneous fat but in teh past few years I have slacked with cardio and time off so I have accumulated more intramuscular fat so when i am leaning it takes me longer to really lean down, I may have a 6 pack even with 15% body fat because my ab muscles are thick and stand out even with a higher amount of body fat under the belly skin but once the intramuscular fat is lowered you then are able to lean more under the skin as more fat will come off if you continue to lean after you have eliminated some of the intramuscular fat.  As for which you lose at what times is all up to the persons body.  body fat can come off pretty evenlyl from the whole body but again if the intramuscular fat is in high amount you just take longer to see it go and to see tone since your not just losing the fat you see under the skin.........hope that makes sense, I just woke up!

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