I had my first visit with the personal trainer from the gym today, she took all my measurements, weight height etc. She also did my body fat %. OMG I nearly passed out when she told me. I am 57% boday fat and she would like to see me at a normal level of 28%. I was horrified to say the least. I didnt want to talk about it anymore after that just move onto something else. Does anyone know how this body fat thing works, and how does it come down, does it move down the same way lbs or your BMI does?

Shhhh dont tell anyone

I had a body fat % done right before surgery and I was at 53% - not a good feeling knowing over 1/2 your body is pure fat - but I'm right there with ya sista! I've only lost 8lbs total since being banded so I'm a slow starter to boot! Hope to get the scale moving so I can get that body fat % down too - hand in there - your not alone!

They key is you gotta build muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat ((go see my post on the Jersery Board compairing muscle to fat, its gross )), muscle will help you burn the fat faster. So even if your weight stands still, you can be gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.

I think a trainer was an EXCELLENT idea, your really gonna fly now Kellie.. BRAVO, good move

I'm right in there with ya! Mine was exactly the same. Horrible feeling, but we're on the right track now

Yeah, but those heavier muscles sure cause havoc with the scales, specially when you're looking for them to drop. Darn muscles, why do they have to be heavier than fat!

If I take the 15 lbs of muscle I've gained and add it to the 48 lbs of fat I've lost it sure makes me feel better...I think????

BMI isnt really that accurate an indicator because it doesnt take into account how muscular (or otherwise) you are. Its also very easy to assume BMI 35 = 35% body fat. Yet, based on BMI many people who are not morbidly obese could qualify for WLS because of their height/body weight ratio.

Having your rolls pinched is quite another thing and really embarrassing. When they grab those back boobs, it doesnt matter whether your BMI is 50 or 28, there's fat you've got to lose!

I dont know what my actual body fat percentage is now but around 10 kilos ago it was 39%

I just had mine done today, I measure in at a whoppin 51% ...egads !!!

Oh - and the reason dieting doesnt work (and really my concern about the very low calorie diets some people seem to exist on after banding) - you lose muscle as well as fat when you lose weight. You've got to eat right and you've got to exercise right to build and maintain your lean body mass while you lose your fat.

It is entirely possible to lose weight on the scale yet become fatter - which is what usually happens with crackpot high protein/no carb diets, very low calorie diets and yes with the liquid diets that are often recommended pre banding. In some situations these sorts of diets are necessary but they're not a long term solution to anything.

Forgot to add - that percentage was when I first started this. Last Friday when I had mine recalculated (tape measure method), mine was down to 49%. So going to the gym has definitely helped

Oh - and the reason dieting doesnt work (and really my concern about the very low calorie diets some people seem to exist on after banding) - you lose muscle as well as fat when you lose weight. You've got to eat right and you've got to exercise right to build and maintain your lean body mass while you lose your fat.

It is entirely possible to lose weight on the scale yet become fatter - which is what usually happens with crackpot high protein/no carb diets, very low calorie diets and yes with the liquid diets that are often recommended pre banding. In some situations these sorts of diets are necessary but they're not a long term solution to anything.

YES!!!! I agree with everything you just said!!!

I went to www.Room42.com and did my calculations there. It said that at my current weight, I need to eat 1600 calories a day to maintain my weight, 1400 to lose, but no less than 1200 to have safe and healthy weight loss. It even told me how much I can expect to lose over how many days (I forgot to write it down) AND I did the calculation for my calorie intake at my goal weight. To maintain my goal weight I need 1400 calories a day, 1200 to lose but no less than 1000 (I think it said). So the 1400 clories a day I'm eating now will make me lose weight, but if I don't decrease it down the road, I'll simply maintain it.

So, anyhow, I will slowly be eating less and less in order to lose weight. The more I lose, the less I need to eat in order to lose more (like that's a surprise). Anyhow, I thought that was interesting.

Last time I checked my body fat (about a year ago at around 235 pounds) it was 43%. Uggg!! I wonder wonder wonder what it is now? Ya'll make me want to know!!

Just before I had my surgery, I had something like 52% body fat.

I had it redone last week, and I was down to 36%. I am moving in the right direction. It just takes time.

I dont' own a scale, but I do own a body fat % meter. (yeah, yeah, it's a scale in a different form since it measures the % of body fat...)

My current body fat % is 42.5, down from 44.9% in May

You can buy a 'Tanita' scale that calculates weight and body fat % - its pretty good, although things like your hydration level and 'time of the month' seem to influence the reading. I was 54% this morning.