hello everyone

i've seen this article on facebook

http://www.mensfitness.com/weight-loss/15-negative-effects-having-low-body-fat-percentage/slide/14

it is talking about negative things that happen from having a low body for example,heart problems,muscles not recovering,always being colds,anyway i just created this topic to ask,what body fat can cause this? is 10 % low enough to cause things like this?

As much as most people don't want to hear this, but almost all of those facts are correct, yes. (plus some more that aren't even listed there)

And i can tell from my own experience.

About your question what or when it is "too" low, now that differs with age and also gender.

Females need to keep a higher percentage than men before the first issues become apparent.

Men can go a bit lower before the troubles begin. (of course varying a bit from individual to individual as well)

Here are some general numbers:

1) Model ACE (American Council of Exercise)

Description-------Women------Men

Essential Fat------10-13%----3-5% (*essential being the absolute minimum before it turns into organ failure/fatal)

Athletes-----------14-20%----6-13%

Fitness------------21-24%----14-17%

Average----------25-31%----18-24%

Obese------------32% + -----25% +

2) Model Jackson Pollock

In this model it's taken into account that with increasing age, also your skinfolds change which normally are used to calculate the bodyfat levels. And a general need for higher bodyfat percentage as you age as well, in order to stay healthy. It does not take into account that older athletes could still have a strong toned skin and be generally more dense, so that's a float value you have to figure for your self when checking.

I can only speak for myself and for people i know whom i have whitnessed running into issues with low bodyfat levels.

For me - as a female - when i get close to or lower than 15 % all sort of hormonal issues begin (period begings to come irregular and too often or not at all), skin dries out, you can feel inflamation and lesser abilities to recover from workouts etc. (they didn't even list that on the page you had been on, but that's a commonly known issue as well - especially for the female gender, same as you guys get issues with your libido, sperm production etc when going too low.)

And you can get away with more horrible things - done to your body - the younger you are, but the more you get beyond 25-something, the more you should really think stuff over, and consider what you put yourself through.

So facit - yes. It is correct.

And that is also why you should think twice if you even "need" to get that low.

If you are a professional athlete or competeing, yes. Because when you do this as your profession, you normally should completely be aware of the health risks you put yourself through. Including injury potential and health problems. Every professional athlete should be informed and normally is completely willing to take those risks to reach their goals.

If you just want to be fit, and look good.. you don't need to get shredded to a point where it influences your life in a bad way. And you might just look better with a tad more fat too. (Hence facial fat get's always lost first - which tends to make you look slighty sick and somewhat unhealthy)

oh damn
anyway,i never meant to go that low,i was just curious
thank you for your answer

If you are going to compete or gion on vacation you can always cut down to show more definition in your body. Having a low body fat for a a week or so isn't as bad as holding it for months and months. Just a little bit more advice :) Crood did a great job explaing everything else enough

George,

Chris and Ryan gave you a good deal of info. I will add that the level of body fat your body naturally carries varies by individual. Typically, single digit body fat levels can cause issues for most men but not all. Going below 12% for women causes serious problems as women need more body fat for health and to carry babies to full term. That is why estrogen signals more fat storage than testosterone - both in men and women as men have a version of estrogen called estrdiol which rises as we age especially when coupled with a high sugar, low fat diet. So, not all of the issues in the article you posted will affect all people especially if they are normally very lean.

You will see as you try to lean out how low your body is comfortable going to. Some people have difficulty getting below 12-13% while some men naturally start at 8-9% and have issues getting to 5% or lower. Temporary low body fat periods, like when training or competing for a physique show, are OK but not healthy to force maintenance at this level. You will find as you age (50 years and older) your skin naturally leans out if you eat properly. Your diet and nutrition will also dictate what your "normal" body fat levels will be. When I was younger and first started lifting, my bodyfat was an average 15% and stayed pretty consistent as I trained. My best friend was always 8% no matter what he ate or did while we were training. I am now about 9% body fat level and my friend is now about 20%. The biggest change has been I continued to lift weights and I eat a strict diet. Intermittent Fasting has also helped and I now find my body is comfortable at single digit body fat levels and my health has never been better.

Ironically, some studies done with women I have read peg 12% as the most attractive body fat level for men - not all but most women feel this is the most attractive level and signals their primal areas of the brain that the person is healthy, has good genetics, and would be a good mate.

John

Freaky. According to the chart I'm considered in the "lean" range. According to my mirror, I'm not even close. :)

Yeah, there is a difference between having a small all-over bodyfat percentage, and where all this "not much" fat is sitting haha :)

We can be considered lean and be very unlucky to have it all sit on the middle of our belly and buttox whilst everything else is just thin and scrawny =)

Especially often an issue when there is no general all over muscle mass filling the body out - which leads to this so called skinny fat look. Being basically very lean, but having those puches hanging on certain spots.

Nature is cruel =)

Yep. 13.8% (last I checked - getting assessed w/calipers today) and still floppy in the midlands

yeah lol, there is a reason this particular layer is called "stubborn fat" :)

Sometimes - especially after bigger weightloss, even more so when a bit of age, this is often also just loose skin on top of the stubborn fat. The Skin layer needs up to 2 years until it adjusts to the new shape. This can become even longer the older we are, since the skin isn#t so much collagen filled anymore.

You see, lots of reasons why there are these areas that refuse to go along with the rest of the body hehe

Did the caliper thing - said I'm down to 12%. Not sure what 12% looks like but don't tink this is it. And yes, this is why I don't do shirtles pics.

I can see it Jeff, yes. And i understand completely.

And can also see i was right with the assumption of loose skin being one of the reasons of the flappyness you encounter.

I'd say this is a bit stubborn fat and a good percentage of loose skin. How much weight did you loose ? it must have been quite a bit!

The bodyfat percentage measuring becomes a bit hard when you have loose skin - due to the fact that the caliper measures how much skin is squished between its clamps untily ou can't move them closer together. This - with the skin being not loose - normally gives a good insight of how much fat is in that particular area of skin (the more fat the less you can get the caliper clamps together - obviously). If there is, on the other hand, loose skin, that skin mostly is very thin, so the measures might not be accurate completely.

But by looking at your face - and your arms i'd say you are defenitally somewhat between 12 -15 % Eventhough it's really hard to guestimate how much still hangs in the tissue :)

i'd suggest lots of carefull deep tissue massaging of those skin areas (without stressing the skin!) and the eating of collagen sources, to help the skin get a bit of its flexibility and strength back. Here is a good article on this:

http://www.healthcentral.com/skin-care/c/742375/55533/increase-eating/

It will not do 'wonders' but it will help to improve to a good extend.

Should there still be a lot remaining and refusing to get back in place after 1-2 years you still can consider to have it surgically removed. But that is really only if it bothers you and interfers with your quality of life. In all other cases i wouldn't care about it - it's about being healthy and living a good life - and not winning a beauty contest =) 

At present I'm down about 183 lbs. The guy did it twice and said the looos skin isn't that much of an issue if the evaluator is competent.

Hence my desire to lift more and try to "rearrange the furniture". Not worried so much about hypertrophy - just trying to pull stuff back into place.

Thanks for the link.

Yeah, as i said i think the numbers are about right. And if you have someone experienced to do it, then it certainly isn't much of an issue - opposed to doing it on your own :)

And i agree completely, just try to "fill" it with some let's call it.. "quality meat" and you should be happy - who cares about the one or two flappy parts by then, right? =)

No problem. you are welcome!

Jeff,

I agree with Chris. Also, body fat charts show higher levels for us older individuals because it takes into account not only subcutaneous fat but also visceral fat around your organs - which is the most dangerous fat from a health perspective. As people age and continue to follow the typical Western diet of processed and nutritionless foods, there is considerable build up of visceral fat unfortunately. This combined with the reduction in testosterone levels leads to higher projected body fat totals and the charts reflect this dynamic. Fortunately, these are projections that can be changed with proper nutrition and exercise and I am just one example of that fact :-)

Having a skilled person administor a skin caliper test will ensure an accurate measurement. So being at 12-15% body fat now based on where you started is fantastic work and will help you continue to get more healthy :-)

John

You should be extremely proud of how far you've come @jcgadfly - at the end of the day, the most important components to a balanced exercise and nutrition regime are for improved personal health and happiness. This is the ideal goal!