confused on my body fat %!? ?

i'm 5'4 and weigh 136. my goal is 126- that would be ideal. however, i am in the healthy range as "healthy" under the BMI chart is up to 145 lbs. i just did the body fat calculator online though, and it said i was 31% body fat and put me in the obese category. .. i wear a 6/8. how can this be?

Public Comments

1. Online body fat calculators aren't accurate. Go to a gym or the doctor and ask them to measure your body fat.
2. Websites cannot accurately calculate your body fat fat percentage. Plus 31% body fat is on the high side but not quite obese, it is in the 'overfat' category for a female. You need to get your body fat tested professionally either with callipers, hydrostatic weighing or DEXA. If your body fat does turn out to be 30%+ then you need to work on replacing body fat with muscle through strength training and a high protein diet.
3. That means that you have about 42lbs of fat, and your frame weight (bones +muscles) is 94lbs. If you want 20% bodyfat, you need to be 120 lbs. FOr 25% body fat you need to be 125 lb. So if you lose 11lbs of fat, you will be at 25% bodyfat. Don't go by the BMI chart, its not accurate, it has the same values of men and women. Women have more fat% than men of same height, so BMI is not a good indicator for women. If the BMI chart says 145 is healthy, its meant for men of that height; for women, it wud be more like 130 (to ensure proper ratio with fat). You can lose about 12 lbs and then you will be good to 25% bodyfat. Good luck!