whats a healthy number in regards to the body fat percentage?

i just found out i was 24% body fat - im guessing the lower the better but i was wondering if this is too much - it seems like a heap! does this mean i am fat?

Public Comments

1. any where that is not above 100 lol
2. Most sources agree that the human body requires a certain amount of fat for good health. Fat helps regulate body temperature, store energy, and cushion and insulate organs. The percentage of body weight that makes up this "essential fat" is around 4% of body weight for men and 10% for women. Beyond that, there's a somewhat wide range of what is considered a healthy percentage of body fat. According to an article from Medscape.com, the American Dietetic Association recommends that men have 15-18% body fat and women have 20-25% body fat. Healthy male athletes might be as low as 5-12% body fat, and healthy female athletes could be as low as 10-20%. Dr. C. Everett Koop's site, ShapeUp.com, breaks down healthy body fat ranges by both gender and age. Men under 39 years of age should have 8-19% body fat, and women under 39 years of age should have 21-32%. Older men may range from 11% to 24%, and older women may range from 23% to 35%. Health Check Systems quotes the American Council on Exercise and says men's body fat should be 6-25%, and women's should be 14-31%.
3. No, not at all. Everyone needs fat on their bodies, it's an energy store, gives us insulation, protects our vital organs and assists with many other essential processes in the body. I hate the way ANY fat is viewed as bad...Anyway, would you have considered yourself to be fat prior to this? Don't be worried by a machine that gives you a number because the main thing is that you feel happy with your size and shape; a random percentage means next to nothing unless you're a serious body-builder/athlete.
4. it depends on if you are a male or female. and your age. but that is a little high. men tend to be on average 13-17% while women are a little higher. but thats average. and your average person is pretty lardy. but, with diet and excersise you can drop that quite a bit in a few months. good luck
5. Are you male or female, because it makes a LOT of difference. I'm a female with 24% body fat and I consider myself in fairly good shape, but a guy at 24% is almost obese!