Help with body fat % and goals

I just calculated my body fat percentage by doing a 7-site skinfold test and my result was 17.09%... judging by my pictures (on my bodyspace because it isnt letting me add attachments) does this sound about right?
My target body fat to begin with is 12% - is this realistic and roughly how long would it take for me to reach this goal?
After this I might aim for 10% or even 8% - again, is this a realistic target and how long would it take to reach this?

 

Help with body fat % and goals

can't say based on the pics, but the answer to both your questions: no and no.

essential BF levels for women are ca. 8-10% and they are neither healthy nor sustainable in the long term.

fwiw, you have no muscle base to speak of. there's no point in dropping bodyfat. you'll just end up looking like a sickly stick.

 

Help with body fat % and goals

Ive only just started my program and have only been working out for four days which is why I dont have muscle yet. But Im hoping to gain muscle and drop body fat, everyone starts somewhere right?

 

Help with body fat % and goals

Getting to levels of

 

Help with body fat % and goals

 

Help with body fat % and goals

ok so is 12% a good number to aim for?
And what sort of calories, protien ect should I be eating to gain muscle but not gain body fat?

 

Help with body fat % and goals

Before you do anything, go check out the sticky on bodyfat. I'm sorry - I'm not sure how to post links. It's in this section. You need to get a handle on what certain bodyfat percentages look like. Second, 12% is stepping on stage at competition bodyfat levels and is actually extremely low. I'm not sure how much, if any, of a muscle base you have, but if you've got no muscle base and are only 12% bodyfat, as Kimm said, you are going to look actually very unhealthy.

At your stats, you need to really not be worrying about lowering your bodyfat at this point and instead be putting on some muscle. After you do that, then you can worry about cutting your bodyfat. Until then, you should be bulking. I am 2 inches shorter and maybe a couple pounds lighter than you are and I am bulking right now at around 2200 calories. The thing is there is no way to put on muscle and not gain any fat. You are going to gain fat and you are going to gain weight. It can be difficult mentally at times, but it's a process and you have to trust the process. Not everything you gain is going to be fat - there will be lean gains as well and you may find you actually look better with some extra weight on you. If you are really hung up on not gaining any fat, you will probably just continue to spin your wheels and be frustrated. I'm not sure what look you are going for or what your goals are, but you say you've only been working out 4 days so I suspect you don't have a whole lot of muscle. So building needs to be your focus right now. You could probably make some really good noob gains right now if you do this right. What sort of program are you on? You need to be lifting heavy weight, heavy as you can, and eat to support growth. Go to the sticky in the nutrition section to do the calculations to get your maintenance and then add maybe 200 or so calories to that to figure out where you should be. Like I said, I'm bulking at around 2200 but everyone is different and that number might not be accurate for you. There is also a bulking thread in the General Chat section that might be helpful for you to check out. Good luck!

 

Help with body fat % and goals

Thanks DaniGrrl, I did the nutrition calculations thismorning and I need to be eating 2000 calories and aiming to eat alot of protien which is difficult for me because Im vegan and I dont want to eat too much soya products because they mess around with my hormones and some medication Im on. I must admit Im really worried about upping the calories I eat because all my life Ive been so obsessive about dieting and stuff and concious about my body. Even though Im apparently the right weight or whatever I still feel and think Im fat.
Im doing the Classic P90X program and Im lifting heavy. This isnt the first time Ive done weightlifting but in the past its always been on and off but Ive maintained some muscle from previous times and Im pretty strong naturally.
Ive done a little bit of research about body fat after reading peoples replies to my question and realising that my views on body fat % were a bit off and after looking at images of women with 12% I know thats the kind of level Im hoping to get to but thats obviously not going to be for some time and by then Ill have gained a bit of muscle hopefully. My target areas for muscle building are my arms, back and abs, I dont want to go too muscly with my legs but I want definition so need a lower body fat that 17% which is what Im at at the moment.
And... what do you mean when you say 'sticky'? You said 'go check out the sticky on bodyfat' and 'Go to the sticky in the nutrition section'...?

 

Help with body fat % and goals

No, still too low. Skin gets its shape from the underlying muscle, fat, and bones. When an already lean person continues to lose body fat without having a good muscle base, the skin will derive more of its shape from the underlying bones and/or sag. Those, who are afraid of gaining fat or scale weight like you apparently seem to be, typically spin their wheels building very little lean mass in the process.

This thread gives info on calculating calories and protein: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703921 Recommend joining the bulking thread if you need support/advice: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=128051673 .

 

Help with body fat % and goals

Personally, I think 17% with about 15-20lb MORE lbs of body weight would be good to aim for.
You can't gain exclusively muscle - that's why people cycle between bulking and cutting. But at your weight, all you need to focus on is gaining and lifting heavy. Eat over maintenance so that you're gaining around 1/2 lb per week and get at least 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight, plenty of fats (50g+) and the rest carbs.

Diet is one thing, but if you don't have an adequate lifting routine you won't get anywhere either, so what's your plan there?

But seriously... Your understanding of all this is very limited. READ READ READ. You don't have realistic expectations or a solid understanding of the rest of it, which is critical to success.