What BFP to shoot for

[koryjane1979]

I am a female weigh 131 pounds and I am about 5'5. I measured my bodyfat today and it was at 19 percent. I have read that below 15 percent can be dangerous. Can anyone tell me what would be an ideal BFP to shoot for?

[ukdudeinuk]

Depends what you're going for. Personally, I think anywhere in the 15-20 range looks perfect. At this point, a woman hasn't lost so much fat they look unhealthy, but you can still tell whether or not they take care of themselves

But it really does depend on your goals. You shouldn't just shoot for a specific BFP because we all recommend it. Do some research, make your own decisions, this is partly about learning to do this for yourself.

[koryjane1979]

just as an after thought....my husband and I are considering having a baby soon. Is it true that it will be harder to become pregnant if I am below 20 percent? I know I should be asking my doctor, but why not just ask the forum right? You guys seem pretty knowlegable

[ukdudeinuk]

uhhhhhhhhhhh I can't help you there. I know nothing about pregnancy, and really don't want to have the desire to learn, because I won't give a shit until it happens hahaha

[Mehdi]

just as an after thought....my husband and I are considering having a baby soon. Is it true that it will be harder to become pregnant if I am below 20 percent? I know I should be asking my doctor, but why not just ask the forum right? You guys seem pretty knowlegable

You shouldn't go below 15%, unless you're competing for fitness figure stuff or so. And if you plan another child, you should eat. Got someone inside you who needs food too.

[Edziu]

Is it true that it will be harder to become pregnant if I am below 20 percent?

Well, I'm no professional gynaecologist but I could be fairly described as an enthusiastic amateur . I have read on my studies that the larger lady is more fertile - this would be logical since, as Mehdi says, a developing fetus will put major calorific demands on your system. Dr Edziu's advice is to keep eating good food and don't drop the body fat level until the baby's born.

[buzzkillington]

Like others, I'm no expert, but my wife has always been around 15-19% BF (looks great btw). I currently have 2 daughters under the age of 2 and can tell you we had no issues with conception... it was actually too easy for #2 as I missed out on lots of 'trying' .

[guni]

Like others, I'm no expert, but my wife has always been around 15-19% BF (looks great btw). I currently have 2 daughters under the age of 2 and can tell you we had no issues with conception... it was actually too easy for #2 as I missed out on lots of 'trying' .

ahahahhah

[sifaan]

just as an after thought....my husband and I are considering having a baby soon. Is it true that it will be harder to become pregnant if I am below 20 percent?

Have you read/heard somewhere that it is harder to conceive if you are below 20% BF?

I can't think of any reason why low BF would make it hard to conceive (unless your BF is so low that your general health is also compromised) - but I'm not a doctor, and I'm not a father

But focusing too much on it while pregnant could be a problem... calorie deficit diets? HIIT cardio? strength training??

[koryjane1979]

I am not pregnant as of yet....I have Cancun in June and that would not be good timing for me to enjoy myself. But I was just looking a little into the future. My mom is a nurse and my brother a pre-med student and I believe I heard it from one of them. I am not for sure, but I think I remember it having to do with egg production and the body slowing under 20 percent body fat. I know that althete's get pregnant all the time, so it just might be your own personal body and how it handles it. We tried for almost a year, about a year ago with no success. I just wasn't for sure if that was the problem. I know this site is mainly male, but hey you never know who knows what. I guess I should just focus on Cancun first then baby next!!!

[Doo]

@koryjane1979,

I'm no doctor and haven't researched this, but it sure seems that once you conceive once, subsequent times are easier. I know several friends that took years to conceive and then they ended up with a 2nd and 3rd child shortly after the first. My point is that if you have already experienced difficulty in conceiving, then you probably wouldn't want to test the theory as to whether lower bodyfat has an effect.

I would just eat and lift and maintain bodyfat (or allow slight decreases in bodyfat percentage as it is offset by muscle increase). After baby, you may want to consider breast feeding as it burns a significant amount of calories and it starts your child right away with the "clean" (unprocessed) food. My wife breast fed all three of my girls.

[RichP]

A decrease in body fat below 20% can put a woman at risk for amenorrhoea, which is the technical term for loss of menstruation. No periods means you can't get pregnant either. When your body "thinks" that you might be starving, it isn't going to bother putting any resources into potential children, who would also starve.

The important word here is risk. You might start missing periods if you begin a new exercise program. But you might not. And there is nothing about exercise that is going to do any permanent damage here.

Just as important is the fact that healthy, fit women have much easier pregnancies than those who are out of shape. They call giving birth "labor" for a reason. It's a lot easier if your muscles are weak. Also, carrying a baby is much easier if your legs and back are already strong.

So: if getting pregnant RIGHT NOW is important, don't start lifting. But otherwise, I would definitely start a moderate program.