P90X

I know what essential bodyfat is. I just don't understand what your point has to do with the debate you were having? Unless I am wrong, you were both debating whether it is possible to reach 2% bodyfat (the scientifically defined minimum amount of fat a human needs to survive) without any health issues. So if a 300 lb man lost enough bodyfat to reach 2% bodyfat, would he survive without any serious injury to his health. The same question would apply to a person of any weight for that matter...would hitting 2% bodyfat hurt that person, perhaps even kill them. You said it was possible to do safely, which goes against anything I have ever read. So I have to ask: do you have research papers to support that claim? A link to anything for that matter that is outside your personal opinion? Or are you now agreeing with the original debate that hitting 2% can cause issues? This is what I originally said: Mathematically it seems possible to have a 2% bodyfat. If your essential body fat is 4lbs, then mathematically you can gain enough muscle mass to hit 2% body fat. Chlorine was stating that essential body fat is not a fixed weight, but a function of total weight. This position was not obvious to me from his initial post. It was obvious that Chlorine was more interested in berating me for my stupidity than explaining his point. I don't have any research papers that state one way or another, but Exercise Physiology by McArdle does state that "The low fat levels of marathon runners, which ranges from 1 to 8% of body mass, probably reflect adaption to severe training for distance running." (p. 785) This would lead me to believe that attaining a body fat percentage of 2% is both mathematically and realistically possible.

I know what essential bodyfat is. I just don't understand what your point has to do with the debate you were having? Unless I am wrong, you were both debating whether it is possible to reach 2% bodyfat (the scientifically defined minimum amount of fat a human needs to survive) without any health issues. So if a 300 lb man lost enough bodyfat to reach 2% bodyfat, would he survive without any serious injury to his health. The same question would apply to a person of any weight for that matter...would hitting 2% bodyfat hurt that person, perhaps even kill them. You said it was possible to do safely, which goes against anything I have ever read. So I have to ask: do you have research papers to support that claim? A link to anything for that matter that is outside your personal opinion? Or are you now agreeing with the original debate that hitting 2% can cause issues? This is what I originally said: Mathematically it seems possible to have a 2% bodyfat. If your essential body fat is 4lbs, then mathematically you can gain enough muscle mass to hit 2% body fat. Chlorine was stating that essential body fat is not a fixed weight, but a function of total weight. This position was not obvious to me from his initial post. It was obvious that Chlorine was more interested in berating me for my stupidity than explaining his point. I don't have any research papers that state one way or another, but Exercise Physiology by McArdle does state that "The low fat levels of marathon runners, which ranges from 1 to 8% of body mass, probably reflect adaption to severe training for distance running." (p. 785) This would lead me to believe that attaining a body fat percentage of 2% is both mathematically and realistically possible.