What is Body Fat
Body
fat is vital for daily bodily functions; it cushions the joints and
protects the organs, helps regulate body temperature, stores vitamins and
helps the body sustain itself when food is scarce. Everyone needs some
body fat to be active and healthy.
Most people however, mistakenly think that their body weight alone is a direct
indication of fitness but it isn’t.
During a diet and exercise regime such as running, whilst someone's
absolute weight may fluctuate; their body fat will decline in a slow but
steady rate to the desired level.
Using a BIA Body Fat Monitor to measure changes in both body fat and
weight gives a more dependable picture of fitness and is more encouraging
because it is a true indication of positive healthy change.
Understanding Your Body Fat Percentage
Body fat measurements and the measuring tape are recognized as superior
methods for measuring "weight loss".
When one declares
that they want to "lose weight", what they often mean is that
they want to lose fat. So, now that you've had your body fat
percentage measured, what does the number really mean?
First, your body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat your
body contains. If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it means
that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass
(bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else).
A certain amount of fat is essential to bodily functions. Fat
regulates body temperature, cushions and insulates organs and tissues
and is the main form of the body's energy storage. The following
table describes body fat ranges and their associated categories:
*General Body Fat Percentage Categories
|
*American
Council on Exercise
|
|
Classification
|
Women (% fat)
|
Men (% fat)
|
|
Essential Fat
|
10-12%
|
2-4%
|
|
Athletes
|
14-20%
|
6-13%
|
|
Fitness
|
21-24%
|
14-17%
|
|
Acceptable
|
25-31%
|
18-25%
|
|
Obese
|
32% plus
|
25% plus
|
Knowing your body fat percentage can also help you determine if your
weight loss goals are realistic. Remember, weight loss
doesn't always mean fat loss. For example:
Let's say you're a 130# woman with 23% body fat, and you goal is to
"lose 20 pounds":
Initial body fat: 130# x 0.23 fat = 30 # body fat
Lean body mass: 130# total - 30# fat = 100# lean body mass (bones,
organs and all else)
Goal: 130# - 20# = 110 pounds
As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or
healthy. At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100# of
lean body mass (bones, organs, etc.), but would only be carrying 10#, or
only 9% body fat. From the chart above, you
can see that this is a dangerously low percentage.
A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat
from 23% to 18%. In this case:
130# x 0.18 = 23 # body fat
100# lean body mass + 23 # = 123# goal weight
So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she
would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from
her current 130 pounds to 123 pounds. Losing more than 7
pounds means losing lean body mass (usually metabolically-active
muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable.
So before you decide that you need to "lose weight", remember
to consider that "weight" consists of both lean body mass and
body fat. Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic, and
remember, keep the calorie-burning muscle, and lose only the fat.
Thanks
to :www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm
for
the above information.
