Overweight vs Over FatWhat is my correct or ideal weight? In the rush to shed pounds most people overlook the real question: What is my ideal body fat percentage?
The term overweight means that a person weighs more than the average for his or her weight, height, and frame size, as defined by the Metropolitan Height Weight Scale. Most people assume that a gain in weight means a gain in fat, and that a loss in weight equals a loss in fat. The scale, however cannot differentiate between fat pounds and muscle pounds.
Body composition is a key component of an individuals health and fitness status. To understand body composition, the body must be viewed as a two-component system: lean body mass (muscle, bone, connective tissue and internal organs) and essential body fat (organ insulation and metabolic fuel for the production of energy, ATP). One fairly accurate and practical way to measure body composition is with bio electrical impedance. A body fat percentage of 3% - 6% for men and 8% - 12% for women is essential. For men, 15% body fat is the upper limit for general health, and over 23% is considered obese. For women, the upper limit is 25%, and over 30% is considered obese.
Fat as a metabolic fuel is continuously being broken down and built back up. The result is a healthy balance between lean body weight and fat reserves. But when more calories are consumed each day than are expended the lean to fat ratio is tipped in favor of fat, eventually leading to weight gain.
Everyone has about 20 to 40 billion fat cells within their body. If empty and in one place, these cells would occupy a volume no larger than your fist. But with excess calories, a fat cell can increase its size a thousand times. If filled to capacity these same cells could stuff a small sofa and weight more than a quarter of a ton. Only a healthy eating regime and exercise program can keep these fat cells in check.
Even when fat cells are reduced in size you may find that you have registered no weight loss. This frustrating phenomenon is due to the fact that muscle (which is mostly water) is denser and heavier than fat. The good news here is that a pound of muscle occupies only one fifth the space a pound of fat occupies. Consequently, the non-differentiating scale does not register that a given volume of fat has been replaced by an equal volume of lean muscle tissue. However, you will have probably lost inches around your waist, hips and thighs where we tend to store fat.
It is a myth that exercise changes fat into muscle. Fat cells and muscle cells are made up of two totally different tissues and conversion is biologically impossible.
Work to lower your percentage of body fat as opposed to just losing weight and use our 10-2-10 tracker to log your weight and measurements. Keeping a food and exercise journal along with the scheduled re-evaluations will determine if your eating and exercise regimes are working for or against you. If you would like to add a body fat analysis to your tracking sheet contact us to have a bio-electrical impedance baseline or periodic re-evaluations done. It only takes a minute and can provide you with yet another valuable tool in your pursuit of optimal health and fitness.
Log onto the link below to view ideal height/weight ranges:
http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/met.htm
Written by: W
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