Why Fat Loss is More Important Than Weight Loss?

Think obese people are unhealthier than slim people? You may be surprise that this may not always be the case, as one of the key factors depends on the fats levels of the person and the location of the fats. A slim person can be equally unhealthy if his/her fats level is high and the majority of the fats are located at the belly, which is considered to be in the “dangerous zone” as belly fat known as visceral fat can raise a person’s risk of diabetes and heart diseases.

Fats loss is therefore more important than weight loss and people should focus on losing fats rather than weights. But how to tell the difference between surplus weight and surplus fats before you can embark on a fats-loss program?

When people become overweight or obese, their fat percentage increase but changes in muscles and bone mass are minimal. Change in bone mass is also unlikely to lead to a drastic increase in weight as a 10% increase in bone mass only lead to an extra 1 to 1.5kg of body weight. Muscles, on the other hand, weighs more than bone mass and fats but unless you exercise and have high muscle mass, for most people, their surplus weight is mainly due to surplus fat.

To find out how much fats you have, a waist test (waistline that goes beyond 40 inch for man and 35 inch for woman is considered unhealthy) or fats test (using calipers or electronic body fat monitors) is a reliable measure of body fat. And if the body fat turns out to be low, then there is no need to loss weight. Otherwise, its time to look at the amount of fats (especially the belly fats) you have and start to do something about it!

Back to the topic of muscles, with good exercises and nutrition, muscle weight can increase drastically. For instance, someone with high muscle mass (eg bodybuilder or sports person) can weight much more than average (ie have a high BMI) but still considered healthy as their fats level is way below what the average person has. So there is no cause of alarm if your weight shots up due to muscle increases, which you can examine easily through looking at the mirror and see if the muscles are tone or flab.

All in all, if your surplus weight is due to muscles, no cause of alarm but if it is due to fats (which is the case for most people), then it is advisable for you to start your fats-loss program for a better health in the long run.

Calculate Body Fat – Do You Know How Important This Is?

There are many different ways to calculate body fat available to you today.? Some of these are more widely accepted than others and some are much more accurate.? Of the many methods available how do you know which one to use?? This article will discuss the most common method of determining body fat that is used today.

Probably the most common method for measuring ones body fat is the skinfold measurement method.? This is the most economical and accurate way to track your body fat percentage.? Calipers are widely available and very affordable (usually under $10).? Anyone can learn how to use them and they are fairly accurate as long as you are consistent in how you take your measurements. ?

The body fat caliper is a device used to measure the thickness of skinfolds on various parts of your body.? The calipers will measure the thickness of the skinfolds in millimeters.? You can then take the average of those readings, find that number on a chart according to your age group and it will list your body fat percentage. ?

There are several advantages to using skin fold calipers.? These include:

1.? They actually calculate body fat accurately.

2.? They are user friendly and can be used by anyone.

3.? They don’t cost alot and should last a long time.

4.? You can use them in the privacy of your own home – don’t need a trainer at the gym!

5.? They are small and can be taken just about anywhere.

6.? You can use them to measure your friends and family, quickly and easily.

There are some disadvantages to calculating body fat with skin fold calipers:

1.? Experience is needed in order to be accurate – but with practice you can gain the experience needed relatively quickly.

2.? There are different equations available for calculating body fat percentage.? Choosing the wrong one can skew your results.

3.? Calipers can be inaccurate if the same person is not doing the testing.

4.? The cheaper the caliper the less accurate the readings.

Why Body Fat Testing Is So Important

One of the most overlooked aspects of any diet and fitness program is getting proper body fat testing assessments. This goes far beyond just looking at a weight scale and checking out how much you weigh. You want to know that all that weight you lost is from fat and taking the time to get regular body fat tests done will definitely help you make faster progress towards you goal.

If you’re on a weight loss program and have dropped some pounds, how do you know that the loss is from losing fat. The three main components of weight changes come from water, muscle and fat. So which one, or combination of the three, caused the weight loss. If you have regular body fat tests done, then you would know what kind of weight was lost.

Here is a key point. If you want to be successful in your weight management or fitness goals, then do what successful fitness people do. All the successful dieters and fitness pro’s will take measurements, track their results and adjust it accordingly to keep progressing towards their personal goal. If the results of a test show that a total of 15 pounds of body weight was lost, a few calculations will break down what component (water, muscle, or fat) had the majority of the weight change.

Here is an example to clarify how body fat testing and your weight loss goal goes hand in hand.

It’s the first week of your diet and fitness program and you want to make sure that you start it correctly. The local fitness center does physical assessments and body fat testing, so off to the gym you go to get checked and see where your levels are at. Six weeks later committing to a good diet and fitness program has resulted in a 15 pound weight loss. Now it’s time for another assessment to see the hard facts on how you’re progressing.

The results of the assessment will show how much of that 15 pounds was fat. Generally, if only 1 to 4 pounds of weight loss is water and muscle but the rest was fat, then the diet and fitness program is a success and you should continue on the program you’re on. If only 5 pounds of weight from the 15 is fat according to the body fat test, then there is a problem with the diet or fitness program you’re on. It would be wise to make some changes as this perhaps indicates that some dehydration or muscle wasting may be occurring. Continuing with the same program may cause a problem with your health if followed too long. In this case, a change in your program and another assessment 4 to 6 weeks later will determine if the new program is getting better results in fat loss instead of water or muscle loss.

If you are truly committed to lose fat and achieve good health and fitness, then you need to distinguish between just overall weight loss and true fat loss. As you continue your weight loss program, each body fat test gives you the chance to make small changes in diet or exercise routines to see if the next assessment produces better results. Not only does this get you closer to what the ideal program is for you, but it also helps keep you focused on staying with the program and not give up or quit. You will stay motivated by trying to better the last assessment.

Now that we see the importance of body fat testing, your first step is to decide if you want a professional assessment person to test you, or if you want to learn to do it yourself. There are advantages and disadvantages to each decision.

A professional body fat tester can usually be found in most fitness centers and gyms. They have the experience, knowledge and tools to make accurate tests and can suggest a course of action to improve the results of the next test. It takes on the average of about 15 to 30 minutes to complete and you will get a copy of the test to keep. The cost can range between twenty to fifty dollars per test and should be done every 4 to 6 weeks. Some disadvantages are the costs to having it done, searching out a qualified assessment professional and perhaps the slight embarrassment you may feel to have test done.

If you decide to do the test yourself, you will need to learn how to take proper body fat measurements, purchase the tools or equipment for accurate assessments and keep testing many times in order to learn how to do it correctly. An advantage to do your own test is that you can have the privacy and convenience of testing as many times and often as you want in your own home.

Most people will want someone else to do it because of the learning curve involved to take accurate assessments. Another valid reason is to have the option of some suggestions by the professional on what you can do tweak your current program and make solid improvements for the next test.

Now that you know the importance of body fat testing, you should do a little research and get more details on how to incorporate it into your program. This just may be the key ingredient for you to make real progress towards your weight loss and fitness goal.

Why Measuring Body Fat Is More Important Than Weighing Yourself On The Scale

When people start down the road to a healthier lifestyle, their first concern is most often their weight. After all, popular health news is full of warnings for the additional risks overweight people face, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, along with numerous other diseases.

While walking the path to greater health, the dieter will begin making smarter decisions for their overall health and fitness, but their primary concern always circles back to, “How much weight have I lost?” Weight loss is a vital part of ensuring a healthier life style, but it is not the only objective: maintaining a healthy ratio of body fat is just as important.

We’ve been taught since we were children that people come in all shapes and sizes. A very true statement, and one that is most often forgotten when evaluating our own bodies. When people strive to lose weight, they are actually seeking to lose the extra fat their body is carrying so they can present a more attractive figure. The problem arises when people believe that they can lose that fat simply by limiting the quantity of food eaten on a daily basis. Your body needs that food so that when you work on the other half of your diet regular exercise there are calories available to burn.

A person can be at a “normal” weight and still have excessive fat, or vice versa, they can be overweight without having an excessively high ratio of body fat. When you weigh yourself, you do not take into account what your bone structure may be like or what your muscle composition is compared to your body fat. You may think that you are overweight, but you may just need to work on reducing your body fat and replacing it with healthy muscle mass.

Dieting alone will likely just remove weight through the purging of water from your muscles. Adding in regular exercise will target the fat that you really want to lose. If you lose water weight but not fat, you will not be able to maintain your smaller structure for a long period of time. Lose fat instead, and the pounds will stay off.

Body fat is measured as a percentage of your total weight. For men, 18% and under is considered to be healthy. While for women, who biologically have a far different body structure, your body fat should be maintained at a level of 25% or less. For either gender, a body fat composition over 35% is considered obese.

Athletes commonly have the lowest percentage of body fat, but low body fat can be just as dangerous as high body fat, besides needing some cushion to protect our fragile bones from injury, a body fat percentage of less than 5% for men and 12% for women can be indicative of an eating disorder and can lead to increased instances of illness.

The smart dieter will either buy their own body fat analysis equipment or have a test performed by their trainer at the gym or by their family physician. There are Body Mass Index (BMI) calculators available on the internet that will estimate your body fat percentage based upon weight versus height, but because of differences in bone structure, this is not a reliable test.

More reliable tests of body fat include comparing measurements of different parts of your body with your overall weight, health and age; using calipers to measure skinfold thickness; or using under water weighing techniques. You may use the Bio-electrical impedance test, which calculates body fat by measuring the length of time it takes a signal to pass between your hands or feet, though it tends to be fairly inaccurate.

By combining a healthier diet with regular exercise you can reduce your body fat percentage to a healthier level while presenting a newer, slimmer you. Forget about your scale, it lies. Instead, maintain a chart of your body fat percentage taken at intervals during your diet, and you will find that as you make progress, you will feel better, look better and will enjoy a healthier future!