UNDERSTANDING YOUR BODY FAT PERCENTAGE

Body Fat & Cellulite - Weight & Body Fat Issues

Lose weight means lose fat

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%	6-13%
Athletes	14-20%	2-4%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-31%	18-25%
Obese	32% plus	25% plus

Determining if your weight loss goals are realistic

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.

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Your weight loss yes, but without risks for your health. For further information on how to reduce your body fat loosing 11 Lbs. in 7 days with Slimplant the fast weight loss diet, please see: 

Your fast weight loss

Slimplant® weight loss program and lose 11 Lbs. in 7 days

Product specifications of Slimplant® your effective weight loss

The truth about diet and weight loss

Weight loss resources

Weight loss Index

Weight loss tips to reach your weight loss success

Your weight loss and the plateau effect

Body fat calculator & Body Mass Index

Body fat calculator: use this tool to determine your over weight

Body Mass Index: determine your body fat percentage

Understanding your body fat percentage

Knowing obesity

Overweight and obesity F.A.Q.s

Understanding adult obesity

Obesity and the Body Mass Index

Causes for obesity

Consequences of obesity

Treatment for obesity

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Last revision: December 07, 2007  

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