Are You Losing Fat or Just Losing Weight?
Weight management is a goal on a lot of people’s minds these days. People get on the scales in the morning, and the number they see may determine how they feel about themselves. But the truth is that some people make think they are overweight, when the amount of fat they have on their bodies is just fine, while others may carry hidden fat that the scale won’t tell them about.
What is Body Fat Percentage?
Our bodies are made up of a lot of different kinds of tissues plus a lot of water. There is muscle, fat, bone, and specialized tissue such as is in our various organs. The body fat percentage is just that, the percentage of our weight which is made up of fat. Body fat percentage is similar to terms such as body fat ratio and body composition.
The part that isn’t fat is called our lean body mass (LBM). A 160-pound person with a lean body mass of 120 lbs has 25 percent body fat (40 lbs of fat). That may sound like a lot, but our bodies need a certain amount of fat for insulation, energy storage, hormone production, and other functions scientists are just discovering.
The part that isn’t fat is called our lean body mass (LBM). A 160-pound person with a lean body mass of 120 lbs has 25 percent body fat (40 lbs of fat). That may sound like a lot, but our bodies need a certain amount of fat for insulation, energy storage, hormone production, and other functions scientists are just discovering.
What is BMI?
BMI (body mass index) is a formula based on height and weight. It was developed because in the general population, it is correlated with body fat. However, there are quite a few groups of people for whom BMI is not as accurate –- short women and muscular people, to name two. BMI also varies according to some ethnic groups. Also, for people who are interested in changing their body composition and not just their weight, knowing body fat percentage is an improvement over BMI. For example, if you are exercising to build muscle (a good goal), knowing your body fat percentage is a good idea. Also, when losing weight, you want to preserve as much lean body mass as possible. (Low-carb diets generally produce better results than high carb ones for this purpose.)