Body fat
These two words send shivers down the spines of most individuals. This is usually due to the fear that comes with the thought of visible abs disappearing after a 20 week fat loss phase or the constant pressure to be “lean” or “thin” like the many celebrities idolized in today’s media.
While you may or may not have fears of body fat, one cannot disagree that the media and the fitness industry heavily focus on body fat and an individual’s body fat percentage. Magazines are constantly spewing out new detoxes and diets to lose weight fast for the upcoming tropical vacation or to make sure that you fit into your wedding dress on the day that seems to be approaching faster than ever. News programs report on the latest research that has been published with topics that links body fat percentage to life expectancy and how eating this one type of food will increase your chance of obesity by some arbitrary percentage. And then there’s Dr.Oz; don’t even get me started on Dr. Oz.
The fitness industry isn’t much different. In the industry it isn’t hard to find the countless programs to “Burn fat and build muscle simultaneously” where fast results are promised. Along with these programs are the supplement companies that push their products that combine with these programs to get results. These products, such as thermogenics, ketones, and various other pills and powders, are marketed to the public that they will burn fat instantaneously. This is just a negative part of the fitness industry. There is also the good side of the fitness industry that promotes a healthy range of body fat and the key to achieving this requires exercise and a focus on a sustainable, micronutrient dense diet, as well as hard work and patience. While most of us do want to lose body fat we should talk about why body fat is important.
Why Is Body Fat Important?
Body fat and dietary fat have many functions that are critical to our health. On the most basic level, fat is an easily stored energy source that keeps us alive if we are ever in a period of starvation where food or nutrients are scarce. While I assume that this isn’t new information, fat also is important for hormone production, transport of vitamins and nutrients, organ protection, proper cell development, body temperature regulation, and actually increasing metabolism. Fat tissue has been shown to produce hormones or other signals that then lead to hormone production. A few of these hormones and signals are aromatase, TNF Alpha, IL-6, leptin, plasminogen, angiotensin, and adiponectin. These hormones have functions such as sex hormone metabolism, blood pressure control, body weight regulation, and insulin sensitivity. A diet too low in fats could result in less production of these important hormones. Along with hormone production, fats are used to absorb and dissolve important vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. This allows for the vitamins to be easily absorbed by the body. These vitamins are essential for bone health, blood clotting, good vision, and limiting the formation of harmful free radicals. Stored body fat is used to protect our organs by surrounding our vital organs. Surrounding our organs with fat makes it act like bubble wrap, protecting them from impact and as well as keeping us warm by acting as insulation and regulating body temperature. On a cellular level, fats are found in the cell membrane and help regulate what can transport in and out of the cells. Fats are located around our nerve cells and play an important role in sending the electrical signals produced by our neurons. Without getting too in depth, there are types of fat called brown and beige fat. These types of fat have been shown to take calories from another form of fat, white fat, and use these calories for energy, which can lead to an increase in metabolism. Fats aid in proper digestion of our food and most importantly, they taste really good.
Ways To Calculate Body Fat Percent?
If you were to google how to calculate body fat percentage, you would come across thousands of different body fat percentage calculators. These calculators will ask for information about yourself such as age, weight, height, and body part measurements (waist, neck, thigh, chest, biceps, etc.). Once you enter in this information all of the measurements will be entered into some type of formula and it will spit out your body fat percentage. Another way to calculate your percentage would be by taking skinfold measurements of certain areas of your body with calipers that will then give you an estimated body fat percentage. Along with these calculators there are different modalities and expensive tests that can performed to give you your percentage. The main ones are the Bod Pod, DEXA scan, water displacement, and electrical impedance measurements. If you want to read more about how these tests calculate your percentage, you can click here to read an article by James Kreiger of Weightology.net. The article is excellent along with the other content on his website. Whatever way to choose to get your body fat percentage, none of them will be a true measurement of your body fat percentage. They are a good way to track a gain or loss of body fat but they cannot give you the exact measurement. If you want the true measurement there is only one way to get that….and that is to literally weigh all of the fat on your body once you die, and I assume you don’t care about your body fat that much. To calculate your body fat percentage, Andy Morgan of Rippedbody.com has an excellent article with calculators located here. My recommendation is to purchase a tape measurement tool, such as myotape (this can be picked up on Amazon for $6), and to pick a body fat percentage calculator. Using the myotape, measure the parts of your body that the calculator needs in order to calculate your body fat percentage and enter it into the calculator. Record this value along with the body measurements. As you gain or lose weight, remeasure and recalculate your percentage with the same calculator and track the changes. Here are some guidelines for measuring certain body parts;
Neck: Thickest part of the neck.
Chest: With the arms lifted up the tape measure if wrapped around the chest just above the nipple. Lower the arms and take one big deep breath in and out. The measurement is taken after the exhale
Biceps: Peak of the bicep. Take each bicep measurement individually and keep the location consistent.
Waist: Measurement taken at the belly button. Similar to the chest, take a deep inhale followed by an exhale. Measure after the exhale.
Hips: Taken at the widest part of the hips.
Thigh: Taken at the thickest point of one or both thighs.
Why You Shouldn’t Give a Fuck About Your Body Fat Percentage (sort of)
Now you’re probably wondering, “Why would he write a blog about body fat percentage just to persuade us to not care about it?”. And that’s a good question. I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t care about the exact body fat percentage that you are. You will hear people at the gym or the office say things like, “Yea bro I’m 8% body fat” or “I’m bulking to a lean 18% body fat percentage”. This may make you look at yourself and ask what your body fat percentage is and how you compare to them. The truth is, they don’t know what their body fat percentage is. All they can do is take a guess and for the most part they estimate that they are a lower body fat percentage then they truly are. The body fat calculators I brought up earlier calculate the rates at an accuracy of 3% to 8%. This means if a calculator tells you that you are 15% body fat, you could be as little as 7% or as high as 23%. What you should care about is if you fall within a healthy range of body fat. Ideally, you want to be at a body fat percentage that doesn’t result in health concerns such as diabetes and heart disease. As a male, this would roughly be between 8% and 19% body fat. As a female, this would roughly be between 21% and 33%. Body fat percentages below this is considered “under fat”. At these ranges, complications may occur regarding hormone production, loss of the menstrual cycle, always feeling cold due to lack of insulation, and constant hunger. If dieting down for a bodybuilding, physique, or bikini contest, the participant will most likely have to reach these low percentages. While it is unhealthy, it is only for a short amount of time.
You may also be asking yourself, “But if I’m not lean year round, what will my peers think about me?”. If your friends or family base their opinion of you and the type the person you are based on your leanness, I think it would be time to reevaluate your relationship with that person and to decide if it is beneficial to keep them in your life. Anyone who truly cares about you will not care about how lean you are; they will only care that you are healthy and happy.
The take home point of this article is that a wide range of body fat percentage calculators are inaccurate. Worrying about your exact percentage is a waste of time and can lead to unnecessary anxiety and stress. What you should care about is your overall health: Are you living your healthiest life? Are you performing well and progressing in the gym? Do you feel your best? If you answered yes, then don’t fret about the percentage and live your life.
Sources
http://www.yourhormones.info/glands/adipose-tissue/
https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/vitamin-supplements/fat-absorb-vitamins.htm
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