Body-Fat
20 08 2007
The numbers on the scale only paint part of the fitness picture. Did you know that a lean bodybuilder and a pudgy couch potato the same height could weigh exactly the same? Yikes! That’s because muscle weighs more than fat!
So get the best picture of how you’re doing with a body-fat measure. Body fat is simply the percentage of fat your body contains. For example, if you weighed 150 pounds and had 10 percent body fat, you would have 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass (bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood, and everything else). Women need a minimum body fat of 10 percent to survive. Athletes average 12 to 20 percent. A fit level is 22 to 24 percent. Between 25 and 31 percent is considered borderline and over 32 percent is obese. So keep these numbers in mind!
Ask to have your body fat measured by your doctor or at the gym, and then use that number to determine how far you have to go. Remember, you really want to lose FAT, not just weight!
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There is also a different BMI scale for children. As kids grow, the amount of body fat they have will change and so will their BMI.
Hi Joe! I wanted to share these two FREE (these are usually around $50 to buy) useful calculators to use when you’re trying to maintain and lose weight.
http://www.tlbc.ca/resources-article-details.php?ID=12
The BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculator gives you an estimate of how many calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. A great tool to help you stay on track!
http://www.tlbc.ca/resources-article-details.php?ID=10
The BMI (Body Mass Index) is a great tool that will help you determine when extra pounds translate into health risks. (my BMI is 19.9…apparently I’m ‘normal’. )
These tools are really easy to use and you can even add them to your Face Book, My Space, blogs, Vista sidebar and more. Check them out!