12/21/2019
Come on by today and learn more on the difference between body weight and body fat?
Losing ‘weight’ and losing ‘fat’ are used interchangeably, but they are different. You can lose body fat when you lose weight, but losing weight doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve lost body fat.
First, let’s define what a ‘healthy’ body fat percentage is and how this differs to weight. Figure 1 shows body fat percentages for both men and women in more detail than typically given. As you can see, women have naturally higher body fat percentages than men.
Women (% fat) Men (% fat)
Essential fat 10-12% 2-4%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fit 21-24% 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-25%
Obese 32% + 25% +
(Figure 1-Body fat percentage for men and women)
Bodyweight is different to body fat. Bodyweight measures total mass (fat, water, bone, muscles and organs) compared to just isolating the fat mass. It’s important to make this distinction in the field of health and fitness because body fat is the most accurate indicator and predictor of well-being and disease, whereas body weight and health are not always negatively correlated (i.e. you can weigh more than average, but be healthier than average too).
Studies show that being able to maintain a healthy body fat percentage decreases your risk of developing weight-related cardiovascular diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Having a healthy body fat percentage also allows for hormonal balance and regulation, particularly important for women, but not exclusively.
A healthy body fat percentage in both men and women increases the secretion of the growth hormone. This physiology is complex but essentially, the healthier the body fat percentage (fit range on figure 1) and lean muscle mass an individual has, the easier they will increase muscle mass size and strength. Research shows that increased growth hormone secretion improves exercise performance, energy, reduces heart disease risk, increases bone density and so much more. But having a healthy body fat percentage is not just critical to have optimal health, it’s also critical to athletic performance. All fitness components do, to some extent, depending on body composition.
Caveat: It is important to note that having a lean body fat percentage is equally as important as having a good amount of lean muscle mass. Numerous studies conclude that lean muscle mass is related to strength and power in athletic performance, so if you have minimal body fat but also minimal muscle mass then you should shift your focus onto building some. One without the other will dramatically impact your performance.
A study conducted by the National Strength and Conditioning Association that was published by Human Kinetics found that reduced non-essential body fat (i.e. in the athletic and lean zones according to table 1) contributes to muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance, speed and agility development.
In fact, any additional body fat was found to provide greater resistance to athletic performance thereby forcing the athlete to increase the muscle force of contraction per given workload. Essentially this means that additional (non-essential) body fat limits endurance, balance, coordination, joint range, and movement capacity.
If you’re trying to look leaner and have less fat, it’s better to focus on body fat percentage data, rather than weighing your body weight, which may not be accurate.
