Becoming a thin fat person is not so smart. So exactly what is a thin fat person? It's a person that's so focused on the scale weight going down that they are willing to lose muscle in an effort to get the scale where they think it should be. In a case where that happens, the person loses weight from muscle while retaining body fat. They end up looking more emaciated and often end up looking unhealthy and older. In some cases, the scale staying the same or even going up can actually be a good thing. Think about that for a minute. If you gained ten pounds of muscle in the right places and dropped 10 pounds of fat, wouldn't you look better? This is why weighing on a scale without a body composition is so mind boggling. If the scale doesn't move, then your dietary program and body fat must not be working, right? This is what I like to refer to as a "mythfit!" It's a myth of the fitness industry that in order for a woman to look better her weight has to be less. And it's also a "mythfit" that in order for a guy to look bigger he has to weigh more. Consider the following pictures.
Here is a picture of a man who weighs less and looks bigger and a woman who weighs more but looks smaller.
If you step on the scale only to find that your weight has gone up and seeing your bodyweight going up is perceived as a bad thing, what will be your response? Instantly, panic sets in and you begin to cut you're your calories, skip meals, and increase your exercise intensity in hopes of shaving off those unwanted pounds. After making changes do you realize what you just did? Because you resorted to severe alterations you lost muscle, depleted glycogen, lost energy and in every way stopped your body from looking better.
Bottom line--weighing yourself is not a true representation of the changes that your body is making. There's the old adage that calories in equals calories out equals weight maintenance. Honestly that doesn't cut too much mustard with me. (excuse the pun). The mere suggestion that calories are all the same is a 1950's approach to nutrition that is very outdated. It would insinuate that 1500 calories of chicken breast would yield the exact same results that eating 1500 calories of butter would yield. And frankly after practicing nutrition for 30 years, I can tell you without doubt that the two foods would create completely different results and I hope that logic tells you the same. To prove that calories aren't all created equal, there was a study designed to examine the relationship between calorie reduction and weight loss. The researchers placed eight women into two separate groups of 4 each. Group A reduced their calorie level to 1500 calories and ate only high quality chicken breast and rice which was divided between 5 equally sized meals. Group B also reduced their calorie level to 1500 but ate 5 evenly distributed meals of only doughnuts (yes. doughnuts). Now, before I go further let me explain the theory that was being tested. We are taught that if I consume "X" amount of calories and burn "X" amount of calories, I should not gain or lose weight. Simply stated, if I consume and burn the same amount, my weight should remain the same. So in theory, regardless of the type of food, if the calories were identical then both groups should lose the exact same amount of weight. When the trial was over each group was weighed and both groups did lose the exact same amount of weight! BUT when a body composition was performed the results were completely different. Group A lost 7 pounds of body fat and gained one pound of lean body mass, while group B lost as well, what was lost, however, was little to no fat but rather lost their weight from muscle This is a perfect example of how the scale can be deceptive. Besides, did you really think the group that ate doughnuts all day long would lose body fat?
Remember earlier when I stated that it is possible to weigh less but have more body fat? That was me! Earlier this year I gave birth to my first child. Prior to pregnancy I ran long distances 3-4 times a week, lifted weights 2 times a week and endured 6 hours of ballet class a week! During my first trimester, instead of running I walked, I skipped most of the weight training due to low energy and kept up with my ballet classes as much as I could. But by my second trimester I was only walking and all of my other activities went out the window! Now, most women use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever they want and end up gaining an enormous amount of weight, but not me. I maintained a proper diet and tried to eat as much protein as possible to preserve my precious muscle mass. You've heard the saying "If you don't use it, you lose it". Boy is that ever true! Post partum, I actually weighed less than I did before I got pregnant! Now, most women would do a cart wheel if that happened to them. I on the other hand, knew that I had lost a tremendous amount muscle and gained body fat. I was a skinny fat person! I knew this, and that notion was confirmed because my clothes were not fitting comfortably. Now that I am back to my weight training, I have actually gained weight! Once again, you cannot rely on the scale to give a true representation of the changes your body has made.
So how do you know if you're losing muscle or fat? Well, if you are like most, you probably have a scale at home, and if your curiosity gets the best of you, you may find yourself looking at that number and using it as a measure of progress. Weighing infrequently can be a positive tool if you understand what that number truly means. You see, your scale weight is made up of two things: fat and lean body mass. Lean body mass (LBM), simply stated, is everything that is not fat! Your LBM along with your scale weight will change anywhere from 1-4 pounds every single time you step up on the scale. These variances are likely attributed to:
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Food consumption. If you eat a pound of fajitas for lunch and step up on the scale, don't be shocked if your weight jumps up a pound! Not because you gained a pound of fat, but because of the volume of food in your gut.
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The weight of your clothes. The density of the clothes you wear can affect the LBM. I know what you're thinking. Let me guess, you weigh yourself in your birthday suit, right? (I'll give you that one!)
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Body fluid. Let's face it; no one likes to step on the scale with a full bladder! So the amount of fluid you've drank, can affect your scale weight. Water retention due to a high sodium meal or lack of water consumed. Most women will retain about 6 pounds of water due to monthly hormone fluctuations. Various mediations can also cause water fluctuations. In addition, hydration levels during the day or post workout can also affect your body fluid balance.
·Time of day. Weighing first thing in the morning will yield a different weight than the evening time. Again, not because you gained fat, but because of food and fluid consumed over the course of the day.
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Muscle mass. If you are lifting weights or going through a period of muscle restoration, there may be an increase in LBM. Conversely, if you've lost muscle, the LBM will decrease.
The scale doesn't show you if you are losing fat and gaining muscle (or vice versa). So why rely on something that quite honestly isn't accurate. There are a number of ways to find out your percentage of body fat and you will also find that some methods are more accurate than others. Here are a few methods that are used to determine your percentage of body fat:
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Skin fold measurements: This is the most widely used body composition testing method for assessing percent body fat. This assessment is done using a caliper that measures the fat directly under the skin. When the skin is pulled away from the body and the skin fold is placed between the calipers, a reading is taken. This measurement is the thickness of the skin along with fat, not bones or muscles, and is usually measured in millimeters. The total skin fold measures are calculated using the current body weight to derive the percentage of fat. In theory, if the thickness of the skin fold decreases, you are losing body fat. Some calculations are based upon the measurement of 3 sites and others use 7 sites. Our staff at IEM uses 9 sites. These sites are taken on the arms, legs, midsection, upper and lower back areas. A greater amount of sites taken into account will lend to a more accurate percentage of fat. You can have a skin fold calibration done at most gyms, college campuses, or wellness facilities. There is about a 1-2% margin of error. So consistency is the key. Have the same experienced individual take your measures, using the same method/technique, using the same tool, using the same scale for weight etc.
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Hydrostatic weighing: This method used to be considered the "gold standard" in percent body fat measurement. Hydrostatic weighing uses Archimedes principle which states that when a body is submerged in water, there is a buoyant counter force equal to the weight of the water which is displaced. Because bone and muscle are denser than water, a person with a larger percentage of fat free mass will weigh more in the water and have a lower percent body fat. On the other hand, fat floats. Therefore, a large amount of fat mass will make the body lighter in the water and have a higher percent body fat. Accuracy depends on your ability to blow all the air out of their lungs both during a pre-test screening with a spirometer, and during the test itself. In addition, if there is any gas in the GI, it can cause inaccuracies. Since air makes the body float, inability to expel air will result in miscalculation of the percent body fat. I have personally had this test done and in my opinion, it was not a very pleasant experience. I felt as though I was under water for minutes at a time, when it was only merely seconds. The test is normally repeated 3 times and the average is taken. If you have a fear of water, or problems with lung capacity, this test is not for you! You can have this test performed at research facilities or universities. Unfortunately, most of us do not have access to this type of testing and if you do, be prepared to pull out your wallet, it costs a good chunk of change!
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Bioelectrical Impedence (BIA): Body fat is measured by standing on a scale barefoot on metal foot plates. Or using a hand held device. A low voltage electric current is sent up one leg and down the other (or from one arm to another). This method relies on the assumption that fat is a very poor conductor of electricity, therefore a lot of fat will impede the current more so than lean tissue and water. By measuring the resistance to the current, the machine estimates the percent body fat. If done correctly on properly operating equipment, this testing method is said to be approximately +/- 3%. I find that hard to believe. If the electrical impulse is sent up one leg (or arm) and down the other, what about the fat above (or below) the waist? Is that not taken into account? Of course, accuracy is dependant upon several variables, to accurately determine body fat percentages you must follow these guidelines:
· Abstain from eating and drinking within 4 hours of the test
· Avoid exercising within 12 hours of the test
· Void (urinate) completely prior to testing
· Do not drink alcohol within 48 hours of the test
· Avoid taking diuretics prior to testing
With all of those guidelines, it's almost impossible to follow your daily routine and have an accurate test. BIA is popular in health and fitness clubs and can be done in the comfort of your own home. This method has a higher range of error and tends to overestimate lean individuals and underestimates obese people.
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Bod Pod: The use of Bod Pod correlates nicely with the concept of hydrostatic weighing (underwater weighing). Instead of using water to measure body volume, the Bod Pod uses air displacement to measure body volume. The Bod Pod looks like it sounds. You sit in a "pod" like structure and measurement time takes about 5 to 8 minutes. This measurement technique is ideal for disabled people, elderly and the obese population. To get accurate results, you must wear tight fitting clothes (break out the spandex) and a swim cap. Hydration status and increases in muscle temperature can adversely affect calculation results. Also, it is important to breathe normally and remain still while being assessed (any slight movement or change in breathing pattern may affect results). If you had access to this type of body composition, it would have an accuracy level very close to hydrostatic weighing.
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Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA): DEXA is a fairly new technology. It is based on the three component model of body composition. DEXA uses two X-ray energies to measure body fat, muscle, and bone mineral, therefore it is considered to be more accurate than a just measuring fat and lean body mass. When having the scan done, you must lay still on your back on what looks like an x-ray table. It takes approximately twelve minutes for the computer software to produce an image of the tissues. The radiation exposure is extremely low. While DEXA is quick, this method of testing can be costly. This method is generally used in laboratory studies.
The following two measurement methods are often used to identify health risk but do not take into account percentage of body fat nor are the accurate ways to measure transformations in your physique:
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Circumference measurement: This method is quick, easy and inexpensive method to estimate body composition. Using a standard tape measure and a scale, your weight, height, and anywhere from two to four circumference comparisons are used to calculate your body fat. There are a variety of formulas for this test, which vary excessively. This testing method is used in the military due to ease of testing, low cost, and lack of training requirement. The main problem with circumference testing is that is doesn't account for the difference of muscle mass and fat mass. The girth of the quad can go down if lean muscle mass is lost and conversely, the circumference can increase due to muscle gain! I find this to be an extremely poor method measuring progress let alone determining body fat percentages. This however can be a valuable tool to identify how to vary weight training to create a more proportionate physique.
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Body Mass Index (BMI): Perhaps the most useless method used today is the BMI. (elaborate here margo) Many people confuse percentage of body fat with their BMI. Body Mass Index is often used to quantify an individual's obesity level as it relates to health risk. The calculation is based on your height and weight. The result of the calculation is looked up on a table. The higher the figure, the more overweight you are and therefore carry excess body fat. This test does not take body composition information into account, and is simply an average based on population studies. This is the test that is traditionally used for insurance purposes and in my opinion is useless. Individuals that carry a large amount of muscle mass are often classified at being overweight or obese. This can be frustrating and an issue for athletes who have a low percentage of body fat when it comes to getting coverage from insurance companies.
What should your percent of body fat be? Body fat percent varies considerably for men and women. Some would even argue that body fat percentage is even age related. I disagree. As you age, naturally you will get wrinkles, your hearing will diminish and your eye sight may change, but you do not have to be "over-fat"! Most calculations that are based on age function under the assumption that the older you are, the less active you are, therefore you will carry more body fat. Not true, I worked with many individuals in their mid to late 60s that are in the best shape of their life! Keep in mind that there is not one method of measuring body fat that is 100% accurate. In fact, you can have five different body comps done in the same day and you would most likely get 5 different readings. The goal is to focus on consistency. In theory, if you lose 1% of your body fat, then all readings should drop by 1%. The minimum percent body fat considered safe and acceptable for good health is 6% for males and 15% for females. The average adult body fat should be 15%-18% for men and 20%-25% for women. Unfortunately, most of the population has a much higher percent body fat than the average. If you are trying to make changes in your physique and accurately want to monitor progress, get your body composition measured and stay off the scale, otherwise you just may end up being a "skinny fat person"!
