Body Composition

Are you confused about how much you should weigh? Does the Body Mass Index (BMI) chart suggest a weight for you that seems lower than you even weighed in college? The problem is that the BMI is based on calculations for ideal body weight based on a number of healthy individuals and is not designed specifically for you. In fact Arnold Schwarzenegger would have been considered obese when he was at his competetive weight for the Mr Universe competition and he was obviously not fat at that time. The BMI charts are not based on the composition of a person's body. They are just based on your height and weight.

The body mass index is actually over 150 years old. Adolphe Quetelet developed it sometime between 1830 and 1850. Quetelet was a Belgian mathematician and statistician who developed the formula used today to determine what a healthy weight would be for someone based on their height.

So, if we look at a person's body as composed of several parts including bone, muscle, skin, fat and organs, what we are really asking is what percentage of our bodies should be made up of fat. This body fat content can be measured by a number of different methods. The three most common methods of measurement are the skinfold method, bioelectrical impedence analysis and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry or DEXA. The skinfold method uses calipers to pinch different areas of skin and only measures fat under the skin. The bioelectrical impedence analysis method is affordable but less accurate. DEXA measurement is performed with the same machine used for osteoporosis measurement and is probably the most accurate measurement tool readily available. It works by x-raying the body with two different types of x-rays. One measures all types of tissues and the other measures everything but fat. Subtracting the two gives you the percentage of body fat.

So what should your percentage of body fat be? Well first of all there is a percentage of fat that is required for normal functioning of the body. This is essential fat and it is greater for women than men due to their requirements for childbearing. The chart below lists the percentages typically seen for men and women based also on their fitness levels. Essentially guys, we want to see less than 20% body fat which may not give you abs of steel but will certainly be healthier and better looking.

Click HERE to request an appointment to have a DEXA body composition test performed or if you have any questions.