We spend a lot of time obsessing over our weight, but your body weight won't be able to tell you the full story of your health. That's because tons of factors work together to determine your overall bodyweight, including the weight of your lean muscle, your skeletal system, and your body fat. Understanding the multifaceted nature of weight loss, from body composition to metabolic processes and sustainable habit formation, is key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. This article delves into these critical aspects, providing insights applicable to diverse audiences, from those just starting their health journey to seasoned fitness enthusiasts.
Demystifying Body Composition
Body composition refers to the percentages of fat, bone, water, and muscle in the body-all numbers that show up on your smart scale or other body scan tests. Technology, including smart scales, have become affordable enough to have all types of it in households and gyms, and these devices can provide us with a little more insight into your body composition. Instead of solely focusing on the number on the scale, analyzing body composition offers a more comprehensive view of your health.
Body Fat Percentage: More Than Just a Number
Fat percentage consists of both essential body fat and storage body fat. According to Harvard Medical, normal ranges for fat mass are as follows:
- Ages 20-39: 8-19 percent for men, 22-33 percent for women
- Ages 40-59: 11-21 percent for men, 24-34 percent for women
- Ages 60-79: 13-24 percent for men, 25-36 percent for women
“As a general rule, a lower percentage of body fat is indicative of better health,” says Eric Pham, M.D., a bariatric surgeon and weight loss expert with St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California. “Generally speaking, an average adult male has 18 to 24 percent of total body weight as fat mass, while an average female has 25 to 31 percent. Athletes' body fat percentages can be much lower, somewhere between 6 percent and 13 percent for men and 14 to 20 percent for women.”
Men and women with higher body fat percentage are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, strokes, and some cancers, says Pham.
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Bone Mass: The Foundation of Your Body
This is the total mass of skeletal bone in the body. Normal bone mass for men is between 3 and 5 percent of your weight. This changes with age, as our bones reach peak mass in our late 20s, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Low bone mass may increase the risk of fractures, says Pham. Weight-bearing exercise and proper calcium intake will increase bone mass, peaking around age 30. After that, it slowly decreases as you age.
Total Body Water Percentage: Staying Hydrated
This is the percentage of the body's mass that is fluid. The human body is 50 to 75 percent water, and how much you have at any given time hinges on age, sex, and hydration. Most men will have between 50 to 65 percent; women 45 to 60 percent.
Body impedance analysis (BIA-more on this in a bit) can determine the total percentage of water that's found inside our cells and the percentage outside of the cells, called extracellular water, says Pham. “Generally, too much extracellular water may be indicative of heart, liver, malnutrition, or kidney disease.”
Muscle Mass: The Engine of Metabolism
This is the total mass of body skeletal muscle. The body has three types of muscles: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac. Skeletal muscle is under voluntary control (think biceps), smooth muscle contracts autonomously (or without any thought), and cardiac muscle makes up the main tissue of the heart's walls. Normal ranges for muscle mass are:
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- Ages 20-39: 75-89 percent for men, 63-75.5 percent for women
- Ages 40-59: 73-86 percent for men, 62-73.5 percent for women
- Ages 60-79: 70-84 percent for men, 60-72.5 percent for women
Higher muscle mass increases metabolic rate and prevents falls and illnesses, according to Pham. For example, a person who has a higher amount of their weight as muscle mass will burn more calories at rest compared to someone with a lower percentage of muscle mass. A higher level of muscle mass can also protect against developing diabetes, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
“Fat mass causes hypertension and diabetes due to insulin resistance,” says Pham. “As we age, we lose muscle mass and are more prone to falls. Loss of muscle mass causes loss of balance and strength as commonly seen in the elderly. This is why exercise is critical.”
Measuring Body Composition: Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)
There are loads of scales on the market right now (including 5 of our favorites, here!) that you can purchase with the technology that gives you a body composition readout, which is called Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). BIA sends a very low, safe electrical signal through your feet and into the body. This signal meets resistance when it hits fat tissue, and passes quickly through water in the body. The resistance, known as impedance, is what the device uses to determine your body composition percentages.
It's important to note, though, that BIA isn't perfectly accurate. Many things, including your hydration levels and skin temperature, may effect its accuracy. If you choose to use one, it's important to use it when you're well hydrated, and before any strenuous workout. Scanning yourself the same time of day from scan to scan will also be helpful.
Before you get too hung up on your numbers, remember that this is just one part of the bigger picture. Make sure that you’re dedicating time to other aspects of a healthy routine and lifestyle, like what you’re putting into your body and the amount of sleep you’re getting (both factors that can affect these readouts, as well).
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“BIA is best used in conjunction with a medically supervised weight loss program,” says Pham. “Use the first BIA measurement as a baseline measurement. Over time, as you might lose weight, BIA can be used to determine their body’s changes in fat and muscle mass.”
Understanding Metabolism: The Engine Within
Your metabolism is how your body uses energy (which ultimately comes from the sustenance you consume) for everything your body does. Your body’s metabolism never stops - even when you’re resting and sleeping. It constantly sustains basic body functions, like:
- Breathing
- Circulating blood
- Digesting food
- Growing and repairing cells
- Managing hormone levels
- Regulating body temperature
A healthy, life-sustaining metabolism requires cells to function at rest and adapt to a changing environment. This includes adaptation to periods of:
- Eating
- Fasting
- Starvation
- Physical activity
- Illness or injury
- Pregnancy and lactation
This means that your metabolism isn’t always functioning at the same “rate.” Your metabolism signals your body to use more or less energy during different times of the day and for various reasons.
Metabolic Processes: Catabolism and Anabolism
To break down the process of metabolism a little further, here’s a look at how it works. In general, metabolism consists of two main processes: catabolism and anabolism.
Catabolism is the breakdown of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and dietary fats) you consume into their simpler forms. For example, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which enters your blood as blood glucose (sugar). Your body also stores glucose as glycogen - mainly in your muscles and liver. These macronutrients are the basis of the fuel your body uses for all its cells.
Anabolism is the opposite of catabolism. Your body takes smaller units (like amino acids) and puts them together to create bigger structures (like proteins). Anabolism is essential when you get an injury, and your body has to heal. It’s also essential for bone growth and building muscles.
Metabolism and Weight: Separating Fact from Fiction
Many people think metabolic problems are responsible for weight gain or loss. But your metabolism naturally regulates itself to meet your body’s specific needs. It’s rarely the sole cause of weight gain or loss. In many cases, if your body uses more calories than you take in, you’ll lose weight (and vice versa). But several factors affect how many calories your body needs - many of which are hard to predict or know.
Fast vs. Slow Metabolism: What's the Real Difference?
Someone with a fast metabolism or fast basal metabolic rate (BMR) burns a lot of calories even while at rest. If you have a slow metabolism or slow BMR, your body needs fewer calories to keep it going.
The Set Point Theory: Resetting Your Body's Thermostat
A slow, gradual weight gain, (a 20-pound weight gain over several decades) will fool your body into thinking that your set point should be higher -and in fact, that does reset your set point. But just as it's possible to reset your set point to a higher point, it's also possible to lower it. There are internal controls that govern this complex process.
Scientific evidence supports losing no more than 10% of your body weight at a time. It turns out that the body's set point and its many regulatory hormones dictate the effectiveness of the 10% loss. That's the amount of weight you can lose before your body starts to fight back. Many clinical studies have confirmed this phenomenon. After you maintain your new, lower weight for 6 months, you can repeat the cycle and reset your set point again by losing another 10%. Through small, gradual changes in your daily habits, you'll be able to stay at that new, lower weight for the rest of your life. Resetting your set point requires you to learn new habits that overtime become second nature.
Tracking Progress: The Power of Food Journals and Balanced Eating
At the start of any new program, it is important to take stock in what you are eating and look at how many total calories you typically take in. Keeping a food journal can be time consuming. In order to make it more fun and easier for you, we have created a meal by meal "balanced plate" food diary form. You simply write down the veggie/fruit, protein and starch you had at the meal. As you move through the program you will have a better understanding of the food groups and where they fit. Understanding portion sizes is an essential piece of information when keeping a food journal to calculate the calories you consume. This may require you to get your measuring cups out! You will also see a spot to write how hungry you are and how full or "satiated" you feel after you have eaten. Knowing this is essential to assessing the food patterns that may be keeping you from reaching and maintaining your set point.
The "K" and "R" Day Approach to Sustainable Habits
K: What if you manage to keep your eating in check but don't get any exercise? That counts as a "K" day for "keeping it off." The same goes for when you exercise enough but eat more than you planned. The winning formula is a one-month review showing that the "R" days outnumber "K" days, and "K" days outnumber "O" days. There are different methods of keeping a food journal. Everybody finds the one that works best for them.
Navigating Nutrition Labels and Points Systems
Nutrition labels, which haven't been updated since 1994, are notoriously confusing. That's what that tiny blue icon in the corner of many packaged foods refers to. It tells you how many points a food has based on four key things you'll find on a standard nutrition label: calories, fat, sugar, and protein. The problem with this is that people tend to eat far more than the amount specified on the label. For reference, a "standard serving size" of Oreos is two cookies. "Who sits down with a container of ice cream and measures out a half of a cup? No one. In response to these and other concerns, the FDA announced its first major overhaul of nutrition information in May, which goes into effect in 2018. Although its name and calculation system have changed several times since it was introduced in 1997, the gist remains the same. As part of the program, you're assigned a daily and a weekly points goal based on your current weight and how much you want to lose. Nutritious, filling foods get fewer points, while junk foods with empty calories get more. Dozens of other weight loss apps and programs now use various versions of points systems to try to help you lose weight. Several comprehensive, large-scale studies suggest the program can help some people lose weight and keep it off. For a 2008 study in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers (including one from Weight Watchers) studied more than 600 Weight Watchers participants and followed up with them one year, two years, and five years after they completed the program. A year after they'd finished the program, close to 60% were still within 5 pounds of their goal weight. Still, research suggests that there's more to the program than just its points system. But if you're trying to lose weight and you've been struggling with nutrition labels, the key takeaway is this: You're not alone. Nutrition is complicated, and fortunately there are tools that can help.