Keeping an eye on your body fat percent is more important than watching the scale. YUP I said it! Many people have a messed up/wrong view of pounds and weight… the scale is definitely not the determining factor for whether you are healthy or not.

You have to remember MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT! So someone could look skinny but actually be more fat than someone who looks a little bigger but has more muscle(which implies less body fat).

For example, The Today show featured two women of similar age to show how this is possible The first woman was 5’6”, 143 lbs (Body Mass Index{BMI}= 23.1)– the second was 5’7”, 140 lbs (BMI = 21.9). Both women are of a “normal/healthy” weight according to their height and weight correlations. To the eye , they both look fit, but it is what’s on the inside(fat or muscle) that really matters.

BUT, the first of these women was 19% body fat, the second was 27% body fat. According to this study, the second woman is open to “obesity-related” diseases, like heart disease, type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. What was the difference? The first woman made exercise and a healthy diet apart of her regular life… it was her lifestyle. Whereas, the second woman didn’t worry about regular exercise or healthy eating, but rather relied on her “good genetics”. She never had to worry about her weight, so she didn’t diet or exercise much. It was a shock to her that her health may be compromised.

I recently had a client who lost 5.5 percent body fat in less than two months, but only dropped a pound and a half on the scale. Remember, muscle not only weighs more than fat but it is significantly more DENSE that fat- thus it takes up less room in the body. These two facts about muscle explain why my client “looks” and in fact, IS more fit than she was, even though she hasn’t lost many “pounds”. My client’s body has taken on a completely different shape… the added muscle has tightened, toned, and lifted areas of her body. One would think she lost pounds, but really she gained muscle! Cool, huh?

Below is a generic, general chart about what is considered good and bad body fat percentages.

If you want your body fat percent tested just head in to your local gym and they will definitely have what’s needed to do that for you. Or contact me and I can do it with you! =)