Body Fat and Body Composition
However, some studies have also applied the o-word to body fat measures. They have selected a range of body fats and determined that figures above that range are considered ‘obese’. As the DEXA scan we use, as the gold standard in body composition analysis, does indeed give you a body fat percentage, you might think that for certain clients who fall above that range, we would apply the o-word moniker to them. Once again, we definitely do not.
As soon as you apply the o-word, the instant response or reaction is the thought that the solution is to lose weight, but this is not always the case. Just as a BMI hides any information about composition (how much muscle, bone and fat there is) even a body fat percentage hides information about the two factors which make it up. a Body fat percentage is Total Mass of fat, divided by the total mass. But what if the total mass of fat is low, but the total mass (which includes the muscle and bone) is also very low. For example, someone who has very light or thin bones, and low muscle mass. Their body fat percentage my come up high, but this is no reason to think that the best plan for them will be to lose weight, or lose fat. A more appropriate plan may be to try to raise muscle mass and support a healthy metabolism Muscle, when put to use, acts as a furnace for burning fat, and low amounts of it may make efforts to lose fat very difficult.