You’ve probably seen the photo of 5-6 people lined up that all have the same weight but different body shapes.
That’s because weight is ONE way to measure but it’s often not the best way to measure your results.
Below is another of example what a man might look like with 35% body fat vs 10% body fat but both weigh the same – 220 lbs.
- One has more body fat and less muscle.
- The other has more muscle and less body fat.
As Coaches, we want to help you evaluate your body composition and stay within the healthy ranges. That means focusing on body fat percentage more than weight.
- For ladies, that’s between 20-25% body fat.
- For gents, it’s between 15-20% body fat.
Ladies naturally carry more body fat for childbearing. We want to be mindful of our body fat because if it gets too high it puts us at risk for health issues.
Your body fat percentage is the percent of your total weight that is fat. We need fat because it protects our organs and helps you to create hormones like testosterone (which burns fat).
If your weight goes up but your body fat goes down, that’s a GOOD THING. That means you probably built muscle and dropped fat. Continue that over time and you will develop a toned body.
One time I asked a female client…”if you GAINED 10 pounds but you looked exactly the way you wanted in the mirror, would you take it?”
She hesitated because she was obsessed about weighing a certain number. Society has pressured people to be a certain weight but we need to focus more on health.
If you are healthy on the inside, it will show on the outside.
Main lesson would be that there’s multiple ways to track your progress. I think most people tend to use the scale because it’s so easy…step on it and see the number.
The other forms of tracking take more work – progress photos, measuring tape, body fat percentage scan on InBody. But they give you a better insight in your body composition.