I Don't Care What Your Bodyfat Is.
Here’s the thing...if you’ve decided that you want to “lose some weight”, the first thing you need to realize is that you’re wrong. You don’t want to lose weight. You want to lose fat. Losing weight is easy. Go for those long, multi-mile jogs in the morning, have two apples and a hard-boiled egg white for breakfast, and maybe consider snipping off a finger or three. (Hey, they’ve got to be a few ounces each. That’s just about two pounds of deadweight right at your fingertips. Literally.)
If weight loss is all that’s important, if we only care about getting the number on the scale lower, then these methods will work just fine. Losing fat, on the other hand, is what makes a bigger difference both visually and from a heath perspective. Losing fat takes some more concentrated effort. You’ve got to pay more attention to preserving (or actually increasing) your lean muscle tissue, while whittling away bodyfat through targeted nutrition and specific resistance and cardio exercise.
If you read around, you’ll find that women are considered “average” when they have a bodyfat percentage somewhere around 18-22%, and men are “average” around 13-17%. Truth be told, I’d rather we not get hung up on reaching certain numbers.
Wayyyy too often, I’ve seen people (usually younger guys) ask on message boards “Anyone know how I can get down to 7% bodyfat? I think I’m stuck at around 14% right now.” Does this dude seriously think he’s going to look drop-dead awesome if he reaches 7%, but he’ll be disappointed with 8% or 9%? The numbers game is a tricky one, and I just don’t like to play it.
Along those lines, how do you even go about measuring your bodyfat? The majority of scales that give bodyfat readouts use an electrical impulse that can be dramatically different each time you use it depending on how thirsty you are, or even the last thing you ate. Bodyfat calipers can be more accurate, but they require a semi-competent professional to perform the measurements.
Your best bet, and the one that’s been consistently effective with a number of clients, is a two-pronged method. First, pick out something you’d wear to the beach. Whether it’s a two-piece or a one piece for ladies, or long board shorts or Speedos for the guys. Now have four pictures taken of yourself; from the front, left side, back, and right side. We’re not posing for magazines here, just take a deep breath, relax, exhale, and snap the picture.
This is the photo evidence. You can’t lie to a photo you took three weeks ago. It will let you know if you’re on the right track. Be sure to keep these pictures someplace safe, so you can look back on them once you’ve reached your goal. This kind of motivation is irreplaceable.
Second step: Pick out one full outfit, something you’d wear to go out to the diner, but it can’t be super-loose fitting. Some variation of “jeans and a t-shirt” usually work best. Try it on and take a mental note of how it feels. Are the thighs tight? Is the waist loose? Can I tuck the shirt in without anything unpleasant spilling over the belt? Also, look in the mirror. Are things looking good, or not so good. Honesty, with yourself, is key here.
Now choose one day each month to be dress-up day (could be the first of the month, or the 17th. It doesn’t really matter, just keep it the same day each month.) You’ll try this exact same outfit on and you’ll pay attention to how your body is changing, using this outfit as a constant. If you’re trying to gain muscle, you might notice the sleeves getting tighter around your newly muscled arms, or the calves may be getting snug. If you’re trying to lose fat, the waist and thighs should be gradually getting looser.
Physical and visual standards like these are going to have much more real-world impact on your motivation and your goal-setting than any number-based formula. It’s going to be easier to do, and they'll be more tangible and more applicable to you than haphazardly deciding “I need to hit X% bodyfat or I won’t be successful.”
P.S. – The popular Body Mass Index that the media talks about really doesn’t give an accurate depiction of people with any appreciable lean muscle. Because it only factors in height and weight, you’re more likely to be deemed “overweight”, even if you have a relatively low bodyfat percentage and a significant amount of lean muscle tissue. Clothes and pictures are still the best standards to use.
If weight loss is all that’s important, if we only care about getting the number on the scale lower, then these methods will work just fine. Losing fat, on the other hand, is what makes a bigger difference both visually and from a heath perspective. Losing fat takes some more concentrated effort. You’ve got to pay more attention to preserving (or actually increasing) your lean muscle tissue, while whittling away bodyfat through targeted nutrition and specific resistance and cardio exercise.
If you read around, you’ll find that women are considered “average” when they have a bodyfat percentage somewhere around 18-22%, and men are “average” around 13-17%. Truth be told, I’d rather we not get hung up on reaching certain numbers.
Wayyyy too often, I’ve seen people (usually younger guys) ask on message boards “Anyone know how I can get down to 7% bodyfat? I think I’m stuck at around 14% right now.” Does this dude seriously think he’s going to look drop-dead awesome if he reaches 7%, but he’ll be disappointed with 8% or 9%? The numbers game is a tricky one, and I just don’t like to play it.
Along those lines, how do you even go about measuring your bodyfat? The majority of scales that give bodyfat readouts use an electrical impulse that can be dramatically different each time you use it depending on how thirsty you are, or even the last thing you ate. Bodyfat calipers can be more accurate, but they require a semi-competent professional to perform the measurements.
Your best bet, and the one that’s been consistently effective with a number of clients, is a two-pronged method. First, pick out something you’d wear to the beach. Whether it’s a two-piece or a one piece for ladies, or long board shorts or Speedos for the guys. Now have four pictures taken of yourself; from the front, left side, back, and right side. We’re not posing for magazines here, just take a deep breath, relax, exhale, and snap the picture.
This is the photo evidence. You can’t lie to a photo you took three weeks ago. It will let you know if you’re on the right track. Be sure to keep these pictures someplace safe, so you can look back on them once you’ve reached your goal. This kind of motivation is irreplaceable.
Second step: Pick out one full outfit, something you’d wear to go out to the diner, but it can’t be super-loose fitting. Some variation of “jeans and a t-shirt” usually work best. Try it on and take a mental note of how it feels. Are the thighs tight? Is the waist loose? Can I tuck the shirt in without anything unpleasant spilling over the belt? Also, look in the mirror. Are things looking good, or not so good. Honesty, with yourself, is key here.
Now choose one day each month to be dress-up day (could be the first of the month, or the 17th. It doesn’t really matter, just keep it the same day each month.) You’ll try this exact same outfit on and you’ll pay attention to how your body is changing, using this outfit as a constant. If you’re trying to gain muscle, you might notice the sleeves getting tighter around your newly muscled arms, or the calves may be getting snug. If you’re trying to lose fat, the waist and thighs should be gradually getting looser.
Physical and visual standards like these are going to have much more real-world impact on your motivation and your goal-setting than any number-based formula. It’s going to be easier to do, and they'll be more tangible and more applicable to you than haphazardly deciding “I need to hit X% bodyfat or I won’t be successful.”
P.S. – The popular Body Mass Index that the media talks about really doesn’t give an accurate depiction of people with any appreciable lean muscle. Because it only factors in height and weight, you’re more likely to be deemed “overweight”, even if you have a relatively low bodyfat percentage and a significant amount of lean muscle tissue. Clothes and pictures are still the best standards to use.
posted by Chris Colucci at 12:49 PM
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