FitSugar

Measure Up: BMI vs. Body Fat Percentage

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:50:59 -0700

BMI and body fat percentage are weight-loss terms thrown around with little explanation, so if you're confused about what they mean or which you should pay more attention to, you're not alone. Here's a brief primer to help.

BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It's a simple measure of the weight of a person scaled according to their height. You can use Fit's Calculator to determine your BMI, or follow these steps:

Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.
Divide that answer by your height in inches.
Divide that answer by your height in inches again.

A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.

Body fat percentage is the weight of a person's fat divided by the person's weight. It lets you see how much of your body is made up of fat, and how much is bone, muscle, blood, and organs. There are several ways to calculate your percentage. Your skin folds can be gently pinched with calipers, some high-tech scales can measure body fat, and there's also underwater weighing. Many people get their body fat percentage measured if they are into sports or trying to measure their progress while losing weight. Fit women should have 21 to 24 percent body fat. Female athletes have between 14 and 20 percent.

To find out which one you should be concerned with read more.

Body fat percentage is a much more accurate measurement in determining if you are healthy. BMI doesn't take into consideration how much of your weight is muscle and bone and how much of it is fat. So that means a person can have a healthy BMI, but still carry weight in their belly, which can increase their risk for heart disease. So if you're trying to lose weight, or just wondering if your current weight is healthy, it's worth seeing someone to have your body fat percentage measured.

Do You Appreciate Comments About Your Weight or Figure?

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:30:35 -0700

You've been exercising regularly and eating right, and now it's starting to show. The weight you're trying to lose is beginning to melt off and your muscles are leaner and more defined. So if someone notices and says something like, "Hey, have you lost weight?" or "Wow, you must be working out!" how does it make you feel? Is the comment appreciated or obnoxious?

How Does Stress Affect Your Weight?

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Former Bachelor and Dancing With the Stars contestant Melissa Rycroft isn't too concerned with the planning aspect of her wedding, but she's already thinking about her wedding-day physique. She told People, "I've heard the stress alone of planning a wedding helps you get into shape for it, so we'll see if I need to stress myself out a little bit to lose that extra pound!"

Stress has been known to have the opposite effect on some people who are more apt to put on stress-induced pounds. How does your body react?

Are You Open About How Much You Weigh?

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:30:00 -0700

It's an unspoken rule that it's rude to ask how much someone weighs, but sometimes the topic comes up in conversations. If you're proud of your weight, maybe because you've worked hard to lose a certain number of pounds, then you may want to tell others what the scale says. On the other hand, if you've let yourself go a little, you may be more reluctant to share. So tell me . . .

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What's Your Weight Status?

FitSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:30:00 -0700

We're all on different points of our journey when it comes to our bodies. Some of you may be trying to lose weight or gain weight, and some may be trying to maintain their current weights. I believe that sharing your weight goals can help you meet them, so tell me . . .

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Light Girl Toilet Seat Scale: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0800

There are plenty of products marketed toward women, and until now toilets have been on pretty gender-neutral ground. Artist Haikun Deng is aiming to carve a niche toilet market with his Light Girl toilet design. The toilet seat doubles as a scale that weighs you before and after you've done your business.

Deng thinks women will be drawn to his creation because they tend to be concerned about weight and said, "As people tend to be lighter after using the toilet, it probably gives the most welcomed results to girls." There's truth in his comment that people weigh slightly less after toilet-time, but I'm not sure that women will embrace the product like he's hoping they will. What do you think of the Light Girl - cool or not cool?

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How Often Do You Weigh Yourself?

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:30:00 -0700

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Do You Lie About Your Weight?

FitSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:30:00 -0700

I was reading an interesting article from the National Post that was talking about how Canadians have not been accurately reporting how much they weigh as well as how tall they are. I'm thinking to myself, "Yeah, join the club." Everyone likes to bend the number a little bit to make themselves just a little bit thinner or taller. So obviously this got me to thinking about you guys. Do you bend the truth a little bit whenever you have to tell someone how much you weigh?

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Don't Stress Over Weight Fluctuations

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:00:00 -0700

If you're someone who weighs yourself daily, then you know that our weight is hardly static. If you weighed 130 before you went to bed and then 134 in the morning (after you pee) this does not mean you gained four pounds overnight. Well, unless you consumed 14,000 calories while you were sleeping. So don't sweat it and take a look at the common reasons for day-to-day weight fluctuations:

Drinking water: Two cups of water weighs one pound, so if you've been busy hydrating yourself then you'll definitely see an immediate and temporary gain in your weight.
Not drinking water: Not drinking enough water actually causes the body to retain fluid, which can also lead to a temporary weight gain.
Eating and drinking: Food and drinks have a weight too, you know. Just as you wouldn't stand on the scale holding a box of Girl Scout Cookies, nor should you weigh yourself after eating one. Wait until your body has had time to digest before stepping on the scale.

There's more so read more.

Salt: Taking in too much sodium is a sure way to cause the body to retain water, which can cause a temporary weight gain.
Exercise: Exercise can result in an immediate weight loss from sweating and dehydration. This is why many people like to weigh themselves after working out. Remember that if you don't rehydrate your body will start to retain water.
That time of the month: Most women know that weight gain that can occur before menstruation due to water retention - it too is temporary and will pass.

I like to weigh myself at the same time each day to avoid hitting all these fluctuations at once, at least then I have a benchmarking point.

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How Do You Monitor Your Weight?

FitSugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:30:00 -0700

If you're trying to lose a few pounds or stick with your present weight, you probably have a way that you keep track of it. So tell me . . .

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