When it comes to tracking weight loss, we usually relay on the bathroom scale to tell us whether we’ve lost or gained some weight. But scale isn’t always the best way to keep track of your weight. Have in mind that scale measures muscle, bones, fat, and also what you ate or drank that day, but it doesn’t tell how much fat do you have?
When one declares that they want to “lose weight”, what they often mean is that they want to lose fat. So, now that you’ve had your body fat percentage measured, what does the number really mean? First, your body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat your body contains. If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it means that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass (bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else). The following table describes body fat ranges and their associated categories:
Body Fat Categories for Women
- 10-12% – Essential Fat
- 14-20% – Athletic Fat Levels
- 21-24% – Fitness Fat Levels
- 25-31% – Acceptable Fat Levels
- >32% – Obese
Body Fat Categories for Men
- 2-4% – Essential Fat
- 6-13% – Athletic Fat Levels
- 14-17% – Fitness Fat Levels
- 18-25% – Acceptable Fat levels
- >26% – Obese
(Source: HealthCheckSystems)