Measuring Body Fat

Do you know the difference between being overweight and obese?  The majority of people do not understand theses two words and they use them interchanging.  The true definitions of these words are as follows:

-Overweight:  this is when you are 10 to 20 percent over your ideal body weight

-Obese:  this is when you are more than 20 percent above your body weight with                       excess body fat.

-Morbidly obese:  if you are 50 to 100 percent over your ideal body weight and                        have severe health or normal functioning.

When you think of the word obese you probably think of "Jaba the Hut" from Star Wars.  If you do, you are wrong.  There is no way that this term could apply to you, is there?  You can be overweight without being obese, but the extra weight must come from water, muscle, and bone.  You are obese if you are carrying around a lot of body fat.  The majority of people that are overweight are also fat.

Some professionals define obesity by percentage of body fat.  If you are a woman with more than 33 percent body fat, and a man with more than 25 percent body fat you are considered to be obese.  There are a number of ways to figure out how much of you is actually made of fat.  The most popular way that people measure by fat is by using skinfold calipers.  This method is often used in gyms.  The results from having your body fat measured this way is inaccurate and should be done by a professional to ensure the most accurate results.  Another way that body fat is measured is by jumping into a pool that is especially designed for this type of weighing.  Once in the pool you are hooked to electrodes and tiny parts of electricity is shot through you.  This is the more accurate of the two choices.

The idea of ideal weight has been around for many years.  The reason these have come about is that scientist have drawn conclusions about the general population.  These assumptions are general and may have nothing to do with you.  The first problem with the concept of putting people into standard categories about their weight is the idea about your ideal weight being based on height and weight.  This idea is outdated and doesn't mean anything!  Your genetics and your overall build have more to do with your particular weight more than anything else.    

The range of healthy weight is different for everyone because we are all different.  Your weight gain and loss are also not the same for you or anyone else.  Just like your eyes, ears, and habits they aren't the same as anyone else's exactly.  This has more to do with heredity.  You can thank your ancestors and the food industry for your big butt.  The food industry contributes by the types of food you put into your body and the amount of it.  This is also compounded if you are doing nothing but watching television.

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