FIT or FAT? – FA(C)TS & FIGURES

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Methods of Assessment

“According to my BMI (BodyMassIndex) I have been told that I am overweight for my height. I do not agree, but believe that I have a large body frame and more muscle tissue than most. How can I find out if I am ‘fit or fat’?”

The most commonly used tool is the BMI application, which is based only! on Height and Weight. It is less accurate since it does not take the following into account:

  • Muscle Mass & Fat Mass (Body Composition)
  • Race/Ethnicity/Genetics
  • Gender
  • Age
  • Body Frame
  • Bone Density

There are several ways of calculating if a person is of average healthy bodyweight, underweight, thin-fat, overweight or obese.

Hardly any method is perfect, but in combination they can make good sense.

*Please check below for various methods:

BMI [Body Mass Index]

Assessing your weight by checking your Body Mass Index:

The BMI is calculated by dividing your kg bodyweight by the square of your height in metres. Example: Body Weight 70kg, Height 1.68m  70 : [1.68 x 1.68] = BMI 24.8

A Body Mass Index over 25 indicates a person being overweight, a BMI over 30 indicates obesity.

A person with a BMI of 35+ is considered grossly obese, a BMI of 40+ indicates severe obesity, and BMI 45+ means the individual is super obese.

A BMI of over 40 also suggests morbid obesity. For South East Asians a healthy BMI would be within 17.5 – 23. 5. Online BMI Charts are available for easy reference.

BODY FRAME DETERMINATION

How to find out if you have a large, medium or small body frame:

check your height in cm -> measure you wrist circumference in cm -> divide height cm by wrist cm

For Males: 

  • a result above 5 indicates a small frame
  • a result between 9.5 – 10.4 indicates a medium frame
  • a result lower than 9.5 indicates a large frame

For Females: 

  • a result above 5 indicates a small frame
  • a result between 10 – 11 indicates a medium frame
  • a result lower than 10 indicates a large frame

SKIN-FOLD ASSESSMENT – ASSESSMENT OF BODY COMPOSITION

(by a Physiologist or suitably trained Health Care Professional)
The individual is assessed by measuring skin folds.

Factors such as age, gender, height, race, current weight, weight history, weight as a young adult, ethnicity/race are taken into consideration and help estimate current lean body mass, body fat percentage, fitness, and health status.

This is a very useful tool to estimate your approximate body fat as well as muscle percentage.

However: accuracy decreases with increasing level of obesity/bodyfat mass.

WEIGHT CHARTS

Standard Height-Weight Tables are usually too general, and do not take the individuality of each person into account.

Few standard charts go into further detail such as gender, age, muscle mass (body composition), body frame, bone density and race.

WAIST-HIP-RATIO

This method can be used especially to see if most of your fat deposits are in your stomach or hip-area, if you are an unhealthy apple shape or an overweight pear shape.

Waist size [in cm or inches] is divided by hip size [in cm or inches].

A result up to 1.0 is acceptable for males, and a result up to 0.8 is acceptable for females. This type of measurement is useful for South-East Asians!

BROCA METHOD

The easiest method, but only an approximate guidance is the Broca method.

Check your height in centimeters and deduct 100. The remainder is converted into kilogrammes. Example: 170 cm – 100cm = 70 [70kg] You should not weigh more than ~70 kg

For better accuracy, it is advisable to subtract 10-15% of the result for females.

TUMMY SIZE/WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE CHECK

Measure your waist. A good result would be half or less of your height. Example: 170 cm Height. Divide by 2.  Your waist ought to be 85 cm or less.

This type of measurement is easy to do and especially helpful for South-East Asians! 

FITNESS TEST

To check your individual fitness level you need to consult a qualified trainer, physiologist, health care professional for a professional assessment.

*To approximately determine if a person is FIT or/and FAT, at least 2-3 of the aforementioned need to be taken into consideration!

Excerpts from LOSERS ARE WINNERS  http://sigrid-desilva.com/weight-loss/

 © Copyright Sigrid de Silva.  All Rights Reserved.

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