Fat is Phat!

Speaking of trying to bring justice to things that don’t always deserve it—fat (body fat, not food fat) is also getting a bad rap, my peoples. Well, maybe not so much of a “bad rap” as just misunderstood. So, in order to prepare for my mission of reducing my overall percentage of body fat, I thought it might be helpful to do some research to help better understand that which we consider to be that other nasty little f-bomb.

While we might cringe at the word, fat is actually vital to the overall health and efficiency of our bodies.  Body fat not only serves as a way to keep us warm on those cold wintery nights in the tundra, it also protects our internal organs, aids in vitamin absorption, helps us maintain a stable level of energy, and helps to regulate hormone production. There are even different TYPES of body fat, designed to keep you in tip-top form. If you’re curious about specifics of that, click on me.

So, fat is phat! (You know I needed to make that joke.)  Without enough, we wouldn’t be able to function properly. But too much of it can also be bad news bears.

By now, we (should hopefully) all know about the obesity epidemic in the United States. According to the CDC’s study of obesity in 2009-2010, 37.5% of adults and 17% of children nationwide were obese—meaning they had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Obesity has some nasty consequences, increasing your risk for: coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension (i.e. high blood pressure), dyslipidemia (i.e. high cholesterol), stroke, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, even infertility. If you’d like to read the CDC’s most recent findings, have a look, and pretend like it was me who wrote it.

Keeping our percentage of fat is thus super important. Too little—we don’t work right. Too much—we don’t work right. But how to keep track?!

There are multiple schools of thought for how to measure and interpret an individual’s body fat composition. As with any health-related testing, there are positives and negatives to each method, and each varies in its accuracy. So, it’s important not only to choose selectively, but to test consistently to assess long-term trends and progress.

• Body Mass Index—uses height and weight to calculate an estimated body fat. Does not take into account muscle mass, or measure actual percentage of body fat. Less accurate results, but is a repeatable method. 
• Skin Fold Caliper—the classic skin fold test from high school Phys. Ed. Compares thickness of fold measurement to a chart based on age and gender to generate estimated body fat. Dependable measuring is challenging, but results are accurate and repeatable 
• Bioelectric Impendence Analysis (BIA)—sends an electrical current through the body and measures opposition to the current’s flow to determine body fat percentage. Easy to use, repeatable, but results vary depending on hydration level. 
• Anthropometric Test—the “circumference” test. Measures circumference of waist (for men) or thighs (for women), neck and height, then compared to a chart. Repeatable, though does not directly measure body fat, and results are often inaccurate.
• Hydrostatic Weighing—individual is submerged in a special water tank and her weight is taken underwater to determine total body fat composition. Incredibly accurate (+/- 1.5% error), though tests cost upwards of $100 and has to be done in specialized setting like a lab or hospital. Not repeatable without dropping mad $$$. 
• DEXA Scan—a medical scan which determines a body’s mineral composition, lean mass, and fat tissue mass. Also determines body fat distribution. Incredibly accurate, though testing costs $250 on average and can only be performed in a specialized setting. Not repeatable without extreme cost. 
• Here's more on those methods.

So, which is right for me? I know I want a method that is relatively accurate and repeatable, since I will be charting my progress over time. I’d like something easy to use (aka—no potential for operator error), and a method that directly measures my total body fat percentage.

Now, I know my friend the Whale would definitely argue for hydrostatic testing—I mean, come on, messing around in water AND accuracy?! Score! But since I don’t have a water tank handy (shocking) or hundreds of dollars to repeat that test on a weekly basis, I’ll have to pass. I guess that also rules out the DEXA scan. I don’t want to go for BMI or Anthropometric either, since I know those don’t directly measure my body fat and are the least accurate forms of testing.  A skin-fold caliper seems the most logical choice until I realize the potentially high margin of error due to incorrect measuring technique—and we all know I’d be the one to measure that one millimeter too low…

Ergo, by process of elimination as well as ease of use, direct measurement, and repeatability, I’ve decided to go with the BIA method.

Behold!

Meet my new scale. This sucker uses BIA technology not only to determine my total percentage of body fat, but it also calculates my percentage of muscle mass, percentage of total body water, and my bone mass. And as a super-special technological revolution, it also measures my WEIGHT! Oooooo!

So, the upside is I get a ton of information about my body composition that is repeatable and chartable. The downside is that the results vary due to hydration levels, and as % fat, muscle mass, and water are most accurate before your evening meal, it makes remembering to step onto the scale for data a little challenging to remember. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

I’ll be using this little guy to log in the official reading later tonight. I have to admit, I am a little unnerved. But we all have to start somewhere! After that torture session, I mean, “informative learning opportunity” has passed, I’ll develop the overall battle strategy for OPERATION: Percentage Fat Loss soon thereafter and check back. Game on!