Body fat and BMI

TPN has always promoted that the best way to calculate daily caloric intake is by using a current measurement and desired body fat. It can also be done by using a desired bodyweight. The purpose here is to briefly explain healthy body fat measurements and body mass index or BMI.

Maintaining an adequate body fat percentage is important for overall health. A body fat over twenty-five for a male and thirty for a female is considered obese and may be unhealthy or lead to chronic disease. This is a general statement and certainly some people can live with a high percentage of body fat and still be reasonably healthy.  Others can be very lean and can be quite unhealthy, so there are exceptions. In general, people over these body fat percentages for long periods of time may experience chronic disease or medical issues.

Body fat percentages that are too low for an extended period can also be unhealthy. Body fat under seven for a male and twelve for a female is generally considered unhealthy. When a body fat stays under these values for an extended period, it may have a detrimental effect on physiological and hormonal function. In most cases, these issues should resolve when an adequate body fat is reached.

Body mass index (BMI) is also a measure of body composition. BMI is calculated by dividing an individual’s weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared. Someone is six-foot-tall and weighs two hundred twenty pounds. One foot equals .305 meters. A person at six foot is 1.83 meters tall and at two hundred twenty pounds weighs one hundred kilograms. In this example, the meters squared equals 3.31 meters. Therefore, 100 kilograms is divided by 3.31 yielding a BMI of 30.2. This BMI means this person is obese. Less than 18.5 is given an underweight classification. Values between 18.5 and 25 are considered normal. Over the value of 25 is considered overweight and over 30 is classified as obese.

The advantage is that BMI is a quick calculation and can be used by a standard population if there is such a thing to determine the level of health risk regarding obesity. The disadvantage is that for certain populations BMI can be inaccurate as a measure of obesity. Athletes or individuals who are muscular and lean may score high BMI levels which incorrectly rates them as obese.  For this reason, body composition measurements using body fat is usually preferable and most accurate for health assessment. Please visit tpnbodyperfect.com or see our blog at https://tpnbodyperfect.blogspot.com/


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