Determining Body Composition and Body Fat Proportion

Body Mass Index (BMI)
Your BMI, which is calculated by your health care provider or personal trainer, is a measurement that determines if your weight is proportionate with your height.  BMI has also been used in determining your level of obesity.

BMI can sometimes overestimate individuals with more muscular build and underestimate people who have recently lost muscle.  There have also been proven inconsistencies when determining the BMI of shorter or taller than normal people.  BMI has been proven to be an inaccurate measurement of individual's obesity level due to different body structures.

Body Fat Proportion

The way our body fat is distributed is most definitely genetically determined and can be divided into two types.  The Gynoid (pear shaped or bottom heavy) Body Type or The Android (apple shaped or rounded) Body Type.  When more body fat is accumulated around the midsection there is a greater risk of developing health problems due to obesity.

Body Composition

The best way to determine your level of obesity is to calculate your body composition or body fat percentage.

Skin Fold Test:  an inaccurate way to measure your body fat composition.  This test is not good at determining the amount of fat located within the abdominal cavity.  Excessive fat accumulated with the abdominal cavity puts you at a greater health risk.

Underwater Weighing:  The absolute best and considered the most accurate way to measure body composition.  An individuals underwater weight subtracted from their normal weight should determine how much of the body weight is fat.  Fat is less dense than water. 

 

Abdominal Obesity

Determining abdominal obesity is a good indicator of what health risks an individual is at risk of.  A measurement of someones waist-to-hip ratio can determine their cardiovascular disease mortality rate and multiple health issues due to excess fat in the abdominal cavity.