In the year 1997, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally recognised obesity as a global epidemic. Just about 10 years after that, WHO has released the statistics that 1.5 billion adults (aged 20 and older) were overweight; and of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.
Being fat used to be determined by just how heavy a person is, however, health scientists have come to recognise that body fat, instead of body weight, is the key to evaluating obesity. This is one basis that points out the irrelevance of BMI in predicting level of obesity, for example, among people who are muscularly built.
The body fat content depends on the volume of fat tissue, or adipose tissue and it can be found under the skin (subcutaneous fats), in between muscles (intramuscular fats), in the breast, and in the spaces between the intestines and abdominal organs (visceral fats). The main function of adipose tissue is as reservoir for lipids, which can be burned to release energy when the body needs it, and as protection from excessive blood sugars by storing it after conversion by the liver.
Most of us pinch the flab of skin over our tummy and be annoyed by how fat we are. Subcutaneous fats may cover up our muscle definition, but truly it is not much more than just a cosmetic concern. It is just literally skin deep, and the true enemy, the visceral fats, lie deeper than that. High visceral fat level is associated Type II diabetes, coronary heart disease and colorectal cancers. Although subcutaneous fats and visceral fats may grow proportionately, current medical knowledge links diseases more to visceral fats.
In this case, callipers reading on your triceps or thigh skin folds won't tell you how much visceral fats you have. Body fat analysis can be done with elaborate and complicated measuring techniques such as underwater weighing and X-ray absorptiometry. However these measurement can be as cumbersome as they are tongue-twisting. One approximating calculation that gives off a fairly representative measurement of body fat content, is by using bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) machine.
In BIA, a very low electrical current is sent through your body via your feet. The current should be harmless and too low to be felt. The mechanism of BIA calculation is complex, but can be simplified for our simple understanding.
Water lets electrical current through with little resistance, compared to fat. So if the machine reads high resistance, it will compute higher fat content for your body. Bear in mind also that when you are over hydrated, the machine perceives less resistance going through your tissues, therefore computing less fat content. The scales use this data, together with personal data you enter such as your height, age, sex and fitness level, to calculate your body-fat percentage using a formula corrected to reflect the general population.
However, some BIA machines warn against use for people with pacemakers as the scales' electrical current could interfere with the pacemaker. Many also warn the readings can be unreliable for children, athletes and bodybuilders, people with metal plates or screws in their bodies and pregnant women.
One machine that I am familiar with is the TANITA Body Composition Machine. On the print out, such as the one above (obviously not mine, hehe), look at the Visceral Fat Rating. For TANITA, it uses its own rating system from 1-59. Healthy visceral fat rating is from 1 to 12, while 13 and above is undesirable. Look also at the Fat Percentage, where a healthy fat range differs from men to women, and a desirable range is given. Take special note of the TBW (total body water) percentage, that may change the reading of your body fat composition. Compare body fat readings only when the total body water percentage is roughly similar. On that note, you should also compare readings at almost the same time of the day, or consistently before or after your workout because after you sweat out, the body water content may differ.
Fretting about weight-loss is so yesterday. You should strive for fat loss instead. Work on decreasing the total body fat and improving the visceral fat rating! The scary fact is: you don't have to look fat to be viscerally fat! Check your total body fat percentage and visceral fat rating to be sure. Is it possible to reduce visceral fat? Of course it is, however, no amount of crunches and sit-ups may help you do just so.
Step 1
Get a healthy nutrition plan. Work with your doctor or your fitness trainer to design a nutrition plan for you that focuses on improving your health and helping you to lose weight. Remember, eating healthily and cleanly is the only method that will work!
Step 2
Exercise at least 30 minutes per day, which helps you lose and manage your weight. A weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight can help reduce visceral fat stores. The only way to reduce visceral fat stores is to burn more calories than you consume. Engage in physical activity such as circuit training, brisk walking, biking and any activity that gets your heart rate up.
Step 3
Stay motivated. Don’t expect to lose weight overnight because you didn’t gain it quickly. Fat loss takes time and don't lose your sleep over it. Literally! Getting the right amount of sleep helps. In one study, people who got six to seven hours of sleep per night gained less visceral fat over 5 years compared to those who slept five or fewer hours per night or eight or more hours per night. Sleep may not have been the only thing that mattered -- but it was part of the picture.
Step 4
Stop practicing unhealthy lifestyle habits. Stop smoking, drinking, being inactive, and eating high-fat, processed foods. Choosing healthier lifestyle choices will improve your quality of life and will show up in inches lost. According to the Journal American Medical Association, just a modest amount of weight loss will improve your visceral fat stores and other medical complications you have. Use that as motivation to stick with your eating and exercise program.
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