You Can Be Fat Without Being Overweight

Not only can you be fat without being overweight, you can be clinically obese without being a single pound over weight.  Here’s what you need to know. 

Your body weight is a combination of muscle, fat, bone and water.

Body fat percentage, not bodyweight is the key factor in determining if and to what extent you are at risk for the plethora of health problems many overweight people develop.

This is covered in detail in 5 Steps To Optimal Health, but the short version is this, if you giggle all over, if you can’t flex a muscle or hold your midsection firm… you’ve got WAY too much fat on your body and it doesn’t matter a bit what you happen to weigh.

Can You Pass The Giggle Test

Here’s a simple test. Stand in front of a mirror ah-natural, flex your muscles and tigtjhen your arms, midsection, bottom, hips and thighs as much as possible.  If you can tighten those muscles and they feel firm and don’t giggle when you move, congratulations.  However, if your muscles are loose and flabby no matter how hard you flex them, you are fat and this is true regardless of how much you weigh. 

Body Fat Percentage NOT Bodyweight Determines Whether Or Not A Person Is Fat

According to The American Dietetic Association and the National Research Council a body fat percentage greater than 14% in a male and greater than 19% for a female is considered over-fat to the point of increasing health risk, and a body fat percentage greater than 25% in males, and greater than 30% for females is considered clinically obese.  Given this you can see it’s possible to not be obviously overweight, and at the same time be seriously over-fat.

There’s more to being healthy than not being obviously overweight.  Of course if you are obviously overweight, losing weight may be the single best thing you can do for your health, but you goal should not be simply losing weight, the goal should be to reach a lean-healthy body weight you enjoy, with emphasis on the word LEAN.

The American Dietetic Association and the National Research Council recommendations are an excellent guide.  Aim for no more than 14% body fat for a male, (6% to 10% is considered excellent), and no more than 19% body fat for a female, (10% to 15% is considered excellent). 

Eat right, exercise, adopt the research council guidelines, follow the program in 5 Steps To Optimal Health and the odds are you will avoid the fatigue and health issues overweight people are often confronted with. 

So what’s you next step.  Check out a few of the posts on resistance exercise and learn how easy it can be to firm up so you pass the jiggle test with flying colors.

Written by Dr. Russell J. Martino, Ph.D
The Voice Of Health
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