| After days of plowing through online articles and | | | | and the resultant waist to hip ratio is used as an |
| printed materials for fat loss, I realize there are | | | | indication of risk to coronary heart disease. |
| numerous ways used to determine a healthy weight. | | | | Skinfold |
| Basically, being heavy ain't bad if you are say a non | | | | This method is done by measuring a pinch of skin by |
| drug abusing body builder or wrestler. Nobody would | | | | calipers at several standardized points on the body to |
| consider them unhealthy in their muscle clad bodies | | | | determine the subcutaneous fat layer thickness. An |
| since muscle is good tissue! | | | | equation is then used to estimate the body fat |
| It is the measurement of the amount of body fat that | | | | percentage based on the measurement taken. |
| will tell us whether we are healthy or unhealthy. There | | | | Bioelectrical Impedence Analysis |
| are various ways to measure that. We have the | | | | A common method used for estimating body |
| popular body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, | | | | composition. BIA measures the opposition to the flow |
| waist to hop ratio, skinfold, bioelectric impedence | | | | of an electric current through the body fluids contained |
| analysis (BIA), DEXA, near infrared (NIR) interactance, | | | | in the lean and fat tissue. Impedance is low in lean |
| hydrostatic weighing and air displacement. | | | | tissue and high in fat tissue. Hence the amount of |
| Body Mass Index | | | | electrical impedance gives an estimate amount of fat |
| This is a weight to height ratio and the resultant index | | | | in the body. |
| gives an indication of one's body fat percentage and | | | | Near Infrared Interactance |
| one's risk to obesity related diseases. The formula is | | | | This is based on the principles of light absorption , |
| as follows: | | | | reflectance, and near infrared spectroscopy. A |
| BMI = Weight(KG) / ( Height (m) x Height (m) ) | | | | computerized spectrophotometer that has a scan and |
| This is by far the most common form of | | | | probe are used. The probe is placed onto a selected |
| measurement but it has its limitation since it assumes | | | | body site such as the biceps and it emits an infrared |
| one has a "typical" build. Body builders and wrestlers | | | | light which passes through both fat and muscle and is |
| ain't your typical build so the BMI is not useful in those | | | | reflected back to the probe. Differences in optical |
| cases. Children should refer to an age and gender | | | | density as a result of difference in body composition, |
| specific BMI chart. | | | | are measured to give an indirect measurement of |
| Waist Circumference | | | | body fat. |
| If you notice, different people store fat differently | | | | DEXA |
| especially between women and men. Men tend to | | | | DEXA uses two X-ray energies to measure body fat, |
| store fat around the abdomen area and women | | | | muscle, and bone mineral. It takes approximately 10 to |
| around the hips and thighs. The measurement of waist | | | | 20 mins for a full body scan. The results may be |
| circumference provides information about the | | | | viewed as whole body estimates of body fat, muscle, |
| distribution of one's body fat and risks to obesity | | | | and bone mineral as well as regional body estimates. |
| related conditions. | | | | Hydrostatic Weighing |
| To measure waist circumference, a measuring tape of | | | | This method uses Archimedes principle which states |
| adequate length is required. The correct position for | | | | that when a body is submerged in water, there is a |
| measuring waist circumference is midway between | | | | buoyant counter force equal to the weight of the |
| the upper hip bone and the lowest point of the rib | | | | water which is displaced. Equipment for such |
| cage. Measurement with the tape should be taken at | | | | measurement are usually found in research |
| this midway point. In cases where the mid point cannot | | | | laboratories. |
| be found (in very overweight people), placing the tape | | | | Air Displacement |
| at the level of the belly button will have to do. | | | | This method is based on the same principle as |
| Waist to Hip Ratio | | | | hydrostatic weighing. Instead of using water to |
| This is basically the ratio of the waist circumference to | | | | measure body volume, air displacement is used to |
| the hip ratio. In addition to measuring the waist | | | | measure body volume. |
| circumference, the hip circumference is also measured | | | | |