Body Composition Measures Results

Use these Numbers to Track your Progress

-- By Nicole Nichols, Personal Trainer

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Some people can measure their weight loss by the way they feel and look: firmer thighs, a smaller waist, jiggle-free arms. But then there are the number-crazy ones who desperately need some kind (any kind!) of concrete proof that all their hard work is paying off. They want to gauge their progress a different way. Give them numbers on paper, or some kind of chart and they’re ecstatic.

There are so many numbers to go by (pounds, pant size, inches), but not all are created equal. So, which figures say the most about your own figure? If you are someone who gasps when the scale shows a one or two pound weight gain ("I haven’t cheated at all. How could I be gaining?"), then learning about body composition will help you see real, measurable results.

Body composition. We hear a lot about it... but what exactly is it? Well, to be considered "fit," you have to meet minimum standards in 5 different areas, known as the Components of Fitness. Body Composition is one of them (in addition to flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and aerobic fitness). Body composition itself deals with four areas:

1. Weight
Your total body mass. We’re all too familiar with this one, in most cases. But weight alone doesn’t tell you the whole truth about your progress or fitness level. For example, it doesn’t tell you how much fat you carry. People generically want to lose "weight." You could start lifting weights and actually gain weight…but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are tipping the scales towards obesity.

How to use it: Forget your preconceptions about the number on the scale. Knowing your weight is good, but not crucial—you want to lose fat, not necessarily weight. If you must weigh yourself, don’t make it a daily habit. Weight tends to fluctuate throughout the day, and from day-to-day, by as much as 5 pounds or so. Most of these regular changes are due to food and water. If weight is an important record to you, then do it under the same circumstances (no clothes or shoes, first thing in the morning before eating, etc) and no more than every 1-2 weeks.

2. Fat Mass Usually referred to as body fat percentage. This number tells you how much of your total body weight is actual fat. Men and women go by different minimums and healthy ranges of fat. For example, men need about 3%-5% essential fat at the lowest levels, whereas women need at least 12%-15% to be considered healthy and be able to sustain a menstrual cycle (and numbers this low could be considered underweight). A standard height and weight chart cannot accurately tell you if you are overweight, but body fat percentage, on the other hand, can.

Track your progress: Observing change in body fat is the best way to measure "weight" loss. There are user-friendly formulas that can estimate your body fat percentage, but the most accurate readings come from a qualified fitness professional. To see a trend, reassess your body fat every four to six weeks.

3. Lean Mass This is everything else that makes up your weight. It includes muscle, bones, organs, water, and all non-fatty tissues. Again, there is a gender difference. Thanks to much higher levels of testosterone, men have a greater amount of muscle mass than women. One pound of muscle takes up much less space than one pound of fat. So, as you exercise consistently and build up strength, your total body weight may actually increase. This can be confusing (and sometimes scary), but you are gaining muscle, while maintaining or even losing fat.

Look for gains: Your lean mass can be calculated by subtracting your total fat (as a percentage or in actual pounds) from your total weight. This number will probably be relatively stable, or increase over time, as long as you are exercising. Gains in muscle mass will increase your metabolism, thus enabling you to burn more calories during every activity—even sitting! So, while you do want to lose fat, setting a goal of increasing your muscle mass will help you get there.

4. Fat Distribution Ever notice how some people can have big bellies but lean legs? Women store most of their fat in their thighs, hips, and butt. These are examples of fat distribution, which refers to where your body typically stores the fat that you have. This is important because where you store fat can be a predictor of health risk. "Apple" shapes (fat storage around the belly) have been shown to have a higher risk of certain cardiovascular diseases, whereas storing fat in your lower half, known as a "Pear" shape, is actually a healthier site for fat accumulation.

Room for improvement: Changes in fat distribution happen when you are losing fat and building muscle. Typically, the body burns fat all over, and just as typically, fat in the stomach is usually the last to go. There are no exercises you can do to speed up fat burn in any particular area. Cardio activity, utilizing large muscle groups, burns fat all over the body. So, don’t waste your time doing lots of crunches to lose the belly fat, or boxing to lose your arm jiggle. You can measure these changes with a simple tape measure, or just by how your clothes look and feel.

Whatever your fitness goal, measuring body composition will help you track your progress, not to mention leave little doubt that all those little (and sometimes big) changes you’ve made are moving you in the right direction. Bottom line: If your goal is fat loss, then measure progress by decreases in body fat percentage, and possibly improved fat distribution. If your aim is to increase strength, then lean body mass will tell you how much muscle you have gained. Breathe a sigh of relief, number-crunchers. These are the only numbers you need to help you meet your goals.

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About The Author

Nicole Nichols
Nicole was named "America's Top Personal Trainer to Watch" in 2011. A certified personal trainer and fitness instructor with a bachelor's degree in health promotion and education, she loves living a healthy and fit lifestyle and helping others do the same. Her DVDs "Total Body Sculpting" and "28 Day Boot Camp" (a best seller) are available online and in stores nationwide. Read Nicole's full bio and blog posts.

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Member Comments

GLORIAMAJDI

I do weigh in frequently but my self-worth is not dependent on the scale and I understand fluctuations. I have lost almost 50 pounds in the past four months so I am happy with the scales but my main concern is the body fat percentage...and mine is way too high. I am working on that and have seen a little bit of improvement but I still have a long way to go! - 4/18/2013 2:08:19 PM
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JEFFCANN

This is a good site for DIY body fat measurements - most of them require a caliper, but if you click on the 'Tape' button, you can use it to estimate your current body fat %, amount of fat and amount of lean body (non fat weight).

http://www.line
ar-software.c
om/online.html - 12/1/2012 10:19:15 AM
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SABAAH

At my local YMCA, I was able to get a Personal Fitness Assessment. I was weighed and measured all over. they even tested my flexibility. The purpose was to determine how much and how far I could push( and challenge) myself with the workouts and classes I'd chosen.
The results were surprisingly more favorable than I'd expected. My BMI was 42. That's still high than I want, but its also down from the 45 that it was only 6 weeks before. My weight was down as well.
I HATE weighing myself. I choose to measure my changes in inches loss.
- 9/1/2012 6:09:11 PM
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CHRIS3874

I STILL HATE BMI charts!!! I recall as a kid even hating those stupid height weight charts. Even at my thinnest and fittest (a 34 inch waist in grade 11) I did not fit into those charts. So those guys that compete in those world's strongest man are CLINICALLY MORBIDLY OBESE??? That is what's wrong with this WHOLE SYSTEM. - 2/14/2012 8:54:00 PM
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WELSTEACH

So, where do I go to get this done?

- 10/15/2011 1:14:43 PM
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WINACHST

"and just as typically, fat in the stomach is usually the last to go. " I wish this was true for me - 4/21/2011 10:28:47 AM
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BRITOMART

Great information, but since getting body comp. measurements done regularly is neither simple nor inexpensive, it's a bit of a shangri-la approach for most of us! - 11/20/2010 4:55:41 PM
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DGRAZIA

I enjoy reading articles like this, because the scale is really such a poor way to measure your sucess. I tend to loose slowly, but have lost over 10 lbs since April. I am still 186 or 187, depending on any given day, but I have gone from a size 16/18 to a size 14, and down a bra size too. My arms are no longer doing the wiggle dance, and my thighs are very muscular from running and strength training. I also disagree that doing stomach exercises do not work, because by strengthing your core muscles, you stand taller; and this alone gives you a slimer and stronger appearance. - 11/20/2010 2:46:43 PM
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STALEAN

This is one reason (among many others) why I have never felt the need to join a popular weight loss meeting program. You do not let the scale determine your success, and a 2-pound difference in fluctuating weight is absolutely inevitable from day to day or even week to week. Who could ever become a "lifetime member" unless they stayed well below their selected target weight goal. The best way to determine fat loss or lean muscle gain, which are the most important factors, is to find your selected measuring tool, whether that is BIA impedance testing, skinfold calipers, hydrodensitometry weighing and many others. The cheapest measure is skinfold calipers; even though they may not be as accurate as other measures, they give a trend-type accuracy to measure progress. The one you don't want to rely on is fat-measuring scales. Lack of water in the body can skew fat percentage much higher than it really is. Here is a link to the many different types of measurement devices:

http://new-fitn
ess.com/body_
fat_analyzing.html - 11/20/2010 10:37:08 AM
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BROADBRUSH

i find it very informative and comforting to be weighed at the clinic on the impedance scale. because if the number goes up, stays the same or shows a loss - it tells me what exactly is going on. i tend to hold a lot of water - so when the scale says no loss or worse, a gain - it prints out the water is the culprit,.
also i have lost a lot of muscle mass - dieting was one culprit over the years, but also a thyroid problem and other factors contributed to that - i never realized it. this knowledge has a huge impact on how you proceed with diet and exercising. - 11/20/2010 8:44:09 AM
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CILOCA

I had just dealt with the issue of seeing no weight change on my scale, and another member reminded me to look at the bigger picture, so I measured my inches again and was amazed to see the change... Great article- came to my inbox right when I needed it! Keep up the good work, Spark! - 11/20/2010 8:04:30 AM
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DBCLARINET

I'm glad this article came in my e-mail. I'm just trying to maintain my weight, but that mindset got me glued to the scale. I started a new exercise program, and my goal was simply to do the program and stay in my SP calorie range, no scale. I haven't weighed myself in two weeks, although sometimes it's really tempting. However, if I'm gaining weight, it's because I'm gaining muscle -- my clothes still fit -- and I don't want the number on the scale to deter me from gaining lean muscle. When I look in the mirror, I'm happy with my results, and when I use the tape measure, I haven't gained any inches, so really, who cares if I've gained? I'm just healthier and stronger! I don't need that number to depress me. - 10/16/2010 2:09:36 AM
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FANCYGRAM1

The article on body composition was a good one I thought. These are points I had heard years ago, but had forgotten them. Good to be reminded. - 10/15/2010 4:26:31 PM
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JCPMINN

For me it was a good thing to weigh myself everyday, since it made me realize how much my weight naturally fluctuates. I would gain or lose up to 3 lbs sometimes, and I knew that I could not have lost or gained that much 'real' weight. If I had only weighed myself once a week I might have thought I was losing or gaining fat when it was just these natural variations. It gave me a better picture of what was really going on.
If you do weigh yourself often you can't worry about a couple pounds one way or the other. Keep the long term trend in mind. - 10/15/2010 11:05:52 AM
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SMATTY2

I also agree there were great points taken in this article. The body can definately play tricks on us when it comes to weighing ourselves everyday. And the number on the scale does dictate our mood for the day. But any movement, whether wasting time on crunches, or boxing your big arms off, you will be using muscles thus toning them and burning some calories. Agreed you can't spot reduce but to acquire lean muscle one must do exercises. So when the fat is all gone the lovely toned lean muscle will be revealed. - 10/15/2010 10:12:44 AM
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