Why the weight is not everything
Losing weight is the first step for many if they want to improve their health. Most people understand this as losing excess body fat. But to determine whether you are on the right track with your weight loss, you have to record a few parameters.
The BMI as a standard for losing weight?
The marker that most people and unfortunately our health system look at is the weight. BMI usually indicates whether there is a health risk. The abbreviation BMI stands for Body Mass Index. This index is based on the assumption that there is a certain “healthy” relationship between height and body weight. However, this assumption has a great weakness – the body composition is completely ignored!
More muscle mass means more weight. As the picture shows, two people can have the same BMI, but they don’t have to be overweight either. The man on the left is clearly obese and has too much body fat. The man on the right is well trained, has little body fat and lots of muscle.
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Copyright: Dr. John Briffe “Escape the Diet Trap”
Slim is not always healthy
Unfortunately, in today’s world, “slim or thin” is equated with “healthy”. However, this is a fallacy. It is the body composition that is crucial. There are many people who are thin and have a normal BMI, but their body fat to lean mass ratio is poor. Such people are therefore also referred to as “skinny-fat” or TOFI (thin on the outside, fat on the inside).
Last but not least, the fact that losing weight and the correspondingly slim appearance is “in trend” and is seen as healthy means that health risks can be overlooked by people who are “skinny-fat”.
There are many benefits to weight training and more muscle mass. While certain things may be obvious, such as increased metabolic rate and posture, and reduced risk of injury. This way, other relationships are less obvious. Strength training stimulates a factor that makes nerve cells grow. This factor is called BNF-alpha. BNF stands for Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor. We know that people with dementia and Alzheimer’s have reduced BNF levels. Several studies have shown that strength training improves cognitive performance and leads to increased production of BNF-alpha.
Weight alone is not a good marker
Many determine success and failure in losing weight with their scales. However, weight is subject to large fluctuations. Hormones, foods and inflammatory processes can have an impact on body weight. What we really want to lose is fat, not weight. We don’t want to lose muscle, bone mass or connective tissue, but body fat.
What should I measure then?
There are simple and inexpensive methods to measure body composition. Measuring the circumference of the body is a safe and reliable method. Especially if you have a lot of body fat to lose, this method is recommended when losing weight. Anyone who does a lot of strength training should keep in mind that an increase in muscle mass can also lead to an increase in body size. Chest, thighs and upper arms mostly increase here, while the waist is usually narrower.
Copyright: Dr. John Briffe “Escape the Diet Trap”
Definition of the enclosure
Upper arms: in the middle between shoulder and elbow
Chest: below the chest
Waist: where the upper body is narrowest, below the last rib
Hip: approx. 3 fingers wide below the navel
Thigh: in the middle, between the hip joint and knee
body fat
A very reliable and relatively simple method to measure body fat is the skin fold measurement. All you need is a so-called Kaliper. Kaliper is available from € 10 and is easily available on the Internet.
For the greatest accuracy, measurements are made at 7 places. The measurement should always be carried out by the same person in order to keep the measurement error as low as possible. Using a formula, a total body fat percentage is calculated from the 7 values.
manual
Always carry out skinfold measurements on the same side of the body.
Tricep: Vertical skin folds on the back of the upper arm, 1 cm above the middle between the shoulder and elbow.
Supralliac (hip): Diagonal skin fold on or slightly above the hip bone.
Thigh: Vertical fold of skin on the front of the thigh, halfway between the crotch and the knee.
Chest: Diagonal skin fold, in the middle between armpit and nipple.
Abdomen (abdomen): Horizontal fold of skin, approx. 2-3 cm to the right of the navel.
Axilla: skin fold under the armpit. Place your arm loosely over your head.
Subscapula: Below the shoulder blade. Skinfold is raised parallel to the shoulder blade. It then runs obliquely from top to bottom.
Copyright: Dr. John Briffe “Escape the Diet Trap”
Copyright: Dr. John Briffe “Escape the Diet Trap”
Lose weight: optical assessment and photo documentation
In addition to measuring the volume and body fat percentage, photographic documentation of the decrease is also recommended. Changes in body composition are often most clearly seen in photos. Since you see yourself every day, it is often very difficult to see these changes yourself. Photos are a good tool and also enable good documentation over a longer period of time.
It is best to take a picture of all sides in a neutral posture only in underwear.
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