Keep your eyes on the inches...not the scale. Let us help you measure your progress. How many of you have started a weight loss program and become frustrated when the numbers on the scale never go down at the rate you expected? Over 60% of the American population is overweight or obese. The ideal body fat percentage for men is between 16-22% and for women 21-26%. This calculation is determined by administering skin fold calipers, hydrostatic weighing, or bioelectric impedance. Another method to determine your body fat percentage is the Body Mass index (BMI). An individual's BMI is calculated by dividing their weight by height. If your BMI is over 30 you are considered obese, while a healthy individual will fall within the range of 18-25. One important reminder when using the BMI is that is not accurate for individuals with a higher than normal amount of muscle mass. If you are like most individuals starting an exercise or nutrition program, you are unaware of how important building lean muscle is and its correlation with your weight. The purpose of this article is to stress the importance of exercise, learning to focus on losing inches, measuring progress by the way you feel, and not relying on merely what a scale reads. When one begins to exercise they are likely to build lean muscle tissue. Because of this increase in lean muscle, the scale may not go down as quickly as you desire. While muscle is smaller than that fat (which is why you lose inches but not weight), it weighs three times as much. You may ask, "Why would I want to build muscle if my goal is losing weight?" It is important to build muscle because it is an active tissue that burns 21-100 calories per pound daily and stores 450 calories. In comparison, one pound of fat only burns 8 calories daily and stores 3500 calories. This means that for an individual to lose one pound of fat they must burn 3500 calories. The best way to accomplish this is through an exercise program consisting of resistance training, aerobic activity, flexibility and a sound nutrition plan.
