Woman 20% body fat

Body fat percentage

The body fat percentage of a human or other living being is the total mass of fat divided by total body mass; body fat includes essential body fat and storage body fat. Essential body fat is necessary to maintain life and reproductive functions. The percentage of essential body fat for women is greater than that for men, due to the demands of childbearing and other hormonal functions. The percentage of essential fat is 3–5% in men, and 8–12% in women (referenced through NASM). [ 1 ] Storage body fat consists of fat accumulation in adipose tissue, part of which protects internal organs in the chest and abdomen. The minimum recommended total body fat percentage exceeds the essential fat percentage value reported above. A number of methods are available for determining body fat percentage, such as measurement with calipers or through the use of bioelectrical impedance analysis .

The body fat percentage is a measure of fitness level, since it is the only body measurement which directly calculates a person's relative body composition without regard to height or weight. The widely used body mass index (BMI) provides a measure that allows the comparison of the adiposity of individuals of different heights and weights. While BMI largely increases as adiposity increases, due to differences in body composition, other indicators of body fat give more accurate results; for example, individuals with greater muscle mass or larger bones will have higher BMIs.

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Typical body fat amounts [ edit ]

Body Fat Percentage Guide . Clinically Verified Pictures of Men and Women at 10%, 20%, and Up

[su_highlight background="#FFFF00"]“It’s simple: If it jiggles, it’s fat.”[/su_highlight]

…So said Arnold Schwarzenegger, the most famous bodybuilder of all time. But what exactly do different body fat percentages look like? After reading this post, you can strike down those foolish enough to proclaim their ripped 5% body fat.

This article is meant to provide you with [su_highlight background="#FFFF00"]accurate, clinically-verified[/su_highlight] body fat percentage pictures in men and women.

There are many different [su_tooltip style="bootstrap" content="The most common way is through bioelectrical impedence analysis (BIA), where you either stand on a scale or grab handle, and a weak current passes through you to estimate how much fat you have (because fat resists the current moreso than lean tissue).

BIA is generally not very accurate, but fairly reliable. Meaning that any given BIA estimate is likely to be way off, but using BIA over time is a good measure of whether you are losing fat. The current gold standard is DEXA (sometimes acronym'd DXA), which uses x-rays to estimate body composition. A couple other methods are quite close to DEXA in accuracy--hydrostatic weighing (aka water dunking) and the Bod Pod (where you climb inside an egg type contraption)."] body fat measurement methods [/su_tooltip].

In order to standardize this article, I [su_tooltip style="bootstrap" content="DEXA does, on occasion, have some error, but less than pretty much everything else. Personally, I used calipers for a couple years, and had DEXA done twice. It can be extreeeeeeemely motivational to get your bodyfat tested and I highly suggest you try it, unless your self-motivation skills are already strong. Go for DEXA, BodPod, or hydrostatic weighing. There are usually testing centers in medium to large size cities and certain universities.

If you're just looking to track change over time, considering using BIA. They are quite cheap, and even though accuracy is lacking, the weekly average change in bodyfat by BIA is not a bad indicator of fat loss. If you are good with your hands, and want to learn how to use calipers, that's also not a bad idea. But measurements vary wildly at first, until you get used to it."] only used DEXA pictures [/su_tooltip] – pictures where the subject was verified to have had a DEXA scan done. Since starting my PhD, I’ve read around fifty lab studies comparing body fat measurement techniques, and decided that using DEXA-verified pictures only would make for the most reliable visual guide.

If you don’t agree with these measurements, get mad at the DEXA machine, not at me. If you want an example of how inaccurate other methods can be, check out this picture of Paleo guru Mark Sisson, who was measured at 16.9% bodyfat by hydrostatic weighing. I’ll update this post every month with new pictures — follow my RSS , facebook. or twitter to get the updates.

37.1% body fat

This guy looks quite a bit chubbier than average. But 37.1% body fat. Yeah, crazy. At this level of bodyfat, looks arguably take second place to health concerns. Fat loss efforts at this high bodyfat level will initially lead to reduced visceral fat (around the organs) and a healthier body. The next few pictures below him are of men and women with clinically verified body fat levels ranging from 20-30% down to sub-10%.

20 Fat Burning Foods to Burn Body Fat Naturally (For Men & Women)

Burning body fat with dieting is a boring idea. There are so many fat burning foods which can automatically burn body fat. Only you have to combine them with your daily diet. You also need not to follow a strict diet. These fat burning foods also increase your metabolism. Metabolism is what your body turns food into energy.

20 NATURAL FAT BURNING FOODS TO BURN BODY FAT:

1.) Green Tea

Green tea comes on the top in the list of fat burning foods. Green tea not only helps in burning body fat, it has so many other advantages. Make a habit to drink green tea over black tea or coffee. 1 cup of green tea would not help much, but having 3-4 cups in a day can burn up to 80 calories without any exercise. You can also read other benefits of green tea .

2.) Cinnamon (Best Herb in Fat Burning Foods)

You cannot underestimate the benefits of cinnamon; it is not just for cooking. Cinnamon is one of the most effect fat burning foods. You can easily get the weight loss benefits by adopting more cinnamon to your daily diet. You can see positive results from 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Cinnamon helps to regulate the levels of blood glucose. This regulating level has an effect on your feelings like, how energetic you feel? Maintaining good levels of blood sugar also help in preventing cravings.

You can alternatively use cinnamon in place of morning tea. You take a cup of warm water; add 1 spoon honey & ? or 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder. Mix it well and drink as a tea. You can add lemon drops to taste and additional benefits.

3.) Coconut

Coconut also helps in burning extra body fat. Coconut contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs), in high quantity. MCFAs can increase the body metabolism up to 30 percent, which ultimately helps to turn body fat to energy.

4.) Garlic

A component named “Alicin” is found in garlic. Alicin not only a fat burning food, it also helps to flush the extra fat from the body. So consumption of garlic will help to lose body fat also.

5.) Hot Peppers

Hot Peppers (Fat Burning Foods)

6.) Ginger

Ginger helps in reliving the digestive upset and people from centuries using it. Ginger improves digestion in the body and helps us to lose extra fat.

7.) Lemons and Oranges

Citrus Fruits (Fat Burning Foods)

These foods also contain high quantity of vitamin C. Lemons and oranges are best to function as liver detoxifier. A healthy liver will enhance the body’s ability to digest and burn fat more quickly.

The calorie count in lemon & oranges are low, and the fiber in oranges actually helps to maintain blood glucose levels.

8.) Coffee

All knows that coffee contains caffeine. The caffeine boosts our metabolism on a higher level. Caffeine also jump-starts lipolysis, means breakdown of different kind of fats. Drinking 1 to 2 cups in a day is ideal, but intake of extra caffeine is also bad for health.

9.) Brown rice

Brown rice is an example of smart fat burning foods. Brown rice contains fiber, starchy carbohydrate and nutrients, which is good for losing weight.

10.) Oats (Best Breakfast in Fat Burning Foods List)

Some people may disagree that oats work as a fat burning food for a weight loss strategy. Oatmeal contains high amount of fiber, which boosts our metabolism and helps to prevent feel hungry. Many doctors and dietitian says to eat a bowl of oatmeal in the morning is best to start the day.

Oats also contain many antioxidants and minerals, which are good for our body. Oats also help in lowering down the cholesterol levels.

11.) Flax seeds

Flax seeds are shiny & nutty-tasting seeds and a best fat burning food. Flax seeds contain a compound named “lignans”, which is a weapon to burn fat. You can grind & sprinkle flax seeds on almost anything.

Try to add a teaspoon of flax seed to salad dressing, yogurt & cereals. Flax seeds also have essential fatty acids that boosts metabolism. Flax seeds also help to lower the bad cholesterol levels in our body.

12.) Lentils

Lentils (Fat Burning Foods)

Lentils are becoming more popular as a healthy food. Lentils also help us to lose weight. Lentils contain high fiber and it will keep us feel satisfied between meals. It also helps to maintain the fluctuation in blood sugar levels.

Lentils as a good source of protein or alternatively you can use them as a side dish to maintain protein diet. It also helps to process the carbohydrates more effectively.

13.) Broccoli

It is not justice if we don’t include broccoli on the list of fat burning foods. Even you had heard so many times from your mom and grandma. They are right and broccoli is really good for you, but apart from that they can also help to cut some extra fat.

Broccoli has so many nutrients per pound and maximum contains fiber, you can also add spices or hot peppers to get more benefits from a single dish.

14.) Lean Meat: (Meat in Fat Burning Foods)

Lean Meat (Fat Burning Foods)

High thermo-genic effect is found in lean meat means you will burn about 30% of the calories contain in the food during digestion. Means for a 300-calorie chicken breast, it requires approx. 90 calories to break it down.

15.) Spinach

In your childhood, you must see “Popeye”. Every time he eats spinach to get energy. Spinach has the power to lower the bad cholesterol, increase the metabolism and burn the extra deposit fat.

Children often left spinach on their plates, but adults have to make a habit if they want to lose extra fat. You can cook spinach in so many ways or can use it as fresh salad. Already cooked spinach comes as a frozen food also.

16.) Egg Whites

There is debate on eggs white and yolks. Many dietitians say that you can eat the yolks, but some others say to lose weight you should use only egg whites. Moreover, eggs are a good source of protein. Instead of yolks are good or bad, one should know that the fat and cholesterol in the yolks are good for weight loss or not.

We recommend “playing safe” and get the benefit of the protein from eggs white only. When you get the desired weight, you can try yolks also.

17.) Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (Vinegar in Fat Burning Foods List)

Enzymes found in apple cider vinegar helps to improve the digestive system. You can also see gradual weight loss results after using it. Add the apple cider vinegar to the distilled water and drinking it 10-15 minutes before your meal. This will help to digest the food properly and your body can use the full nutrients to contain in the food.

18.) Nuts / Walnuts

Nuts (Fat Burning Foods)

This is only fat burning food that almost every dietitian suggests you include in the diet plan. They are directly coming from the earth. A mono-unsaturated fat present in most of nuts is the real hero.

You can try small handful of organic walnuts, almonds and pecans as a snack between your meals, which not feel you hungry for a few hours.

If you do not want to eat nuts as a snack, you can chop them and sprinkling them on side dishes or main dishes.

19.) Blueberries

The wonderful thing about weight loss and blueberries is that it’s not just a general weight loss, but specifically the fat. Compounds present in blueberries helps to break down fats and sugars by the body. You can mix them in a fruit salad with other food. Remember not to add sugar while eating them.

We choose blueberries in the fat burning foods list because of their fat burning properties. There are other berries, which can help you with weight loss.

20.) Asparagus (Best green food in Fat Burning Foods)

Plenty of positive effects of Asparagus have been seen on the body. Every effect has a role to play lose body weight. A major effect is that it assists our body in expelling toxins and other wastes. Asparagus also improve digestion and protect good bacteria in the body.

Asparagus is a super food and it have ton of minerals and vitamins. Most of the dieters like the taste of asparagus. Asparagus is very easy to prepare, and you can mix your favourite seasoning and also add spices.

Make these fat burning foods a part of your diet plan, and also perform any sensible workout routine to burn fat fast and lose weight.

Body Weight Measurements

Standard body weight scales provide a measure of total weight, but don't determine the lean-to-fat ratio of that weight. Standing on most scales can tell you only if you weigh more than the average person, but not if that weight is fat or muscle. Based only on scale weight, a 250-pound athlete with 8% body fat may be considered "overweight" by a typical weight chart. Such charts are not a good indication of ideal body weight for general health or for athletic performance.

Assessing Body Composition and Percent Body Fat

There are many methods of assessing a person's body fat percent and lean mass. The most common methods include the following.

Underwater Weighing - Hydrostatic Weighing

The density of fat mass and fat-free mass are constant

Lean tissue is more dense than water

Fat tissue is less dense than water.

Therefore person with more body fat will weigh less underwater and be more buoyant.

Underwater weighing has been considered the gold standard for body composition assessment, however new, more sophisticated methods may make underwater weighing obsolete in the future.

Skinfold Thickness Measurements

Because underwater weighting it is complicated and cumbersome and requires special equipment, most exercise physiologists use simple skinfold measurements to determine body fat percent. The American College of Sports Medicine says that when performed by a trained, skilled, tester, they are up to 98% accurate.