Many students are concerned with their weight. There are obvious health benefits to being at your best weight and looking fit.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be one agreed upon standard that all health professionals ascribe to when dealing with the question of weight.

One way to avoid the weight question is to stop focusing on body weight, and instead, focus on body fat.

What’s the differnece between body fat and body weight?

Well, body fat tells more about the quality of a person’s body weight. So someone could be “overweight” and “underfat” at the same time.

Conversely, someone might be within or even below his or her appropriate weight range but may have a higher than desirable percentage of body fat.

One important reason to consider monitoring body fat rather than body weight is that research shows the typical American loses muscle tissue and gains fat steadily from about age 20 on.

This means that, after age 20, a person’s weight may not change but he or she may lose muscle tissue and replace it with fat.

This process is accelerated when people get into the “yo-yo syndrome” of dieting.

If you go on a diet that emphasizes calorie restriction you will undoubtedly lose a combination of fat, water and lean muscle tissue.

If you end up gaining the weight back over a period of time you gain it all back in fat.

owever, you do not have to be the typical American!

It’s never too late to build muscle tissue back up and regain the correct balance between muscle, fat and weight by exercising regularly and eating a well-balanced diet.

While it is difficult to come up with the exact figure for a person’s ideal body fat percentage, the following chart lists range by age and percent of body fat which would be considered healthy and “in-shape” by any health professional.

Up to age 30 Over age 30 Athletes

MEN 12-15% 16-18% 5-11%

WOMEN 18-22% 23-25% 12-17%

Focusing on body fat is much less frustrating and far more effective than focusing on body weight.

If you’re interested in calculating your body fat percentage, stop by the Student Wellness Resource Center in the Holmes Student Center and ask for the body fat calculator.

This and a measuring tape are all you need to calculate your body fat.