How much fat should you lose, as per your body shape

Losing weight is a tough ordeal but even tougher is finding the right diet, regime and workout which suits your body. We all have a different body shape and it is very crucial that you work in sync with it. Your body shape is determined by the fat concentration in your body. Once you know what body shape you have, you can lose weight accordingly.
How to identify your body shape
We all have some fat on our body. It is distributed all over the body but there are certain parts where it is more visible. Some of us have it around our chest or the mid-section, making our body shaped like an apple while some have fat around the belly and the thigh area, giving rise to the famous pear-shaped body.

According to experts, the main difference between the two most common body shapes is where the fat is concentrated. For this, it is important to measure the waist to hip circumference and compare it against the hip circumference. If the waist circumference is higher than the hip circumference, then you have an apple-shaped body. On the contrary, if you have a smaller waist circumference than hip circumference, then you have are pear-shaped.

According to Dr Dawn Harper, who, in his book ‘Live Well to 101’ writes that fat in itself is not a bad thing but it is important to get rid of the excess fat to prevent the risk of diabetes and heart diseases. If you have a body shape like this, you also should keep in mind your age and gender.

Detailing further, Dr Dawn Harper says that the total body fat percentage for both men and women can be calculated using this formula:

Men
Body fat percentage= (1.20 x BMI) + ( 0.23x age) – 16.2

Women
Body fat percentage= (1.20x BMI) + ( 0.23 x age) – 5.4

How to know you are at risk?
If you are a woman aged between 20-40, body fat percentage between 21-33% is considered to be healthy whereas anything greater than 39% becomes a cause of concern. However, for women aged between 41-60, it differs. Healthy body fat percentage is considered to be between 25-35%. A percentage greater than 40 increases the risk of obesity by a huge margin.

Similarly, if you are a man between the age of 20-40, you should aim at having fat between 8-19% which is considered healthy. Any margin greater than 25% is very risky, health-wise.

If you fall into the age category of 41-60, ideal body percentage is considered to be between 11-22% whereas body fat percentage greater than 24% is considered to be obese.

Once you figure out where you are and how healthy your fat is, you can target these fat cells and make lifestyle changes accordingly. Changing your diet, including metabolism boosting food items, working out every day or even picking up the pace instead of simply staying sedentary can make a huge difference.

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