Health Glossary
Health Glossary Body Fat Mass
Body fat mass is the actual weight of fat in your body. It is the portion of the human body that is composed strictly of fat.
What is Body Fat Mass?
Body fat mass increases with age in both men and women through middle age; a slow decrease occurs after age 70. Even in those people whose body weight does not increase with age, body fat increases as lean body mass decreases. Fat mass index(FMI) is a simple indicator of how much fat weight you have relative to your own height. FMI, unlike BMI, is unaffected by muscle mass and is hence a better parameter for defining fat or lean body types.
| Calculate your Fat Mass Index |
| Fat mass index (FMI) = FM (kg) / height² (m²) |
FMI Chart for Women
| Age | 25th Percentile (kg/m²) | 75th Percentile (kg/m²) |
| 18 – 34 | 4.6 | 6.6 |
| 35 – 54 | 4.8 | 7.3 |
| 55 – 74 | 6.5 | 10.3 |
| 75+ | 7.5 | 11.4 |
FMI Chart for Men
| Age | 25th Percentile (kg/m²) | 75th Percentile (kg/m²) |
| 18 – 34 | 3.2 | 5.0 |
| 35 – 54. | 3.7 | 6.0 |
| 55 – 74 | 4.3 | 7.2 |
| 75+ | 5.2 | 7.6 |
What factors affect your body’s fat mass composition?
Your body composition can also be influenced by factors you can’t control like:
Age: People lose muscle mass as they age if they don’t maintain it with sufficient weight training. This results in a slower metabolism.
Genes: Genes play a role in whether you are naturally lean or have a tendency to retain.
Hormones: These can influence water retention and overall body composition.
Gender: Women have more body fat than men as nature’s way of preparing for pregnancy and nursing.
What is the risk of altered fat mass composition?
Having too much fat, particularly visceral fat, can be harmful to your health. Visceral fat is the fat accumulated around your waist. It can increase your risk for heart diseases, stroke, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis (formation of plaque in the arteries), pregnancy complications, type 2 diabetes, hormone disturbances and even some cancers. Alternatively, having a low fat percentage could make one prone to diseases, fertility issues, low energy levels causing fatigue, weak muscles, etc.
How to focus on keeping your fat mass low?
A body recomposition program helps lower fat mass. It isn’t about weight loss; it’s about fat loss. During body recomposition, your physique changes instead of your body weight. As you progress through body recomposition, you may notice changes in your body, such as an overall firmer look or that your clothes fit differently. You may even gain weight, but have a smaller physique, at the end of your body recomposition program. Healthy weight loss and healthy muscle gain both take a long time. Unlike traditional methods of weight loss, such as very low-calorie diets or periods of really intense cardio exercise — there’s no real protocol for body recomposition.
Some guidelines to help change your body composition are:
- Aerobic exercise for fat loss
- Resistance (weight) training to build muscle
- Overall decrease in calorie consumption to lose fat
- Increased protein intake to promote muscle formation
How to lose fat in the process?
Fat loss ultimately comes down to your calorie maintenance. To lose fat, you must eat fewer calories than you burn. Aerobic exercise, or combined aerobic and resistance exercise, alongside a healthy diet still stand as the best techniques for fat reduction.
To build muscle, focus on two main factors: weight training and protein consumption. Strength training is also essential to changing your overall body composition.
Make Appointment for Dietitian Service
Bowtie & JP Health provides a full range of medical services, including body composition analysis and dietitian services. Call 3169 2269 or click here to make an appointment!
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