Why do you want to lose weight? This is a question I want everyone to really pause to reflect on today. Weight loss is not a magical cure to every health condition. Being healthy also requires more than tending to the physical body. However, that often becomes the sole focus of our endeavors. For some, it can even start to morph into a borderline obsession — or contribute to disordered eating patterns, such as being afraid to consume certain types of food or refusing to eat enough calories in a day.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to be stronger or thinner. But the real goal of changing nutritional and exercise habits should be to have the energy, mobility and mental fitness to live a full, independent life for as long as possible. Those are not objectives determined only by body fat percentage, especially since it is not uncommon to lose muscle mass and water weight along the way to seeing a lower number on the scale. It is equally important not to try to eliminate fat completely from one’s diet. This is nearly impossible — and unhealthy — because fat is a macronutrient that the human body needs to properly absorb certain nutrients and maintain cellular health.
During a recent live Q&A event on Hello by Grouper, I was asked by an attendee about visceral fat. I will be honest that it is a term I learned ages ago, and I haven’t thought much about it in quite a while. Yes, for some of you, this might be a legitimate concern. However, assessing if you have too much visceral fat should be done by a licensed healthcare provider. There are private businesses that provide body composition analysis, but this can involve expensive testing. Plus, some methods are more reliable than others. Do your research before buying any in-home technology that claims to provide this information for less money or time. I recommend doing the same before purchasing in-person testing that is not done at a doctor’s office, medical clinic or hospital.
I reminded the woman who asked this question that we all need a certain amount of body fat. In particular, visceral fat plays a vital function: it protects our internal organs. Keep in mind that as we age, the risk of falling while doing daily activities gradually increases. And body fat is a little extra padding for our bones and joints. Thus, not having enough can be just as problematic as having too much.
Do you have other thoughts or feelings about this topic? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments thread below.
I encourage each of us to make this August an AMAZING wrap-up to summer by maximizing movement time outdoors too!
~Rachel
As I was reading this, I remember my Mom and her sisters talking about needing more padding and less muscle as they aged. I wonder if maintaining muscle would cushion internal organs and protect us from falls more that putting on a few pounds of adipose tissue?
Good evening, Barb! I am always impressed with how quickly you read each month’s Wellness Wednesday blog 🙂
And in response to your question, I want to be sure that other community readers understand the information I share above correctly. I am not recommending that an effort should be made to solely gain body fat (in any form). What I am doing is clarifying that we all need a sufficient amount. And it is going to vary from person to person. This is why I recommend having this assessed my a health care provider to get the most accurate information. Also muscle tissue in the body comes in many forms. Yes, some (like your obliques and ab muscles) can provide a moderate amount of protection for certain organs, bones and joints. BUT not all muscle tissue in the body is equal in terms of size, length, function etc. For anyone curious to know more about the over 600 different types of muscle contained within the human body, I suggest starting here: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21887-muscle
Hello. My immediate thought on- not fearing putting on extra fat as we age because it pads us if we have a fall- is this…putting on fat as we age makes moving harder. Exercise like walking becomes more uncomfortable and for some more painful. Less movement means weakened mobility and without movement we lose even more muscle than we already do as we age. So although it isn’t ‘the’ enemy it is not helpful. Extra weight also at least in my case makes me more sluggish.
I think your perspective on gaining “extra weight” is very relatable, Missy.
However, encouraging people to keep or add excess fat (or weight) in not what this blog is suggesting. This post is about how overly fixating on how many fat grams are in what you eat (or how much of your body composition is comprised of fat) can do more harm than good if either (or both) are the sole focus of one’s effort to become or stay healthy on a holistic level.