Speaker 1: 0:00

I'm aware of reality. All right, I'm super sleep deprived. I don't know if you could tell in today's episode. We're doing the best that we can do. Okay, I don't want you to stress over sleep and stressing, okay. What's more important is not stressing over them than the actual issues themselves.

Speaker 1: 0:22

This is the podcast that helps women weed through the social media noise and myths to lose weight and keep it off, without all the bullshit. Oh, and this is for your ears, not your doctor's orders Use your head, stay healthy and crush it. Yo, what is up? My fellow body hackers, my truth seekers, dee here and I'm ready to deliver some insight about body fat, and I want us to put aside the filtered perfection and the ideal bullshit. Okay, what we're going to do is we're going to get into the science and expose some myths, and I'm going to give you some tools that I want you to use to own your body composition journey. As per usual, that's what we do here. So remember how we talked about your body being like a business in the BMR episode, so I want you to consider this an advanced course in we'll call it metabolic mastery. Okay, we're about to break down body fat, your body's energy reserve, its protective layer, its hormonal powerhouse. We're going to touch on how it really works and why those ideal body fat percentages are bogus, and we will briefly mention how to approach optimizing your composition, your peak health and your performance.

Speaker 1: 1:53

But before anything, first and foremost, I really want to address the elephant in the room, no pun intended society's unhealthy obsession with thinness. We're bombarded with images of perfect bodies, making us feel inadequate and fueling disordered eating patterns all over us. Fat is not the enemy. It's essential for survival, for hormonal production, for brain production, for hormonal production, for brain production. We've got to shift the focus from shrinking ourselves to nourishing and strengthening our bodies, completely regardless of the number on the scale.

Speaker 1: 2:37

And speaking of unhealthy obsessions, did anyone else catch the Victoria's Secret comeback show? Don't get me wrong. I'm all about body positivity and inclusivity. I loved the show, but something felt off. It seemed to me like all the models who weren't stick thin were strategically covered up. Am I wrong? And if I am, please call me out in the comments if you saw it differently. But to me personally it felt like a half-assed attempt at inclusivity, like we'll include diverse bodies but only if we can hide them. I mean, come on, vs. Really, I truly believe that you can do better. All right, so there are four issues that we really need to get into. We need to address this urgently, and I want to drop some of the studies that I was reading in the notes, as usual, but I also want to mention some of them here briefly, as usual, but I also want to mention some of them here briefly.

Speaker 1: 3:48

The first thing we have to get into is the ideal body fat percentage. This is a myth. It's a tiresome myth. A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that healthy body fat percentages vary widely and not surprisingly. It depends on factors like age and ethnicity and activity level, and there's no one size fits all answer. Your optimal body fat is the one that supports your health and your performance and your well-being. Two is the spot reduction. Please understand that this is a fairy tale. Research published on the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research confirms that targeted fat loss is impossible. We've talked about this.

Speaker 1: 4:40

You cannot pick and choose where your body burns fat. You can't. I want you to focus on your overall body composition through a combination of your diet, your nutrition and exercise. Another thing is the scale obsession Some of you, even my esteemed colleagues are not going to love this, but get over it. Okay, the scale is a liar, my friends. It doesn't differentiate between fat, muscle bone density or water weight. A study in obesity research found that fluctuations in body water can significantly impact the scale weight. I don't even understand why I have to say that, even without changes in body fat. Okay, I want you to focus on how your clothes fit and your energy levels are and how you feel. Okay, that's what I want you to focus on. Last magic pills. This is a scam. Do not fall for the quick fixes. There was a review in the international journal of obesity that concluded that most over-the-counter fat burners hate that name are ineffective and potentially harmful. Sustainable changes are only through diet and exercise. It's the only proven way to improve your body composition.

Speaker 1: 6:06

Now, body fat is more than just a number. It's a complex endocrine organ that plays a vital role in energy storage. Fat stores excess calories for later use. Like your body's emergency fund Insulation, it helps regulate your body temperature, keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. How freaking cool is that. It is about hormone production as well. Fat cells produce hormones like leptin. That's the hormone that regulates your appetite, and adiponectin, which plays a role in insulin sensitivity.

Speaker 1: 6:49

I want you to think about it as your body's internal communication system. It also protects us. It cushions your organs and provides structural support. Doesn't that sound cozy kind of for your organs? It's your body's built-in shock absorber, and there's also the distribution of fat. This matters. Visceral fat is stored around your organs. It is associated with health risks. Subcutaneous fat is under the skin, and that's much less concerning. Okay, so we can get into that another time, but yes, I'm very, very aware of the dangers of visceral fat. I want us to move on, though, and I want us to break down the methods of calculating body fat.

Speaker 1: 7:44

Okay, let's break down the most common methods for body fat estimates. Okay, there's the bioelectrical impedance analysis. This sends a weak electrical current through the body. The fat resists the current more than muscle, which gives you that estimate of the body fat percentage. Accuracy can be affected, though, by hydration levels and recent food intake. This is like measuring your company's value based on its energy consumption. Okay, there is the skinfold calipers, which I actually use this in my practice with clients. Relatively often, you measure the thickness of the subcutaneous fat in various body sites. It requires practice, though, and it requires you've got to be skilled for accurate, or relatively accurate, results, and you can think of this as manually assessing your inventory. Okay.

Speaker 1: 8:42

Then we have the body circumference measurements. We use tape measurements to estimate body fat based on your proportions, but this can be less accurate for people with very different body shapes. It's like this is like estimating your company's size based on its office space. Then there's the hydrostatic weighing, which measures body density by weighing you underwater, and this is considered the gold standard, but it is far less accessible. Imagine assessing your company's value by how much it floats. All right.

Speaker 1: 9:21

Then we have the dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. I don't even know how to say it. It's the DEXA, all right, x-ray. It uses low dose x-rays to differentiate between bone, fat and lean tissue. Highly accurate, but highly expensive and not as readily available. It's like getting a full financial audit for your body. It's pretty good, pretty good.

Speaker 1: 9:48

Now the Bodyholic Body Fat Calculator is really. I want to give you guys the best tools. What we did was we created the Bodyholic Body Fat Calculator. You can find it it's free on bodyholicfit. What it does? It uses the US Navy method, which is based on body circumference measurements.

Speaker 1: 10:12

All right, it's what it is. It's really a quick and easy way to get a ballpark estimate of your body fat percentage. Ok, it's an estimate ballpark, you've got to remember. It's just an estimate. It is not the absolute truth. We just talked about it. It's just an estimate. It is not the absolute truth. We just talked about it.

Speaker 1: 10:34

The idea is to use it consistently to monitor changes over time, as opposed to getting an exact digit. Okay. So how then, do we go about interpreting the results? It's here's my advice. Results it's here's my advice. It's beyond the numbers. Okay, I want you to focus on your individual journey. Do you feel stronger? Do you feel more energetic, more confident in your clothes? Those are the real indicators of progress. Don't get caught up in comparing yourself to others. This is your journey. That's what I care about.

Speaker 1: 11:14

So here are some actionable strategies, and I want us to really get into the body as a business, more than those comparisons I did before. All right, prioritize protein. We want to aim for 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that protein helps preserve muscle mass during weight loss and increase satiety, which means that it makes it easier to stick to the goals. So think of this as investing in your company's infrastructure. And then I also want you to really work at trying to let go of the processed crap. We want to focus on unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains. Research in the Journal of American Medical Association links ultra-processed foods to increased weight gain and health risks.

Speaker 1: 12:20

It's like cutting out unnecessary expenses that drain your resources. And this, my friends, I've said it again and again and I will say it again lift heavy and sweat hard. Combine strength training sessions two to three times a week with at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio. A study in the medicine and science in sports and exercise found that this combination is most effective for improving body composition. It's like investing in marketing and sales to boost your revenue. All right, it's also what the American Heart Association says to do.

Speaker 1: 13:10

I also want to get into a passion of mine. Okay, this is a passion of mine. Even though I'm deprived, I want you to sleep like a boss and for seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night. I have something to say about that, but the research in sleep does show that sleep deprivation leads to hormonal imbalances that promote fat storage. So I want you to think of sleep as your body's essential R&D time. And then, finally, stress less. Okay, chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which then leads to increased abdominal fat, elevates cortisol levels, which then leads to increased abdominal fat.

Speaker 1: 13:50

I want you to incorporate stress management techniques like meditation, like yoga, like spending time in nature. It's like streamlining our operations to reduce unnecessary stress in the business. And, yes, of course we are sleep deprived and of course we are super stressed. Have you seen the freaking news? And I have a 10 month old who loves snuggles and nurses and gets sick. And I have a five year old who loves snuggles and gets sick, and sometimes she has a bad dream. I'm aware of reality. All right, I'm super sleep deprived.

Speaker 1: 14:29

I don't know if you could tell in today's episode. We're doing the best that we can do, okay, and I want you to stress over sleep and stressing. Okay, what's more important is not stressing over them than the actual issues themselves. Okay, I'm going to leave you with this. Stop obsessing over the numbers. Try to build healthy, sustainable changes. You can use the Bodyholic Calculator tool, but remember, it's really all about the ongoing process. Okay, you're in control. That's why we like maybe the scale, the calculators, but you're in control by looking at the changes over time. Okay, there's no magic number. As usual, there's no fat burner. As usual, it's about progress, it's about the process and that's it All right. So let's go progress the process. I'll see you next time. Hey, thanks so much for tuning in and if this hit home, please share it with your crew. Likes, comments, shares. Show your loved ones you care. A Bodyholic Production.