Body Fat and Women

[Naughty Nurse]

Body Fat and Women


Women have more body fat than men—about five percent more. By nature, a woman's body is developed to protect her and a potential fetus. As a result, women have more enzymes for storing fat and fewer enzymes for burning fat. Additionally, the estrogen women have activates fat storing enzymes and causes them to multiply.

Women experience more changes in hydration levels than men because of their menstrual cycle, and this can affect body fat measuring, particularly using the bioelectrical impedence method. Retaining fluid may also cause weight to fluctuate day-to-day during this period causing additional variation in the body fat percentage.

To establish a baseline for monitoring body fat, many women find it useful to chart their readings every day for a month. Afterward, monitoring at regular intervals can anticipate monthly fluctuations.

Hormonal changes due to pregnancy or menopause may also cause water retention and variations in measuring. Changes in hydration levels can also be due to food, caffeine or alcohol consumption, strenuous exercise, stress or illness, or the taking of prescription drugs.

To successfully monitor progress, women should remember to compare weight and body fat percentage measurements taken under the same conditions over a period of time. Pay attention to fluctuations caused by menstruation. And stay within the Women's--not the Men's--Healthy Body Fat Range!

Health Risks
Too Little Body Fat

It's possible to have too little body fat. Female athletes involved in high performance sports that emphasize low body weight and extremely low body fat percentage often experience a decrease in hormones that causes an interruption in the menstrual cycle. The same condition can occur when a woman is anorexic and her body goes into a semi-starvation mode. Over an extended period of time, this can lead to other health risks such as the loss of bone mass.

Too Much Body Fat

Obesity has become a serious health threat for women at every stage of life. Conditions that are attributable to being overweight and that are female-specific include an increased incidence of breast cancer after menopause, particularly for women taking hormone replacement therapy, and higher rates of endometrial cancer. Also associated with obesity are various birth defects, obstetric and gynecological complications, and infertility. In addition, obesity has been documented in connection with stress incontinence among women.

bodytrends.com

[liftsiron]

Your on a roll, another good read.

[rubberduckyo]

Excellent post and I think extremely important for women lifters to read.

The differences for what is healthy for a man and for a woman is allarming. I think a lot of women have the misconception that they need to be 10-15% which is simply untrue and in fact unhealthy at times.

Of course for competition a lady body builder or fitness competitor will drop well below healthy range but it's important for the beginner to understand that this low bf% is not maintained for long thereby reducing the risks accompanying such a low %.

Great read.

[Naughty Nurse]

Well said! Women are under tremendous misconceptions

Excellent post and I think extremely important for women lifters to read.

The differences for what is healthy for a man and for a woman is allarming. I think a lot of women have the misconception that they need to be 10-15% which is simply untrue and in fact unhealthy at times.

Of course for competition a lady body builder or fitness competitor will drop well below healthy range but it's important for the beginner to understand that this low bf% is not maintained for long thereby reducing the risks accompanying such a low %.

Great read.

[Friscochick]

Great post naughty! welp im under fat! :buttkick: