Further thoughts on fat distribution

[Guest guest]

In October of last year, in Message 15864, we discussed equations to

predict the percentage of fat and lean mass lost during a diet. One

of the conclusions was that when the percent of body fat gets to 15%,

any further loss of weight will be more muscle than fat.

After examining the distribution of fat in the human body with the

help of the " Visible Human " project, it is easier to understand why

this is so. Since most of the fat is carried under the skin, it would

be necessary to reduce the surface area of the body to get below the

level of fat of an athlete, which is fairly impossible. This also

means that measuring body fat using calipers should give fairly

accurate results when compared with body immersion techniques. And

this also explains why people who lose more than 50 pounds end up with

very loose skin that needs to be removed surgically.

Tony