How to lose body fat

The short answer to a number of these questions is that the concept of ‘an ideal’ is a myth because we are all unique individuals with different genes, environmental influences and lifestyle choices. As a result, the body fat you carry is affected by your ethnicity, gender, age and frame and consequently you will carry body fat differently to the next person.

Next, read up on 50 easy ways to lose weight, how many steps a day to lose weight, how gut health affects weight, if stress affects weight, and how much should I weigh?

How do I check whether I am obese?

We used to think of this in very black and white terms, when we used the body mass index, or BMI exclusively. We used this tool to assess a person’s height compared with their weight, the calculation generates a score and that would determine whether they were an appropriate weight. However, we’ve found that BMI is imprecise because it doesn’t take into account a person’s muscle mass or body frame. Quite simply, it is possible for someone who is in excellent physical health and shape, like an athlete or regular gym goer to be categorised as obese (have a BMI of 30 or higher), and a person with significant amounts of dangerous abdominal fat to be labelled as a normal weight (have a BMI of 18.5 – 24.9).

What does BRI (body roundness index) mean?

In order to get around these issues the body roundness index (BRI) was designed as an alternative to BMI, it takes into account height and waist circumference. The BRI generates a score of 1 to 20, where 1 represents narrow and 20 more round body types. The value of the BRI is that it helps to more accurately determine the actual body fat levels of people with the same BMI but who have different heights and waist circumferences. The BRI also takes into account your age, gender, height, race as well as your weight.

To calculate your own score, check out the BRI calculator.

What is a healthy body fat percentage?

Generally speaking, doctors recommend that women have a body fat percentage below 32% and men below 25%. However, how we measure body fat is prone to inaccuracy and the measure (this is commonly performed using bio-electrical impedance or body fat scales) does not take account of where your body fat is on your body. This means that the concept of an ideal body fat percentage is a red herring instead, what we should be talking about are the types of body fat we carry.

What are the different types of body fat?

Although we often think of ‘fat’ as being one thing there are actually three different types of fat cell – white, brown and beige. White body fat is our means of storing energy and is the type of fat that plays a role in the function of hormones such as oestrogen, the stress hormone cortisol and insulin. While some white fat is necessary for health, too much may be harmful and lead to obesity. Brown fat is primarily found in babies, although as adults we still retain a small amount of this active brown fat, it is this type of fat that helps keep us warm. Beige fat is a little like both white and brown fat, although like brown fat it helps burn fat, rather than store it.

Body fat can also be stored in different places: essential, subcutaneous or visceral. These various fat cells and areas of storage have different implications for our heath. Essential fat is necessary for a healthy, functioning body, whereas, the weight we accumulate under the skin on our arms, legs and bottom is called ‘subcutaneous fat’ and is considered the more metabolically healthy type, being the body’s energy store. Visceral or ‘ectopic’ fat is deposited around our internal organs and can have major health implications. Ectopic quite literally means ‘where it isn’t supposed to be’, so you can get an idea of why it is dangerous, particularly if it builds up around the heart, liver and even the pancreas.

Ectopic fat can be estimated more accurately by measuring a person’s waist – all the more reason to think about body roundness over an ideal body fat percentage. Research proves that the waist measurement helps in identifying ectopic fat and predicting possible health consequences such as diabetes. Experts in the field have cited a number of studies that have revealed if a woman’s waist to hip ratio is 0.85 greater than the ratio determined by the World Health Organisation – or 1.0 in the case of men – it represents a marker for increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, many types of cancer and abnormal cholesterol.

Five ways to manage body fat

• Reduce refined, processed foods that are typically high in carbs, low in fibre and a common cause of weight gain and especially visceral fat
• Focus on protein foods at each meal, this may help preserve lean muscle mass, boost basal metabolic rate and promote feelings of fullness
  Move more – this doesn’t have to be scheduled exercise, although that is good. It means taking the opportunities in everyday life to move, whether that’s walking the dog, getting off the bus a stop earlier or tending the garden. Any physical exertion will help your health
• Strength train – designed to improve your physical strength, this form of exercise is key to maintaining and building muscle and as such helps prevent fat gain in the longer term. It needn’t involve lifting weights in the gym and can be as simple as carrying your own shopping bags, lifting and carrying heavy things in the garden or using your body weight in activities like yoga and dancing.
• Get more sleep – lack of sleep may contribute to fat mass through altering hormones and increasing appetite and cravings

Now read…

How many calories should I eat?
How to lose excess belly fat?
Are you TOFI? (that’s thin on the inside, fat on the inside)
How to lose weight and keep it off
10 common diet myths – busted
All our healthy recipes

This page was last reviewed on 24th January 2025 by Kerry Torrens.

Kerry Torrens is a qualified Nutritionist (MBANT) with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food.

All health content on goodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.