Where do you store your FAT?

Are you an Apple, Pear or an Avocado?

Do you know the Waist and Hip Ratio Health Risks?

Calculate your RISK below!!!

Many people worries about how heavy they are and the number they see on the scale, but the number on the scale does not tell you everything because you don’t know what is water, fat nor muscle (come to my clinic and I can measure you and tell the difference) and being skinny = no health sometimes, as someone who might look thin can have a high visceral fat (non-visible to the naked eyes) and suffer from similar problems as someone with high BMI. Someone skinny can still be high in fat and very low in muscle mass.

Now, have you ever notice how some people can have big bellies but lean legs? How some people tend to store most of their fat in their thighs, other on the hips, and butt? These are examples of fat distribution, which refers to where your body typically stores the fat, NO MATTER what your weight is!

This is important because where you store fat can be a predictor of health risk. Although BMI does not work for everyone over weight (BMI over 25) is only one health risk factor. Where fat is stored on your body is another.

If you have fat stored around
your waist as opposed to those who have
excess fat in their hips and thighs,
you have a
HIGHER RISK
of health problems even if
your BMI is normal.

Waist measurement may be the best way to determine your progress, and it can take the emphasis off the number you see on the scale.

The waist-to-hip ratio is a common measure of fat distribution. Your ratio can help you track your weight loss progress, while also serving as a warning about your estimated health risk for problems related to being overweight, such as:

Diabetes
Stroke
Heart Disease

In fact, a study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that for some age groups, the waist-to-hip ratio is a better indicator of increased mortality risk than body mass index (BMI), which compares your height to your weight. By the way,  BMI does not work for everyone, imagine a bodybuilder and the muscle vs fat ration!!! His/her weight vs height wouldn’t go together…

HOW TO MEASURE!

~ Step  – To measure your waist:
Place a tape measure around your bare abdomen at your natural waist (usually just above your belly button). Be sure the tape fits snugly but does not compress your skin. Place the tape parallel to the floor. Then relax, exhale and measure your waist.

~ Step  – To measure your hips:
Place a tape measure around the widest part of your buttocks.

~ Step – Divide the calculation from step 1 by the calculation from step 2 or calculate it below

Are you an Apple, Pear or an Avocado?

Pear Shape (Low Health Risk) 
If you’re a pear shape, you tend to carry most of your weight in your hips, thighs and buttocks. Storing fat in your lower half is actually a healthier site for fat accumulation. Research shows that storing fat here may actually protect you against cardiovascular disease. In one study of 1,356 women, ages 60-85, Danish researchers found that those with excessive fat in the arms, legs, hips and buttocks had less atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) than those who stored most fat in their abdominal area and other central parts of the body.

Apple Shape (High Health Risk) 
If you tend to carry weight in your abdominal area and upper torso, you’re an apple shape. People who are apple-shaped and tend to carry more weight around their waists (commonly referred to as a “pot belly”) are at a greater risk of lifestyle-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes than pear-shaped people. However, a 2011 study of 220,000 people published in The Lancet did not find an increased risk.

Avocado Shape (Moderate Health Risk) 
You may hear about apples and pears all the time, but what about people who don’t fit into either category? The less common “avocado” shape is somewhere between an apple and a pear, with health risks higher than a pear-shaped person, but somewhat lower than a true apple-shaped person.

Your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease increases gradually with each inch (about 2.5 cm) your waist increases above 35 inches (89 cm) for women and 40 inches (102 cm) for men. And similarly, your risk increases as your waist/hip ratio increases above the goals listed above.

What is it about abdominal fat that makes it a strong marker of disease risk?

The fat surrounding the liver and other abdominal organs, so-called “visceral fat,” is very metabolically active. It releases fatty acids, inflammatory agents, and hormones that ultimately lead to higher LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and blood pressure.

Improving Your Distribution
Once you know which body shape you have, and your potential level of risk, what can you do about it?

First, you have to accept that there is no way to change where your body stores fat, your genetics determine that. If you are an apple now, you will always be an apple, even if you lose a few extra pounds. Weight loss may not change your body shape, but it will reduce your size.

A well-rounded program of cardio and strength training, along with a healthy diet, will help with overall fat loss. No matter what your shape, maintaining a healthy weight will greatly reduce your risk of obesity-related illness.

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Thank you for reading

Rodrigo Peres
Nutritional Consultant
Personal Trainer
Coach

Reference:

hsph.harvard.edu
sparkpeople.com
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
en.wikipedia.org
bbc.co.uk
whqlibdoc.who.int

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