Determining Your Body Fat Percentage

I ate whatever I wanted yesterday, and unsurprisingly, I feel fat today!

But that’s alright, as I will pick up hitting the ground running in January.

Let’s talk about the January weight loss saga while we enjoy the final 6 days of the year.

How fat are you?

No, not how fat you feel - how much fat are you carrying on your body?

It’s an interesting - and TIMELY - question.

Because today is December 26th.

And after spending the last two days eating potatoes, stuffing, and Christmas cookies, you probably feel like the Michelin man (I know I do).

You’re inevitably going to FEEL a lot fatter than you actually are.

But that doesn’t tell you anything important…

When you start eating like a responsible adult again, most of this water weight will fall off.

This is why it’s critical to understand your actual body fat percentage.

It’s one of the key principles behind our 30 Days 2 Shredz program:

You MUST know how fat you are at any given moment.

Why?

Because what gets measured gets managed and improved upon.

I’m sure many of you will be entering a fat loss phase in January (the perfect opportunity to pick up 30D2S)...

This means that you’ll need some way to track things to ensure you’re making progress.

Well, guess what - if you’re going by the number on the scale, you will be WILDLY off the mark.

Water weight, gut content, glycogen - there are a ton of variables that can influence the scale weight.

And when those variables aren’t accounted for, it’s easy to think you’re getting LEANER…

When you’re just getting lighter.

Accurate body fat measurements are the ultimate solution.

If you can measure your body fat BEFORE you start your fat loss phase and continue to measure it as you progress periodically, you’ll ensure two things:

a.) You’re losing stored body fat

b.) You’re actively retaining lean muscle

So, how do you go about measuring this accurately (keyword)?

You have two options:

Option #1: Bod Pod Body Composition Testing

Hydrostatic weighing is far and away the most accurate method for body composition.

It’s (relatively) quick, painless, available in most major cities, and will give you a 1% error margin on your body fat.

If you have access to one, this is 100% what I’d recommend.

Option #2: Skinfold Calliper Measurements

This is more of a hassle, but getting a 9-site skinfold caliper measurement will produce reasonably accurate results.

The problem with this is the error rate is pretty high if you don’t know what you’re doing (and it is relatively easy to screw up), so if you’re going to this route, make sure you have an expert available to you to take your measurements for you.

What about DEXA?

Honestly, I'm not a fan.

Now, if DEXA is all you have available, you can use it.

Just try to ensure that all the variables (food intake, fluid levels, time of day you test, etc) are as consistent as possible.

Yes, it will probably shoot out an inaccurate reading.

But if it’s CONSISTENTLY inaccurate, you’ll at least know whether you’re making progress or not.

And that’s what matters - the ability to track tangible progress over time…

And separate yourself from the hoards of New Year’s Resolutioners who are just “winging it.” 🙄

Best,

Hunter Williams