When most people think of weight loss, they generally think about BMI. They think of long, strenuous work and restrictive dieting with the number on the scale not budging. With these metrics, it is very easy to become discouraged and give up, believing that no matter what you do, results are just not happening.
Or, even if the numbers start dropping, you still feel tired and sick and start wondering if all the effort is worth it.
If you can relate to either of these scenarios, the answer may go beyond simple scale numbers. In fact, often it is not because you are not working hard or doing; you might just be working with the wrong data.
If you are ready for real information and real results, it is time to go beyond BMI and get real information about your health. It is time to look at body composition metrics.
BMI vs. Body Composition
BMI was originally developed as a tool for statistical analysis, to categorize the “average”, not as a diagnostic or clinical tool. In contrast, body composition metrics utilize clinical data from a wide range of populations, including children, older adults, and people struggling with obesity, although the tests can be skewed by factors like age, hydration, and sex.
However, BMI cannot take into account an individual’s body needs. It cannot distinguish between bone, muscle, and fat, and so misclassifies people such as athletes as “obese” and underestimates adiposity in older adults because of lowered muscle mass.
BMI provides a very general picture of weight, meaning patients often receive general recommendations that focus mainly on dropping the numbers on the scale. It cannot explain why two people with the same BMI have different health outcomes and cannot provide the necessary data to create an effective weight loss plan, making weight loss recommendations imprecise and vague.
Today, more practitioners are moving away from BMI as an isolated diagnostic tool and towards body composition metrics, helping patients and practitioners to work together to develop a plan that focuses on overall health and wellbeing rather than just weight loss.
What Are Body Composition Metrics
Body composition metrics are key data points providing a detailed and holistic picture of patient health, providing information on the tissues most impactful to patient. These details allow practitioners allows them to assess their patients’ health accurately and provide helpful recommendations.
Additionally, body composition metrics most effectively address the real-world clinical gaps that patients and physicians are experiencing. They reveal patients’ hidden risks, such as distinguishing between normal-weight obesity and sarcopenic obesity and provide information for targeted interventions. This has the potential to improve treatment response and supports longevity and functional health goals.
Metrics include Fat Mass and Fat Mass percentage, the absolute fat mass and percentage of total body weight that is fat. This helps distinguish between actual fat loss and unhealthy weight loss, loss of muscle.
It also measures Skeletal Muscle Mass to find anything that could affect strength and mobility and could increase the risk of injury.
It also distinguishes between visceral and subcutaneous fat, since visceral fat is linked to issues such as insulin resistance, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease.
Body Composition Metrics and Weight Loss
Body composition metrics help providers set precise health targets, such as reducing visceral fat or increasing muscle mass, and create personalized health plans for patients.
Additionally, body composition gives patients a clear idea of what is happening in their bodies. So even when the scale number does not move, patients can track their progress and retain motivation to stay consistent on their weight loss journey. This information also provides physicians with the information they need to create effective treatment plans and guard against side effects such as reduced muscle mass.
In fact, studies comparing BMI and body composition metrics demonstrated that body composition provided superior prognostic information regarding muscle mass and cardiometabolic risk factors, although it does appear any superiority when it comes to issues like diabetes prediction.
Weight loss is a difficult and frustrating process. However, with body composition metrics, patients can have confidence that their efforts are paying off.
Body Composition Metrics and Rockwell Physicians
Weight loss can only be as effective as the information behind it. By utilizing the body composition metrics provided by the SECA scale, we at Rockwell are going beyond BMI to give our patients actual data about their health.
We collect data using the SECA scale, a specialized scale that provides a quick, non-invasive method of measuring body composition. Our practitioners then assess the results and work with you to create a specialized nutrition and exercise plan and, in some cases, an injection plan for you to achieve optimal results.
Because this procedure can be regularly repeated, patients can see and track their progress. Additionally, SECA provides patients with an easy app to access their results.
You are unique. Your weight loss journey should be too. Body composition metrics take you beyond the generalizations of BMI to the facts so you can get the results your body deserves.
