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Body Fat Calculator

As always, a very good question. The first thing that you must realize is that the main reason you hit a plateau ( and there can be many others) is that your body has adapted to the current force/strain/load that is being put on it and so it doesn’t feel the need to change anymore so CHANGE  is definitely needed. I teach my clients 5 essential keys to success.

• Consistency
• Intensity
• Nutrition
• Variety
• Rest

So when you hit that plateau look at the 5 areas in the list above. Then ask yourself these questions:

1. When did I last change my workout program?
2. Am I increasing the intensity of my workout with every session?
3. Do I still eat the same amount of food (calories) I used to when I started my weight loss program or have I adapted it every 2 to 3 weeks? Remember as you lose weight you also need to adjust your calorie intake.
4. Do I actually go to the gym enough to realistically expect the results I am hoping for?
5. And do I take a break every now and then and give my body time to rest and grow!? For many, overtraining can also be a possible cause for hitting a plateau.

So as you can see, there can be many reasons for hitting a plateau and when you do you really need to look at the whole picture, from your workout plan to eating plan.

The best thing about all of this is that there will always be a way to get past your plateau and in reality if you keep track of your results and progress you can almost see when your results are not as good as they should be anymore or when they’re slowing down and you can make changes before a plateau every really become a reality!

So here are 4 ways to combat late night cravings so that you can make sure you don’t sabotage your own fat loss plan.

1. Make sure you eat enough during the day, starting with a good breakfast. Most people actually have a lot more will power during the day. The problem really starts where people are so busy that they starve themselves until evening time. So make sure you eat every 2 to 3 hours during the day to keep your hunger at bay.
2. Eat high fiber foods, especially later in the day as it will keep you full.
3. If you do want to snack or just can’t resist, keep your snacks low in fat and low in carbs (see my video on a perfect snack for weight loss). Something like a protein shake or yogurt could work.
4. Avoid mindless activities, such as watching TV — they tend to make you want to snack even more!

Firstly you begin by calculating your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. When exercising you can decide if you want to train for fat loss or fitness.  If you exercise in the zone of 55-65% of your maximum heart rate, you are burning mostly fat due to the low intensity of the workout.

If you want to improve your fitness or train more anaerobically you can up the intensity to 70-90% of your maximum heart rate.

To determine these values take your maximum heart rate and multiply it by the percentage of your intensity level.

Here’s An Example

To give an example…say I wanted to train at in my fat burning zone then I would calculate my heart rates as follows…

Maximum heart rate:  220 – 20 (my age) = 200

Target heart rate zones:

200 (MHR) x 0.55 (intensity level) = 110

200 (MHR) x 0.65 (intensity level) = 130

So for me to train optimally to just burn fat calories then I will keep my heart rate between 110-130 beats per minute as example

Have a question for our experts? Send it to qanda@sixpackfactory.com

The Glycemic Load of food (GL) goes one step further and takes into account the amount of carbohydrate and fibre in the portion of food.  It is a measure of quantity or energy of the food combined with the effect of the food (GI).  Foods with a low GL are considered safest and recommended to eat as they minimally impact your system, entering the system slowly providing a steady steam of energy making them suitable for weight-loss, giving you a feeling of fullness and sustained energy.

Here’s an Example.

The GI of watermelon is high (GI = 72), which would mean it has a large impact on the blood glucose levels, so it would normally be avoided.  However its glycaemic load is relatively low (GL = 7), because the quantity of carbohydrate in a serving of watermelon (150 g or a 5 mm thick slice) is minimal, as it contains a lot of water.  This makes it safe to eat!

Have a question for our experts? Send it to qanda@sixpackfactory.com

The Next-Best Method

The next best method is to use the skin-fold caliper method and have various measures of skin folds and circumferences taken.  A comprehensive test will give you a breakdown of your fat, muscle, bone and residual (water and organs) percentages and well as a kilogram breakdown of your body.  It is important to have these measurements taken by a professional with experience in this method, as human error is very common.

The advantage is it is easy to find such a professional, quick and relatively inexpensive.  The great thing about this type of assessment is that it takes many individual measurements so you can see how various areas of your body have improved, like a decrease in your abdominal fat, or an increase in the size of your biceps.

Have a question for our experts? Send it to qanda@sixpackfactory.com