Understanding Your BMI.

Body mass index, or BMI for short, is a measure of your body fat based on your weight and height. In general, the higher the BMI, the more at risk a person is of being considered overweight or obese. In fact, BMI is the number one indicator used to measure obesity around the world. But BMI has faced a lot of backlash in the past for not being an accurate representation of a person's health or fitness level.

BMI is simple to understand, and you can see how to calculate yours here. You take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in meters squared. Based on the number you get, you can fall into any of the four categories below for both men and women:

·         Underweight: BMI is less than 18.5

·         Normal weight: BMI is 18.5 to 24.9

·         Overweight: BMI is 25 to 29.9

·         Obese: BMI is 30 or more


 Related: BMI? Is It Any Good To Check If You Have A Healthy Weight.

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Saw this and thought WTF!!!! Be warned not pretty.

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Study Finds Lack of Sunlight Leads To Winter Weight Gain.

Many of us feel a little puffier in the Winter, but as it turns out, there's some unexpected science behind it. Winter weight gain might not just come from those extra Christmas cookies — it could be due to a lack of sunshine! Our bodies really do miss that Summer sun; a study came out and showed that a little bit of sunshine is not only good for some vitamin D and a happy mood, but it may reduce fat and regulate metabolism as well.

The Jan. 10 study from the University of Alberta concluded that "lack of sufficient bodily exposure to sunlight" (read: not getting enough rays) "may contribute to long-term scWAT [subcutaneous white adipose tissue] dysfunction and the current epidemics of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease."

Related: 6 Different Body Fat Types. Here Is The Lowdown

If you just stopped and said, "Whoa, wait . . . wtf is subcutaneous white adipose tissue?" — it's fat. But not just any fat! "[scWAT] is the major fat depot in humans and is a central player in regulating whole body metabolism," the study said. And this particular type of fat — the one that needs the sun's light — plays a vital role in your metabolism. Gives a whole new meaning to "Summer body," doesn't it?

"When the sun's blue light wavelengths — the light we can see with our eye — penetrate our skin and reach the fat cells just beneath [the skin's surface], lipid droplets reduce in size and are released out of the cell. In other words, our cells don't store as much fat," Peter Light, senior author of the study and professor of pharmacology and the director of UAlberta's Alberta Diabetes Institute told ScienceDaily. "If you flip our findings around, the insufficient sunlight exposure we get eight months of the year living in a northern climate may be promoting fat storage and contribute to the typical weight gain some of us have over winter."

Yet another reason to get outside for extra daylight, yes? Just remember to use that SPF and take care of your skin, too. Peter Light warned that "this finding is only an initial observation and that pursuing exposure to sunlight is not a safe or recommended way to lose weight," according to ScienceDaily. But while studies continue to be conducted and this topic is further explored, maybe try one of those sun-simulating indoor lights.

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The Two Types of Body Fat

The Two Types of Body Fat

Just as all bodies are not created equal, not all body fats are equal, either. Pears, apples, and other shapes aside, the color and location of your body fat is probably just as important as the amount you’re packing when it comes to your health.

You’ll be pleased to know not all body fat is bad. Let’s take a closer look at the different types of body fat:

White Fat

White fat makes up the majority of fat in your body. Its primary purpose is energy storage, but white fat also pads and insulates the body, helping to protect vital organs and maintain body temperature. It also produces a form of estrogen and several appetite-regulating hormones.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, healthy body-fat percentages range from 20 to 32 percent for women and 10 to 22 percent for men.

While body-fat percentage can provide information regarding overall health and disease risk, getting an accurate reading typically requires expensive, hard-to-find equipment.

The good news is that body-mass index (BMI) and waist circumference correlate well with fat mass percentage in large populations.

6 Different Body Fat Types. Here Is The Lowdown.

Despite what fad diets and catchy headlines would lead you to believe, fat is not all the same. And you need to stop treating it that way. So if you operate by a “fat is fat and fat is bad” sort of mentality, it’s worth taking a few minutes to get to know your fat.

Here, experts (including a fat researcher!) share what you really need to know about fat on your frame—especially if you’re trying to lose weight, get healthy, or live longer:

1.Essential Fat

What It Is: The fat you need to live. “Essential fats help regulate body temperature, vitamin absorption, cell structure, and hormones such as fertility hormones,” explains Naureen Sajwani, R.D., a clinical dietitian at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago. “Essential fat is found in many parts of the body including nerve membranes, bone marrow, and membranes protecting body organs. Essential fat is neither subcutaneous nor visceral." (Don't worry, we’ll dive into subcutaneous and visceral fat later on.)

What You Need To Know If You’re Trying To Lose Weight: You cannot lose essential fat without compromising your health—and in a big way. For good health, women need 10 to 13 percent of their total weight to come from this essential fat, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Unfortunately, many women often strive for and achieve even lower body fat percentages through extreme dieting and exercising, putting their health at risk. That’s why many female figure competitors (who cut their body fat percentages to as low as 6 to 10 percent for competitions), often experience extreme hormonal dips and lose their periods. J. Mark Brown, Ph.D., a lipid (a.k.a. fat) researcher with the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, also notes that too-low levels may also throw off the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. In animal studies, mice with excessively low levels of body fat display symptoms of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, he says.

The 5 Biggest Myths About Eating Fat.

People are confused about fats, and it’s pretty understandable on some level. After all, a few years ago, they were seen as the worst thing ever, and now we’re told that fats are an important part of a healthy diet. 

At some point, you’ve probably heard some myths and misconceptions about fats, and they may have stuck with you. (Again, understandable.) That’s why we connected with several top dietitians to help clear up misunderstandings about fats. Here are the biggest you’ve probably heard—and the actual truth. 

Eating Any Amount Of Fat Will Make You Gain Weight

Sure, if you eat a lot of high-fat foods all the time, you’re probably going to see the number creep up on the scale. But if you watch your fat intake, you should be just fine. “Because fat has nine calories per gram (compared to four calories per gram of protein or fat), it's true that a little goes a long way,” says says New York-based R.D. Jessica Cording. “To prevent weight gain, make sure you're consuming it in an amount that fits within the context of your daily calorie needs.” According to the USDA, you should consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats. In general, experts say you should aim to get about 20 percent of your calories per day from healthy fats. 

Skinny Fat? What Is It?

We all have that friend: The one who eats only mac ‘n’ cheese and cookies, does zero physical activity, yet still fits into jeans from high school. While you sweat through regular workouts and take the time and effort to cook and eat healthy meals, your friend stays thin seemingly without trying.

But looks can be deceiving. The number on the scale doesn’t paint the whole picture.

“Skinny fat” is an unscientific, non-medical term to describe people who appear to be at a healthy weight, but actually have a lot of body fat and very little muscle. Living a “skinny fat” lifestyle doesn’t come without consequences. Read on to learn more about it, plus ways to get stronger and healthier.

Are You Skinny Fat?

While there is no formal definition of “skinny fat,” it generally refers to people who fall within a healthy weight range but exceed the recommended body-fat percentage and do not meet normal ranges for muscle mass.

“The term ‘skinny fat’ is the perfect demonstration of the misconceptions on what being healthy is,” says Cody Braun, fitness expert.

The medical term for “skinny fat” is metabolically obese normal weight. (And since “skinny fat” isn’t the friendliest of terms, we’ll mostly stick with MONW from here on out.) The acronym says it all: A person can be a seemingly healthy weight, yet metabolically obese.