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What Every Body Fat Percentage Level Actually Looks Like - Video học tiếng Anh
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What Every Body Fat Percentage Level Actually Looks Like
What Every Body Fat Percentage Level Actually Looks Like
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Today, we're going to show what different body fat percentages actually look like and what
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diet and exercise typically accompany each level. Let's start all the way at the top.
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The highest body fat percentage ever recorded, according to the Guinness Book of World Records,
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was 80%. At that level, fat covers nearly every muscle and bone in the body. Movement is extremely
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limited. Breathing, sleeping, and even sitting upright become difficult. This isn't a lifestyle
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category. It is a medical outlier, usually involving severe illness and fluid retention.
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So, instead of staying here, let's move on quickly to levels that people actually reach. At 50% body
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fat, both men and women are classified as morbidly obese. Fat visibly hangs over the abdomen, hips,
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chest, and thighs, obscuring muscle definition entirely. At this level, everyday movement is
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exhausting. Walking, climbing stairs, and sleeping comfortably are pretty difficult.
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Diets here are typically very high in calories, dominated by ultrarocessed foods, with little
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to no structured exercise. So, while women are classified as severely obese at over 45% body fat,
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men are severely obese at over 40% body fat. So, at 50% men are way over the healthy line.
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One man at the 50% range described his experience in carrying the excess weight around. I'm always
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tired. I'm just always fatigued. But this is still only the beginning of the scale. Do things
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improve at the 40% range? A little, especially for women. Men are still classified as morbidly obese,
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while women have shifted down to just obese. Women have hips that are noticeably wider than
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their shoulders at this body fat percentage, but they're probably not experiencing as many
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challenges when it comes to simple movements like going upstairs, sleeping, bending over,
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or general fatigue. At that body fat percentage, men still have a noticeable amount of extra fat,
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mostly around the stomach area, as well as some in the upper body as well. Women with 40% body
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fat can look all sorts of different ways and have different diet and exercise habits. On some women,
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the fat is distributed more evenly, resulting in a woman that may look big but not necessarily
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unhealthy. While others, particularly those who aren't as mobile and don't work out,
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may still have lots of noticeable extra fat on the upper arms, stomach, hips, and thighs. Men with
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this body fat percentage, have a significantly higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure,
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stroke, diabetes, and other obesity related issues. Women also have an elevated risk as well,
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but it is slightly reduced. The bad news is if you're in the US at least, the average American
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woman sits at around 39% body fat, and that falls into the obese category. For many people watching,
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this is the range that they're closest to right now. When we get down to 30% body fat,
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things change a lot for men as well. At this percentage, a man's lean mass can seriously affect
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their health and appearance. In one test, two men had the same body fat percentage, about 33%,
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but looked very different. One had 97 lbs of lean mass. The other had closer to 150 lbs. Even
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with the same body fat percentage, the second man looked far more in shape and was a regular at the
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gym. Men with more lean body mass should have pretty normal energy levels, gym performance,
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and look more toned overall at 30%. Even though they do still face some health risks. In the US,
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about 40% of men are in this range. This is the point where body fat stops being purely
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visual and starts affecting long-term health. At around 30% body fat, this is where age starts
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to visibly change what the same percentage looks like. As both men and women get older,
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their ability to build muscle and metabolize food fast suffers. Their muscle mass and their bone
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density also generally deteriorates, so their body fat percentage naturally will go up. But it's not
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just okay to increase body fat reserves as you get older. It's actually recommended. Body fat
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offers your body and health protection. It acts as an energy reserve during illnesses and periods of
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weakness or low appetite. Both things that affect people more often as they age. Carrying some extra
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body fat gives your body energy reserves it can use during physically difficult times,
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helping support your immune system and fight off disease. If you are older and lean, your body has
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less fat to draw from. That means healing and recovery can take longer. In extreme cases,
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your body might start breaking down necessary tissue like muscle for energy. This matters when
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you look at what's considered normal. The average US male sits at around 27% body fat. For men aed
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20 to 49, that is classified as obese. But once you pass 50, that exact same percentage suddenly
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falls into an acceptable range. For women, the contrast is even sharper. At 30% body fat, women
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are considered to be in the optimal range toward the higher end, but still completely healthy. Even
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in the youngest adult group, ages 20 to 29, women aren't classified as obese unless they're above
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32% body fat. This is why you'll see plenty of women in the gym who look fit, eat balanced diets,
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and don't aggressively restrict food and would still land near 30% body fat. In fact, in the US,
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only about 10% of women are leaner than that. That said, a woman could be at 30% body fat
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while barely exercising and living on takeout. And this is where individual differences really start
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to matter. One quick note before we go lower. This explains why two people at the same body
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fat percentage can look very different and face very different health risks. Body fat distribution
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varies by genetics and ethnicity, which is why people at the same body fat percentage or BMI can
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look very different and face very different health risks. This is one reason that BMI alone isn't a
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reliable measure of health. With that in mind, let's keep moving down the scale. 20% body fat.
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What does that look like in men? Some men have defined muscles, especially around their arms and
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shoulders, and a noticeably toned physique. Others might have a body closer to what people call
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skinny fat, an overall thin frame with a belly and extra fat around places like the upper chest and
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arms. Only 12% of men are at or under this body fat percentage. For some men, this is the range
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where they feel the healthiest, happiest, and most energetic, and that can be influenced by past
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physical condition. But genetics plays the largest role. People's genes generally create a set range
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at which their body will feel, look, and perform at its best. This can vary by a few percentage
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points from one person to the next. That's also why people can look very different at the exact
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same body fat percentage. One study of different ethnic groups by the International Journal of
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Obesity found that groups of people at the same age, gender, and body fat percentage can have very
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different BMIs. When matched for body fat, age, and sex, black Americans had BMIs about 1.3 points
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lower than Caucasians, while Polynisians were lower by roughly 4 and a half points. In other
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words, two people with the same BMI can have very different body fat levels, especially Polynesians
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who tend to carry significantly more fat at the same BMI. Chinese, Ethiopian, Indonesian, and
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Thai groups were also studied, and they all had lower BMIs than the Caucasian group by roughly 2
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to 5 points. This points to genetic differences in body build and energy usage. That's why BMI isn't
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always the best indicator of overall health. It doesn't take into account muscle mass or genetic
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differences. And research eventually figured out why. South Asian populations tend to have smaller
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frames and store a greater share of their body fat deep around their organs rather than just under
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the skin. All of this highlights how strongly genetic shapes where fat is stored and how much
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of it we carry and how that fat translates into health risks over time. And the lower you go on
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the scale, the more those differences matter. At 20%, we're already in a really small group when it
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comes to women because women look pretty fit at this level of body fat. Most will have somewhat
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defined abs and noticeable muscles. In fact, most female athletes sit around 20% body fat,
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except gymnasts who tend to have way lower levels, as you'll soon see. And that may not be a great
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thing. 20% body fat is so rare that only 2% of US women even have a body fat percentage under 25%.
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Even though it's quite lean, it's still a percentage that women can maintain while
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staying healthy, happy, and most importantly, not dieting in overly strict ways as long as they're
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exercising consistently and mostly following a healthy meal plan. So 20% on women is lean,
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but still in a healthy range. That's not the case when we start to dip below that range. At 15%,
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women start to enter potentially dangerous territory. Here, the body starts actively
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resisting further fat loss. While their muscles will look very defined, it's generally recommended
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women don't stay in this range for too long. Usually 15% is a result of professional athletes
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training for a specific event. Of course, it also depends on the type of athlete. A study by Human
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Kinetics in Canada found that female basketball players have body fat ranges of 20 to 27% on
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average, tennis players sit at 16 to 24%, and swimmers at 14 to 24%. On the other hand, gymnasts
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generally have body fat levels of 10 to 16% and marathon runners have 10 to 15%. Which might not
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be great news. If women stay in this range for a while, they can temporarily lose their menstrual
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cycle and see a decrease in their overall energy levels. After a while, their bone mineral density
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will fall and their gut health will also be negatively affected. Hunger levels definitely go
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up as your body fights to get body fat back on. So maintaining this percentage will also feel like a
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huge chore. Since women's essential body fat lies between 10 and 12%, 15% can get dangerously close
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to that for most. Quite a few men, on the other hand, can get to this body fat percentage with
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regular gym sessions that include weightlifting and generally watching their diet, mostly cutting
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out lots of sugars, fats, and processed and junk food. How easy it is to maintain depends largely
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on genetics and where someone is starting from. Dropping to 15% body fat from a very high weight
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is far harder than coming down from a more average range. Men who are naturally lean and build muscle
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easily will have a much easier time staying there. Of course, you don't have to be a gym
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rat to be at 15%. You could just be a pretty thin 20-year-old guy. If you don't really work out,
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you'll know that you're at 15% if you have a flat stomach and some faint muscle definition. When it
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comes to American men, only 2% of them fall at or below this body fat level. And even fewer men
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fall at or below the next body fat percentage, 12%. After this point, almost no one stays here
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accidentally. Even if men can reach that body fat range, maintaining it is much harder. That kind of
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body composition usually means strict, repetitive meal prep. The infamous chicken, rice, and
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broccoli inexplicably cooked without seasoning. Not everything has to be self-punishment,
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guys. Maintaining this weight takes a lot of discipline, almost no deviation from a very
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consistent, challenging workout schedule. and a strict meal plan. The difference between 12 and
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15% for those men is that at the former level, you can start to see some ab definition, not because
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you've been killing it at the gym, but because you literally don't have enough fat to cover your ab
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muscles. As for women, 12% body fat is squarely in bodybuilding territory. And that's being generous.
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For many women, reaching that level isn't even possible without drugs. While someone may look
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extremely muscular at this percentage, energy levels and athletic performance tend to drop off
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fast. At 12%, body fat is almost entirely about appearance, not function. Outside of bodybuilding,
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you mainly see numbers this low in intensive gymnastics or similar sports. And then even there,
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it often comes with missed periods and other negative health effects. Not to mention the hunger
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pangs. A huge chunk of your day will just be you fantasizing about food. That's because women
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with this amount of body fat are barely staying above their essential fat levels. Speaking of,
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let's go a bit lower. 10%. Men who work out look jacked here. They have clearly defined six-packs.
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They have muscle striations all over the place. But at this point, even men really can't step
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out of line at all when it comes to your meal and fitness routine. With the exception of a rare few
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men who thrive at that level because they have the genetics of a pro alete. The probability of that
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being you is slim. And if you're at 10% as just a very thin man, you might want to look at putting
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on some weight. You will probably have very visible abs and muscles, but you also will look
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much thinner than the gym bro, mostly because you haven't built up your lean muscle mass. For women,
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10% is the minimum amount of body fat percentage that is biologically possible. At that point,
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you're down to the lowest point of your essential fat. It is really, really not
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recommended to go below that or even get there. Honestly, women who are actively bodybuilding
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in preparation for a competition might get down to this body fat percentage for a bit.
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They'll likely stop menrating and face more extreme health risks. Many report losing their
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hair. Their brain is also basically a slideshow of Ben and Jerry's flavors at this point as their
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body begs them to take in any fat at all. At this point, the body is no longer cooperating. It is
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surviving. At around 8% body fat, men can start to lose their sex drive, struggle with sleep,
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and even have trouble thinking clearly. Why? Because the body interprets this as starvation
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and puts everything else on hold until the food shows up. Your brain will be fixated on finding
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a nice fatty meal 24 hours a day. Everything else is brain fog. Energy levels are also down because
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food intake is being severely restricted both in terms of calories and also to the blandest
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meals available. At this point, you're ready to hand over your savings account for a happy meal.
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The reason men lose their sex drive at lower body fat percentages is similar to the reason
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why women lose their periods. Their bodies have made an executive decision that there
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is clearly no time to have a kid as you can't even get enough food to keep yourself alive. So,
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your body focuses all your thoughts, internal processes, and energy on getting food for you
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first, putting everything else on the back burner. Women at 8% don't really exist. And if they do,
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it is so incredibly unhealthy that it's basically life-threatening. The last level we'll look at for
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men is one that also is borderline dangerous, especially if kept for a long time. 5% 5% body
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fat is incredibly hard to achieve. Many men who have gotten down to this level needed steroids
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or other performance-enhancing drugs to get anywhere near it. As men's body fat percentage
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starts to dip below 8%, their body really panic shifts into survival mode. It starts to burn off
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everything it can, including muscle, to stay alive and well, because your body doesn't understand why
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you just wouldn't eat. Now that we've gone through all the different possibilities,
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what body fat percentage range should people generally aim for? The American College of Sports
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Medicine says the best body fat percentage range for women is 20 to 32%, for men, that range is 10
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to 22%. For most people, staying in that range is already doing better than average. Now go check
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out fast food industry secrets, what they don't want you to know, or click on this video instead.
