Your Body Fat Isn't Your Enemy (And Other Lies We Need to Stop Telling)

Spoiler alert: It's complicated, and that's actually okay.

I used to have a very specific relationship with my body fat percentage. By "relationship," I mean I checked it obsessively, calculated it religiously, and basically let a number dictate whether I was having a good day or questioning my entire existence.

Fun times, right?

But here's what nobody tells you when you're spiraling down the rabbit hole of body composition anxiety: the conversation about body fat is fundamentally broken. And I don't just mean the toxic "beach body ready" nonsense (though that's definitely part of it).

I'm talking about how we've somehow managed to turn a normal, essential component of human physiology into either a moral failing or a complete non-issue. There's gotta be a middle ground here, people.

The Gatorade Incident That Broke the Internet

Remember when Gatorade featured Jessamyn Stanley—a badass yoga instructor—in their ads, and the internet collectively lost its mind? Half the population was clutching their pearls about "promoting unhealthy lifestyles," while the other half was insisting that body fat has absolutely zero connection to health outcomes.

Both sides were shouting past each other, and honestly? Both sides were missing the point.

This whole debacle perfectly illustrates how we've managed to turn body fat into this weird cultural lightning rod instead of just... talking about it like grown-ups. Like, we can discuss cholesterol levels without starting a Twitter war, so why does body fat send everyone into full combat mode?

Let's Get Real About What We Actually Know

Here's the thing that's gonna make both extremes uncomfortable: body fat and health have a relationship, but it's messy, individual, and way more nuanced than your Instagram fitness guru wants you to believe.

The Research Says... It's Complicated

Yeah, higher body fat levels are statistically associated with increased risk of certain health conditions. That's just what the data shows, and pretending otherwise doesn't help anyone.

BUT—and this is a big but—you can absolutely improve your health without losing a single pound. You can also lose weight while making your health worse. Wild concept, I know.

I've seen people obsess over body fat percentages while surviving on energy drinks and spite. I've also seen people in larger bodies who could out-hike, out-lift, and out-energy most of the "fit" influencers I knew.

Bodies are weird like that.

The Shame Game Isn't Working

Here's something that should be tattooed on every fitness professional's forehead: shame is not a motivator.

Research consistently shows that weight stigma and fat shaming actually lead to:

• More emotional eating (hello, stress cookies)
• Increased calorie consumption
• Disordered eating patterns
• Weight cycling (the yo-yo effect)
• General misery

So if your approach to "helping" people involves making them feel terrible about their bodies, maybe... don't? Just a thought.

The Stories We Tell Ourselves (And Why They're Mostly Wrong)

Let me share some of the narratives I've had to unlearn—maybe you'll recognize a few:

Myth #1: "Body Fat Percentage is a Report Card"

I used to think body fat was like a grade—higher numbers meant I was failing at life, lower numbers meant I was winning. Turns out, bodies aren't standardized tests.

Your body fat percentage is more like... a weather report. It tells you something about current conditions, but it doesn't determine your worth as a human being or predict your entire future.

Myth #2: "Visible Fat = Unhealthy, Visible Abs = Healthy"

Laughs in former fitness competitor

Some of the most metabolically unhealthy periods of my life were when I had visible abs. I was restricting food, over-exercising, had irregular periods, and was basically running on anxiety and pre-workout.

Meanwhile, I've been at higher body fat levels while feeling strong, energetic, and having great blood markers. Bodies are trolls like that.

Myth #3: "We Should Never Talk About Body Fat"

Look, I get it. The topic has been weaponized for so long that it feels safer to just avoid it entirely. But pretending body fat doesn't exist or has zero health implications doesn't actually help anyone make informed decisions about their wellbeing.

We can talk about body fat the same way we talk about other health markers—with nuance, context, and without moral judgment.

What Actually Matters (Plot Twist: It's Not What You Think)

After years of being way too invested in my body composition, here's what I've learned actually moves the needle on health and happiness:

Your Relationship with Movement

Are you moving in ways that feel good? Do you enjoy physical activity, or does exercise feel like punishment?

I'd rather see someone walking their dog daily and loving it than grinding through workouts they hate because they're "supposed to" burn fat.

Your Energy Levels

How do you feel day-to-day? Are you sleeping well? Do you have energy for the things you care about?

These metrics might not fit on an Instagram before-and-after post, but they're way more relevant to your actual life than your body fat percentage.

Your Mental Relationship with Food and Body Image

Are you able to eat without guilt spirals? Can you look in the mirror without a running commentary about everything you want to "fix"?

This stuff matters more than any number on a scale or DEXA scan.

Your Actual Health Markers

Blood pressure, blood sugar regulation, cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility—you know, the things that actually predict how you'll feel and function as you age.

These don't always correlate perfectly with body composition, which is why focusing solely on body fat can be misleading.

How to Have Better Conversations (With Yourself and Others)

Stop Making It About Morality

Body fat isn't a character flaw or a virtue. It's just tissue. Your worth as a person has exactly zero correlation with your adipose distribution.

Get Curious Instead of Judgmental

Instead of "I'm so fat and gross," try "I wonder what my body needs right now." Instead of "That person is unhealthy," try "I don't actually know anything about their health from looking at them."

Focus on How You Want to Feel

What would "healthy" feel like to you? More energy? Less joint pain? Better sleep? Stronger lifts? Start there, and let body composition be whatever it needs to be.

Remember That Health is Individual

What works for your sister/trainer/that person on TikTok might not work for you. Your health journey doesn't have to look like anyone else's.

The Real Tea

Here's what I wish someone had told me when I was obsessing over every fluctuation in my body fat percentage:

Your body is not a problem to be solved.

It's the vehicle that carries you through your life. It deserves to be treated with respect, fed adequately, moved joyfully, and rested properly—regardless of its current fat distribution.

Does this mean ignoring health entirely? Nope. It means approaching health from a place of care rather than punishment.

Does this mean body fat has no relationship to health outcomes? Also nope. It means recognizing that relationship is complex and individual.

Moving Forward (Literally and Figuratively)

If you're tired of the body fat obsession cycle, here are some things that actually help:

Focus on behaviors, not outcomes. You can control what you eat and how you move. You can't directly control your body fat percentage (sorry, that's just biology).

Find movement you enjoy. I don't care if it's yoga, powerlifting, dancing, hiking, or competitive dog-walking. Just move in ways that feel good.

Eat like you give a damn about yourself. This means enough food, regular meals, and yeah—sometimes pizza. Because life's too short for food fear.

Get your actual health markers checked. Blood work, blood pressure, fitness assessments—the stuff that actually tells you how your body is functioning.

Surround yourself with people who don't make everything about appearance. This might mean unfollowing some accounts, avoiding certain conversations, or finding new communities.

The Bottom Line

Body fat is just one piece of a very complex health puzzle. It's not irrelevant, but it's also not the whole story.

More importantly, you're allowed to exist in your body—whatever size it is—without constantly trying to optimize it. You're allowed to pursue health without pursuing thinness. You're allowed to love yourself while also wanting to feel better.

Revolutionary concepts, I know.

So maybe let's stop treating body fat like it's either the devil or completely meaningless, and start treating it like what it actually is: one factor among many in the beautifully complicated mess that is human health.

Your body is doing its best with the resources and circumstances you're giving it. Maybe it's time we returned the favor.

What's your relationship with body fat like? Are you team obsess, team ignore, or have you found some middle ground? I'd love to hear your thoughts—the good, the messy, and everything in between.