You're not too heavy - You may simple need more muscle

Do you know that feeling when you step on the scale and one single number suddenly determines how you feel? As if 72 kilos says something about your discipline, your health, or your future. We have learned to make weight important. Maybe too important.

Because your body is not a simple calculation of kilos. A body consists of bones, muscles, organs, fluid, fat tissue, and everything in between. And above all: it matters greatly where that fat is stored, how much muscle mass you have, and how strong your body still is.

So perhaps the real question is not: “How much do I weigh?”

But: “What is my body actually made of?”

Why Weight Says So Little

BMI and body weight can be useful in large population studies, but for you as an individual, they only tell a small part of the story. Someone with a lot of muscle mass may be classified as overweight according to BMI, while their metabolism functions perfectly well. And conversely, someone with a normal weight may still have too little muscle mass and too much fat around the organs.

This is also known as sarcopenic obesity: a combination of relatively high fat mass and too little muscle mass or muscle strength. And it is precisely this combination that is metabolically unfavorable. Not because fat itself is always “bad,” but because your body then has less capacity to properly process glucose and fatty acids.

Muscles are not only there to create beautifully shaped arms or legs. They are a safe storage place for glucose. After a meal, healthy, active muscles can absorb glucose and store it as glycogen. In doing so, they help keep your blood sugar stable. If you have little muscle mass and do not use your muscles much, that buffer becomes smaller. Your body then has to store the energy somewhere else. And that “somewhere else” is often less favorable.

Not All Fat Is the Same

Fat tissue is not all the same either. Subcutaneous fat, the soft fat just beneath your skin, is different from visceral fat. Visceral fat lies deeper in the abdominal cavity, around the organs. This deep belly fat is much more metabolically active and is associated with low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

This explains why two people with the same weight can have a completely different risk profile. One person may carry a little more fat around the hips, buttocks, or thighs, but also have sufficient muscle mass and a stable metabolism. Another may have a normal weight, but little muscle mass and relatively more abdominal fat. You cannot always see that from the outside.

That is why the scale can sometimes send you in the wrong direction.

What Can You Measure Instead?

A simple first step is to look at your waist-to-hip ratio. Measure your waist at the narrowest point and your hips at the widest point. Then divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. In women, a ratio above approximately 0.85 is often seen as a sign that there may be relatively more abdominal fat present. In men, that threshold is around 0.90.

It is not a perfect measurement. Your natural body shape plays a role. Some women naturally have wider hips, while others have a straighter build. But it does give more information than weight alone.

A second interesting measurement is grip strength. It may sound almost too simple, but grip strength is often used in research as a marker of overall muscle strength and health. You can measure it with a hand dynamometer. How hard you can squeeze does not say everything, but it does give an impression of your functional strength.

And maybe that is exactly what matters: not only how much muscle mass you have, but what your body can actually do with it.

Why Muscle Strength Matters So Much

As we get older, we gradually lose muscle mass and muscle strength. This process often starts earlier than we think. Especially when we sit a lot, do little strength training, eat too little protein, or live under prolonged stress, the body can slowly lose muscle tissue.

You do not always notice this immediately on the scale. Sometimes your weight stays the same, while the composition of your body changes: less muscle mass, more fat mass, and less metabolic capacity. Your body becomes less efficient at processing glucose and fatty acids. Recovery, energy, bone health, and resilience may also decline.

That is why focusing only on weight loss is not always wise. If you lose weight without protecting your muscles, you may also lose muscle mass. And that muscle mass is exactly what you need to stay healthy, strong, and metabolically flexible.

A healthier body is therefore not necessarily a lighter body. Sometimes, it is mainly a stronger body.

What Can You Do?

Start by shifting your focus. Not: “How do I get my weight down?” But: “How do I make my body stronger and more metabolically flexible?”

That starts with strength training. It does not have to be heavy, complicated, or intimidating. Consciously challenging your muscles two to three times a week can already make a difference. Think of squats, lunges, pushing and pulling exercises, climbing stairs, or training with resistance bands or weights. It does not have to be perfect. It mainly has to be consistent.

Your body also needs enough protein. Many women eat too little protein, especially at breakfast and lunch. A meal with eggs, fish, chicken, yogurt, Greek yogurt, legumes, tofu, tempeh, or another good protein source helps your muscles recover and rebuild.

Sleep, stress, and gut health also play a role. Chronic stress increases the tendency to store abdominal fat. Poor sleep disrupts your hunger and satiety hormones. And an irritated gut may contribute to low-grade inflammation.

The good news is: you do not have to do everything at once. Start small. Maybe measure your waist and hips. Test your strength. Add protein to your breakfast. Do a short strength session twice a week. Not as punishment for your body, but as a sign that you want to take care of it.

Maybe health is not ultimately the number on the scale. Maybe health is much more about feeling that your body can carry you. That you are strong enough for your life. And that you do not have to become less of yourself to become healthier — but rather more grounded, more capable, and more resilient.