45 | Body Fat Levels: 7 Questions Every Christian Over 40 Should Ask

Most People Are Tracking the Wrong Number

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, there’s a good chance you’ve spent years watching the scales.

Perhaps you’ve stepped on them every morning. Perhaps you’ve celebrated when the number dropped and felt discouraged when it rose. You may even remember exactly what you weighed in your twenties, comparing today’s number with the one you carried decades ago.

Yet here’s some interesting questions to ponder: Do you know your body fat levels? Do you know how much muscle you’re carrying? Do you know whether the weight you’ve lost over the years came from body fat or from valuable lean tissue? Most people don’t.

And that isn’t surprising because for decades we’ve been taught to focus almost entirely on weight. The scales became the scorecard. They became the measure of success. If the number went down, we assumed we were healthier. If it went up, we assumed we were moving in the wrong direction.

However, the scales tell only a small part of the story.

Two women can weigh exactly the same. They can wear similar clothes and even look broadly similar from a distance. Yet one may have strong bones, healthy muscle mass, stable blood sugar, and excellent metabolic health, while the other is quietly developing insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome.

The number on the scales cannot tell you the difference. Body composition can. And that’s why I believe body fat levels deserve far more attention than they receive.

As Christians, we’re called to stewardship. Stewardship requires wisdom, and wisdom begins by understanding what matters most. If we spend decades measuring the wrong thing, we can easily end up pursuing the wrong outcome.

The goal was never simply to become lighter. The goal is to become healthier, stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to serve God throughout every season of life.

What Are Body Fat Levels and Why Do They Matter?

When people hear the phrase “body fat levels,” they often think immediately about appearance. They picture athletes, fitness magazines, or bodybuilders measuring their body fat percentage before a competition.

In reality, body fat levels have far more to do with health than appearance. Body fat percentage simply refers to how much of your body weight is made up of fat tissue. The rest consists of muscle, bone, organs, water, and other lean tissues. Understanding that distinction matters because body weight alone tells us nothing about what that weight is actually made of.

For example, imagine two women who each weigh 160 pounds. One carries a healthy amount of muscle, has relatively low visceral fat, and remains active and strong. The other has significantly less muscle, higher levels of abdominal fat, and poor metabolic health. The scales see them as identical. Their bodies do not.

This becomes increasingly important after the age of 40 because body composition often begins changing even when body weight stays relatively stable. Muscle mass naturally declines with age unless we actively maintain it. At the same time, body fat levels often increase, particularly around the abdomen.

Many people notice this happening but struggle to explain it. They tell me things like: “I weigh about the same as I did ten years ago, but my body looks completely different.”

That observation is often remarkably accurate. Research has consistently shown that excess body fat, particularly visceral fat around the organs, is associated with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver disease, and a host of other chronic health challenges. Meanwhile, healthy muscle mass is associated with better blood sugar control, improved mobility, greater independence, and healthier aging.

In other words, body composition influences far more than appearance. It influences your future. And that’s where the conversation becomes particularly important for Christians.

Because healthy stewardship is not really about how you look in a photograph. It is about preserving the strength, energy, mobility, and mental clarity needed to live out your calling well.

Psalm 92:14 says:
“They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing.”

That verse paints a picture many people want but few actively prepare for. Fruitfulness in later life rarely happens by accident. It is often the result of thousands of small decisions made years earlier. Which brings us to the first question every Christian over 40 should ask.

Question #1: Do I Actually Know My Body Fat Levels?

This may seem like a simple question, yet most people genuinely do not know the answer.

They know their weight and clothing size, or whether they gained or lost a few pounds over the holidays. Yet many have never measured their body fat percentage, assessed their muscle mass, or evaluated their visceral fat levels.

That creates an interesting problem. You cannot effectively manage what you never measure.

Imagine trying to run a business without reviewing the numbers. Imagine managing your finances without ever checking your bank account. At some point, information becomes necessary because good decisions depend upon good data. Health works similarly.

Now, that does not mean becoming obsessed with measurements. Numbers should serve us, not control us. However, having some understanding of your body composition can provide valuable insight into your metabolic health.

Today there are several ways to estimate body fat levels, including DEXA scans, InBody assessments, and even some smart scales. None are perfect, but they can provide useful information when viewed as part of the bigger picture.

What matters most is not achieving a specific percentage, but rather — understanding where you are today so you can make wise decisions moving forward.

Proverbs 18:13 warns against answering a matter before hearing it. In many ways, health is similar. We should understand the situation before deciding what action to take.

Many people spend years trying to solve a problem they have not properly defined. They assume they need to lose weight. In reality, they may need to lose fat while preserving muscle. Those are very different goals.

Question #2: Am I Losing Fat or Losing Muscle?

This may be the most important question in the entire article.

For decades, the weight-loss industry has taught people to focus almost exclusively on making the scales move downward. Consequently, many people assume any weight loss is good weight loss. Unfortunately, that isn’t always true. The body can lose water, glycogen, muscle…And yes, the body can lose fat. The scales do not distinguish between any of them.

This becomes particularly important after 40 because muscle mass naturally becomes more valuable with each passing decade. Muscle is not merely something that helps you look toned. It plays a critical role in blood sugar regulation, metabolic health, balance, mobility, strength, and healthy aging. In fact, researchers increasingly recognise muscle mass as one of the strongest predictors of long-term health outcomes.

Yet many traditional dieting approaches encourage the very thing we should be protecting. Crash diets, excessive calorie restriction, low-protein eating, endless cardio without resistance training…These approaches may reduce body weight quickly, but they often take valuable muscle with them.

As a result, people become lighter but not necessarily healthier. This is one reason so many individuals lose weight only to regain it later. Their metabolism slows, muscle mass decreases, and the body becomes less resilient than before.

The goal should not be to become the smallest version of yourself. The goal should be to become the strongest, healthiest, and most metabolically flexible version of yourself.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says:
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.”

I find that verse fascinating in the context of aging because it reminds us that strength matters. The ability to move, serve, work, travel, lift, carry, and participate fully in life is not something to take for granted.

Strength creates options and freedom. And preserving muscle may be one of the wisest investments you can make in your future health.

Question #3: Are My Body Fat Levels Hiding Dangerous Visceral Fat?

One of the reasons body fat levels matter so much is that not all fat behaves in the same way. This surprises many people because they assume body fat is simply stored energy. However, researchers now know that certain types of fat are far more metabolically active and potentially harmful than others.

One example is visceral fat. This is the fat stored deep inside the abdomen around the organs. Unlike the fat you can pinch under the skin, visceral fat sits out of sight. As a result, someone can carry significant amounts of it without fully appreciating the risk.

I often compare visceral fat to mould hidden behind a wall. From the outside, everything may appear perfectly fine. Yet beneath the surface, a very different story could be unfolding.

Research has consistently linked excess visceral fat with insulin resistance, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease and an increased risk of chronic illness. This is one reason waist circumference remains such an important health marker. In many cases, it tells us more than body weight alone.

Unfortunately, modern life seems almost perfectly designed to encourage visceral fat accumulation. Many people sleep less, experience more stress, move less, eat more processed foods and struggle with unstable blood sugar levels. Over time, the body adapts to those conditions and body composition often reflects that reality.

The encouraging news is that the body can adapt in the opposite direction as well. Visceral fat often responds remarkably well to improved nutrition, strength training, better sleep, blood sugar regulation, stress management and regular physical activity.

That should encourage us because the story is not fixed. The future is not predetermined. Wise stewardship begins with recognising that today’s decisions are quietly shaping tomorrow’s outcomes.

Question #4: Am I Measuring the Right Success?

One reason so many people become discouraged on their health journey is that they rely on a tool that was never designed to tell the whole story.

For many people, the scales have become the final judge of success. A lower number means a good week. A higher number means a bad week. Yet the scales cannot tell the difference between muscle gain, water retention, inflammation, glycogen storage, digestive contents or body fat reduction.

As a result, they often create more confusion than clarity.

Over the years, I’ve worked with people whose weight barely changed for months, yet their waist circumference reduced, their blood sugar improved, their energy increased and their clothes fitted differently. At the same time, I’ve seen people lose weight rapidly while becoming weaker, more fatigued and less metabolically healthy.

The scales simply cannot provide enough information on their own.

This is where body fat levels offer a different perspective. They help us move beyond the simplistic idea that lighter automatically means healthier. Instead, they encourage us to ask a more useful question: what is actually changing inside my body?

That question requires wisdom because modern culture tends to reward appearance over function. Yet when we step back, most people do not really want a lower number on the scales. What they truly want is what they believe that number will give them: more energy, more confidence, better health, greater freedom, less pain and a longer, more active life.

The scales are often standing in as a substitute for those deeper desires.

However, stewardship invites us to focus on outcomes that genuinely matter. Stable blood sugar matters. Strength matters. Mobility matters. Metabolic health matters. The ability to enjoy life, serve others and remain active matters too.

When those things begin improving, success is occurring whether the scales fully recognise it or not.

Question #5: What Are My Daily Habits Building?

Most people dramatically overestimate what can happen in a week and underestimate what can happen in five years. That observation applies to health more than almost anything else.

Many people become frustrated because they do not see immediate results. They make a few healthy choices, step on the scales and conclude that nothing is working. Yet the body they have today was largely shaped by thousands of small decisions made over many years. Health is rarely built in a single moment. Instead, it is usually the result of patterns repeated day after day.

Body fat levels tell part of that story. They reflect how we eat, how we move, how we sleep, recover, handle stress and how consistently we practise healthy habits. They are not a moral judgement. They’re simply feedback.

In many ways, body composition is like the annual harvest from a garden. The harvest tells us something about what was planted, watered, nourished and neglected. The harvest is not the cause. It is the result.

This perspective removes much of the shame that people often carry around their health. Shame focuses on identity. Wisdom focuses on patterns. Shame says, “I’ve failed.” Wisdom asks, “What pattern produced this outcome?”

That is a far more useful question because patterns can change.

Perhaps protein intake has been too low for years. Perhaps sleep has been sacrificed repeatedly. Maybe stress has remained high for far too long. Or perhaps movement has gradually disappeared from daily life while processed foods have become more common. None of those patterns define a person. However, they do influence outcomes.

Proverbs 14:8 says:
“The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way…” (NKJV)

That verse has become one of my favourites when discussing health because it speaks directly to stewardship. Wise people understand the road they are travelling. They recognise where it leads. They notice which habits strengthen them and which habits slowly undermine them.

Perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts body fat levels can offer. They provide a glimpse into the direction of travel. Not perfection or condemnation…Direction.

Question #6: Am I Building Toward Strength or Frailty?

This may be the most important question Christians over 40 can ask.

Interestingly, most people spend very little time thinking about frailty until they see it appear in someone they love. Instead, they worry about wrinkles, grey hair or the number on the scales. Yet the thing that often changes quality of life most dramatically is the gradual loss of strength, balance, mobility and independence.

Frailty rarely arrives overnight. Instead, it develops quietly over decades. Muscle mass declines. Physical activity decreases. Recovery slows. Confidence in movement fades. Eventually, ordinary tasks begin to feel harder than they once did.

What makes this especially important is that the consequences extend far beyond health itself. Strength affects almost every part of later life. It influences whether you can travel comfortably, carry shopping, play with grandchildren, remain active in ministry and maintain your independence. In other words, strength creates freedom.

Research consistently shows that muscle mass, grip strength and physical function are strongly linked to longevity and healthy ageing. In fact, some researchers suggest that strength may be one of the best predictors of future health. That should cause us to rethink what success really looks like after 40.

The goal is not simply to weigh less. The goal is to remain capable.

Imagine two people at the age of seventy-five. One moves confidently, travels freely, serves actively and remains fully engaged in life. The other feels restricted by weakness, poor mobility and declining health.

Those futures rarely begin at seventy-five. They are usually built decades earlier.

Psalm 92:14 paints a beautiful picture of later life:
“They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing.” (NKJV)

Most Christians love that verse. However, it is worth asking a practical question. What allows someone to remain fruitful? Part of the answer is strength. Not only spiritual strength, but physical capacity as well.

After all, it is easier to serve, encourage, mentor, travel, worship and enjoy life when the body is functioning well. Healthy body fat levels and preserved muscle mass are not vanity goals. They are stewardship goals.

Question #7: What Would Wise Stewardship Look Like From Here?

By this point, you may be wondering what to do with all this information. The good news is that wise stewardship is usually much simpler than people expect. It does not require perfection, obsession or punishing yourself for past mistakes. Instead, it begins with paying attention.

That means paying attention to body composition rather than weight alone. It means paying attention to protein intake, sleep quality, movement, strength and the daily habits that quietly shape future outcomes. While many people are looking for a dramatic breakthrough, most lasting health transformations begin with surprisingly ordinary decisions repeated consistently over time.

Walking after meals, eating enough protein, strength training a few times each week, prioritising sleep, reducing ultra-processed foods, managing stress more effectively and spending more time outdoors may not sound particularly exciting. In fact, they can seem almost too simple. Yet when practised consistently, these habits create an environment where metabolism can thrive and health can improve.

This is one of the great paradoxes of health. We often look for extraordinary solutions while overlooking ordinary actions that compound over months and years. Most people underestimate the power of consistency because the results are rarely dramatic in the beginning. However, over time those small decisions begin to shape energy levels, body composition, metabolic health and quality of life.

That is ultimately what stewardship looks like. It is not about chasing quick fixes, extreme diets or miracle solutions. Instead, it is about creating the conditions for long-term flourishing through wise decisions repeated day after day.

Bonus Insight: Why Many Christians Focus on Weight When God Cares More About Strength

One of the most interesting conversations I have with Christian clients is the difference between vanity and stewardship. Many people feel uncomfortable discussing body composition because they do not want to become appearance-focused. That’s understandable. Modern culture places enormous emphasis on image, and Christians rightly want to avoid becoming consumed by outward appearance.

However, there can also be a problem at the opposite extreme. Some people become so concerned about avoiding vanity that they stop thinking seriously about stewardship altogether. They dismiss conversations about body composition, strength or metabolic health because they assume these topics are superficial.

Yet when we look at Scripture, we see a different picture. Wisdom is praised. Diligence is praised. Fruitfulness is praised. Preparation is praised. Stewardship is praised. The issue was never caring about health. The issue was placing appearance above purpose.

Healthy body fat levels matter not because they make someone more attractive, but because they often support better metabolic health, greater energy, improved mobility, reduced disease risk and increased capacity to serve others. A healthier body can make it easier to fulfil responsibilities, pursue opportunities and remain active in the areas of life that matter most.

In other words, this conversation is not really about looking better. It is about living better. It is about having the strength, energy and resilience to do what God has called you to do for as long as possible. That is a very different motivation, and it changes the entire conversation.

The Real Question Isn’t “What Do I Weigh?”

Most people spend years chasing a number on the scales. They celebrate when it falls and become discouraged when it rises. Yet the more important question is rarely, “What do I weigh?”

The more important question is, “What is my body becoming?”

Body fat levels tell a story. They reveal something about metabolic health, muscle preservation, future risk and the direction your health may be heading. More importantly, they remind us that health is not built in a single day. It is built through countless ordinary decisions repeated over time.

The encouraging news is that direction can change. The body is remarkably adaptive and responsive. It can respond to better sleep, better nourishment, greater movement, strength training, improved blood sugar regulation and wiser daily habits. No matter where you find yourself today, your future health story is still being written.

That is why I believe body fat levels can be such a useful measure. They encourage us to look beyond appearances and think about the bigger picture. They help us focus on long-term health rather than short-term results. Most importantly, they encourage us to become wise stewards of the body God has entrusted to us.

Ready to Improve Your Body Fat Levels and Metabolic Health?

Many people spend years trying to lose weight when the greater opportunity is improving body composition, preserving muscle, reducing visceral fat and restoring metabolic health. Weight loss can be part of the journey, but it is rarely the whole story.

That is exactly why I created the Metabolic Breakthrough Consultation.

During this private 60-minute session, we’ll look beneath the surface symptoms and identify what may truly be driving your weight struggles, low energy, cravings, metabolic dysfunction or frustrating lack of progress. Together, we’ll explore your current habits, health history, body composition goals and the hidden roadblocks that may be keeping your body stuck.

My goal is to help you gain clarity. Because when you finally understand what your body needs, wise action becomes much easier. Instead of guessing, you can move forward with confidence and a clear plan.

And sometimes a single conversation can change the direction of someone’s health for years to come.

If you’re ready to take that next step, I’d love to help.

Book your Metabolic Breakthrough Consultation today and start building a stronger, healthier future.

Scientific References

• Després JP, Lemieux I. Abdominal Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome. Nature. 2006.
• Saklayen MG. The Global Epidemic of the Metabolic Syndrome. Current Hypertension Reports. 2018.
• Wolfe RR. The Underappreciated Role of Muscle in Health and Disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2006.
• Newman AB et al. Strength, But Not Muscle Mass, Is Associated With Mortality in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Journal of Gerontology. 2006.
• Srikanthan P, Karlamangla AS. Muscle Mass Index as a Predictor of Longevity in Older Adults. American Journal of Medicine. 2014.
• Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Reduction in the Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes with Lifestyle Intervention or Metformin. New England Journal of Medicine. 2002.

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