How Body Fat Scales Work

NewMeTomG

Recently I began noting the "other" information my scale spits out (specifically body fat, total body water, bone weight, etc.) in addition to just the poundage. I was pretty excited to see that my total body fat percentage was only 14% and then my wife shot it down with an article she had read that said that was only measuring the lower part of your body - damn.

So, I just had to look for myself and what I found was this. The percentage being kicked out by my fancy scale might not bee 100% accurate in comparison to submerging me in water, but it is a good measurement tool to track progress.

I may be at 14% Total Body Fat according to my scale today, but if I drop it to 13% next week, then progress is being made.

When I get down to 0%, then I'll start to worry, but in the meantime, I'll use the percentage it gives me as just another tool in my box of tricks to keep track of whether I'm doing better or worse.

Here is the article I found if you are interested in reading about Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Scales:

"Body fat scales use a technique called Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis... or BIA for short. Very simply...

A small and completely harmless electrical current is passed through your body. The electrical current passes more quickly through fat free tissue like muscle than it does through fat or bone tissue. So...

The amount of resistance to the electrical current relates to how much fat-free mass a person has and their body density. Here's the first challenge...

Like all body fat tests, body fat scales don't actually measure your body fat percentage. They determine your body density. The examiner (or the scales) then uses a formula to calculate body fat percentage based on body density. Here's the key...

These formulas just predict your body fat. Unfortunately there is no one formula that accurately predicts body fat for the whole population. Differences in age, gender, ethnicity, body size, and fitness level all have a significant affect on the results.

Most scales can account for some of the basic differences such as age and gender, but take the actual body fat percentage they give you with a pinch of salt. What does this all mean for you?

Well, whether body fat scales measure your "true" body fat percentage or not doesn't matter! As long as they can accurately monitor changes in your body composition over time, that's all you need.

Your body position, the amount of water in your body, your food intake, skin temperature and recent physical activity can all adversely affect the results of body fat scales. So...

To achieve accurate, consistent results, you must standardise the way you perform each test. That simply means making each test with your scales as similar as possible. The great thing about body fat scales is...

Standardising each test is easy to do. Check out the Top 10 Tips at the bottom of this page to get the most from your body fat scales.

Are body fat scales any better than plain old weighing scales?

Absolutely!"

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/bodyfatscales.html