Is a Body Fat Calculator Accurate?

I think I got my first bathroom scale body fat calculator off eBay. But since then, I've seen these things in drug stores, home improvement stores, even supermarkets! And at our local market I saw one that put my old unit to shame. I love gadgets, but they are dated as soon as you take them out of the box.

Still, I wondered if the technology had improved to the point that would make this gem any more accurate than my scale. If you own one of these, you've probably seen the body fat calculator change from day to day. And there's a reason for that. We just don't want to take the time to read that book that comes with the unit.

Don't you want to just bump the thing with your toe, listen for the beeps and step on - then wait for the body fat calculator count and squint down at those numbers? And why do they rotate through them like that? Once is enough, no? My main concern was keeping track of my progress, so having a good reading was important.

Burning fat is probably the quickest way to lower your weight. And yes, we all need a certain amount of fat, but you know there's a limit on that, too. It's that point of excess you need to concentrate on. If you want to lose weight and get healthier, you need to work on lowering your body fat.

Everytime I put the bathroom scale body fat calculator up against any other method of determining body fat, the scale read higher. I used the tape measure method and the caliper method, and yes, there was a noticable difference. From my research I found that the time of day that I was taking the measurement greatly affected the accuracy of the unit.

On my scale, there are metal pads you stand on. All home units work this way - by sending a small trickle of current through the tissue they can determine the percentage of body fat. This is because lean tissue is actually a better conductor of current than fat tissue. I know you're starting to think all kinds of things now. Still, I wanted to know why the discrepancy.

In that instruction manual that you're supposed to read that comes with the scale, they list certain things that may affect your readings. I found that time of day, the temperature of the body, what I drank and when, if I just worked out - changed the current readings on the body fat calculator enough to show me varied readings each time. Naturally, I wanted something I could track on a scale.

So are they accurate? Yes, if they are used mainly at the same time each day. You can see if you are losing or gaining body fat. Caliper and tape measure calculations are almost the same as far as their accuracy. The main thing is that losing excess body fat is probably the best way you can regain your health. With these new gadgets it's even easier to lose weight and maintain your health than 10 years ago. Use a good body fat calculator everyday, and keep a journal of your victories!



About the Author

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