Your Body Fat Measurement is More Important than Your Actual Weight

If, like the majority of the country, you are trying to lose weight then you need to be aware that the scales don't tell you the whole picture - your weight is less important than your percentage of body fat when it comes to appearance, fitness, and health. Tracking your body fat measurement better shows how you are doing with diet and exercise than measuring weight.

The body fat percentage is a measure of fitness level, since it is the only body measurement which directly calculates a person's relative body composition without regard to height or weight. Body fat can be estimated from body mass index (BMI), a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. The widely used body mass index provides a measure that allows the comparison of the adiposity of individuals of different heights and weights.

The body fat percentage of a person is the total weight of fat divided by total weight; body fat includes essential body fat and storage body fat. Essential body fat is necessary to maintain life and reproductive functions. Storage body fat consists of fat accumulation in adipose tissue, part of which protects internal organs in the chest and abdomen. The minimum recommended total body fat percentage exceeds the essential fat percentage value reported above. A number of methods are available for determining body fat percentage, such as measurement with callipers or through the use of bioelectrical impedance analysis, using a body fat scale or a body fat monitor.

Bioelectrical Impedance

Until fairly recently, measuring body fat percentage required the help of professionals. Bioelectrical Impedance technology means that body fat monitors are now easy to operate and available for home use. Now it is possible to use a body fat analyser to do a body fat test at home on scales which are similar to bathroom scales. You step on a platform and the body fat scale sends a weak electrical current into your feet which moves up your body and returns down the opposite leg to the other foot. The current moves more rapidly through muscle than it does through fat tissue or bone, so it reaches the opposite foot more quickly when there's a higher muscle to fat ratio. The body fat scale then gives a number that reflects a measurement of your body fat percentage.

Although you can purchase a body fat analyzer to keep an eye on your body fat measurement at home, these are not always completely accurate as several factors can alter the results. One is how much water is your system prior to weighing. You must not be dehydrated - do not use first thing in the morning or immediately after a workout or after consuming alcohol. The amount of water that you are retaining will affect the results and can be misleading. The best thing to do is to use your body fat monitor at the same time every day and see it as a rough guide to your fitness level.