Question about scales that measure percent body fat?
I just bought a new electronic scale that measures weight and percent body fat. The problem is that I get different readings whenever I use it. It's told me that my percent body fat is as high as 29% and as low as 14%. Is there a secret to using these for a consistent result?
Public Comments
- from the way my health professor explained it, they're pretty good machines, but they only work the best if you use them a couple of times. what i mean by that is take it first thing in the morning, before drinking and eating...and then take it again the next morning and average the two percentages together, and that percent will be closer to the true amount of body fat you have. the reason it can be so off is because it uses what's called "bioimpedence." and basically that means the electrical impulses are sent through your body and the fat that "impedes"(stops) the impulses are what calculates the body fat. however, if you've eaten food, or drank something, those molecules will actually impede the impulses too and therefore give you a higher body fat than what you might really have.
- I would forget the sacles and buy a pair of body fat callipers instead. They are cheap and convenient and with a little practice you should be able to measure your body fat percentage accurately.
