Body Fat Scale

This is used by every health conscious individual who wish to do away with extra flab in the body. Not only do they help in maintaining a healthy fat content in the body, but also helps in keeping obesity related diseases like diabetes etc at bay. With development in the most modern technology nowadays, you can body fat measurement scale that can be handled by anybody at home without any professional supervision. These scales are also known as bio-impedance scale for their ability to gauge the excess fat in a persons body using external forces.

Baby Weigh Scale

Though categorized under medical scales, these are nowadays being exclusively used in private home apart from pediatrics department in medical units. Almost all conscious parents keep a pair of these scales to gauge the healthy growth of the baby from time to time. However, before using any if these scale types, it is important to know the exact weight a baby should have as per its height, age and other factors like area of location, race/stock etc.

Portable Medical Scales

Any scale may come under this category, but due to their popularity, I have listed them in a separate classification. Portable scales are compact and usually come with digital remote display that make weighing a breeze. Apart from various medical units like hospitals, nursing homes, these are also being increasingly used in slimming centers, gyms, and private homes. Of all the portable scales, the body fat scale that offer Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements gives accurate estimate of health risk when used as part of a comprehensive health assessment.

Bed Scales

These scales are exclusively used in hospitals and health care units for patients that are bedridden. New developments are taking place in this category as to make them suitable for home use as well. These medical scales allow for a patient to be weighted very gently. You can measure anything from a patients full body weight to body fat measurement just like the bio-impedance scale.

Get one of these medical scales and enjoy a healthy life for years to come!

article source

If you want to get an estimate of your body fat percentage — or the ratio of fat to other tissue in your body — there is a variety of methods to choose from. Although some body fat measurement methods are more accurate than others, there is no 100-percent accurate way to determine your body fat. The amount of fluid in your body plays a role in some forms of body fat measurement and can influence your results.

Body Fat Scales

Body fat scales are the cheapest and most readily available form of body fat measurement. Body fat scales use an electrical current called bioelectrical impedance analysis, or BIA, to determine your body density. The electrical current travels faster through muscle tissue than through bone and fat tissue and calculates an estimate of your body fat percentage based on the speed of the current. The results can be affected by the amount of water in your body, so you should consume the same amount of water before measuring yourself and use the scale at the same time each day. If you are dehydrated, the scale will show a higher body fat percentage than you actually have. Body fat scales are not as accurate as more expensive methods of measurement but they offer a way to track your body fat changes over time.

Underwater Weighing

Underwater weighing is a more accurate form of body fat measurement than a scale but is less common, as it is usually done in a research lab or sports training facility. For the underwater weighing method — or hydrodensitometry — a person is weighed on a regular scale and again underwater, to measure body volume. Bone and muscle density are higher than water density, but body fat density is lower than water density. The person’s body volume is calculated from underwater weight and plugged into a formula to determine fat percentage. The underwater weighing method may not be 100 percent accurate for people with high muscle and bone density — such as athletes — or low muscle and bone density — such as seniors.

BMI

Body Mass Index — or BMI — is a common method of estimating body fat percentage. To calculate BMI, there is a standard formula that takes into account your height and weight to estimate your body fat percentage and determine if it is within a healthy range. BMI results can be skewed though because the calculations do not account for individual differences in bone density and fluid amounts in your body. If you have a high percent of water in your body, for instance, you will weigh more than someone who is dehydrated and your results will show a higher body fat percentage.

Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry — or DXA — is becoming known as one of the most accurate ways to measure body fat and it is not influenced as much by fluid in your body, unlike methods such as the body fat scale or BMI calculations. DXA uses X-ray beams to measure the ratio between fat, muscle and bones in your body to determine your body fat percentage. Unlike most fat measurement methods, DXA accurately measures your bone mass so you can get a clearer picture of your body fat by subtracting your bone mass.

Article source

Need of Body Fat Scale

As the name indicates, this measuring instrument is used to gauge the excess fat content in a body. Needless to say, excess fat, also known as obesity is harmful for many reasons. Not only does an obese person look ugly, he/she is also keep other obesity related diseases like diabetes, congestive heart failure, gallbladder etc. at bay. Unlike the conventional weighing machine, this scale can help you to gauge the exact fat content in your body as per your age and height. Hence, these scales are integral for weight management, bodybuilding, sports training, and health risk assessment.

Using the Body Fat Scale

As per their area of operation, this scale for body fat measurement comes in a wide variety of options, designs and features. So, depending on their application area, you can buy the required fat scale. If you are using a body fat measurement scale at home, make sure that you report any anomaly to a physician. He/she would offer you the right advice regarding nutritional and dietary needs. Blood cholesterol, glucose measurements, body fat, all these go to determine your fitness level, so it’s a combination of all these that should be taken into consideration while handling the body fat scale. Always refer to a reliable body fat chart while gauging your body fat using these scales.

Body Mass Index or BMI

This is an important while using a body fat scale. It is nothing but a result that is based on a person’s body weight and height formula that offer you an idea of your body fitness. The BMI categories according to the US Heart Blood and Lung Institute are as follows:

Normal weight = 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight = 25 to 29.9
Obese = 30 or greater

However, it is to be mentioned here that athletes or other heavily muscled people are not factored in this chart.

Pitfalls of Body Fat Scale

Though these medical scales are great for measuring the exact fat in the body, yet it is always advisable to visit a physician, when you have a serious health condition. This is because this body fat measurement scale is not without its drawbacks. For example, this type of bio-impedance scale cannot measure the visceral fat that is responsible for the increasing risk of such diseases like heart problems, diabetes etc. Again, it is not necessary that a little overweight person who follows a strict health regime is unhealthier than a skinny smoker/drug addict.

So, the best person to gauge your health in such a situation is a trained and skilled physician.

article source

Overview

Step 1
Weigh yourself on an accurate scale, then multiply the figure by 703. For example, if you weigh 160 lbs., your final top number in the equation would be 112,480.

Step 2
Multiply your height in inches by itself, or squared, to get the bottom number in the eventual equation that will give you a very close approximation of your BMI. In this case, if you are 5-feet, 4-inches tall, you would multiply 64 times 64 to get 4,096.

Step 3
Divide the top number by the bottom number to get your final body mass index, which is the percentage of your body that’s made up of fat. The above example of a 160 lb. person who is 5 ft. 4 in. leads to a BMI of 27.46.

Step 4
Compare your numbers to general charts to discern your health risks. According to the Weight-control Information Network, a healthy body fat reading lies within 18.5 and 24.9. The example above leads to a diagnosis of overweight, which is defined as having a BMI of 25 to 29.9. Any percentage over 30 is considered obese.

Step 5
Use a commercial body fat scale. According to the Sports Fitness Advisor, most fat scales utilize a bioelectrical impedance analysis that sends an electrical impulse through your body. The scales then electronically calculate your body fat using an analysis of your body density. Some scales can take into account your gender and age, which ultimately can affect the calibrated results.

Tips and Warnings
Few body fat percentage scales are entirely accurate. The most important thing is to keep taking your readings so you can measure your progress. While general population tables provide you with an estimate of your measurements in comparison to the public, your best monitor is to compare your readings to your own measurements after you begin a diet or exercise program.

New technologies emerge regularly claiming to give you the most accurate body fat analysis. But for the most part, they are inaccurate and do not provide you with the best results, according to the Mayo Clinic. For the most accurate readings that also come with analysis of the results, you should talk to your doctor about using a medically approved technique, such as underwater weighing or dual energy absorptionmetry. The equipment is very expensive however and not available everywhere.

Article source

Talking rest room scales will tell you just how much you weigh. Absolutely yes they basically speak to you personally. They can let you know exactly how large you’ve turn out to be or how scrawny you have develop into. Talking bathroom scales will also be digital, which indicates that their measurements are highly accurate. A digital bodyweight scale is usually precise enough to measure 1/10th of the pound, so in case you had that additional French fry for lunch; these scales can let you know specifically how additional significant you happen to be. Quite simply, it might measure a staggering difference of just 2 ounces in your body weight. To check in case your digital excess fat scale just isn’t working appropriately, weigh some thing at your preliminary purchase. Weigh a sack of rice or perhaps a small bag of rocks on your rest room scales. If it weighed 30 pounds at your first weigh in, but weighed 23 in your 2nd weigh, then you may as well take into account acquiring a new scale. Don’t be stingy with a new scale. A pile of rocks don’t shed excess weight, so quit denying that your scale functions alright.

article source

Most of you know about all those old measuring tools, like the body fat scales and the tape measures. Thanks to today’s technology wizards, the market is filled with a lot of very innovative and powerful gadgets and scales that measure body fat.

You must select a body fat scale that actually measures your body fat. Because there are devices that don’t measure body fat and give you just a BMI index value based on your height weight and age and then there are scales that measure body fat.

With the advent of technology, our simple bathroom scales have changed a lot. A small matter of “Bioelectrical impedance analysis” has been added to the conventional bathroom scales. These body fat scales send a harmless current through your body to measure the amount of accumulated body fat along with the lean body mass. The device then calculates the percentage of body mass.

There are loads of such scales that measure body fat. They come in different design and with loads of feature. Prices vary between $50 and $250. Most of these devices come in sleek and stylish designs that appeal to the eye. They are easy to use and can be conveniently stored. They have a capacity of up to 600 lbs with a resolution of 0.2 lbs.

There are a lot of review websites that do body fat scale reviews. Before setting off to buy a BMI scale for you, we suggest you visit one of these sites and read come body fat scale reviews. This will help you decide what is best for your depending upon your needs and your budget. It will also help you get the best deal available in the market.

In the end let’s just state some key points about body fat scales. These are according to the body fat scales reviews by many people on the internet as well as exercise experts. Most of the experts say that body fat scales are convenient to use but BMI scales are only accurate when the directions have been followed to perfection. Dr. Cedric X. Bryant says, “The problem is, these devices are very sensitive to hydration — how much fluid is in your body” So it is important to follow all the guidelines of use that the device has been sold with. This includes instructions on how to weigh yourself, the time of day you do it, the fluid and food intake etc.

Article source

Want to look ripped and lean? Then you must get your body fat percentage as low as possible. How low can you get?

To give you some idea of what to shoot for, it would be good to know that the
average individual has around 20% body fat. Those who are fit or athletic get it
down to 13 to 15%. Bodybuilders who are shredded have body fat percentage in
single digit – below 10%. This is very rare and very difficult to achieve. It
requires a lot of hard work and commitment. For most people, getting to the 13%
body fat composition is a great achievement.

So how does one measure body fat percentage? This is a figure that not
everyone knows about. Most people just measure their weight and their waist
line, and they don’t bother about the amount of fat in their body. Bodybuilders
have a few ways to measure body fat.

Modern body fat scales

There are modern scales that allow you to measure body fat percentage.
However, there is some controversy about this method because some people claim
that the measurements are not as accurate as they hope to get.

The way modern scales measure fat percentage is by passing a weak electric
current through the body. As fat is a poor conductor of electricity, the scale
is then able to calculate a figure passed on how well the current is conducted
through the body. As you can imagine, there are many variables at play here.
Variables such as bone density or water percentage can all affect the accuracy
of the reading. As a result, the reading tend to differ when measured during
different times of the day.

So if you are interested in accurate results, you may need to invest in a
higher quality scale. Unfortunately, high quality scales can cost several
hundred dollars. Not a great investment if you are just working out for leisure
purposes!

Skin caliper test

This is, by far, the most commonly adopted approach simply because of one
reason – it’s practical and it works! This test is performed by taking
measurements at different parts of the body (e.g. chest, waist, thigh) and then
measuring the fat under the skin in millimeters. The skin is pulled up lightly
using two fingers, and then the measurements are taken. Fingers are sensitive
enough to feel where the muscles are. The fat is then separated from the muscles
when pulled upwards.

The exact body fat percentage is then determined using a formula. There are
many different formulas for calculating body fat percentage, and the formula you
use depends on the areas where you took the measurements.

For example, one method requires you to take measurements of these parts of
your body:

1) Triceps 2) Biceps 3) Shoulder blade 4) Waist

The total measurements are then matched to a chart, which gives the body fat
percentage.

It’s interesting to note that once you have the body fat percentage figure,
you now know how much fat your body contains.

For example, let’s say you weigh 200 pounds and your body fat percentage is
10%.

0.1 x 200 pounds gives you 20 pounds of fat in your body.

You may then use this figure as a weekly target. You have 20 pounds of fat
now. You may wish to have 19 pounds of fat one week later. If you are not
hitting your goals, something may have gone wrong with your plans.

Remember, in order to get your 6 pack abs, you have to get into the very lean
figures. For men, it’s around 9% and women 12%.

Article source

Body fat analyzers have been the most common type of measuring device in existence until the past few years. A typical electronic body fat analyzer is generally a handheld device in which the user holds a metal contact surface in either hand. These devices work on the concept of bioelectrical impedance. A slight electronic pulse passes from one metallic surface through the body and to a second receiving surface that collects the passed electrical impulses. Since fat impedes electricity at a lesser rate than muscle because of its higher liquid composition in comparison to muscle, the theory goes that a body presenting less electrical resistance is carrying a larger percentage of fat within the body. Using some simple biographic characteristics such as body mass index, age, and gender, a body fat analyzer is one the most trusted and convenient types of electronic body fat scales available for consumer use.

Various methods for estimating fat percentage in the body have existed for some time, but with advances in recent technology body fat scales have become a common feature added to the average bathroom scale. You simply enter some basic information such as age, height, or gender and get up on the scale. Most bathroom body fat scales give other great info like water weight, bone mass, and body mass index. The type of electronic body fat scale that is built-into bathroom scales generally works on the same principle as that of a typical hand-held analyzer device. The only difference is that the connectors are built into the foot surfaces and the user is required to stand barefoot on the scale.

Body pinch calipers have been the most commonly used devices for calculating fat percentages in the body over the years. Older devices were very simple and used an etched scale on the caliper itself for gathering numeric readings after pinching a number of sites throughout the body to calculate percentages. Newer devices still require the user to pinch various skin folds on specific areas of the body, but the device no longer has etched scales. Instead the readings are recorded within the electronic device itself after the various pinches and a percentage is more easily arrived at. Many personal trainers and even the military use this method to estimate body fat percentages. The problem with calipers is that they only measure fat below the skin as opposed to visceral fat that lies within the muscular tissue and tends to be harder on one’s health. Consistent readings also depend on the technique used by the individual operating the calipers, and the operator should be certain to use the same caliper for each reading. Tables, graphs and formulas use age and gender to form an assumption of how much visceral fat the person may have, although these assumptions may not always be accurate.

More accurate methods of determining present body fat percentage also exist, but are not as convenient for average consumer use as the types of electronic scales mentioned above. Water displacement and various types of laser diffusion devices exist, but these all are much more time consuming and expensive compared with easier to use, at home types of electronic scales.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/types-of-electronic-body-fat-scales-4977286.html#ixzz1R8KzJYDw

Why are body fat percentages so important when it comes to good health and a good weight?

Most bathroom scales only measure how much you weigh. That’s unfortunate, because in fact, you could be very fit, with plenty of muscle mass on your frame, and have a good fat percent as well. Yet, the typical bathroom scale may show you as “overweight.” Nothing could be further from the truth, and yet, you may think you need to lose weight when in fact you’re in perfect health.

It’s also true that bathroom scales ar inaccurate even when you DO need to lose weight, because a bathroom scale may show, for example, that you’re not losing weight, and thus have you thinking you’re failing in your pursuit to lose weight and become healthy. In fact, what may be happening instead is that you are building muscle and losing fat, while you’re weight girdle the same on the scale or even looks like it’s going up. Thus, even though you’re succeeding, you feel like you’re not doing something right. It’s important to have your progress measured accurately so that you know when you’re doing things right and when you need to change something. That’s where bathroom body fat scales can help.

Keep track of your fat percent — not just your weight — with bathroom body fat scales.

Bathroom body fat scales measure non just your weight, but your body fat as well. This is important when you’re pursuing a healthy exercise program and feeding plan to lose weight and become healthier. A good bathroom fat scale is going to help you track your progress accurately, so that you stay motivated and stay on track.

What’s a good fat percentage for you, if you’re a man or a woman?

Body fat scales will tell you what your current fat percentage is, and will also tell you what your boilersuit weight is. If you’re striving to lose weight, remember that to be healthy, you non only want to lose fat weight, but you want to gain muscle, too.

Some things to note

Fat percentages for men and women ar different. Women need to have higher fat percentages because of hormonal functions and because having the resources necessary for maternity and breast-feeding are part of women’s makeups.

What are optimal fat percentages for men and women?

Optimally, women should have a fat percent of about 25% if they are of “average” build, or from 21 to 24% if they ar very fit. Female athletes should have at least a 14 to 20% fat percentage.

Men should have fat percentages of between 18 and 24% if of “average” build, 14 to 17% if very fit, and 6 to 13% if they are athletes. (Men necessarily carry more muscle on their frames as compared to fat, because of higher testosterone levels; this makes healthy body fat percentage levels lower for men than for women.)

Using body fat scales to achieve an optimal body composition, non just “weight”

By using bathroom body fat scales, you can keep track of not just your overall weight, but your body composition. Whether you’re a man or a woman, you can achieve optimal fat percentages based upon your lifestyle and goals. Use your bathroom body fat scale to keep track of progress, stay motivated, and achieve the healthy life — and body — you want.

Article source

People are biochemical individuals and react differently to food? This is why one diet may work for your friend but you do not. You should determine what the best combination of foods for body. Every your body is unique. Every body needs and processes different foods at different levels of performance. The key to successful weight release is based on finding what food plan is right for their unique body, food and what your body responds positively to keep you at a healthy weight without dieting and without constant pain and feeling deprived.

People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time. Although your weight may initially reduce dieting, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, returns as fat. To avoid thicker over time, increase your metabolism to exercise regularly. Walking is one of the best exercises for strengthening bones, controlling weight, toning the leg muscles, maintaining good posture and improving positive self-concept. To lose weight, it is important to walk for time than speed. Walking longer workouts at moderate rates of producers with less soreness – main part more miles and more fat worked off on a regular basis. High intensity walks on alternate days to help set up a system. But in a walking, weight-loss program, not to walk an hour every day as some people would have you believe.

Remember that body fat is a percentage of your total weight, so even slender people can have high levels of hazardous fat.

Here body is three ways to measure body fat you:

1. Home Body Fat Scales – Body fat scales claim to measure body fat quickly and easily. These body fat scales use the Bioelectrical Impedance method to measure your body giant tweezers. These are used to keep your skin folds at different points in your body and measure the thickness. The measurements are compared with standard values for persons of age and gender you to give you your estimated body fat.

2. Hydrostatic Weighing – This is just a fancy term for underwater weighing. Sitting on a scale inside a tank and blow out as much air as you can. You are dunked underwater, where blow-out even more air. Since fat is lighter than water, the more fat you have, the more you will float. The scale measures underwater weight to figure out body density. The margin of error is about 2-3%, but the accuracy depends on the amount of air removed. We can blow it all out or not be as accurate. This is a difficult way to measure body fat, because it can be uncomfortable and even scary to be dunked underwater not air the old lungs.

Article  by Dr. Mital John