A Primer On How To Measure Your Body Fat Levels
October 14, 2009 by Katherine Crawford M.S.
Filed under Lose Weight
Tracking your fat loss progress accurately is absolutely essential if you want to reach your body composition goals. The main problem here, however, is that too many people are using the wrong method, a weight scale, to track their progress.
A scale does not provide an accurate snap shot of your progress. If all you are doing is looking at a scale, please stop. You need to measure your body composition if you truly want to know whether or not your approach is working.
Also, not all methods for measuring fat are the same.
So here is a quick guide to body fat testing:
1. The pinchers. Do you remember seeing a trainer at your gym pinch a client with a plier-like contraption? Well, he was measuring the thickness of the clients skin in order to estimate levels of body fat. This type of method is extremely easy to do and very inexpensive. The only drawback is that it can be somewhat inaccurate and you need a seasoned pro to take your measurements.
2. Underwater weighing. You have to get wet with this one, and some people are not up for the inconvenience. This measurement basically estimates how dense your body is. The more density the more lean tissue. Remember that muscle is much more dense than fat. Unfortunately, the preparation and requirements for this type of testing leaves little to be desired?
3. Conductivity. You have seen the machines that perform this test all over the place. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. They send an electrical current through your body to determine just how much body fat you are holding. Unfortunately, they are extremely inaccurate.
4. DEXA. Also known as dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, this technique sends a couple harmless x-rays through your body to measure levels of lean tissue. It is very accurate and requires little, if any preparation. The only drawback here is cost.
Finding a good technician to take these measurements is critical. After all, a technicians ability to perform the tests accurately will dictate how valid the results are. And make sure you use the same person over and over again. This will ensure more consistent readings.
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