When it all comes down to losing or gaining weight, most people turn to the scales to determine how much they should lose or gain to have the weight or the shape that they desire.
However, health experts said weight alone is not a clear indicator of good health because it does not distinguish between pounds that come from body fat and those that come from lean body mass or muscle.
Being over fat and overweight is not the same. Overweight simply means an excess of total body weight based on population averages for heights and body frame sizes. On the other hand, obesity is defined as an excess of body fat regardless of weight.
What we have to consider, experts said, in order to determine our fitness, is to know our body fat. Remember that body fat is a percentage of your total weight, so even slender people can have dangerously high levels of body fat.
Here are three ways of measuring your body fat:
1. Home Body Fat Scales-- Body fat scales claim to measure body fat quickly and conveniently. These body fat scales use the Bioelectrical Impedance method to measure your body fat percentage. A low-level electrical current is passed through your body and the "impedance", or opposition to the flow of current, is measured.
2. Skin fold Calipers-- Calipers are a tool that looks somewhat like a giant tweezers. These are used to grasp your skin folds at different points on your body and measure the thickness. These measurements are then compared to standard values for persons of your age and gender to give you your estimated body fat.
3. Hydrostatic Weighing-This is just a fancy term for underwater weighing. You sit on a scale inside a tank of water and blow out as much air as you can. You are dunked underwater, where you 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 around 2-3%, but the accuracy depends on the amount of air you expel. You have to blow it ALL out or it will not be as accurate.
This is a difficult way to measure body fat since it can be uncomfortable and even scary to be dunked underwater with no air in the old lungs.
Weight Loss Product Reviews, top rated Weight Loss Product Reviews and site with best Weight Loss Products. http://www.weightlossproductreview.com
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carThis Article was originally Published in The July 2004 Issue... Read More
Nowadays, so much of the public is obese (fat) that... Read More
In our never ending search for the illusive "Fountain of... Read More
In twenty years of consistant exercising, maintaining a low percentage... Read More
The loss of fat comes from fat cells all over... Read More
Losing weight is a struggle that many of us face... Read More
Many people search for a pill, a special diet or... Read More
Although every dieter knows that keeping food records is a... Read More
The people of earlier times depended on the rich resource... Read More
There are a few different ways to determine if you... Read More
I just came back from three days in Las Vegas.... Read More
Wow! You must be on fire by now burning and... Read More
A bad day or even a bad week is not... Read More
For people that are obese, losing weight quickly can seem... Read More
Have you ever experienced this scenario before?"I have successfully lost... Read More
When you're taking Phentermine, you should go to the emergency... Read More
Low carb beer and lite beer are two different animals.... Read More
Watching television exercises our eyes but nothing else. Unfortunately, it... Read More
Every day, it seems, a new study pertaining to weight... Read More
A reader recently wrote to ask why I don't include... Read More
Why Walking Could Be the Solution to Your Fitness Dilemma.Walk,... Read More
CancerCoronary heart diseaseStrokeOsteoporosisMajor Depression from Brain StarvationHeadlines.WASHINGTON, Jun 22, 2004... Read More
IntroductionThe history of The Atkins Diet goes back to the... Read More
These days, Jennifer Secrist has little interest in idle activities.... Read More
WAHOO!!! for YOU!! You are the most AWESOME person alive!!... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..Have you ever wondered where destiny would lead you? Have... Read More
Cellulite happens to us for many reasons. Some reasons-- like... Read More
It's the travel time, meaning hours spent sedentary. It prepares... Read More
An Interview with Success Story, Caitlin JohnsonIf you don't know... Read More
Fat is fuel. That is basically what it is. A... Read More
Adverse Events with Volumetrics Dr. Barbara Rolls is a well... Read More
Why Making Small Changes in Your Eating Habits Adds up... Read More
How to Break Your PlateauToday is a typical morning like... Read More
Ephedra has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of... Read More
Losing weight is a tough and demanding task for most... Read More
There are numerous ways to make a bad weight loss... Read More
It's agreed that if you raise the amount of calories... Read More
While exercising isn't complicated, it's very easy to make mistakes.... Read More
Have you ever stopped to calculate how much time you... Read More
What's a Low Carb Diet Really Mean?When I hear low... Read More
With all the excitement regarding high protein diets, one area... Read More
Generally, weight loss surgery such as the gastric bypass will... Read More
Following recent reports of a South Dakota man weighing half... Read More
The Psychology of Weight Loss ? Your Approach!We have missed... Read More
There is only one way to lose weightThere really is... Read More
If you're like me, you probably wish that there was... Read More
You know you have weighted, err, waited more than enough.... Read More
Yes and no. Moderate calorie restriction helps in controlling and... Read More
Not so resolved on that "New Year's Resolution" to be... Read More
Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or... Read More
Weight Loss |