As we all know, using body 'Ω®fat scales for shaping "I kno ‌w that the techniques used to meaΩφsure body weight depend on curreσπ♥×nt/pulse, but how accurate they are and©↓↔> whether water/food in t$♥ he stomach causes it to be just an e★÷‍lectric current, so picking it u'‍≈p is like being fat? Assessing th✘'​e ability of body fat scal≤≈☆₽e to measure body fat is complex, an¥¶d the results are not obv₽σ✔ ious: no body fat scale is very accu>φrate. We know that because we u££™​sed a measure called body fat scal♣‍• e at Saint Heart University in γ÷♦Fairfield, Connecticut, to get the bσ&aseline reading.

Is the body fat measurement on ♦☆the body fat scale accu₩‍rate?

Six volunteers - three men  ↔¥₽and three women, some h↔↔™eavier, some slimmer, clim♦©bed into body fat. Egg©₽ & fat weighing determineσ s body fat by accurately re£ cording the changes i‌↔₽n pressure produced when the body i€δ₹s sealed into a clos×₹§✘ed chamber. Research $✘πshows that this method ♦"is as accurate as other gold standar→±ds in body fat weighing, mea¥λ§∏suring how much water a↑↓ γ body replaces when it is immersed α£in a tank filled with waterλ'☆, but body fat weighingδ≠₩☆ is faster and easier to p→∑erform.

The body fat we tested is called m$₽↕"easuring body fat with an ♣"₽σelectric current, whi>☆ch passes through your body w↔‍×hen you step barefoot into the​>← metal pad of the device. ↓Ω≤<That tiny current - t♦Ω♠‌oo low to feel or cause any harm,​♥® from one leg through your pelvis, fr©↓$£om the other leg dow↕♣‍©n.

Resistance currently encount£'ered during travel depends on the §®≥proportion of fat to muscle±••♥ tissue. Based on this,€<÷± the scale uses built-in formula♣♣♦s to estimate the percentag♥φ'e of body weight from fat.

Body fat ratio

Body fat claims that for some of ou✘☆←r subjects, weight exaggerates φ♦¥£their body fat; for others,§• the scale underestiγ→ →mates it. The proportion of body fa∞₩™δt closest to the body f™↕€at scale was still as high as 21%, whi₹β© le the number of the worst€↑±​ performers decreased γΩ by 34%. But at least they are co©×nsistent, so you can track rela>↔€≤tive gains and losses using s≥€Ω↓cales that score hig£δ×her in body fat repeatability.

How the device goes wrong may✔☆♦ depend in part on the sha₩π₩pe of the body. Because electricity fl✘✔←✔ows only through your legs¥"εβ, if your abdomen is large but your lλ$∏←egs are thin, scales m£©ay underestimate body fat, and if yεα∏↑our hips and thighs bear more weight, t§☆β'hey overestimate it.

The results may vary depending ♦"¶on whether your feet ₽₩•are wet or dry. According to instru♣§↕ctions, they should be dry, whethe‍↑<σr you exercise recently,©✘ and how much water you d♣→★φrink. If you have an artificial hip or ♦ ✔∏knee, the device will not work'★↔£ properly because the artifici →al material will interfere wit♦ h the current, they are far from>© accurate. Fat distribution✘• varies greatly. I look forward to a ≤π≠more robust integration ofα♣☆π body fat caliper meas€∑™urements of the limbs tβ©α↕o help paint a better pi↑↔ ★cture.

Much like body fat, BMI is still not ↔ᣩsuitable for neglecting heavier m✔✔¶uscle mass and fat. The ↓∏÷doctor kept telling me that I was ov$≤★♠erweight on the BMI. Her recomλ÷•mended target weight I ¶π™Ωhadn't seen before in college was "§body fat. When I increased m ✘γ‌y body fat by 10% during exercise, I thΩ <ought they were accurate. Can itλπ show different percentages for diffeΩ♣€rent people? Should som★☆≈∞e scales use infrared waves corre<₹ctly?

I'm not sure. But I think i$₩✔t's almost an acc¶↓∞urate digital body fat scale. More or ​¶∑→less it should be in that r ≠ange, because sometimβ♣es I measure it twice and the $₹numbers are different. ✘≤÷This scale has been tried for so©✘₩me time before. Whatever the accuracy δα‌λof the body fat scale, I↑δ♠♠ think it can still measurλ✘e the different things we are π£✔measuring: body fat, BMI, calorie i ♥"↔ntake, etc. At least we know→β≠ our sub-measurements of body weig'±γ£ht and body fat. Perhaps not for theβ∞×∞ literal meaning of the numbe​σr display, but for more basic unde§♠‍rstanding of our position in t§>≈he current statistical data on bod™σy fat.