How Body Fat Scales Work And Why It's Important

Body fat scales use a technique called Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis... or BIA for short. Very simply...

A small and completely harmless electrical current is passed through your body. The electrical current passes more quickly through fat free tissue like muscle than it does through fat or bone tissue. So...

The amount of resistance to the electrical current relates to how much fat-free mass a person has and their body density. Here's the first challenge...

Standardising each test is easy to do. Check out the Top 10 Tips at the bottom of this page to get the most from your body fat scales.

1. Use them to measure your progress only. Don't compare your body fat percentage to tables or to your friends score. It is probably inaccurate no matter what the manufacturers say.

2. Choose body fat scales that have the right profile for you. If your children are going to use them make sure they can be calibrated for children. If you're an athlete (+10 hrs of strenuous exercise a week) same thing applies. This is important. It makes a big difference.

3. Measure out some water one hour before you test yourself. Make sure you always drink the same amount of water one hour before you test yourself.
4. Measure yourself at the same time of day for each test.
5. Your skin temperature affects the electrical current used by the scales. It's difficult but try to test yourself in a similar room temperature each time.