Whenever you start a fat loss program, you should have some way of measuring your progress. Unfortunately, most people simply look at the scale and end up extremely unmotivated.
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.
And not all body fat tests are created equal.
Thus, here is a primer on how to measure your body fat levels:
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. Hydrostatic testing. Fat and lean tissues have different densities. And this test measures the density of your body to determine how much fast and muscle you have. Unfortunately, the preparation and the number of variables involved that can go wrong make this method not so attractive to the average person.
3. Electrical signals. There is a surplus of gadgets on the market that will perform this test for you. And they are relatively inexpensive. Unfortunately, they are also very inaccurate. Why? Because they send an electrical signal through your body and too many variables can interrupt the signal.
4. X-rays. There are machines that send weak x-rays through the body to determine the ratio of fat to lean mass. Of all the methods mentioned thus far, this one is probably the best in terms of accuracy and preparation. The only issue here is cost?
Of the methods described in this article, I would recommend staying away from electrical tests, they are simply too inaccurate. Other than that, the main factor affecting accuracy will be the skill of the technician performing the measurements. So use the same reliable person over and over again.
