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Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of FABulously Fit Friday, and =
today we're going to be talking about body fat percentage scales. Now, =
hopefully you've seen these scales either in the drugstore, you may have =
one at home. These are the scales that show your weight in pounds or in =
kilograms and it also shows your body fat percentage. It's based on some =
numbers that you put into it about your height, and your age, and your =
activity level and then it measures some other things as well when you =
step on that scale. I hear from a whole bunch of you asking the =
question: are these body fat percentage scales actually accurate and =
should you use them to measure your progress when you're on your weight =
loss journey? So what I did for this FABulously Fit Friday is I went =
ahead and went out and bought one of my own because I didn't have it. =
These things are kind of cool when you first look at it. Are they =
convenient? Well, yeah. But are they accurate? Let's find out. If you've =
been following me for any time at all you know how important it is to =
measure your body fat percentage whenever you start on a weight =
training, clean-eating lifestyle. That's because oftentimes when we =
first start, especially that first few weeks and months, we're gaining =
muscle because as women we tend to not have a whole bunch of muscle mass =
underneath our fat tissue and at the same time we're losing fat. But =
because muscle is denser than fat a pound of muscle is small in volume =
than a pound of fat. Muscle actually is about 18 percent denser than =
fat. That's a lot. So if you've lost five pounds of fat and you gained =
five pounds of muscle that volume difference can be pretty significant. =
As we're gaining muscle and losing fat, oftentimes the scale isn't =
changing that much but our fat percentage is actually dropping. Our =
clothes fit better. They're looser. We feel better, but then we look at =
the scale and we see that it's not changing a whole bunch, and we get =
really discouraged because a whole bunch of us women, we grew up =
thinking that the weight on the scale actually measures our progress and =
that is simply not exactly true. So I'm a huge proponent of measuring =
fat loss percentage. On a side note, another cool thing about gaining =
muscle mass -- and us women, we really need to do so -- is that muscle =
burns more calories than fat. So that means as I gain muscle, I actually =
get to eat more to sustain it. That's awesome. So, first, how do these =
scales actually work. When you step on the scale there's two metal =
plates. The scale actually sends an electrical current from one foot, =
through your body, to the other foot, and then measures the speed of =
that electrical current. And, yes, there is a warning on the label for =
anyone that has pacemakers. They recommend not to use the body fat =
percentage scale. It's a little scary. But for the rest of us, it's a =
really low current passing through our bodies. We don't feel it, and =
supposedly it's not harmful. Concerning? A little. The slower the =
current passes through your body the more resistance it has and when =
that calculation of the speed of that current is put into the formula it =
spits out a higher fat percentage. The faster the current travels =
through your body, the lower your fat percentage, and that's because, as =
I stated before, muscle is denser than fat. Electricity passes through =
muscle faster than it does through fat. As a matter of fact, fat is =
actually considered a non-conductor of electricity. So that's how this =
device actually works. But one of the biggest challenges with this =
device in particular, for somebody like me where I carry most of my fat =
in my lower body because I'm a pear shape as we all know, well, this =
device is likely to show that my body fat percentage is much higher than =
it really is because of that fact. Now, there are other devices out =
there that are handheld devices. You might've seen them at the gym, so =
you place your palms on the device itself and then it passes that =
electrical current through your upper body. Well, in that case, if =
you're an individual who's a broccoli or maybe an apple, well, then that =
device might also show a higher percentage than is reality for you. And =
for somebody like me who's pear-shaped a device like that is actually =
going to show a body fat percentage that's much lower than it really is. =
So just your shape alone with these devices may result in huge =
inaccuracies. And that handheld device brings up some interesting =
questions. I wonder how implants impact that? They interfere with =
electrical current and if they're larger does that make it slower? Okay. =
I think I'm getting a little off-topic. Some other challenges that =
interfere with these fat percentage scales, it actually comes down to =
hydration levels. The more hydrated you are, the quicker that current is =
going to pass through your body. And even things like whether or not you =
have dry feet can interfere with that electrical current. More =
callouses, drier feet, more resistance, going to pop a higher percentage =
level. What also can interfere with an electrical current is whether or =
not you peed or even pooped. Egh. And even your bone density can make =
your measurements turn out differently than somebody else with the same =
exact fat percentage. So these fat scales, they're convenient, sure, but =
inaccurate? Yes. So inaccurate that Consumer Reports doesn't even test =
these puppies anymore. When they tested them years ago they found that =
all of them were grossly inaccurate so they stopped testing them =
altogether. But I will have to say, one thing that these fat percentage =
scales could be good for is measuring changes in your fat percentage. So =
while the level itself may be inaccurate, the changes in your body fat =
percentage actually might be accurate when you use scales like this. =
But, again, it kind of depends on your shape. So for somebody like me, =
who I'm a pair shape, well, it may actually over exaggerate the changes =
that are made because, again, I carry most of my fat on my lower body =
and that's where the current's going through. And for somebody who's, =
say, a broccoli shape or an apple shape, well, then it may underestimate =
the changes that are taking place because you're going to see most of =
your gains and losses in your upper body. But if you're somebody who =
carries your fat pretty evenly distributed throughout your body, then =
these fat percentage scales actually may be pretty good for you. So if =
you do use these fat percentage scales to track changes in your fat =
percentage, make sure you take them pretty consistently, meaning at the =
same time every week with the same conditions, meaning maybe when you =
just get out of bed you go ahead and you go to the bathroom and then you =
take your measurements. Consistency is key. So an alternative to these =
fat percentage scales are the skin fold calipers which I am a huge =
proponent of these things. I recommend them to everybody going through =
FAB University. You know, once you learn how to use these and you do so =
consistently on a week in, week out basis, well, they're actually pretty =
darn accurate. And I think there's also something really special when =
you take that tactile measurement each week when you're pinching your =
skin and you see that that pinch is getting smaller and smaller, I think =
there's something really powerful there psychologically. So I'm a huge =
proponent of the skin fold calipers. So my recommendation for these =
scales? So that wraps up another episode of FABulously Fit Friday. I =
sure hoped you enjoyed this episode today, and if you did go ahead and =
hit that "Like" button below because that tells other people that this =
episode is really valuable. And if you want more information on how to =
get into crazy, sexy, awesome shape head on over to FigureAndBikini.org =
where we share all of our secrets. I'm Kristin Shaffer, founder of FAB =
University and FigureAndBikini.org, and I hope to see you at the next =
FABulously Fit Friday.=20
[Makes popping noise]. So my recommendation for these scales? Is that =
good?=20
Thank you. I love you.
Okay. Thank you. Shooting when the batteries are running low. Oh! Are =
you okay? He's bleeding. Oh, my gosh. Call a paramedic. So an =
alternative to the fat percentage scales, like I said before, these skin =
fold calipers. Ah, there it is.=20=