F is for Fat

Body fat, fat level, body fat percentage and food fat levels

The amount of fat you have on your body, or the percent of fat, makes a difference to your overall health and of course body shape. Although muscle weighs more than fat but it is also more compact. This is why a body builder may weight more than someone who is obese, but the obese person will have a bigger shape due to the amount of fat on their body.

If you have lost a lot of weight, you may find that it slows down a becomes hard to shift anymore. Measuring your body fat is a good idea and can be highly motivational especially on a healthy weight loss diet. You may find that while you didnt lose weight on the previous week, your body fat ratio actually dropped.

It is important to remember that body fat is only one aspect of health and the ratio shouldnt be used alone to determine if you are overweight. There are other tests such as the BMI scale, waist size and waist:hip ration that you can use to determine this further.

How to measure body fat at home

Until recently, measuring body fat at home was not possible but technological advacements have allowed body fat scales to emerge that use Bioelectrical Impedance to measure body fat levels effective

They are usually incorporated into bathroom scales and to use them you simply stand on the pads as you would to weight yourself. A very low level eletronic signal is used which travels through the body; as this moves more slowly through fat than it does through leaner tissue it can work out how much fat there is and give you the results after a few seconds.

You can also find these in some gyms or cosmetic stores.

How else can you measure body fat?

You can also have this done professionally through a number of tests, including Skinfold measurements, using calipers to pinch the skin in various places, Hydrostatic weighing tanks, which measures your weight underwater, and through infrared interactance which is a new technique but currently is not as accurate as others.

What percent should you aim for?

You can find a guide on the ideal ratio below. Bear in mind that there are other circumstances that will also determine how healthy you are such as blood pressure, resting heart rate, blood cholesterol, and fat and glucose tests. This should be used as a guide only, and you should seek professional help if you are worried about your weight.