In part 1 I briefly described a couple of convenient methods to measuring body fat. In this post I will tell you what devices I use and how often I take measurements with each of them. I also give my recommendations on which device works best based on my personal experience.
I have an accu-measure calipers which I used to use a long time ago to measure body fat. The calipers gave very consistent measurements if done right. I got used to taking the measurements consistently at the same location and accurately too. I just used the one location mentioned in the booklet and for some reason I felt that it gave be a lower fat % reading than I expected. I mean I used to see 9% body fat measurements when I could not see any ab definition.
I later used the multi-site measurement methods. I generally take readings with calipers once a week, so it did not bother me much that I had to take so many measurements. Still I was not satisfied because each formula gave a different value for my body fat. I would recommend buying this product because it is cheap. But you might as well buy the next product I am about to mention because it is has slightly better granularity.
I later brought myself the FatTrack Digital Body Fat Caliper. This is a good investment because the digital measurements were even easier to take than the regular calipers and they had better granularity. Even better is that the digital calipers is already programmed to apply the Jackson/Pollock 3 site formula. All you need to do is take the 3 measurements in the 3 locations of your body and you are done. The digital display gives you the results. Currently I am using this device to take weekly measurements.
When I understood that my fat % calculations can be so off and not accurate at all then I decided that I might as well buy something that is even more convenient. That is when I found the Omron body fat monitor HB-500. Wow, it costs just $36 now. It was double that when I brought it 10 months ago. I found that like with many body fat monitors this was only good if your body is in the same state every time you take measurements. That means you should have same amount of water in your muscles, the same amount of food in your stomach etc. The readings would vary wildly in a single day. I found out that if I took the measurements everyday in the morning 30 minutes after drinking 300 ml of water the readings are somewhat consistent. And that is what I have been doing. I would strongly suggest this device to anyone who is concerned with body fat. Definitely one of the best investment. One note of caution though. It does not exactly tell you your body fat, but it will give you an indication of whether you are gaining or losing fat. And this good enough as far as I am concerned.
But if you ask me today what I would buy and what I would recommend, I would definitely go for the Withings WiFi Connected Body Fat Scale assuming you have the moolah. This looks wickedly cool. It is very convenient to have the device connect to the internet and store everything there. You just get on it and it and it turns itself on. No need to press the on button. Then it shows your weight and calculates body composition. It automatically detects the user too. On my Omron I have to select a preset and I have to hold on to the handles at an angle until the measurement is taken. Then it stores your measurements on the net so you don't have to manually enter it somewhere. Neat! Here is a video
No matter what device you use, they can still never give the exact body fat measurement. I think a mirror or photograph is the best guide sans MRI scan. Check out your flab or ab definition in the mirror and head over to Body Fat Percentage Guide for Men to see what body fat % you might have.
In my next post I will do some comparisons between each device which will give you an idea about the body fat % measurements they are showing and the variance between them.
I have an accu-measure calipers which I used to use a long time ago to measure body fat. The calipers gave very consistent measurements if done right. I got used to taking the measurements consistently at the same location and accurately too. I just used the one location mentioned in the booklet and for some reason I felt that it gave be a lower fat % reading than I expected. I mean I used to see 9% body fat measurements when I could not see any ab definition.
I later used the multi-site measurement methods. I generally take readings with calipers once a week, so it did not bother me much that I had to take so many measurements. Still I was not satisfied because each formula gave a different value for my body fat. I would recommend buying this product because it is cheap. But you might as well buy the next product I am about to mention because it is has slightly better granularity.
I later brought myself the FatTrack Digital Body Fat Caliper. This is a good investment because the digital measurements were even easier to take than the regular calipers and they had better granularity. Even better is that the digital calipers is already programmed to apply the Jackson/Pollock 3 site formula. All you need to do is take the 3 measurements in the 3 locations of your body and you are done. The digital display gives you the results. Currently I am using this device to take weekly measurements.
When I understood that my fat % calculations can be so off and not accurate at all then I decided that I might as well buy something that is even more convenient. That is when I found the Omron body fat monitor HB-500. Wow, it costs just $36 now. It was double that when I brought it 10 months ago. I found that like with many body fat monitors this was only good if your body is in the same state every time you take measurements. That means you should have same amount of water in your muscles, the same amount of food in your stomach etc. The readings would vary wildly in a single day. I found out that if I took the measurements everyday in the morning 30 minutes after drinking 300 ml of water the readings are somewhat consistent. And that is what I have been doing. I would strongly suggest this device to anyone who is concerned with body fat. Definitely one of the best investment. One note of caution though. It does not exactly tell you your body fat, but it will give you an indication of whether you are gaining or losing fat. And this good enough as far as I am concerned.
But if you ask me today what I would buy and what I would recommend, I would definitely go for the Withings WiFi Connected Body Fat Scale assuming you have the moolah. This looks wickedly cool. It is very convenient to have the device connect to the internet and store everything there. You just get on it and it and it turns itself on. No need to press the on button. Then it shows your weight and calculates body composition. It automatically detects the user too. On my Omron I have to select a preset and I have to hold on to the handles at an angle until the measurement is taken. Then it stores your measurements on the net so you don't have to manually enter it somewhere. Neat! Here is a video
No matter what device you use, they can still never give the exact body fat measurement. I think a mirror or photograph is the best guide sans MRI scan. Check out your flab or ab definition in the mirror and head over to Body Fat Percentage Guide for Men to see what body fat % you might have.
In my next post I will do some comparisons between each device which will give you an idea about the body fat % measurements they are showing and the variance between them.
Thanks again Chandan. I will most probably go with the Omron scale. I appreciate your writing this post! Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure :)
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