How to use a body fat meter to tell if you have too much body fat

Some people may think they are healthy and may even fall into a healthy weight range, but they could have too much body fat and not even know it. That’s why it’s important to use a body fat meter to see exactly how much body fat you have.

Excess fat is associated with various medical complications and diseases, including high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, some cancers, and high cholesterol. Simply using a body fat meter to monitor your fat percentages can greatly increase the chances that you won’t have to worry about those medical complications.

There are a couple of different types of body fat meters available. There are those that are sold for home or personal use and then there are professionals who have personal trainers and doctors. You don’t have to go to a doctor or personal trainer to get a fairly accurate body fat percentage. Most personal testers can provide you with an exact number.

Most home fat testers use skin folds to determine fat percentage. This is done by taking a pinch of skin from different areas of the body, such as the stomach and upper arms, and measuring it with calipers. These measurements are then used in an equation supplied with the tester to determine the person’s fat percentage. The accuracy of these results can be affected by the actual person using the tester, but if done correctly the results can be quite accurate.

So once you’ve measured your body fat and have your percentage, what does it all mean? Well, the American Council on Exercise has published a table indicating what percentages of fat are acceptable and desired. The chart separates women from men, as women will always have a higher percentage due to their hormonal makeup. Women are made to carry more fat on their bodies since they are the ones who carry and give birth to children.

For women, the acceptable percentage of fat would be 25-31%. Anything less than that is considered excellent. The exception comes when your body fat percentage is too low. This may be the case for people with eating disorders or medical conditions. For women, they should not have a number less than 10%.

However, for men, they can be as low as 2-3% and still be considered healthy. Men tend to be leaner and have less fat on their bodies. The acceptable percentage for men is 18-25%, with 6-13% being ideal.

Body fat meters can be useful when you are trying to lose weight and want to monitor and track your progress. They can motivate you to get into a healthy range and stay there for life.