So you’re considering a fancy bath scale that includes body fat, BMI, water weight, etc. Should you spend extra for one that measures body fat and other measures?
For anyone who is presently obese or significantly overweight (see the BMI chart), a body fat scale is just not necessary. They are, on a day to day basis, not necessarily all that accurate. They can be accurate enough, however, if you consider the TREND and not the day to day.
Stand on the scale, write down the body fat it says, and do so for three weeks. Average the body fat and that’s probably pretty close to what you are. Then go another three weeks with 21 weigh ins (or at least half that many) and average it and see if it’s progressing.
But think about it. If one is obese or seriously overweight the scale pounds WILL be going down if you’re doing well, regardless of your strength training regimen, and the body fat will too.
Body fat measures are interesting to some along the way. Fine. But since NO ONE can pack on a lot of muscle quickly if you only use the scale to objectively measure fat loss progress you are GOING to be pretty right and I know that runs counter to the IDIOTS out there who say the opposite – that you should NOT weigh daily because you might be packing on muscle pounds and that can confound your real progress. Bull crap – total, utter bull crap.
Once you are inside the BMI range of a healthy body weight? Feel free to start watching body fat. You are a BIT more likely to be losing muscle once you are already at a healthy body weight and you continue to lose mass (pounds). Then it might be more important to determine if the mass you’re losing is fat rather than muscle. But I’ve got another TOP SECRET way you can tell if you are losing muscle or not and thus whether you are mostly losing fat or not. Ready?
If you are doing strength training, and you should be or you’re also an “idiot”, then you will KNOW FOR A FACT if you are losing or gaining muscle by how strong you are. “Well ya but, people who start training with weights early on get stronger due to neurological differences and form efficiencies and biological changes intramuscularly.” SHUT UP. Those strength gains last about 6 weeks or so. After that? You only get stronger or weaker if you are losing or gaining muscle.
So let’s say you are using a $650 bath scale and it measures body fat. Fine. Let’s say you have been doing basic strength training for 3+ months. Good. Now let’s say the scale says you are LOSING MUSCLE!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!! But let’s also say that you notice your strength is going up or staying the same. Which is right? THE GYM IS RIGHT. YOUR STRENGTH IS RIGHT. You can’t be getting stronger after the first few weeks of strength training unless you are adding muscle. DAMN the body fat measure from ANY DEVICE OR PERSON and allow strength with resistance training to guide whether you are keeping, adding or losing muscle.
This response, guaranteed signed in blood, is NOT one you will hear almost anywhere else but it’s also one that is guaranteed signed in blood accurate.
Leanness Lifestyle University
