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Methods for Assessing Body Weight Status

During a weight loss or management routine, assessing the number of pounds you carry is important. Attention to the incremental changes in your body weight can help you make adjustments in your regimen that may bring you closer to success. Manifold methods of body weight measurement exist to support your goals.

  1. BMI

    • Body Mass Index is a calculation of your body weight that uses a relationship between your height and weight. It assesses a ration of your body's fat percentage to its total poundage. Measuring your BMI is a fairly easy process. You use to websites like cdc.gov to check your BMI from your own home. BMI is determined on a scale of 1 to 30. Normal body weight registers between 18.5 and 24.9.

    Hydrostatic Weighing

    • Hydrostatic weighing involves using water to take account of your body's density. Your body weight and fat content are extrapolated from this figure using a calculation. This is a more involved and demanding procedure of body weight assessment than most. Your dry weight is measured before you enter the water, wearing minimal clothing. Extremely athletic people and those with osteoporosis can experience difficulty in registering accurate body weight percentages. The substantial differences in bone and muscle density account for this.

    Skin Folds

    • Using measurements of folds of skin on several areas of your body is a popular and accurate form of body weight assessment. Skin fold calipers calculate the amount of subcutaneous fat below the skin. This examination works best for athletes and people with relatively little fat. It can be difficult to use skin folds to assess the substantially overweight and obese. Measurements are taken at the triceps, below the shoulder blade, the biceps, and above the hip bone.

    Bioelectrical Impedance

    • Bioelectrical impedance utilizes a very small signal to analyze your body's weight and fat percentage. Electricity's effectiveness in measuring derives from the fact that fat contains 20 percent of water at a maximum, while flesh without fat is up to 75 percent water. Therefore, the electrical signal moves freely through every part of your body except for its fat. A person's hydration level can prompt some complications here. Dehydration, too much coffee, or an excess of alcohol can lead to overestimated quantities of body fat.

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