Gaining weight means that there is extra body fat, unless the weight gain is due to weight training which increases muscle mass. The body fat in most cases when over what the body needs to be healthy is weight that needs to be lost for health and comfort reasons. Carrying extra pounds is hard on the body’s organs, but it is also tiring to the person carrying this weight when walking, doing tasks and this can stop activities that would have been done.
There are several ways to measure body fat, but there are two main ways that are used, which are:
Hydrostatic weighing, which is a way to measure the body fat using a special mathematical formula, a calculator and water. The person submerges in water and the displacement of the water is measured, which is then calculated. This is the most accurate way of measuring body fat with the mathematical formula.
There are also body fat scales, these are able to measure the amount of body fat by passing a current through the body, which measures impedance or the resistance of the current flow. For an accurate reading with this type of scale the person will need to fast for at least four hours, this includes liquids. The reason for fasting prior to using the body fat scale is the current can be affected by the body’s water content, skin temperature and exercise. This also means that it should not be done when the body is over heated or during exercise for a true reading. |