I have noticed that if i have a few beers the next morning my body fat reading is higher than i suspect it should be. This is especially significant after completing a vigorous workout routine. If you are using a body fat scale or monitor your body fat reading is affected by the amount of water in your body. In a study by published in annals of family medicine the researchers found out that people who are obese and have a higher body mass index or bmi although bmi has its own limitations are more likely to be inadequately. When is the most accurate time of day to check your body fat. Bioelectrical impedance analysis bia is a commonly used method for estimating body composition in particular body fat and muscle massin bia a weak electric current flows through the body and the voltage is measured in order to calculate impedance resistance of the body.
There seems to be a lot of mixed answers to how hydration affects the body fat readings. Now that youre aware of the importance of being well hydrated to gain lean body mass youre probably curious if your hydration status can also impact fat loss efforts. Your body fat is pretty water dense so dense in fact that body fat is comprised of about 10 water. Effects of hydration on body fat composition. Body fat percentage is an important measurement of a persons health risk. If the amount of water in your body.
Water affects your body fat scale reading. Because the amount of water in your body is constantly fluctuating so will the estimate of your body fat. The fat tissue numbers are also changed slightly as water is dispersed throughout the body over the course of an hour changing the average tissue density. Since water is a conductor of electricity the resistance the electrical signal experiences while traveling through the body will help determine what percentage of your body is fat. Bioelectrical impedance is a method of tracking body fat that occurs by sending a low voltage electrical current through the body. I have been told the best time is the first thing in the morning before any food intake.
Your muscle is composed largely of water. However notice that it took an entire gallon of water to drop jasons body fat percentage by 1 percent. That means that your changing level of hydration can have a significant effect on the body fat reading that you get. How does hydration affect the output on a body fat scale. Most body water is stored in muscle. Accuracy can also vary depending on various factors including.
For example on the tanita website tanita is a brand of body fat scales it says under the faqs section that dehydration causes the body fat reading to come out higher than it actually is. Body fat scales can be an easy way to track your body fat percentage but they may not tell the complete story about your health. There are many different methods of measuring body fat percentage as well as a number of variables that can potentially affect the outcome of a body composition test.