Tracking your fat loss progress accurately is absolutely essential if you want to reach your body composition goals. The main problem here, however, is that too many people are using the wrong method, a weight scale, to track their progress.
A scale does not provide an accurate snap shot of your progress. If all you are doing is looking at a scale, please stop. You need to measure your body composition if you truly want to know whether or not your approach is working.
Having said that, you should know that not all methods for testing body composition are equally effective.
Thus, here is a primer on how to measure your body fat levels:
1. Skin calipers. Ever see a trainer pinch a client with that claw-like contraption? Well, he is taking some skin fold measurements. The biggest benefit here is ease of implementation and fairly accurate results. The key here is to make sure that you use the same person over and over again for taking the measurements.
2. Underwater dunking. Considered the gold standard of body fat measuring, underwater dunking does provide accurate readings if you prepare correctly. The biggest drawback here is the preparation and the fact that you have to be submerged in water. How does it work? It measures the density of your tissues.
3. Bioelectrical impedance. I am sure you have seen the little gadgets with handles that you hold in your hands to get an almost immediate reading of your body fat levels. The major drawback? They are usually extremely inaccurate. Why? Because they send an electrical signal through your body and too many things can interrupt the signals path.
4. X-rays. There are machines that send weak x-rays through the body to determine the ratio of fat to lean mass. Of all the methods mentioned thus far, this one is probably the best in terms of accuracy and preparation. The only issue here is cost?
Of the methods described in this article, I would recommend staying away from electrical tests, they are simply too inaccurate. Other than that, the main factor affecting accuracy will be the skill of the technician performing the measurements. So use the same reliable person over and over again.