So what weights more a pound of fat or a pound of muscle?

So you jump on the scale in the morning and see a number that you either love or hate that number. But what does that number really tell you. Not much more than how much gravity is pulling you towards the center of the earth. But what your looking for is a number to tell you if your healthy or not. Well this number is a little more complicated; your body is made up of many things most obviously water, bone, muscle and fat.

So when you jump on the scale in the morning your really wanting to know what percent of that number is fat, muscle, water and bone.  So how do you find out how much fat and muscle you have. Well the only true way in on autopsy so since most of us wouldn't opt for that method, bioelectrical impedance devices while not 100% accurate can give you a good idea of your percent body fat and in some models your muscle, and water content. Bioelectrical impedance devices work by sending a small-pain free electrical signal through your body, the speed at which this signal passes through your body  allows the device to estimate your percent body fat.

SO now you have a percentage when you jump on your brand -new fat analyzing scale. So how do you know if you should love or hate this number? You can check this chart to see what the national recommendations are for your age.