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Health Kiosk | BC1 Body Composition Analyzer | CT1 Calorie Tracker | RT3 Tri-axial Research Tracker
 BC1 Body Composition Analyzer Kit |
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Frequently Asked Questions about your BC1
Q 1. Do I have to know my exact weight? A Yes, the weight you enter must be accurate in order to get a good estimate of body composition. Q 2. What happens if I check a different category?(i.e., Athletic, Bodybuilder) A Your demographic information is used to steer the bioelectrical current reading into a population-specific algorithm, or prediction formula, based on a population with similar physical characteristics. In order to get a good estimate, your personal data needs to be put into the prediction formula. (This is true for any method of body composition estimation.) Q 3. What if I move, bend my arms, etc.? A To get the best, most accurate results, you need to stand up straight and hold onto the BC1 with your arms straight. It is best to either have the BC1 placed on a waist-high counter top or hold it up at waist level. Q 4. Should I hold it straight out in front of me? A No, if you hold the BC1 out at shoulder level, it will affect the results due to the change in body position and muscle contractions in your arms and shoulders. Q 5. Do I need to squeeze the BC1? A No, just place your hands on the sides of the unit as shown, and hold firmly. Q 6. Can I sit down? A It is best to stand, as results may vary slightly from standing to seated. However, the device is very consistent, so if you are seated every time you use it, your results will be consistent. Q 7. Will it hurt? A No, the bioelectrical current is extremely small. Q 8. What is lean body mass? A Lean body mass is everything in your body except body fat - muscles, bones, organs, blood, etc. Q 9. How come I have so much body water? A Your body and all other mammal bodies contain approximately 70% of water by weight. Q 10. Why does my lean body mass, body fat, and body water add up to more than 100% or more than my total weight? A Your lean body mass and body fat add up to 100% or your total weight. Your body water is virtually all contained within your lean body mass and is not added to the other two figures. In other words, water is part of the lean body mass. Q 11. How does it know how much body fat/water I have? A The device sends a certain amount of bioelectrical currents into your body, and because certain body tissues conduct electricity better than others, it will affect how much current leaves your body. The device estimates your body composition based upon your bioelectrical current reading. Q 12. If I just ate, drank, or worked out will it affect my results? A In most instances it will not, however, it is recommended that you should adopt a routine of testing in the morning before you begin your daily activity. Q 13. How come other bio-impedance devices tell me I have really high body fat? A With normal bio-impedance devices, your hydration status can affect the results. For example, the devices see that you don't have much body water, and since your body water is all contained within your lean body mass, the devices think you do not have very much lean tissue. And if you don't have very much lean tissue, the devices assume the rest must be fat. Q 14. How often should I test my body fat? A It is not a good idea to put much emphasis on back-to-back readings whether 1 day apart or 1 week apart. Looking for trends is a series of readings will give you much more help in maintaining the desired body composition. Q 15. How accurate is this device? A The prediction error for the BC1 is 2% to 2.5%. Q 16. How does it compare with hydrostatic (underwater) weighing? A The BC1 is consistent with hydrostatic weighing. Q 17. Isn't hydrostatic weighing the most accurate? (the gold standard, the best, the only way to know for sure?) A Hydrostatic weighing is very accurate, with prediction errors of about 2%. However, it is still a method of estimation and is subject to error. Q 18. Is there any way to know for sure? A The only way to actually measure your body composition with 100% accuracy is to do an autopsy. Q 19. Why is there so much error? A Error is inherent in any estimation because you are comparing two people with similar characteristics. For example, Person A is very similar to Person B (in height, weight, age, etc.), and Person A has the same bioelectrical current reading (or underwater weight, sum of skin folds, etc.), so Person A must have a similar body composition to Person B." You are not actually measuring body composition - you are collecting certain data on yourself, putting it directly into a prediction formula derived from people most like yourself, and getting an estimate based on that. Actually the error variability is quite small. Q 20. Why do all the methods give different estimations? A Each method of estimation is based on a different set of data and use different prediction formulas. Each may be consistent and reliable, but you cannot necessarily compare across methods - apples to oranges. If you always use the same method, and the method is consistent, you will be able to track changes which are what is most important. Q 21. What is essential fat? A This is the amount of fat you need to be healthy and for your body to function properly. Having just this amount of fat or less is dangerous to your health. Generally speaking, a female's essential fat is 10-12% and a male's is 2-4%. Q 22. Why do women have more body fat? A In addition to the basic essential fat we all need, women have an additional 9-12% sex specific fat necessary for proper functioning. Q 23. What does total body water mean? A Your percentage of body water refers to the amount of water in your lean body mass. This number varies from person to person, depending on your lean to fat ratio. The more lean body mass you have, the more body water you will have. Generally, men have 65% - 75% body water and women have slightly less, 50% - 60%. This is due to women's higher percentage of essential fat (and therefore lower lean body mass). Q 24. What should my lean body mass be? A Your lean body mass is just the inverse of your body fat percentage, or in other words, everything but fat is lean body mass. By decreasing body fat and increasing lean body mass simultaneously, you improve the ratio, which is what is important. Q 25. How can I increase my lean body mass? A You can increase your lean body mass through resistance training, which increases strength and muscle mass. Q 26. How can I decrease body fat? A You can decrease body fat by burning more calories than you consume, and by exercising regularly with a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training. Q 27. How does the BC1 Body Composition Analyzer work? A The BC1 Body Composition Analyzer uses bio-impedance technology, a state-of-the art, very clinically accurate method of determining body mass. The device sends a mild electrical current through your body, measuring both the strength and speed of the return current. From these readings, the software calculates your body mass. It is equivalent to hydrostatic weighting, the "gold standard" of body mass measurement. The device is safe, however you should not use a BC1 Body Composition Analyzer if you are pregnant or have an implanted electrical medical device such as a pacemaker. Q 28. I've been trying to drink more water based on my BC1 readings, but it doesn't seem to change? A The BC1 Body Composition Analyzer's readings of hydration (body water) are currently a statistical calculation based on your lean body mass. Stayhealthy will be modifying their software shortly to remove these readings, eventually replacing them with personalized hydration readings. Q 29. Can my spouse/family/friend measure along with me? A Yes! If you own a BC1, you already have an Uploading dock - it's built into your BC1. This dock can be used by multiple CT1 units. You can purchase additional CT1 units from Stayhealthy for your family members. Back to top of the page |
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