Want to hear something interesting? From February 12th to May 5th (12 weeks), my scale told me I lost 4.2lbs — and I was THRILLED. Yes, you heard right, I was thrilled. Why would anybody be that happy about 12 weeks of hard work and only seeing a small drop in weight? That’s because the scale doesn’t tell the whole story!

You see, all that time I was measuring my body fat percentage with the Accu-Measure body fat caliper. So, although the scale said 4.2lbs, Accu-Measure was telling me that I went from 30.8% body fat to 24.6%. In those 12 weeks, I lost 10lbs of fat and gained 5.8lbs of muscle, according to the Accu-Measure chart. So, believe me, I was thrilled. Can you imagine how I would have felt if I had only gone by the numbers on the scale?

At first glance, the Accu-Measure caliper by AccuFitness seems a bit flimsy — it’s plastic and not a high-tech gadget that we’re used to seeing. But this “simple” tool works, and is endorsed by the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation and recommended in Body-for-LIFE. You measure your body fat in one place only, and then read the chart that comes with the caliper. It’s pretty easy.

If you want to spend a bit more for their high-tech version, Accu-Fitness has the Fat Track Digital Body Fat Caliper, which comes with a user guide and body tape measurer. It’s endorsed by the World Natrual Bodybuilding Federation as well.

The great thing about both of these body fat calipers is that you can measure your body fat in the privacy of your own home.

Measuring your body fat gives you better picture of what’s going on with your body when you’re trying to lose weight. Body fat percentage is my “go-to” number instead of the scale.

Learn more about both body fat calipers:

• AccuFitness Accu-Measure Calipers, Body Fat Tester With Instructions
  
• AccuFitness FatTrack II Digital Body Fat Caliper, Digital Caliper With User Guide And Body Tape Measurer