Sunday, August 28, 2011

Can I ask you a scientific question?

Imagine a fellow, like me, walking into the California Health and Longevity Institute for a Bod Pod test. Suppose this fellow did not use Magnesium Citrate or some other laxative/purgative compound to clear his intestines the day before. Suppose this fellow steps on the scale and into the Bod Pod with his intestines fully loaded with foodstuffs at various levels of digestion.

Does this material in his intestines count as lean weight, or does it count as fat weight? It is a fair question because this material has weight and volume. It has a certain level of density, regardless of what that is. It should show up on the test, unless we have very imprecise instruments. If that is the case, all bets are off.

Knowing the Bod Pod is accurate, it should show up on the test documents. Just how does it show up?

Rationally, if the test is super-accurate, the components of this material that are lean (non-fat) should show up as lean. The components that are fat should show up as fat. If you are eating a low fat diet, about 85-90% of that material should be lean. This would bias the test now wouldn't it? This would skew the figures toward a leaner number, wouldn't it?

This is food for thought, folks. Is the Bod Pod that accurate? Would composition of material in your intestines alter the results of the test? I don't know.

I have been very careful to use Magnesium Citrate before each of the Bod Pod tests. I have cleared out as much as possible before each test. Further, I consume so little in the form of solid food these days, the purge is not all that significant. It's probably better for detox than anything else.

If I were to skip this practice, I would walk into the test a little heavier, and probably a little leaner, wouldn't I? It would be an easy way to cheat the test a bit, now wouldn't it? Less prep equals better results, right?

Nah... I think I will keep the conditions of the test constant.