Custom body measurements

In LogMeal we are constantly looking for upgrades. That’s why we have implemented a new API functionality that allows you to create new body measurements. You can update the values to visualize the evolution.

Why use body measurements?

Body measurements provide information about body composition. Frequently, people only focus on total weight. However, there are plenty of other parameters that can help nutrition experts to assess the progress of all types of clients. For example, in athletes, it is indispensable to evaluate muscle growth and estimate training results, and this can’t be done by just recording total weight. It is also interesting to measure other anthropometric parameters in patients with different pathologies like cachexia (loss of muscle mass and weakness, which may occur in patients with cancer, AIDS or other chronic diseases.).

Some examples

• Weight is the most common body parameter. It’s important to use a scale that is properly calibrated and to always be weighed under the same conditions (e.g. unclothed, fasting…). Otherwise, it is difficult to compare values. 
• Body circumferences: abdominal, waist, hip, arm, thigh, etc. All you need is a tape measure.
• Skinfold: abdominal, iliac crest, triceps, etc. Those measurements need to be done with a skinfold caliper by a trained professional.

Body measurements in LogMeal API

Now, the nutrition expert that uses LogMeal can define custom body measurements and introduce values along time to keep track of the user’s evolution.All the body measurements will be defined by two required fields: a name and a unit. For example:

• Name: “abdominal circumference”
• Unit: “cm / inches” 

Those custom measurements will be unique for every company. Each company can define as many body measurements as they need with different names. For every defined body measure, the APIUserManagers and the APIUsers will be able to insert values for a user. This way, the nutrition expert will be able to visualize the evolution of APIUsers in line charts.