How to solve for body fat percentage?
It is problematic to assign a strict cut-off for what body fat percentage puts someone at higher risk of health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Body fat percentage as a standalone figure does not account for sex, ethnicity, or age differences.
There are other measurements that might help you evaluate your risk for conditions like cardiovascular disease. If your body fat is too high according to the calculator, speak to a healthcare provider about different tools that you can use to measure your health risks.
One of the most popular assessment tools is body mass index (BMI). BMI is a number that is used to evaluate your body size. It is not a percentage of body fat but a general score that helps determine if your weight falls into a healthy range.
The number is calculated using your weight and height. If you carry too much weight for your height, the excess weight is assumed to be fat.
Body mass index is simply a tool that puts you into a category based on weight. It is not designed to be an accurate diagnostic tool for determining health.
Why does body fat percentage matter? If your goal is weight loss, you might be tempted to use a simple bodyweight scale for feedback on your progress, but your body fat percentage will tell you more than the scale.
When you are participating in intentional weight loss, boosting your health, or increasing your fitness level, fat loss should be your goal, rather than simple weight loss. You want to keep the lean mass, or fat-free mass, that your body needs. Lean mass includes bone, blood, connective tissue, organs, and muscle.
Muscle loss sometimes occurs when you lose weight, but it's not the kind of weight loss you seek. You want to maintain muscle mass because it helps your body to function and perform more efficiently, boosts your metabolism, and can help improve glycemic control.
By measuring changes in body fat percentage, you can tell how well your fitness or weight loss program is helping you to lose fat while maintaining fat-free mass.
There are many different ways to measure body composition (or the amount of fat and lean mass on your body). Using a body fat calculator is just one of them.
One method won't be appropriate for every body. For example, if you would be uncomfortable going underwater, you would not want to attempt hydrostatic weighing. Each method also has its pros and cons.
When you input body measurements into a body fat calculator like the one above, the tool uses a specific formula to estimate your percentage of fat. The formula is slightly different for men and women.
For women, the formula begins with a simple weight calculation:
The tool uses fractions of each body measurement to estimate your body fat percentage.
For men, the formula begins with a different weight calculation:
The tool uses a fraction of the weight measurement to estimate your body fat percentage.
A body fat calculator is not the most accurate measurement of body fat percentage. However, it's the most accessible system to use. Therefore, you may be able to use it more often.
If you measure at the same time each day and use the same tools (the same tape measure and the same online calculator), you can track trends in your progress, which can be far more valuable in assessing your fitness gains than a standalone measurement.
Several body fat calculators use skinfold measurements instead of body circumference measurements to estimate your body fat percentage. Skinfold calipers can be purchased to use at home, or you can hire a professional who is skilled in using them in healthcare or gym settings.
Skin calipers pinch a portion of your body to estimate fat levels. The caliper method can be more accurate than a calculator for measuring body fat percentage, but the accuracy depends on the skill level of the person using them.
Home scales, gym-quality scales, and devices in your healthcare provider's office may use bioelectrical impedance to estimate body fat. Simply put, the device sends a harmless, completely pain-free electrical signal through your body to measure fat.
You get a quick and instantaneous body fat percentage result. While this method is convenient, certain factors such as hydration level can influence the accuracy of the result.
Whole-body scanning is quickly becoming the gold standard for measuring body fat percentage. However, the main reason the test is so accurate is that it is generally performed in a medical setting by highly skilled technicians. The DeXA test is often costly and may not be available where you live.
This submersion method has long been recognized as the most accurate measurement of body fat percentage. However, it requires a person to be fully immersed in a tank of water while holding their breath.
For many, the endurance required for hydrostatic weighing can be a challenge. It can also be difficult to find a location that performs the test.
Because thinness has so much value in many cultures, many people want to lose weight at some point. However, reducing body fat should not be a goal for everyone. Speak with a healthcare professional before making a decision. It's also important to know that these numbers don't apply to pregnant people—you should not try to lose weight during pregnancy.
You'll also want to talk to a healthcare provider if you are trying to lose weight while on medications or during cancer treatment to ensure that it is safe. If your doctor determines that reducing your body fat percentage is a safe and beneficial health goal, here are some areas for you to consider making changes.
How much you eat and what you eat are significant factors in losing or gaining body fat. You might be tempted to try a popular diet, but fad diets generally don't work. What does work is making small changes, such as:
Cardiovascular exercise is an important part of any fat loss program, but you want to ensure you do the right cardio. Make sure you include some high-intensity interval training in your program, up to two to three times per week. In addition to cardio, you should also incorporate moderate and easy workouts.
People often focus on cardio to lose weight, but adding more muscle will help you burn more fat. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so the more you have, the more calories you burn all day. Strength training a couple of times a week is all you need to add lean muscle tissue and burn more fat.
Watching your stress levels and getting enough sleep are the keys to keeping your weight in check since stress hormones can contribute to weight gain. Taking care of yourself will make it easier to maintain the energy needed to complete key workouts and help you stay motivated to shop for and prepare nutritious foods.
(1.20 x BMI) + (0.23 x Age) - 5.4 = Body Fat Percentage.
