Body Fat Calculator

Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle contributes to the well-being of the human body while keeping it free from any chronic or acute diseases for this reason, it is always recommended to follow a good diet and engage in physical activities like exercises, gyms, etc. 

At the same time, one should be aware of the several factors that can impact your health. One of the most common health issues observed among people is obesity. However, instead of simply associating it with weight, it is crucial to analyse the fat percentage in your body in tangible metrics. For this purpose, one can always utilise a body fat calculator which estimates the body fat percentage of a person in a few simple steps. 

Let’s read further to find out more details about the body fat calculator and the ways to calculate your body fat percentage.

What is Body Fat?

When it comes to health, body fat is a vital element to be considered. Instead of perceiving it in terms of ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’, one should look at the primary categories of body fat, namely essential, visceral, and subcutaneous fat. 

Among these categories, the first one is necessary for the normal functioning of your body. The visceral fat, on the other hand, is stored near the organs in your abdomen. The last one, i.e., subcutaneous fat, is stored under the skin and is what is generally understood as fat. While the subcutaneous type is the most visible one, all three fat types are crucial, although an excess of visceral and subcutaneous fat can be harmful to your body. 

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high levels of body fat and obesity promote common chronic health illnesses that result in premature deaths.

Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is defined as the fat percent that composes your total body weight. The body fat percentage as well as the ideal percentage depend on multiple factors like age, sex, regular lifestyle, fitness status, etc. 

Body fat percentage (BFP) is calculated as the total mass of fat divided by total body mass. It is essential to note that body fat consists of all types of body fats (essential, storage, and so on). Due to hormonal functions, the body fat percentage of women is generally higher than that of men.

What is a Body Fat Calculator?

A body fat percentage calculator is a tool that helps individuals evaluate their body fat percentage. Besides giving an approximate idea for the same, this calculator also analyses your body type and the amount of calories you are required to burn in order to reduce body fat.  All you need to have with you are certain measurements of your body parts.

Why Do We Need to Calculate Our Body Fat?

Body fat composition tells you about your health and well-being. While your body weight might be similar to another individual’s, the level of fitness will vary due to the difference in body composition and fat. Consequently, it is essential to be aware of your body composition to be able to maintain the required body fat. Using an ideal body fat calculator can help you measure the same. 

The Method of Calculating Body Fat

The following is a description of the most used method for calculating body fat -

U.S. Navy Method: This procedure of calculating body fat was established by Beckett and Hodgdon at the Naval Health Research Center. Here, some measurements like the circumference of the human body’s waist and so on, are required. Notably, the formulae for both men and women are different.

An individual must stand still in order to get an accurate measurement. Once this part is confirmed, one can start to measure the person’s neck, beginning from the larynx, and proceed downwards.

After measuring these features and obtaining the desired result, follow the below-mentioned formulae to compute the body fat. 

Calculating Body Fat Percentage in Males

In SI Unit 

BFP = 495 Divided by {1.0324 - 0.19077 × log10 (waist - neck) + 0.15456 × log10 (height)} – 450

In USC Units

BFP = 86.010 × log10 (abdomen - neck) - 70.041 × log10 (height) + 36.76

Calculating Body Fat Percentage in Females

In USC Units             

BFP = 163.205 × log10 (waist + hip - neck) - 97.684 × (log10 (height)) - 78.387

BMI Calculator

Body Mass Index, i.e., BMI, measures your weight and height to calculate whether your body weight is accurate as per your height. While the BMI doesn’t directly measure a person’s body fat, it is still an excellent way to determine your weight and its proportion as per your height. BMI results can also assess whether a person is prone to any health issues or not.

It should be remembered that two different individuals with similar height and weight can have exactly the same Body Mass Index but may vary in body composition. Such phenomena occur due to the different amounts of body fat they have. Other than that, even the distribution of fat also affects body composition. 

Possessing a healthy body fat is beneficial for one’s health with respect to staying energetic and avoiding major ailments. Thus, if the required amount of body fat is exceeded, it can cause some serious damage to the body and may even have a long-term effect that can become conspicuous during old age. 

Some of the health problems related to excess fat include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, liver issues, and many more. So if you are aware of your BMI, you can maintain your health accordingly.

Given below are some facts related to the body fat calculator. 

FAQs on the Body Fat Calculator