Body Fat Calculator

A body fat calculator is a device that measures how much of the bulk of any given body is made up of fat and how much is muscle. The simplest way to calculate body fat is to use a device called a ‘caliper’ which measures the thickness of the skin when pinched into a fold at various parts of the body.

It is also possible to make a rough body fat calculation by taking a person’s weight and body measurements. Fat weighs less than muscle, so people who weigh more but have smaller measurements around the waist, hips, and thighs usually have lower body fat percentages. A large waist circumference (over 36 inches in women and over 40 inches in men) is also associated with a high percentage of body fat.

Many conventional scales now have computerized body fat calculators built into them. These calculators are fairly accurate and are gaining in popularity. When you step on the scale a digital reading provides both your weight and your percentage of body fat. Hand held body fat calculators are also available. Before the age of computerized equipment, body fat calculations were often taken by immersing the person in water.

Many people assume that having very low body fat is always a good thing. Professional body builders can have a body fat percentage of as low as 5%, but most people would feel quite ill and would begin to have health problems at that level of body fat.

For women under 40, a normal, healthy body fat range is between 19% and 25%. For women over 40, 23% to 30% body fat is considered good. For men under 40, the healthy percentage of body fat is in the 10% to 20% range, and for men over 40 it is in the 19% to 23% range.

To maintain a very low percentage of body fat athletes have to train long and hard on a daily basis. For general good health, nothing that extreme is necessary or even desirable. Women whose body fat percentage falls much below the norm often stop menstruating. Some body fat is necessary to keep the human body insulated and functional. Only excess body fat is a health concern.

That said, most people are unpleasantly surprised when they first calculate their body fat. Most people believe they have far less fat on their bodies than they actually do, and the strong emphasis in the diet industry on weight loss instead of fat loss only increases this misperception.

A person can be of normal weight and have a high percentage of body fat. Conversely, a professional athlete can weigh quite a lot for his or her height and bone structure but since muscle weighs more than fat does, that athlete will have a low body fat measurement.

The good news is that regular exercise and sensible diet can do a lot to decrease the amount of body fat any person is carrying and replace that fat with muscle instead.

The most important consideration for maximum good health is not to focus too much on any one number (body fat, weight on a scale, calories, measurements), but rather to look at the whole package with an eye to understanding what is best for each individual person.

What feels great on one person will lead to illness in another. Understanding one’s own body and optimum numbers is the key to lasting health and peak energy.