The best method of losing weight: Merely measuring your weight will not give you the complete picture of your body composition. According to Matt Bliss, Training and Nutrition Specialist, “small, slender people who don’t weigh much may actually have a greater percentage of body fat than larger, more muscular people who weigh more. That’s just one reason why your weight on the scale or a set of measurements doesn’t necessarily give a true picture of your health.” So, you must measure your body fat to know if you are healthy or you need to work on certain areas or the entire body. Read this post to know how to measure body fat percentage and how it helps. Swipe up!
What Is Body Fat Percentage?
Body fat percentage is the percentage of fat in your body. It is calculated by dividing the total fat mass by total body mass and then multiplying by 100.
What is meant by total body fat? Total body fat includes essential fat (fat that is required by the body to maintain and protect the body) and storage fat (extra fat stored to protect the internal organs).
As long as your total body fat is under a certain limit (women’s body fat percentage is higher than men as they require to bear children), you will not be overweight or obese. But the problem starts when you lead a sedentary life, and your total body fat exceeds the upper limit. So, if your weighing scale shows your weight to be on the higher side, get your body fat percentage calculated before jumping to conclusions. It will help you understand if it is body fat or lean mass that you have gained.
Take a look at the following picture to know how your body looks depending on your body fat percentage.
How Your Body Looks Depending On Your Body Fat
This picture clearly shows how a woman’s body can look/change depending on the body fat percentage. Since muscle mass has weight, you may still weigh more even when your body fat percentage has gone down. So, if you exercise regularly and eat clean, and yet, you see your weight on the higher side of the scale, don’t be alarmed. It is probably a good sign.
Before understanding the various ways by which you can calculate body fat, take a look at the following table to find out which category you fall into according to your body fat percentage.
So, as long as your body fat percentage is between 10% – 25% (women), you will be fit and healthy. Anything above it should concern you, and you must take it seriously. Depending on your body type, you will either have to work really hard to lose body fat or make small tweaks to get back in shape (in terms of health). But how do you check body fat? Well, there are many ways you can do that. Choose any of the following methods to take a close look at what’s happening in your body.
How To Measure Body Fat – 7 Best Methods
1. Skinfold Test Using Calipers
Calipers are widely used to measure the skinfolds at 5-6 sites in your body. Doing it yourself might not give accurate results. So, ask a friend or a technician to help you. The technician will pinch your skin and measure its thickness using a caliper. Your triceps, abdomen, chest, thighs, and side of the upper back will be tested. These numbers are plugged into a formula, which gives you the approximate body fat percentage.
Pros
Calipers are cheap, and almost every gym has them. You can also buy one to track your progress.
Easy to use and portable.
Cons
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