A body fat calculator as the name suggests calculates the body fat percentage in your body. It takes into account certain metrics like your weight, age, height and neck, and waist size. Body fat percentage in simple words means the percentage of fat your body has in regards to your weight. It is calculated by dividing the total mass of fat present in the body by the total body mass.

What is body fat?

Body fat is the fat muscles present in the body which does not comprise any muscle mass, electrolyte, or even body fluids. There are multiple types of fat in the body and two of them are called white fat and brown fat. White fat is for fat storage and they are accumulated in the belly, thighs, and hips. Brown fat on the other hand keeps you warm in the winter.

What is BFP (Body Fat Percentage)?

Body fat percentage or BFP is the percentage of body fat in your body. It is calculated by dividing the fat mass present in the body by the total body mass and multiplying it by 100.

Why is Calculating Body Fat important?

It is really important to calculate your body fat using a body fat calculator since the amount of fat your body has plays a huge role in how healthy you are. If your body fat happens to be too high then you are at risk of developing obesity which can lead to a lot of health conditions such as heart disease. If your body fat percentage is too low then you are also at risk of low immunity and osteoporosis. Hence, it is really important to calculate your body fat with the help of a body fat percentage calculator to be more aware of your health and well-being.

Potential Complications of Excess Body Fat

Excess body fat can lead to a lot of negative consequences such as:
  • Chronic illness: Type 2 Diabetes and bad cardiovascular health come with excess body fat. It can degrade the quality of your life and mental well-being. Therefore, it is really important to keep track of your body fat with the help of a body fat calculator
  • Obesity: When you have excess fat in your body you are either obese or have a risk of developing it.
  • Increased risk of cancer: The risk of certain types of cancer such as colon cancer, and breast cancer is high if you have excess body fat.
  • Osteoarthritis: Obesity can lead to weakening and breakage of cartilage in your body. To avoid this, you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle and keep track of your body fat with the help of a body fat calculator.
You can avoid all these complications by being more aware of your body fat percentage and you can do this by using a body fat calculator.

How is Body Fat calculated?

There are a lot of ways to calculate your body fat percentage, the easiest of them all is to calculate it with the help of a body fat calculator or a body fat percentage calculator. Some other ways to calculate body fat percentage are:

Body Fat Calculator

It is by far the easiest way to calculate your body fat percentage. You just need to enter metrics like your age, height, weight, and waist circumference if required. A body fat percentage calculator is really easy to use and accurate.

Dual Energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)

In this method, x-rays are used to calculate the amount of fat, bone, and muscles in the body. This is a lot more expensive than using a body fat calculator.

Skin fold calipers

Unlike a body fat calculator, this method requires you to use a clipper to measure body fat percentage and is widely used by a lot of people. SKF can be measured from areas on your body such as the abdomen, midaxilla, pectoral, and quadriceps. In this method, a certain portion of your skin is pinched and then the caliper is used to measure its thickness. It is to measure the fat under the skin. If this method seems like a hassle to you then you can use a body fat calculator or a body fat percentage calculator.

How does the Body Fat calculator work?

A body fat percentage calculator is really easy to use and requires no effort. Here’s how to use it:-
  1. All you have to do is enter some metrics such as your age, weight, and height.
  2. Then click on the calculate button.
  3. The body fat calculator then runs a formula to calculate the right body fat percentage and displays it to you.

What are the formulas to calculate Body Fat?

If you are not using a body fat calculator then given below is a formula that can also be used to calculate your body fat percentage. Do note that this formula requires the measurements of areas like your waist, neck, and hips. Measurements for women: Neck: Measures right below your voice box and rounded up. Waist: Natural waistline is measured Hips: Largest area of the buttocks is measured For men: Neck: Right below the voice box is measured Waist: Measured at naval These measurements are averaged and then used in an equation For women: % body fat = 163.205 x log10 (waist + hip - neck) - 97.684 x log10 (height) - 78.387 For men: % body fat = 86.010 x log10 (abdomen - neck) - 70.041 x log10 (height) + 36.76

How to read my BFP?

After you are done measuring your body fat percentage with the help of either a body fat calculator or the formula mentioned below you will be in the following ranges: For men:
Category Range
Severely low Under 8%
Excellent 8-10.5%
Good 10.6 - 14.8 %
Fair 14.8 - 18.6 %
For women:
Category Range
Severely low Under 14%
Excellent 14 - 16.5%
Good 16.6 - 19.4%
Fair 19.5 - 22.7 %

Benefits of using Body Fat Calculator

A body fat percentage calculator can benefit you in a variety of ways such as: Progress Tracking: A body fat calculator can help you to keep track of your body fat if you are trying to lose weight or just live healthy in general. Awareness about health: By being more aware of your body fat percentage you can avert a lot of health risks and conditions. It can help you to lead a healthier lifestyle. Accurate results: A body fat calculator shows you accurate results or the nearest figure. Using a body fat percentage calculator is a better alternative to finding out body fat than doing manual calculations.

Key Factors that Affect Your Body Fat Percentage

There are a lot of factors that come into play to decide what your body fat percentage will be such as: Age: As you grow older you tend to gain more fat and lose muscle mass. This is the reason old people have a hard time losing fat. Race: Some nationalities store more fat in their bodies than others. Genes: Your genes also play a huge role in deciding your body fat percentage. If your family has a high body fat percentage on average then chances are that you will as well. However, you can lead a healthy lifestyle by keeping track of your body fat with the help of a body fat percentage calculator. Diet: What you eat is one of the main factors that affect your body fat percentage. If you consume foods that are high in unhealthy fats then eventually you will have a higher body fat percentage. Exercise: If your lifestyle consists of less exercise and more unhealthy foods then your body fat percentage is bound to increase. To maintain healthy fat levels you have to exercise regularly and keep track of your body fat using a body fat percentage calculator.

Calculate Body Fat for Men

There are two ways in which you can calculate body fat percentage for men and that is either by using the body fat percentage calculator or using the formula given below: (1.20 x BMI) + (0.23 x Age) - 16.2 = Body Fat of men (in%)

Calculate Body Fat for Women

There are two ways in which you can calculate body fat percentage for women and that is either by using the body fat percentage calculator or using the formula given below: (1.20 x BMI) + (0.23 x Age) - 5.4 = Body Fat of women (in%)

Alternative methods of measuring body fat

Apart from using a body fat calculator or a body fat percentage calculator, you can also calculate your body fat by using the methods stated below:
  • Skinfold calipers
  • Body circumference measurements
  • DXA method
  • Hydrostatic weighing
  • Bioelectrical impedance analysis

How Does Body Mass Index (BMI) Differ from BFP?

Body Fat Percentage (BFP) Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body fat percentage is the percentage of body fat in the body as per your weight Body mass index is the ratio between your height and weight.
It is used to calculate the body fat percentage It is used to figure out if you are underweight, normal, or obese
It is calculated with the help of a body fat percentage calculator It is calculated with the help of a body mass index calculator
It diagnoses body fatness It does not diagnose body fatness

Reducing Body Fat with a Healthy Diet

To reduce body fat you have to keep track of it using a body fat percentage calculator and make healthy lifestyle choices such as: Adding more fiber to your diet: If you happen to have a high body fat percentage then consuming fiber-rich foods is key. Fiber helps to make you feel fuller for longer and reduces your appetite which can prevent overeating. To keep track of your body fat you can use a body fat calculator. Add more protein to your diet: Protein not only helps you to build and maintain muscle mass it also burns more calories while being digested. It also has a satiating effect. Reduce unhealthy fat intake: Foods that contain unhealthy fats are often high in calories. They also pose a risk to your cardiovascular health. If you have a diet that is full of fat you need to keep track of your health with a body fat percentage calculator. Exercise more: By being more physically active you burn more calories and fat from the body. Exercising regularly also elevates your moods. You can exercise regularly and use a body fat calculator or a body fat percentage calculator to keep track of your body fat from time to time.

Why Body Fat Calculator is important for weight management?

A body fat percentage calculator can help you with managing your weight in the following ways:
  • It can make you more aware of your body fat percentage. Neglecting it for a long time can lead to a lot of negative health consequences.
  • A body fat calculator can also make you healthier by motivating you to live a healthy lifestyle.
  • By calculating your body fat with the help of a body fat calculator you can be more informed about the risks that come with having excess fat in the body.
Hence, it is safe to say that a body fat percentage calculator is really important for weight management.

FAQ's

A body fat calculator is a tool that is used to calculate the body fat percentage. It does so by taking into account factors like your age, weight, and height. It is simple to use and accurate as well.

The accuracy in body fat calculations can vary from 3-8%. Different tools and methods used can deliver slightly different results.

Body fat percentage can be calculated in a lot of ways, you can either use a body fat percentage calculator or use the given below formulas for it:
Men: (1.20 x BMI) + (0.23 x Age) - 16.2 = Body Fat Percentage
Women : (1.20 x BMI) + (0.23 x Age) - 5.4 = Body Fat Percentage
Despite doing all the calculations yourself, you can use a body fat calculator. It’s accurate and easy to use.

A body fat calculator is accurate but if you use different calculators you may see slightly different results.
If your objective is to lose weight, you may be tempted to use a simple bodyweight scale to track your progress, but your body fat percentage will tell you more.
When you are trying to lose weight, improve your health, or increase your fitness level, fat loss should be your aim, not just weight loss. You want to maintain the lean mass (fat-free mass) that your body requires.
Changes in body fat percentage might tell you how successfully your exercise or weight loss programme is assisting you in losing fat while keeping fat-free mass.

No, they are not the same. A body fat calculator is used to calculate your body fat percentage and BMI calculator shows your body mass index.

To know if your body fat percentage is normal or not you can calculate it with the help of a body fat calculator and see if it falls in the normal range or not.

The ideal body fat percentages are different for men and women according to age. You can calculate it using a body fat percentage calculator.

You can measure your body fat in a lot of ways such as using circumference measurements and using a body fat calculator.

A good body fat percentage for men aged 20-39 is 8% - 19%, and for women of the same age, it should be in the range of 21-32%. It can easily be calculated using a body fat calculator.

You can calculate your body fat percentage once a month. If your body weight fluctuates a lot then you can check it once every 2 weeks. You can easily calculate it with the help of a body fat calculator or body fat percentage calculator.

By using a body fat percentage calculator, you will be more aware of your body fat percentage and take the right steps to control it. This can keep you away from a lot of chronic diseases.

Yes, a body fat percentage calculator is free to use. It is one of the many free tools available online for health-related purposes.

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