Body Fat Calculator

Body fat percentage is one of the most important health metrics for understanding your physical composition and overall health status. It represents the proportion of your total body weight that consists of fat tissue compared to other components like muscles, bones, organs, and water.

What Is Body Fat?

Body fat serves several vital functions in the human body:

• Energy storage: Fat cells store excess calories for future energy needs
• Organ protection: Fat surrounds and cushions vital organs
• Temperature regulation: Fat helps insulate the body
• Hormone production: Fat tissue plays a role in producing and regulating hormones
• Vitamin storage: Essential fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are stored in fat tissue

Your body contains two main types of fat:

Why Body Fat Percentage Matters More Than Weight

Unlike body weight or Body Mass Index (BMI), body fat percentage provides a more accurate picture of your health because:

• Two people can weigh the same but have dramatically different body compositions
• BMI doesn't differentiate between muscle and fat weight
• Athletes with high muscle mass may be classified as "overweight" by BMI despite having low body fat
• Someone with "normal" BMI could have excessive body fat (called "normal weight obesity")

Understanding Body Fat Distribution

Where your body stores fat significantly impacts health risks:

How to Lower Body Fat Percentage

Reducing body fat percentage typically requires a comprehensive approach:

• Caloric deficit: Consuming fewer calories than you expend (typically 300-500 calories below maintenance)
• Resistance training: Building lean muscle increases metabolic rate and improves body composition
• Protein intake: Consuming 1.6-2.2g of protein per kg of body weight helps preserve muscle during fat loss
• Cardiovascular exercise: 150-180 minutes weekly of moderate-intensity activity improves overall health and calorie expenditure
• Quality sleep: 7-9 hours of sleep helps regulate hormones that control hunger and fat storage
• Stress management: Chronic stress increases cortisol, which can promote fat storage, particularly visceral fat

Tracking Progress Beyond the Scale

When monitoring body fat changes, consider using multiple methods:

• Progress photos (weekly, under similar lighting conditions)
• Measurements of waist, hips, thighs (changes in inches can indicate fat loss)
• Performance improvements in gym (strength, endurance)
• How clothes fit
• Energy levels and general well-being

Body fat percentage is calculated using various formulas. The most common method is the U.S. Navy method, which uses:

Body fat categories vary by gender and age. Here are the general categories:

There are several methods to measure body fat percentage:

• Skinfold calipers - Measures skinfold thickness
• Bioelectrical impedance - Measures electrical resistance
• Hydrostatic weighing - Measures water displacement
• DEXA scan - Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

Both high and low body fat percentages can pose health risks: