Monitoring the percentage of body fat is one of the best ways to monitor athletic and weight loss progress. The skinfolder is the most accurate and cost-effective tool to evaluate this data, but only if it is used by an expert operator. You can't use this tool on yourself, so if you want to measure how much fat you have on your body, don't have a pair of skinfinders, or don't know how to use them correctly, you still have alternative methods available.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using the US Navy Method
Step 1. Measure your height
Take off your shoes and evaluate this size.
Step 2. Measure your waist size
Women should consider the waist circumference at the narrowest point, corresponding to the area where it narrows, while men should use the navel as a reference point; don't pull your belly in.
Step 3. Measure your neck circumference
Place the tape measure just below the larynx by tilting it slightly downwards; avoid bending it or squeezing your muscles.
Step 4. Measure your hips if you are a woman
Measure the circumference of the body at the widest point of the pelvis by keeping the tape horizontal.
Step 5. Enter the data in the formula described below or use an online calculator
Since this method was developed by the US Navy, there is a formula that takes into account the values expressed in inches and one for the data in centimeters; rounds the result to the nearest whole number.
- For men the formula in inches is:% Fat = 86,010 * Log (abdomen - neck) - 70,041 * Log (height) + 36,76.
- For men the formula in centimeters is:% Fat = 86, 010 * Log (abdomen - neck) - 70, 041 * Log (height) + 30, 30.
- For women the formula in inches is:% Fat = 163, 205 * Log (abdomen + hips - neck) - 97, 684 * log (height) - 78, 387.
- For women the formula in centimeters is:% Fat = 163, 205 * Log (abdomen + hips - neck) - 97, 684 * Log (height) - 104, 912.
Method 2 of 3: Measure your waist circumference
Step 1. Undress wearing only your underwear or bathing suit
Ideally, measurements should be taken by placing the tape measure against bare skin, but you can wear a thin shirt if necessary. To keep your measurement conditions consistent, always wear the same clothes every time you go.
Step 2. Measure your waist size
Wrap a tape measure around your waist, just below the crest of the pelvis bone. The tape should be snug and flat on the skin, but not tight enough to be uncomfortable.
- You may need a mirror to make sure the tape measure is level and resting against your body.
- Always take the measurement in the same place and try to use the same meter.
Step 3. Watch out for health hazards
Waist circumference is not a fact that allows you to know precisely the amount of fat in the body, but it is still relatively useful information.
- Women who are not pregnant and have a waist size greater than 89 cm, along with men with a circumference greater than 102 cm, are at greater risk of suffering from obesity-related diseases, such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes.
- If you do not believe you are pregnant and you are not gaining weight, but your waist circumference is increasing, contact your doctor; you may be expecting a baby or have some medical condition.
Method 3 of 3: Calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI)
Step 1. Measure the height
Take off your shoes and record the data.
Step 2. Weigh yourself
Step onto a well-calibrated scale and write down the weight in kilograms.
Step 3. Use a BMI table
Once you have found a reliable table, locate the column corresponding to your height and the row of your weight by finding the point where they intersect; the number that appears in the box is your BMI or body mass index.
- You can find a table online.
- BMI tends to naturally increase slightly as you get older.
- In the case of children and adolescents, a specific table must be used according to the age group, otherwise inaccurate results are obtained.
- You can also use an online calculator for children or adults.
Step 4. Understand the meaning of the BMI values
They represent the relationship between weight and height; the body is made up of fat, muscle, bone, blood and many other tissues which contribute to the final weight and therefore to the body mass index. This value is therefore not directly correlated to the percentage of adipose tissue, but represents a useful tool for monitoring the build. The various BMI ranges and their medical significance are listed below:
- BMI less than 18.5: underweight;
- Normal range: 18.5-24.9;
- Between 25 and 29, 9: overweight;
- BMI greater than 30: obesity.
- The body mass index of very muscular people with almost no fat tissue could fall into the overweight range because the muscles are very heavy; discuss the significance of your results with your doctor.
- If you are not exercising and developing muscle mass but gaining weight, chances are you are gaining fat.
- If you are exercising and eating a healthy diet as you get heavier, it is possible that you have more muscle development and less fat.
- If you are losing weight, you are probably losing both muscle and fat.
Advice
- Discuss with your doctor what percentage of body fat you should have and why this is so important to you.
- Remember that fat mass monitoring is neither a holistic nor a precise method of assessing health.
- Calculate your body fat percentage with the United States Navy online method (in English). This is a useful tool if you don't have a calculator.
- On average, men have a percentage of fat between 15, 9 and 26, 6% based on age, while for women the range is between 22, 1 and 34, 2%, again in a function of age.
- The other methods that allow you to calculate the amount of fat without using a skinfold meter are impedancemetry, which exploits the passage of harmless electrical energy through the body, and hydrostatic weighing, which involves immersion in a tank; look for these techniques at clinics and large fitness centers.
- The logarithms considered in this article are always in base "10" and not in base "e". In this case: log (100) = 2.
Warnings
- Body fat percentage in men should never be less than 8%; if so, you need to see your doctor or go to the hospital.
- The percentage of body fat in women should never be less than 14%; again, it is necessary to seek medical help if the fatty tissue is too little.
- When in doubt, contact your family doctor, dietician, personal trainer, therapist, or other health professional.
