body fat CALCULATOR
Determine your body fat percentage with our body fat calculator. Use a tape measure to determine your waist, wrist, hip and forearm circumference. Then input your gender and measurements below to receive a body fat index based on average values. The body fat index is not an indicator of fitness level since the calculation is made with no regard to height or weight.
Body Fat Calculator
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Your body fat is ......
| Description | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended amount: | 20-25% | 8-14% |
| Adults in United States, average : | 22-25% | 15-19% |
| Obese : | 30+% | 25+% |
FITNESS CALCULATORS
Is my body fat percentage normal?
Once you calculated your body fat percentage, you should compare it with the recommended values. The list below comes from the American Council on Exercise and shows the average percentages in specified groups.
- Essential fat: 10–13% (women), 2–5% (men)
- Athletes: 14–20% (women), 6–13% (men)
- Fitness: 21–24% (women), 14-17% (men)
- Average: 25–31% (women), 18–24% (men)
- Obese: 32%+ (women), 25%+ (men)
This data means that if your body fat percentage is lower than 31% for women and 24% for men, you are in the average range and you have nothing to worry about. Higher levels of body fat may be dangerous for you.
The chart below shows the average body fat percentages of Americans from samples between 1999–2004. It is taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the United States.
Why should I control my body fat?
You need some body fat to regulate the production of hormones. An excessive percentage of body fat, however, can cause multiple health problems, such as:
- Heart diseases: obesity and high levels of body fat can lead to high blood pressure and high levels of bad cholesterol, which are also risk factors for heart diseases. In extreme cases, they can lead to strokes, the third most common cause of death in the United States.
- Male hormones problems: high body fat level in a woman’s body can lead to an excessive production of male hormones, causing facial hair growth and acne.
- Diabetes: high body fat can lead to type 2 diabetes. There’s a strong correlation between diabetes and being overweight; people most at risk for developing type 2 diabetes are those who have a high body mass index (BMI) and a high body fat percentage.
- Pregnancy complications: Women with high body fat levels are more likely to give birth prematurely or have children with health problems, including obesity. They are also more likely to need a Cesarean delivery.