Body Fat Calculator

Body fat is not your enemy. In fact, your body needs it to work properly. It’s a source of concentrated energy for muscles, and it’s where your body stores extra calories. It also fills fat cells to help keep the body warm. It’s an extra source of energy in lean times.

There are two kinds of body fat: essential and storage fat. You need essential fat for your body to function healthily. Men need an essential fat percentage of just 3 percent, while women need four times that at 12 percent since they carry and give birth to children.

What is Body Fat?

Adipose tissue is where your body stores fat. It’s the fat under your skin and in some areas of the body. The percentage of storage fat between men and women is similar. When you gain weight, your storage fat increases. You want to decrease your amount of storage fat when you exercise to lose weight. It’s not healthy to not have enough or to have too much storage fat.

Your body fat percentage is that ratio of your body weight, or your total mass of fat, to your total body mass. It’s not that important how much you weigh. What is important is whether you have too much body fat. Too much fat increases your risk of developing diseases like hypertension, some cancer, and diabetes. Even not having enough body fat can increase your risk of health problems.

How to Calculate Body Fat

When you use our free body fat calculator, you will get an objective measurement of your overall health. You can then take steps to lose or gain weight accordingly. Our 28 body fat and 23 body fat calculators can help you determine what steps you should take next to maximize your health.

To calculate the amount of body fat you have, you’ll need to get a tape measure. Measure your waist, hip, and wrist, and forearm circumferences. You’ll also need to enter your weight, and your gender. You can measure using inches or centimeters, or pounds or kilograms. Our calculator can provide you with your body fat percentage using either system.

Body Fat Categories

With a body fat percentage of 28 percent, women are considered average. For men, 28 percent body fat puts them in the obese category. Twenty-three percent is considered average for women, and it is at the fitness level for women (on a scale of essential fat, athletes, fitness, acceptable, and obese). Having too much body fat leads to diseases, like Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, fatty liver disease, and some cancers.

Use our free body fat calculator to determine whether you should consider gaining or losing fat. Talk with your doctor about starting a fitness program that will help you reach your overall fitness and health goals.