Weight
loss Calculator - Find your Ideal Weight
Body mass index (BMI) is measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women. Two people can have the same BMI, but a different percent body fat. A muscular person with a large muscle mass and a low percent body fat may have the same BMI as a person who has more body fat because BMI is calculated using weight and height only.
BMI Weight Status
Below 18.5 - Underweight
18.5 – 24.9 - Normal
25.0 – 29.9 - Overweight
30.0 and Above - Obese
How to measure BODY FAT: Your Fat Calculator
When it all comes down to losing or gaining weight, most people turn to the scales to determine how much they should lose or gain to have the weight or the shape that they desire.
However, health experts said weight alone is not a clear indicator of good health because it does not distinguish between pounds that come from body fat and those that come from lean body mass or muscle.
Being over fat and overweight is not the same. Overweight simply means an excess of total body weight based on population averages for heights and body frame sizes. On the other hand, obesity is defined as an excess of body fat regardless of weight.
What we have to consider, experts said, in order to determine our fitness, is to know our body fat. Remember that body fat is a percentage of your total weight, so even slender people can have dangerously high levels of body fat. (See
Here are three ways of measuring your body fat:
1. Home Body Fat Scales-- Body fat scales claim to measure body fat quickly and conveniently. These body fat scales use the Bioelectrical Impedance method to measure your body fat percentage. A low-level electrical current is passed through your body and the "impedance", or opposition to the flow of current, is measured.
2. Skin fold Calipers-- Calipers are a tool that
looks somewhat like a giant tweezers. These are used
to grasp your skin folds at different points on your
body and measure the thickness. These measurements
are then compared to standard values for persons of
your age and gender to give you your estimated body
fat.
3. Hydrostatic Weighing-This is just a fancy term
for underwater weighing. You sit on a scale inside a
tank of water and blow out as much air as you can.
You are dunked underwater, where you blow out even
more air. Since fat is lighter than water, the more
fat you have, the more you will float. The scale
measures underwater weight to figure out body
density. The margin of error is around 2-3%, but the
accuracy depends on the amount of air you expel. You
have to blow it ALL out or it will not be as
accurate. This is a difficult way to measure body
fat since it can be uncomfortable and even scary to
be dunked underwater with no air in the old lungs.
|
