Body Fat Percentage Calculator

Are you still confused by the term body fat percentage calculator? Well, to better understand what it is we have to first look at the definition of body fat and other related terms.

What Is Body Fat Percentage?

Body fat percentage is simply the amount of fat is in your body. Not all fat in the body is bad. Our bodies do need some fat because this is burnt up to give us energy. Body fat is also used in the insulation of our organs, regulate our body temperature and store energy. However, too much body fat is bad. For men, essential body fat should be 3% to 5% which is enough to maintain life and smoothly run the body while for women, essential body fat is just a bit more, 8% to 12%.

Too much body fat makes you run the risk of getting health problems such as diabetes, heart attack, high cholesterol and even cancer. A normal weight scale can not tell you the amount of body fat that you have in your body. Many times people hop on these weight scales and see that they are overweight when in fact their body fat is at an acceptable level. They go on these diets to lose weight not knowing that they are losing muscle density as opposed to body fat.

Then again, people go on the weight scale and see that their weight is at an acceptable level when in fact it is not. . This is where a body fat percentage calculator comes in.

With a body fat percentage calculator certain data and information about your body is taken into account and the amount of body fat that you have is calculated. Remember that weight scales information is usually flawed when it comes to body fat. Height, weight, waist size, age and gender are just some of the information that a body fat calculator takes into account when calculating body fat.

These are the body fat data that you need to know

For Athletes: 14% to 20% (women) and 6% to 13% (men)
For Fitness: 21% to 24% (women) and 14% to 17% (men)
Average: 25% to 31% (women) and 18% to 24% (men)
Obese: 32%+ (women) and 24%+ (men)

Through these body fat percentage information, you can check exactly where you are and see whether you need to lose body fat or not. However, if you are going to follow a strict diet and fitness regimen, consult your doctor first.

For more information on a Body Fat Percentage Calculator, check out http://mybodyfatpercentagecalculator.com/.