What is Your Body Fat Percentage?

Body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat your body contains, and is calculated by taking your weight times the percentage. If it is 20% and you weigh 200 pounds, you have 40 pounds of body fat and 160 pounds of lean body mass (200 pounds x 20% = 40 pounds).

Knowing your body fat percentage is more important when measuring your weight loss success than stepping on the bathroom scale.  Why?  Because a bathroom scale gives you your total weight, which consists of lean body mass (muscles, bones, organ tissues, blood) and body fat.

Suppose you step on the scale and you weigh 10 pounds less than the last time you weighed yourself. Your immediate reaction might be to celebrate.  Not so fast. What may appear to be a "success" may not be such a great thing after all. 

When you lose weight, you want to lose excess body fat - not muscle! You obviously need muscle to stay strong and vibrant, but you also need muscle to burn fat.  Muscle is a fat-burning machine so the more you have, the more fat you're going to burn. 

In fact, muscle burns fat even while you're at rest! So when you stepped on that scale, you didn't have the full picture.  Did you lose 10 pounds of muscle or 10 pounds of fat?  While you probably didn't lose all of it as muscle, chances are a large chunk of it was.

The more muscle you lose, the less fat you'll burn and the greater the chance you'll have of gaining all that weight right back (which is exactly what usually happens). There is an excellent article written by fat loss expert, Tom Venuto, titled, How to Lose 20 Pounds REALLY REALLY Fast! In the article, he discusses the importance of maintaining and building muscle while trying to burn fat. He also provides useful tips on the most accurate methods for measuring body fat percentage.

Muscle weighs more than body fat so as your body fat gets displaced with more muscle, your total weight will increase as your body fat percentage decreases.  So even though you "weigh more," you'll actually be leaner, and believe it or not, you'll look thinner! This is another reason why bathroom scales can be deceiving. The scale may say you've "gained weight" but you may actually be leaner and thinner than you were the last time you weighed yourself because you've packed on more muscle. The only way to know for sure is to measure your body fat percentage.

As you set your weight loss goals, you should put more emphasis on lowering your body fat percentage instead of concentrating on simply "losing weight." I know it's hard to break traditional ideas, but knowing your body fat percentage is the most accurate way to determine how healthy you truly are. 

With that in mind, let's take a look at the body fat percentage chart below. You should strive for a body fat percentage in the "fitness" or "athlete" range. You do not want your body fat percentage to fall below the "essential fat" range. You will be putting your health at risk with body fat levels that low. We need some minimal levels of fat to provide such essential functions as cushioning organs and providing insulation.

Body fat percentage can be measured by the following methods:

 

Body Fat Calipers: This involves a body fat caliper to pinch various locations on your body. A gauge on the caliper measures the thickness of each pinch. The measurements are then added together and a body fat percentage, based on a total of those measurements, is obtained. Skin fold measurements are routinely performed at most health clubs and by most fitness professionals.
Underwater Weighing: This is considered the most accurate method but requires the assistance of highly trained personnel and the use of sophisticated equipment. You are placed on a scale in a large tank of water and are weighed while fully submerged.
Body Fat Scales: Body fat scales uses a technology called, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). Simply explained, a very low level electrical signal is sent through the body - normally by standing on sensors on the scale. BIA measures the impedance or resistance to the signal as it travels through the water that is found in muscle and fat. The more muscle a person has, the more water their body can hold. The greater the amount of water in a person's body, the easier it is for the current to pass through it. The more fat, the more resistance to the current. BIA is safe and it does not hurt. In fact, the signal used in body fat scales can not be felt at all either by an adult or child. Body fat scales are inexpensive, convenient, and more accurate than any other "at home" method.

Recommended Reading:

Body Composition - Are you made of more fat or more muscle? Find out what body composition is all about.
Body Mass Index (BMI) - What's your BMI score? Get your score and find out if you are underweight, normal, or overweight.
Body Fat Scales - Find out how these inexpensive and easy-to-use scales can help you measure your weight loss success.
Body Fat Calipers - Helpful tips on how to use them to get the most accurate measurements of your body fat percentage.
How to Lose 20 Pounds Really Really Fast! - Tom Venuto discusses the importance of losing fat vs. losing weight.
How to Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time - Christian Finn provides information on how to achieve this difficult task.