Stepping on the scale and not noticing any difference can be discouraging.
Although it’s normal to want unbiased evaluation on your development, your main concern shouldn’t be your body weight.
While some people who are “overweight” are unhealthy, others who are “normal weight” are not.
composition of your weight
However, your body fat % reveals the composition of your weight.
It specifically informs you of the proportion of fat in your entire body weight. More of your body weight is made up of lean muscular mass when your body fat percentage is lower.
Here are the top 10 methods for calculating body fat percentage.
1. Folding calliper
For more than 50 years, body fat has been estimated using skinfold measurements (1Trusted Source).
Skinfold callipers quantify the subcutaneous fat, or fat below the skin, thickness at specific body sites.
The body is measured at three or seven separate locations. Men and women utilise various sites in different ways.
2. The 3-site measurement for women uses the triceps
the region above the hip bone, and either the thigh or the abdomen
In women, the chest, region around the armpit, and region below the shoulder blade are also measured for a 7-site measurement.
The three sites are the chest, triceps, and area under the scapula in men, or the chest, thigh, and abdomen.
3. X-ray absorptiometry with dual energy (DXA)
DXA, as the name suggests, calculates your body fat percentage by using X-rays of two different energies (6Trusted Source).
You lay on your back for roughly 10 minutes during a DXA scan as an X-ray is scanned over you.
The radiation emitted by a DXA scan is extremely low. It’s roughly equivalent to what you would get in three hours of your typical day (7).
DXA is also used to measure bone density and offers comprehensive data on the bone, lean mass, and fat in various body parts (arms, legs and torso).
This gauges the total mass of your body, which includes your bones, blood, organs, and fat. You need trustworthy scales in order for it to be accurate.
Weight yourself at the same time of day, in the same setting, and on the same scales if you’re keeping track of your weight over time. It’s best to do it in the morning after you’ve emptied your bladder.
Positive: Simple, quick, and inexpensive.
The drawback is that it just measures total body weight; it ignores changes in body fat or muscle, and it doesn’t indicate where fat is located. Use alternative body composition techniques, like skinfolds or smart scales, to measure body fat.