People often wonder what percentage of body weight they have lost. The formula to calculate your overall percentage of weight loss is straightforward. Use a simple math formula, plug in your information, and voila, you've got the answer. You can utilize a different formula to figure out the percentage of weight in fat that you have shed.
Overall Body Weight Percentage
Step 1
Weigh yourself before you begin your weight loss program. Record this weight, as you will need it for your calculations. This is your starting weight.
Step 2
Take the amount of weight you have lost and divide it by your starting weight. For example, if you started at 200 pounds and now weigh 180 pounds you will divide the 20 pounds you've lost by 200. This gives you an answer of 0.1.
Step 3
Multiply by 100 to get the percentage of weight lost, according to the Helping With Math website. In our example, that's 0.1 times 100 to equal 10, meaning you lost 10 percent of your body weight.
Fat Weight Percentage Lost
Step 1
Measure your body fat percentage and weigh yourself before starting your diet if you want to calculate the percentage of weight in body fat you're losing. According to nutritionist Anne Collins, there are two cost effective ways to measure body fat percentage: 1) Utilize a home scale that gives a body fat percentage; or 2) Use a skinfold caliper. If you use the scale, avoid eating or drinking for four hours and avoid exercising for 12 hours before taking your measurement. If you use the caliper, have a professional, such as a trainer at your gym or a health care practitioner, take your body fat percentage measurement.
Step 2
Calculate how much of your weight is fat weight by taking your body weight and multiplying it by your percentage of body fat, advises the book "Power Eating," by Susan M. Kleiner and Maggie Greenwood-Robinson. If you weigh 200 pounds and have 40 percent body fat, for example, you'll multiply 200 by 40 percent for an answer of 80 pounds. This means you have 80 pounds of fat and 120 pounds of lean mass on your body. The 80 pounds is your starting fat weight.
Step 3
Measure your body fat and weigh yourself again when you are ready to find your fat weight loss percentage. For example, if you lose 20 of your 200 pounds and get down to 36 percent body fat, you will multiply your new weight of 180 by 36 percent. This gives you an answer of 64.8, which is your current fat weight. Subtract your current fat weight from your starting fat weight. In our example, that's 80 minus 64.8 for an answer of 15.2. This gives you the amount of fat weight you have lost.
Step 4
Take the amount of fat weight you've lost and divide it by your starting fat weight. In our example, that's 15.2 divided by 80 for an answer of 0.19. Multiply your answer by 100 to get your percentage. That's 0.19 times 100 to equal 19, meaning you lost 19 percent of the fat weight on your body.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
- Scale
- Caliper
Member Comments