Body fat percentage is the most precise measure of how much body fat you carry. However, it is difficult to measure body fat percentage without special equipment. Still, you can estimate your body fat percentage based on your height, weight, and age.
Step 1
Multiply your height in meters by itself.
Step 2
Divide your height in kilograms by the result of step 1.
Step 3
Multiply the result of step 2 by 1.2.
Step 4
Multiply 0.23 by your age in years.
Step 5
Add the result of step 3 to the result of step 4.
Step 6
If you are male, subtract 16.2 from the result of step 5. If you are female, subtract 5.4 from the result of step 5.
Tips and Warnings
- More precise and more complicated methods for determining body fat percentage include skinfold measurement, bioelectrical impedance measurement, hydrostatic weighing, and body plethysmography.
References
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; Body mass index as a measure of body fatness: age- and sex- specific prediction formulas; Paul Deurenberg PhD, Jan A. Weststrate PhD, Jaap C. Seidell PhD; 1991
- "Textbook of Family Medicine, Ch 47"; Robert E. Rakel, MD; 2007
- "Harrison's Internal Medicine, Ch. 74"; Jeffrey S. Flier, MD, Eleftheria Maratos-Flier, MD; 2008
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