Body fat percentage is a fitness parameter used to determine the amount of fat on your body. This reading can come in handy when trying to track progress during a weight loss program. Often when you're trying to drop weight, the scale doesn't move but you notice that your clothes fit better and you feel stronger. This means your body fat percentage is going down and your weight is staying the same because of muscle gain. To find out your body fat percentage, use a non-invasive hand-held analyzer.
Step 1
Weigh yourself the first thing in the morning to get an accurate reading. Climb out of bed, use the bathroom, take off your clothes and step on the scale. Commit your weight to memory.
Step 2
Determine your height. Stand on the inside of a doorway or stand with your back to a wall. Place a small tick mark on the door by the top of your head. Step back and measure the distance with a tape measure.
Step 3
Set up the analyzer. Press the "On/Off" button and wait for the digital screen to boot up. Answer all questions that are presented. It asks your age, weight, height, activity levels and gender. Input all of this information and be as accurate and honest as possible.
Step 4
Grab the galvanized handles and get your reading. Place your hands on the handles with your middle fingers lined up with the grooves in the back and your thumbs draped over the top. Press firmly--but not too firmly--and extend your arms straight in front of your body. Press the "Start" button with your thumb and place it back on top of the handle. Wait for seven seconds as the impedance signal gets sent through your upper body. Your body fat percentage should appear on the screen.
Step 5
Find out where you rate. Body fat percentage charts vary, depending on which ones you use. But as a rule of thumb, an acceptable range for men is 18 percent to 24 percent; for women, it's 25 percent to 31 percent.
Tips and Warnings
- Don't worry about the signal that gets sent through your body. You don't feel a thing.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Pencil
- Tape measure
- Body fat analyzer
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