To a greater or lesser extent, almost all of us have accumulated fat in some areas of the body. In a certain sense this is normal, since they are the energy reserves that our body retains in case we need them. However, crossing a limit this fat can be the culprit that we develop some metabolic or cardiovascular disease.
It has nothing to do with weighing more or less, if we take into account that muscle and bones weigh more than fat, we will come to the conclusion that an athletic person can weigh much more than a thin person, but that, nevertheless, the second has indexes much higher body fat.
A while ago knowing these indices was quite complicated, since it required specialized machinery that we cannot have at home, however, in recent years an easy and homemade technique has been developed to do so. In the following oneHOWTO article we explain how to measure body fat at home.
What is the body fat index for?
Knowing our weight, even knowing the body mass index, we can approximate a little blindly the level of health of a person. However, these methods are still incomplete and need to be supplemented by other measures to clarify them.
Body mass index or weight can be helpful in some cases, however in others they can give totally wrong results. If we put the example of a person in perfect physical condition and very muscular, surely these indications would tell us that he suffers from morbid obesity, then the weight of muscle is always greater than that of fat. However, another person may be a priori on your weight but have little muscle and a higher rate of fat.
Body fat percentage is a much more reliable indicator to determine obesity and associated metabolic diseases. However, until now it was not too easy to know, since it required devices and machinery that ordinary people do not have at home. Here we will explain how to calculate exact body fat simply with a tape measure.
In addition, in the following article you will also discover how to measure abdominal obesity.
How to calculate body fat index at home
This new way of calculating the body fat index is called BAI, which stands for its name in English. With this method we can estimate the levels of fat that we have in the body from the measurements of certain areas, applying subsequent calculations that have turned out to be surprisingly accurate in all the tests that have been done.
The formula on which it is based is the following:
Body Fat Index = Hip Circumference / (Height x Square Root of Height) – 18
But for the calculation to be correct and accurate, some aspects must be taken into account, as well as knowing how the results should be read.
- The hip circumference has to be measured in the area where the buttocks protrude the most.
- Hip circumference should be measured in centimeters.
- The circumference of the height should be measured in meters.
How the results are read
Once we have measured ourselves and we have entered those measurements in the previous formula, we will obtain a result from which we can know what our body fat index is and if that index is within the desirable parameters. Keep in mind that this model only good for adults, since in children the results are neither reliable nor indicative:
- In women: if we get a number greater than 33 we are facing a case of excess body fat that can be dangerous for the body. The higher this number is, the more urgent it will be to make a change in lifestyle to lower it.
- In men: Given their constitution and the way they absorb adipose tissues, in the male case, the number that marks an excess of fat in the body index is the 25.
Unlike other more expensive or hard-to-find methods, the BAI method can measure body fat at home, with no help other than a tape measure and a calculator. This allows us to do a self-assessment over time, being able to contrast the results and see if we actually lower the body fat index.
Other methods to know the percentage of body fat
Skin folds
This method of calculating body fat consists of measuring the folds in different parts of your body with an instrument called an adipometer or a caliper. A result is obtained in millimeters that must later be compared in a table in which parameters such as sex or age appear. After applying different formulas we will know if our body fat index is correct, it is above or below the limits.
BIA method
It is surely one of the most accurate methods that exist, although the hydration status of the person can greatly affect the precision of the results. It is carried out with specialized machinery that sends electrical impulses through your body and calculates the level of fat from the opposition to that current.
Anthropometry
It is one of the most used methods, although it does not mean that it is the most accurate. In fact it is a rudimentary form of the BAI method. You only need a tape measure and some equations, the problem is that depending on the type of body, some altered results can come out.
Densimetry
Densimetry is considered a reference method when establishing the body fat index. Basically it is about weighing yourself in the water, entering a tank. Since bones and muscles are denser than fat, the lighter the person is underwater, the more adipose tissue they will have.
Bone density
Bone densimetry is the modernization of the previous method, which is why it has become the standard most professionals work with. The truth is that this test is very complete, because not only does it allow us to know the level of body fat, but it also finds out how much lean tissue, minerals and bone are in each area of the body, showing where they accumulate more and in what percentages.
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