In order to know what a body fat percentage calculator is, we have to first look at the definition of body fat and other related terms.

What Is Body Fat Percentage?

This simply refers to the amount of fat that is in your body. Now not all the fat that is in your body is bad. The fact is that our body needs some fat in order to give us energy, provide insulation for our organs, regulate our body temperature and store energy. On the other hand, too much body fat is bad. The essential body fat for men should be 3% to 5% which is enough to maintain life and smoothly run the body while for women, essential body fat is just a bit more, 8% to 12%.

With too much body fat you run the risk of getting health problems such as diabetes, heart attack, high cholesterol and even cancer. Now a weight scale cannot tell you the amount of body fat that you have in your body. People often hop on these weight scales and see that they are overweight when in fact their body fat is at an acceptable level. With this misconception they go on these diets to lose weight not knowing that they are losing muscle density as opposed to body fat.

On the other hand, people go on the weight scale and see that their weight is at an acceptable level when in fact it is not. Now, this is the point where a body fat percentage calculator comes in.

Unlike weight scales that usually give you flawed information, a body fat percentage calculator takes into account certain data and information about your body and calculates the amount of body fat that you have. When calculating body fat; height, weight, waist size, age and gender are some of the information that a body fat calculator takes into account.

Listed below are the body fat data that you need to know

For Athletes: 14% to 20% (women) and 6% to 13% (men)
For Fitness: 21% to 24% (women) and 14% to 17% (men)
Average: 25% to 31% (women) and 18% to 24% (men)
Obese: 32%+ (women) and 24%+ (men)

With these body fat percentage information, you can check exactly where you are and see whether you need to lose body fat or not. Do note that if you are going to follow a strict diet and fitness regimen, consult your doctor first.

Check out our Body Fat Percentage Calculator site for more information, tips and secrets of a Body Fat Percentage Calculator