For this purpose, the body fat is measured in several ways. Commonly, skin fold calipers ‘pinch’ a section of the flesh to determine the fat in it. Another method, called Bioelectrical Impedance (BEI), measures body fat electronically.
However, both the above methods should not be employed immediately after exercising. The skin fold caliper method requires an expert to measure the different levels of fat in various areas of the body. The hydration level of the body greatly affects the fat calculated through the BEI method.
Underwater weighing, which involves submerging the person in water and calculating the fat from the volume of displaced water is another effective method of measuring body fat. However, most people do not have access to the equipment for this.
According to experts, normal females have body fat levels of 22-25%, while normal males have 15-18%. Lean and athletic structures have less than the normal level of body fat. Women having 29-35% body fat are considered over-weight, whereas males are labeled over-weight if their body fat is more than 20%. It is generally recommended that people retain their body fat levels as close as possible to ‘lean’ structures.
Proponents of the body fat theory also suggest that the location of the body fat is vital in determining risk factors. For example, excess deep abdominal fat which accumulates around the vital organs has been linked to diabetes, heart disease etc. Fat around the hips and thighs is considered relatively less risky. The measurement of the waist circumference is a good indicator of fat related disease propensity.
As is evident, body fat measurement is a more efficient method of calculating the healthy body weight compared to the BMI. However, common body fat measurement methods have a margin of error of 1-4%, and are not easily accessible by everybody. BMI, on the other hand, is a simple mathematical calculation which can be used by anybody.
HealthStatus.com does provide both a bmi calculator and a body fat estimator as online tools that you can try, and of course they are free!
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