how do you accurately calculate body fat?
any websites or calculations please? is it <17% when females no longer have periods? thanks =]
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- Weigh the body normally. Weigh the body in water, as in a pool. Fat floats. Subtract the difference and divide the difference by the wet weight. This is the BMI, body mass index, which is a fat-to weight ratio expressed as a percentage of overall body weight. I.E., if you're 180 dry and 150 in the water, your BMI is 30/150=20%. A "normal" BMI is between 18% and 25%, I doubt there is much truth to your "<17%" question. There are "calculators" out there (the Nintendo Wii Fit being one of them) that calculate purely on weight and height alone. This does not take into account the variation in body mass; a body builder will come up as "fat" in most of these tests. The water weight test is the only way to accurately test BMI. You can Google for "BMI calculator" for the other ones.
- type in "body fat calculator" on google. relatively accurate tests will come up, that take measurements and weight/height into account. and no, i don't think that the amount of body fat has anything to do with menstruation... cuz i used to be anorexic and i lost my period then, but now i eat normally and i have it, however, my body fat % is only 12%. I have an irregular period but i have one none the less. and i don't look anorexic anymore. so i think it really depends on the person. hope i helped :)
- DEXA scanning, hydrostatic weighing or a calliper test. No website or calculator will give you an accurate reading I'm afraid. You might as well pick a random number from 1-100...same goes with body fat scales and analysers. As for loss of periods it depends on the individual. Some woman can lose their periods at <18% and others at <12%.
