How do I calculate body fat percentage

Hello- 

Does anybody know how to calculate a body fat percentage please? I'm in my second month of weight training and would be interested to know what percentage of me is muscle and what is fat etc...and not be fixated on the scale all the time.

I'm 5'5, 9st 7, 27 inch waist- if that helps. But I'm happy to calcuate it myself if anybody knows a formula.

Many Thanks

A

Comments

  • There's no calculation it has to be measured.
  • the nearest you will get to a DIY method is using skin calipers and then doing a calculation based on published data (loads of info on line)

    most people use something like Tanita scales which give a rough estimate of body fat % using an impedance method - rough measure but useful for many

    the gold standard measure is much more complex and is best left to the professionals

     

    otherwise - jump up and down on front of a mirror.  what jiggles is fat and loose skin; what doesn't isn't.   very very rough measure but cheap!!

  • i would say 9st 7, 27 inch waist

    not alot of fat there already!!

  • I'm a big fan of the' jump up and down in front of a mirror' method. N.B. When you're a woman, exclude any booby jiggling from your evaluations! 

    Also just by trying on your clothes. If you have put on weight but your clothes feel the same or slightly looser, you've gained some muscle and lost some fat. If you weigh the same but your clothes feel tighter, you've put on some fat. Or, the woman thing again, you may just be experiencing menstrual cycle related water retention and puffiness.

    For women, I tend to feel that daily and weekly weighing is a waste of time and that it can actually encourage unhealthy thinking patterns about body shape and weight.

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