How is the percentage of subcutaneous fat calculated? How much fat, muscle and water is in your body? Why you need to know

The easiest and most accurate way to measure your body fat percentage is with a caliper.

The ideal formula that shows whether you have excess weight, does not exist. But you can measure the percentage of fat in your body.

We will attribute the lack of an ideal formula to the fact that all people have different builds. Formulas based on height/weight can show the same recommendations for both a 100-kilogram jock and a 100-kilogram fat guy of the same height.

Therefore, the most effective indicator of how you look is your body fat percentage - the proportion of fat as a % of your total body weight. We talked and showed this in.

Determining the percentage of fat “by eye”

In the basic texts of Zozhnik - “The Sect of Jocks” and “Old Body in a New Way” we show these photographs, from which you can clearly understand the example of fat level.

By looking at them and yourself in the mirror as objectively as possible, you could imagine and roughly determine your fat percentage, and at the same time see how you can change if you reduce/increase it.

Associated with fat level eternal question beginners “how to pump up your abs?” – Everyone has six-pack abs, but they only become visible at a certain level of fat. Depending on the specific case, athletic build and relief press visible for men at the level of 6-13%, for women - 14-20%, and obesity begins at figures when fat accounts for a third of body weight or more.

Determining fat percentage using a ruler

A method using a regular ruler, or caliper, or a special device - a caliper, which is essentially a ruler for measuring the thickness of a skin fold.

The technique is simple: stand up straight, find a point 10 cm to the right of the navel at its same height, pinch the skin and fat in this place with your fingers and measure the thickness of the resulting fold with a caliper (ruler, caliper).

The resulting figure in millimeters and age must be compared with this table showing fat levels.

FOR MEN:

FOR WOMEN:

Determining body fat percentage using a calculator

There are also many fat percentage calculators online based on different body measurements. For example, there is one in our “Fitness calculators” section.

Bioimpedance / Smart scales

The essence of bioimpedance is passing a weak current through the body; measuring the percentage of fat with “smart” scales is based on this principle.

The speed of the signal depends on the percentage of fat - the more fat, the slower the signal travels. But this method has a large error: the quality of contact plays a huge role, how tightly your heels stand on the scales, whether they are wet, and how rough the skin is. In addition, the amount of food eaten/drank also affects the indicator.

Weighing in water is an accurate way to measure body fat percentage

A very accurate, but also the most labor-intensive method, which is used in specialized clinics. The technique is based on the fact that, due to its low density, fat has positive buoyancy and does not sink. A person is fixed in a special chair and completely immersed in water with his head,where they weigh. Several approaches are taken to ensure the result is as accurate as possible. The fat weight is then calculated using a formula.

This technique gives one of the most accurate results with an error of about +/- 3%, but there are few places where such a service is provided. For example, we were unable to find proposals on this topic on the Internet.

The dangers of low fat levels

The minimum fat level safe for health and life for a man, depending on individual characteristics, is 2-5%. At the same time, you need to understand that competing athletes with relief enter competitions with a fat level of 5-7%, but this is also a lot of stress for the body.

There are also extreme sportsmen - known death, when an athlete died due to a low percentage of body fat, having previously achieved a figure of 1%.

For women, the minimum fat level is 10-13%.

At lower percentages, metabolism deteriorates significantly, in men the production of sex hormones stops, in women the menstrual cycle stops, and these are only the most superficial signs of a negative impact on health.

We also published a study on the relationship between life expectancy and body weight, which said about the negative effects of both excessively high and excessively low levels of body fat.

So don't get carried away and may the force be with you!

Body fat percentage is the proportion of your weight that is made up of fatty tissue.

For example, A 70 kg woman with 30% body fat has 21.1 kg of adipose tissue. The remaining 48.9 falls on its muscles, bones, nerves, tissues, internal organs, etc.

The percentage of body fat directly depends on the level physical training, so it's best indicator health than body mass index (BMI).

The table shows the percentage of body fat in men and women, and their level of training

*For men, the condition is considered borderline at 25% of adipose tissue, and clinical obesity at 30%. In women, there is a borderline state at 30% of adipose tissue, and clinical obesity at 35%.
**Low body fat in women increases the likelihood of amenorrhea (cessation of menstruation).

How to measure body fat percentage correctly

To take measurements correctly, you must use a caliper. However, measurements will require the help of an outsider. Follow this algorithm:

1. Grasp the fold with two fingers and pinch it tightly;
2. Without releasing the fold, close the caliper jaws tightly just below;
3. Record the result and move on to the next part of the body.

Having body fat is normal

A certain percentage of fat must be present in the body. Humans need fat tissue to regulate hormone production and maintain body temperature. Too low a fat percentage poses a health risk.

The lower threshold for fat content for men is 5%; for women – 13%.

Based on materials:

• Jackson, A. S., & Pollock, M. L. (1978). Generalized equations for predicting body density of men. British Journal of Nutrition, 40, 497-504.
• Jackson, A. S., Pollock, M. L., & Ward, A. (1980). Generalized equations for predicting body density of women. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 12, 175-182.

It's hard to train without motivation. Perfect option for any athlete - when he sees changes happening to his body. What influences appearance figures? The answer is obvious:
Muscle mass;
Body fat percentage.

If changes in the first parameter are easy to see by how training weights and volumes increase, then the second requires measurements. We'll tell you how to do this.

How and where does the body store fat reserves?

The mechanism for the formation of fat deposits was developed in the process of evolution. Basic goals:
1 . Create an energy reserve. Our distant ancestors did not have refrigerators: periods of successful hunting were followed by long periods of starvation. When there was food, the body created a reserve of fat, when there was no food, it spent its own resources. Primarily adipose tissue.
2 . Keep warm. Adipose tissue is an excellent heat insulator. There are a minimum of capillaries in it; when the fat layer cools, the blood hardly cools down. Muscles and internal organs maintain their temperature.

In women, fat is located primarily in the chest, buttocks and thighs; in men, it is deposited under the skin on the abdomen. A shift in hormonal balance leads to a change in the dislocation of deposits.

A man with low testosterone levels is often effeminate in appearance - wide hips complemented by breast formation female type, so-called gynecomastia. At the same time, women with low estrogen levels, if they accumulate fat, then, like in men, it gravitates to the folds on the abdomen.

Fat amount range

How much fat can the human body contain? Lower limit - approx. 5% for men and 10% for women. Bodybuilders before competitions, however, can reduce the amount of fat by up to 3-4% . This level means ideal terrain: all muscle fibers with minimal voltage they are perfectly drawn.

Too little fat content can lead to health problems. Don't forget: fat is necessary for normal hair growth ( participates in the formation of the hair follicle along with proteins); synovial lubrication in joints ( ensures the sliding of the bone head along the cartilaginous substrate) also consists of fat.

Fat is used by the body to produce sex hormones. If its level is too low in men, testosterone production deteriorates. Having trouble recruiting or maintaining muscle mass, no sexual desire. In women, the menstrual cycle is disrupted.
Finally, too little fat percentage has a negative impact on the skin.

The optimal amount of fat in the body is considered 12-20% for men And 18-25% for women. In this case, the figure looks athletic, moderately sculpted, and health does not suffer in any way.

With age, with a constant subcutaneous layer of fat, its total amount increases: intramuscular fat and fat cells surrounding the internal organs accumulate.

Men with 30% fat and women with 35% have obvious external signs of obesity. In addition to aesthetics, health problems begin here: the number of problems with the heart and blood vessels increases sharply.

Ways to measure fat

Anthropometry. Simply measuring your volumes with a measuring tape will allow you to track the dynamics of changes. If your biceps have increased and your waist has decreased, you have obviously gained muscle and decreased fat.
However, the method is not universal and subjective: in women, for example, a large amount of fat can be deposited on the arms and in the triceps area. In addition, in this way you can only approximately estimate the dynamics, but not find out the exact or at least approximate percentage of fat in the body.

Bioimpedance (electrical resistance measurement). Muscles, bones, fat and water have different electrical resistance. This fact has long been used by doctors when determining the exact percentage of fat ( the error of the method is no more than two percent). Relatively recently, household scales have appeared on the market that measure the percentage composition of the body using the bioimpedance method.

The essence of the method is that a very weak electric current is passed through the body. Based on the strength of the current at a known potential difference, it is possible to calculate the electrical resistance of body tissues, and if so, then their composition.

Using the bioimpedance method has several nuances:
Measurements are taken in a warm room. Sweat or, conversely, narrowing of capillaries after a walk on a winter street is unacceptable.
Measurements are taken on an empty stomach; in addition, taking diuretics greatly distorts the results.
A heavy workout or shower shortly before the measurement will affect skin moisture and the amount of water and salts in the body. If so, again the results will be distorted.
The electric current follows the shortest path, so when measuring with scales, only the resistance of the legs is taken into account, but not the torso. This method is not suitable for potbellies with thin legs.

Ultrasound. Estimates of the accuracy of this method vary greatly among different specialists. Fabrics of different densities conduct acoustic vibrations differently; theoretically, their patency in different parts of the body should give an accurate picture. In practice, sometimes you can see paradoxical results like 40% fat from a prize-winner in a bodybuilding competition.

Weighing in water. Fat has a different density than muscle tissue, remember? If so, the difference between body weight in air and in water will allow us to calculate the percentage of body fat using rather complex formulas.

WITH practical side it looks like this: you are seated in a chair suspended from scales, and after a deep exhalation, you are immersed in water for 10 seconds. For greater accuracy, the procedure is repeated three times. We can only hope that the mechanism that lifts you out of the water is very reliable and cannot jam.

X-ray scanner. The most expensive and most accurate method for determining fat. You will have to try to find a clinic that has such equipment, and then spend several thousand rubles on the examination. It might be better to buy a caliper, which will be discussed later.

Measurement of fat folds. Finally, the simplest method of measuring fat percentage, which does not require complex instruments with acceptable accuracy of the result, is to pinch the fat folds at several points and measure them.

Doctors use a special meter for measurements - a caliper. At home, you can easily get by with a caliper or a regular ruler. We need to measure the folds at four points.

1 . We measure the thickness of the fat fold on the triceps, approximately at the same distance from the shoulder and elbow joints.

2 . Similarly, we measure the fold on the biceps, on the opposite side of the arm.

3 . We measure the fat fold on the shoulder blade. To be precise, the thickness of the tuck is measured just below any of the shoulder blades; the skin is pinched at an angle of 45 degrees to the vertical so that the fold is directed along the line connecting the cervical vertebrae and sides. Of course, you will need help to take measurements.

4 . We measure the fat fold at the waist in the navel area, where the most fat is.

The results are summarized. The following table is used to calculate your fat percentage:

	Men			Women
amount in mm	16-29 years old	30-49 years old	over 50	16-29 years old	30-49 years old	over 50
20	8,1	12,1	12,5	14,1	18,4	21,4
22	9,2	13,2	13,9	15,4	19,5	22,6
24	10,2	14,2	15,1	16,5	20,6	23,7
26	11,2	15,2	16,3	17,6	21,5	24,8
28	12,1	16,1	17,4	18,6	22,4	25,7
30	12,9	16,9	18,5	19,5	23,3	26,6
35	14,7	18,7	20,8	21,6	25,2	28,6
40	16,3	20,3	22,8	23,4	26,8	30,3
45	17,7	21,8	24,7	25,0	28,3	31,9
50	19,0	23,0	26,3	26,5	29,6	33,2
55	20,2	24,2	27,8	27,8	30,8	34,6
60	21,2	25,3	29,1	29,1	31,9	35,7
65	22,2	26,3	30,4	30,2	32,9	36,7
70	23,2	27,2	31,5	31,2	33,9	37,7
75	24,0	28,0	32,6	32,2	34,7	38,6
80	24,8	28,8	33,7	33,1	35,6	39,5
85	25,6	29,6	34,6	34,0	36,3	40,4
90	26,3	30,3	35,5	34,8	37,1	41,1
95	27,0	31,0	36,5	35,6	37,8	41,9
100	27,6	31,7	37,3	36,3	38,5	42,6
110	28,8	32,9	38,8	37,7	39,7	43,9
120	29,9	34,0	40,2	39,0	40,8	45,1
130	31,0	35,0	41,5	40,2	41,9	46,2
140	31,9	36,0	42,8	41,3	42,9	47,3
150	32,8	36,8	43,9	42,3	43,8	48,2
160	33,6	37,7	45,0	43,2	44,7	49,1
170	34,4	38,5	46,0	44,6	45,5	50,0
180	35,2	39,2	47,0	45,0	46,2	50,8
190	35,9	39,9	47,9	45,8	46,9	51,6
200	36,5	40,6	48,8	46,6	47,6	52,3

As you can see, the table adjusts not only for gender, but also for age. The reason has already been mentioned: with age, the amount of fat inside the muscles and in abdominal cavity, around internal organs.

The approximate accuracy of the method is 2-3% error when correctly measured with a caliper.

Finding out your fat percentage is, of course, very interesting. However, from a practical point of view, this data does not provide much. If you are burning fat, it is enough to measure the volumes and enjoy the dynamics of their reduction. When the waist decreases by 2 cm, it is visible to the naked eye. When your body fat percentage decreases by X%, you may not notice anything visually.

Bonus! Visually measure your body fat percentage

Compare your figure with the photo and you will understand how much fat is in your body.

Calculating your fat percentage helps you track and control the level of effectiveness of your chosen weight loss strategy.

How and what to measure?

You need to measure your height, weight, waist, neck and hip circumference. Also indicate your daily activity level. Enter the obtained measurements into the calculator, click the “Calculate” button.

What's your gender
	Your height (in centimeters):
	Your weight (in kilograms):
	Your waist (in centimeters):
	Your neck (in centimeters):
	Your hips (in centimeters):
Physical activity:	Physical activity:
	Calculate

Body parameters

To take measurements you will need a measuring tape and. Take measurements with an accuracy of 0.5 cm. Make sure that the measuring tape does not tighten the skin, but does not hang loosely.

• Height– measure your height without shoes;
• Weight– get on the scale in the morning, without clothes, first visit the toilet and not have breakfast;
• Waist– waist measurements for men should be taken in the navel area, for women – in the narrowest part of the abdominal cavity;
• Neck– measure the circumference of the neck under the Adam’s apple;
• Hips– measure at the widest part of the hips.

Activity level

• Minimum– passive lifestyle, working at the computer, rare irregular exercise;
• Moderate– daily walking, work in motion, active recreation;
• Active – regular classes sports, hard physical work.

Decoding the results

Body mass index– the ratio of a person’s weight and height. The formula BMI = kg/m2 allows you to determine how much your weight corresponds to the norm. The formula does not take into account your body type, so it gives inaccurate results if you are an athlete with developed muscles.

	BMI< 18.5
Norm	BMI 18.5 – 24.9
Overweight	BMI 25-29.9
Obesity	BMI ≥ 30

Waist to height ratio– allows you to determine how much abdominal fat is contained in the human body. Underdevelopment and large amounts of abdominal fat lead to diseases of cardio-vascular system, liver and gastrointestinal tract.

Body fat percentage– The permissible amount of fat is different for men and women. The accumulation of fat on the abdomen and thighs in women is explained by the need to have an additional source of nutrition and energy in case of pregnancy. A man's body needs more muscle to protect and provide for his family.

Lean body weight– calculated by the formula: Mass x (100 – fat percentage). The calculation allows you to find out a person’s weight without fat deposits.

Minimum Calorie Requirements– the result shows how many calories a person’s body of a certain height and weight needs for normal functioning. The calculation is entirely dependent on the BMI value, if the body mass index is greater than 25 (which means overweight or obese), the calculator reduces the daily calorie intake by 15%.

Amount of protein per day– the result is influenced by the body mass index, height, and activity level of the person. The protein norm is calculated based on:

• 0.8 grams per 1 kg of weight for people who drive sedentary image life;
• 1.1 grams for moderately active;
• 1.4 grams for energetic, active people.

Based on the daily protein requirement, the amount of other components of the diet is adjusted. The right amount of protein must be included in the diet to ensure normal height muscle with reduced calorie intake. The proportion used is: 30% protein, 30% fat, 40% carbohydrates.

Protein diet

Low carb diet

Acceptable percentage of fat

How much fat mass can be contained in the human body? Professional bodybuilders, preparing for competitions, reduce the amount of fat mass to 3-4%. Their bodies are a perfect relief of muscles that appear at the slightest tension.

A low mass index and insufficient amount of adipose tissue lead to metabolic disorders in the body. The condition of the skin and hair worsens. Sex hormones are not produced, reproductive function is disrupted.

• Minimum index– 5% for men and 10% for women.
• Normal amount of fat tissue 12-20% in men and 18-25% in women. This index corresponds to an athletic, moderately sculpted physique and good health.
• Clear signs overweight and obesity: underdeveloped muscles, body mass index greater than 30, fat percentage greater than 30% in men and 35% in women.

With obesity, the person’s appearance primarily suffers - breasts, increased sweating, and an unaesthetic appearance.

In addition, there is a risk of cardiovascular diseases, joints are destroyed, the spine is bent under the weight extra pounds. The psyche suffers - self-esteem decreases, self-dislike, irritability, and depression appear.

How else can you calculate your fat percentage?

Bioimpedance

You can find out how much fat your body contains using the bioimpedance method (measuring electrical resistance). Doctors studied the difference in electrical resistance of fat, muscles, bones, water and, based on the knowledge gained, created a device to determine the percentage of fat. The accuracy of the method is an error of no more than 2%.

Now you can buy a household analogue - scales for measuring the percentage of fat and muscle, the work of which is based on the bioimpedance method.

The scale sends a weak electrical impulse through the body. The current strength, taking into account the potential difference, shows the degree of electrical resistance of tissues in the body. Depending on the degree of resistance, the composition of the fabric is determined.

Scales based on the bioimpedance method have a number of disadvantages:

• The scales should only be used in a warm room at normal body temperature. Expansion or contraction of blood vessels due to exposure to external temperatures is unacceptable.
• Weight measurement is carried out on an empty stomach. You cannot take diuretics - the result is greatly distorted.
• Do not perform heavy exercise or shower before measuring your weight to avoid external influences on your weight. water-salt balance in organism.
• The electrical impulse travels along the shortest path, so the device takes into account only the resistance of the leg tissue. If you have thin legs, but big belly, the scale will not show an accurate result.

Weighing in water

To study the stage and degree of obesity, doctors use water weighing. The method is based on theoretical knowledge about the density of fat, which differs from muscle tissue.

A person is weighed in air and in water, then, using complex formulas, the difference between the indicators is calculated and the percentage of fat is calculated.

The procedure is as follows: a person sits in a special chair for measuring mass, connected to a scale. You need to exhale deeply, after which the chair is immersed in water for 10 seconds. To obtain accurate measurements, the procedure is carried out three times.

Fat fold measurement

Measuring the percentage of fat based on the thickness of the fat folds is a simpler and safer method for studying the degree of obesity. Doctors have a special meter for these purposes - a caliper, but you can use a caliper and even a regular ruler.

The essence of the method is to pinch the fat fold at four points on the body and measure its thickness:

• Pinch the fat fold on the triceps, midway between the shoulder and elbow joint, and measure the thickness;

• Similarly measure the fat fold on your biceps.

• Measure the fold under the shoulder blade and pinch the skin at an angle of 45° to the vertical. Make sure that the fold is located along the line that connects cervical region spine and sides.

• Take a measurement of the fat fold in the navel area, choosing the area with the largest amount of fat.

The results obtained are summarized. To calculate your fat percentage, use a special table.

Knowing your body fat percentage is essential when changing your body. He will help:

• Determine the initial data so that you can enjoy the changes later))
• Estimate the approximate duration of the diet (about);
• Monitor the dynamics of changes in body composition on a diet (the ratio of muscle mass, bone mass and fat mass in the body).

There are many measurement methods, let's figure out how to find out your fat percentage.

Body fat percentage is the ratio of fat tissue to the rest of your body weight, which consists of muscles, bones, internal organs and fluids.

A low percentage of fat does not necessarily mean an athletic and harmonious physique, and healthy body, basically.

Two people with the same body fat percentage may look different. If the total body mass is large and there is little fat, then such a body will look athletic due to the large muscle mass. If there is little muscle and fat, then the body looks thin.

A healthy woman's body fat percentage is always higher than that of a man - higher levels of fat support reproductive function.

The fat percentage norms for men and women are given in the table below ():

And this is what it looks like (roughly):

Methods for measuring body fat percentage

No sign or counting chart on the Internet will show you the exact percentage of body fat.

However, you can build on something or use the same method to track progress. There may be an error, but you will see the dynamics of change.

How to find out your body fat percentage using BMI

Body mass index (BMI) is a generally accepted method for calculating optimal body weight. It takes into account only your weight, height and gender, and is calculated:

BMI = body weight in kg / (height in meters x height in meters), e.g. 80 kg/ 1.86 m x 1.86 m = 23.1 kg/m2

Despite the fact that BMI does not correlate with body fat percentage, a rough estimate of its content can be estimated for people who are not very athletic, without large muscles(taken from https://shantramora.livejournal.com/149932.html):

If you have muscles and there are a lot of them, then it is better to count differently. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger's body mass index at his peak competitive form would show obesity:

Arnold is 1.88 m tall and weighs 107 kg on stage. BMI = 30 kg/m2, which corresponds to 26% body fat, which is not true.

Caliper

Caliperometry is a simple and accessible method for assessing subcutaneous fat. Suitable for persons with a BMI in the range of 18.5-25 kg/m2, since caliper models have limitations in measuring the width of the skin fold.

Fat is distributed unevenly throughout our body. It also surrounds internal organs. Therefore, caliperometry has a high error, but is quite suitable for tracking the dynamics of changes during weight loss.

You should pull back the skin along with subcutaneous fat, excluding muscles, measure the thickness of the fold with a caliper, and then compare the values ​​with tables or enter the values ​​into an online calculator. You can find several methods for measuring and obtaining results.

Your caliper may contain in its instructions a method for converting its values ​​into percentage of fat, but it may not, so use the link above.

On the website www.linear-software.com/online.html you can choose 5 methods for measuring folds and one based on girth measurements with a measuring tape. Enter the values ​​and click get result. Use the translator built into the browser if you do not speak English

The measurements themselves might look like this:

For men

1. Breast - Diagonal fold midway between nipple and top part pectoral muscle at the armpit.

1. Belly - Vertical fold 2.5 cm to the right of the navel.

For women

1. Triceps - The vertical fold midway between the top of the shoulder and the elbow.

1. Suprailium - The diagonal fold above the upper anterior portion of the iliac crest.

1. Thigh - Vertical fold in the middle between kneecap and groin fold.

Important when using a caliper:

• Carry out different measurements at the same time of day, under the same conditions, with the same caliper.
• Measure the folds on the right side of the body.
• The skin should be dry, undamaged, and without clothing.
• Practice first. Your measurements should be the same.

By girth of body parts

For ordinary and obese people whose fat percentage cannot be determined using a caliper, a method using body girth measurements is suitable.

You need to measure the circumference of your waist, hips and pelvis, and then plug the data into the calculator.

Formulas

Using formulas, It’s better to focus on several calculation schemes and take the average value.

US Navy Body Fat Formula

Based on the circumferences of the neck, waist, and hips (for women), the formula shows the result with an error of 1-3%, which is quite good.

The formula itself looks like this:

• For men 86.01 x LOG(waist - neck) - 70.041 x LOG(height) + 30.3;
• For women 163.205 x LOG(waist + hips - neck) - 97.684 x ​​LOG(height) - 104.912.

Where LOG is the decimal logarithm.

YMCA formula

• YMCA for men (-98.42 + (4.15 x waist/2.54) - (0.082 x (weight/0.454)))/(weight/0.454) x 100
• YMCA for women (-76.76 + (4.15 x waist/2.54) - (0.082 x (weight/0.454)))/(weight/0.454) x 100

Formula based on BMI

Body fat percentage based on BMI = (1.2 x BMI) + (0.23 x age) - (10.8 x gender) - 5.4, where gender is 1 for men and 0 for women.

Online fat percentage calculator

In order not to worry about all these formulas, just enter your values ​​into this calculator and get an approximate percentage of fat. Data is the geometric mean of the above three methods for measuring body fat percentage:

Regular photos and by eye

Connect as many ways to determine your body fat percentage as possible.

Here's an example of how to do it:

Watch how your body changes in the photo and reflection in the mirror and compare yourself with, which show the approximate fat content.

Bioimpedance method

Based on measuring the bioelectric resistance of body tissues. Fat tissue conducts electricity differently than bone and muscle. This is due to the lower percentage of water (about 50%) in fat compared to muscle (about 75%).

To take measurements, a person is placed on a couch, electrodes are connected, and after a couple of minutes they are given a printout with data on body composition.

The error of the method is 3-9%. The price is affordable and starts from 1000 rubles in Moscow (clinics where this can be done). Contraindications include the presence of pacemakers and pregnancy.

Electronic balance

Yes, modern smart scales can measure body composition and do it quite well based on the same bioimpedance analysis. The review conducted by habr.com compares the performance of smart MGB scales and bioimpedance measurements using the MEDASS device in a clinical setting:

There are no radical differences. The cost of the MGB scales is 1990 rubles and will be paid off after two trips to the clinic

Exotic

BOD POD

Plethysmographic body composition analyzer. It is an air chamber that measures the density of human body components. Based on the measurements, you can get the following data ():

• Body composition;
• Total weight;
• Fat mass;
• Fat-free mass;
• Thoracic gas volume (TGV) assessment;
• Thoracic gas volume (TGV) measurement;
• Resting metabolic rate (RMR) estimate;
• Total Energy Expenditure (TEE) estimate.

The method is considered accurate, the error is 2-6%, but I couldn’t find where to do such an analysis in Russia.

DEXA and hydrostatic weighing

The two most accurate methods for determining body composition. Error up to 2%.

The DEXA method is based on scanning the body with X-rays, hydrostatic weighing is carried out in water. Both procedures are expensive, complex and inconvenient for regular measurements, for example to track weight loss progress.

Conclusion

Modern methods for measuring body fat percentage

For the purpose of losing weight, once every 2-4 weeks you need to measure your fat percentage in order to track the results of your diet (read about it without harming the body and without dietary restrictions).

Using even not the most accurate methods, such as caliperometry, you can see the visual dynamics of reducing the percentage of fat. While the numbers may not be accurate, what is important is that they decrease over time.

Ideally, combine several methods and take the average value.