Probably everyone understands that the percentage of fat in the body - important indicator.
It should not be overlooked, focusing on losing weight only on kilograms and an arrow on the scales. Because we want to get rid of from fat, not muscle.
In addition, people with the same weight can look completely different. Therefore, knowing how much fat is in the body is much more useful.
Subcutaneous and visceral
How to determine the quantity visceral fat? Excess is easy to notice by the disturbed proportions of the body: the stomach protrudes noticeably forward.
What percentage of internal fat should be in women and men? No more than 15% of total body fat, regardless of gender. You can also understand that the norm of visceral fat is exceeded, simply by changing the waist. For women, a dangerous figure will be 80 cm, for a strong half of humanity - 90.
Of course, these are not ideal and not completely reliable methods, but they are the only ones available to people at home!
Why is it necessary to know?
Muscle is heavier than fat, therefore, even with the same weight, two people can have a completely different body quality. The lower the percentage of fat in the body and the greater the percentage of muscles, the more prominent the body will be. So beautiful, athletic body - not kilograms on the scales, because the "quantity of the body" does not always correspond to its "quality". Women, for physiological reasons, have more fat cells than men, so it is always more difficult for women to build muscle mass.
Beautiful body- It's really a lot of work on yourself. Not the search for "miracle diets", magic pills or the cunning technique of the third wife of the Chinese Emperor Jing, but daily nutrition control, regular classes in the gym and wanting to understand how it all works. Like the work of a sculptor who calmly and methodically carves a beautiful statue out of a shapeless stone.
If you are losing weight and monitor the quality of your body, then try to measure the percentage of fat in the body at least once a month. This will help you not mindlessly dump overweight and systematically improve body composition.
Besides:
- You can track the change in your fat mass during both weight loss and muscle gain. This is much more revealing than the scales.
- Knowing your dry weight muscle mass, you can use to find out the rate of calories.
The norm for women and men: what should be
So, what is the normal percentage of fat in a woman is considered:
- up to 30 years - 15-23%;
- from 30 to 50 years - 19-25%;
- from 50 years old - 20-27%.
Normal percentage body fat in men
- up to 30 years - 11-18%;
- from 30 to 50 years - 14-20%;
- from 50 years old - 16-22%.
In the presence of fat in an amount of more than 32%, a person develops obesity.
More visual tables:
How to find out on your own at home?
There is no exact way to find out how much fat is in the body. There are more precise methods, there are simple methods that show this approximately.
How to identify by photo
Cheap and cheerful: to determine your body fat percentage, you need to find a figure that is as similar as possible to yours:
For girls and women, an athletic physique is characterized by 14-20% body fat, good physical shape - 21-24%, average level fat - 25-31%. At the same time, the level of fat below 10% is extremely dangerous for the female body and leads to the cessation .
For men, 6-13 percent body fat means a toned, athletic physique and enough relief press, 14-17% - good physical form with the presence of a large number fat in problem areas, 18-25% - the average level of form, above 25% - obesity.
From the positive: it is the fastest, free and easiest way. To determine your body fat percentage, you need to find a figure that is as similar as possible to yours.
From the negative: requires your assessment of yourself, which is not always objective. We can unconsciously “throw off” a few kilograms in our mind and compare ourselves with a more slender version in the photo. In a word, with a probability of 80%, this method is “a finger to the sky”.
How to measure with a caliper
Caliper- a special device that measures the thickness of the skin-fat fold in different parts of the body. Based on the figures obtained, the percentage is determined using special tables or formulas subcutaneous fat.
How to measure body fat with a caliper - !! only for women!!
- Back surface shoulder: the fold is taken vertically in the middle between shoulder joint and elbow.
- on the side: The fold is taken from the side diagonally in the middle between the lower rib and the bones of the thigh.
- On the stomach: the fold is taken vertically at a distance of + -2.5 cm away from the navel.
% fat \u003d (A-B + C) + 4.03653, where:
- A \u003d 0.41563 x (sum of all three folds in mm),
- B \u003d 0.00112 x (the sum of all three folds in mm squared),
- C \u003d 0.03661 x age in years.
Measurement common for women and men
We add the obtained numbers in mm and find out the percentage of subcutaneous fat using the table:
From the positive: inexpensive, fast, you can do it yourself at home, fairly accurate indicators.
From the negative: practice is needed to learn how to use it correctly or someone else's help, calculations are required using formulas.
How to calculate online
There are also many body fat percentage calculators on the internet based on various body measurements. So you can easily calculate online. For example, here are these:
From the positive: quickly, does not require any activity.
From the negative: calculation is invalid.
How to calculate by weights with an analyzer
How scales determine the amount of fat and muscle in the body: the device passes a weak current through you and calculates the resistance of the tissues.
From the positive: fast, suitable for regular home use.
From the negative: the same as for bioimpedance - not always accurate indicators, since the figure can be affected water balance(edema). High-quality scales will cost more than 10,000, and it is better to refuse cheap ones - money down the drain. When measured again, fluid loss may show on the scales a decrease in the percentage of fat mass, although in fact it remained unchanged. The only way to use such scales will be to follow the trend - let the number lie, but it is important to increase or decrease over time.
How to calculate body mass index from Lyle MacDonald
The method is only suitable for untrained people, i.e. for beginners who haven't started yet strength training. For happy owners of visible muscles built in gym above the "norm", this method is not suitable.
To determine your body fat percentage, you need to know your body mass index: BMI = weight in kg / height in square meters
How to check with professionals
How to calculate the amount of bioimpedance analysis
And water in the body. The question is relevant because by determining the proportions of fat, water and muscle mass, you can find out exactly how much fat you lost during weight loss. Maybe it's just water?
If in the process of losing weight you lose fat, and not muscle mass or water, then you are definitely on the right way. But how in the body and what is the average? There is a special table where all the numbers are given. Let's take a quick look at her data.
The average indicator is calculated depending on the age, gender of the subject. So because of the hormone estrogen, the female audience has 5% more body fat than the male audience. Therefore, the usual normal figure is 23% for a woman and 17% for a man.
Depending on age, the percentage of normal body fat increases, and muscle tissue mass decreases.
So the average student aged 20 years should have a fat content of approximately 15% of total weight body. And older men with a clearly sedentary lifestyle have rates of 25% or more. The ideal indicator is considered the limit of obesity. Anything above is full-fledged clinical obesity with all the ensuing consequences.
Why you need body fat
As paradoxical as it sounds, the human body still needs fat. Weight loss fanatics can convince you otherwise until you're blue in the face, but still pay attention to this point so as not to cross the boundaries of acceptable weight loss.
Fat is necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Therefore, its content cannot be equal to zero.
Fat needed:
- For thermal insulation;
- To protect the internal organs and / or the fetus during pregnancy;
- as energy reserves. This is the so-called NZ of our body for a "rainy day".
For women, the indicator of the required fat is at least 8-10%, but for men this figure is 3-5%. A low percentage of fat is extremely dangerous for health, which is especially true for the female body. So indicators below 10-13% inhibit the production of estrogen, disrupt reproductive function and the menstrual cycle. There is also a risk of developing osteoporosis much earlier than old age due to a decrease in bone density.
By the way, often due to lack of body weight, women cannot become pregnant. That's why doctors recommend certain fat-building foods for the "painfully thin."
How to find out the percentage of body fat
There are various methods that reflect the fat content in the body. Most accurate:
- Body composition and its analysis;
- Waist-to-hip ratio;
- Skin fold measurement.
So you can find out what proportion of your body is fat, and what is the rest of the tissues. Similar studies can easily be done in sports centers and clubs. There you can also be offered special products that will help you lose weight or. I mean high-quality official drugs like thermogenics, and so on.
In pharmacies and not very good sports clubs, they often sell products that remove fat from the body. Drugs simply do not allow lipids to be absorbed during digestion, are harmful to the body, and besides, they can embarrass you in public.
Skin Fold Measurement
One of the most accurate and popular methods for determining the percentage of fat is to measure the thickness of the fold in certain places.
The scale on this tool will show the thickness of the fat layer. Such pinching is done in certain places - the upper back, abdomen, hips, chest. The index is then inserted into special formula and calculate the percentage.
You won’t believe it, but initially the tool was invented in order to determine the thickness of fat in pigs. Later adapted to the needs of man.
The measurement has a high degree of accuracy, but tomography is considered the most accurate. Thanks to the unit, it is possible to accurately divide adipose and non-adipose tissue in the body. But due to the high cost of the procedure, it is practically not used in practice.
Pinching
To make pinching, it is necessary to pinch a fold of skin in several places with the index and thumb. The help of an outsider is needed, since you need to pinch on the hips, abdomen, slightly above the armpit. Next, trying not to spread your fingers, measure the distance between them with a ruler. If the distance is more than 2.5 cm, then excess weight you have.
Body mass index
To calculate, you need to divide the weight by the height squared. The normal value is from 18.5 to 24.9. But the indicator is very inaccurate, since the same athletes have more muscle mass, and the indicators will reflect obesity with the same numbers.
Clothing size
With clothes, too, everything is not clear. Clothing tends to both stretch and shrink. You could simply overeat salty and water simply accumulated in the body, that is, there was a banal edema, which will subside a little later. It is enough to sit in the sauna, cut back on salty foods in order to fit into your favorite jeans.
The principle of losing weight due to the evaporation of water is used in all kinds of slimming shorts, creams that remove water from the body.
If you overdo it, you can lose too much water. The result is dehydration and poor health.
figure type
It is useful for all kinds of measurements to also focus on the type of figure.
The physique is of three types:
- – thin. Is different narrow bones with outstretched arms and legs. This type of people does not have a lot of fat and muscle in the body. They have an intensive metabolism, because ectomorphs simply have no idea what "" is. Even the most harmful products like mayonnaise and buns won't make them fat.
- – possess broad bone muscles predominate over adipose tissue. Their body responds to physical activity as quickly as possible. It is mesomorphs who quickly earn a beautiful relief.
- – the bone has average parameters, but the metabolism is slowed down. Adipose tissue predominates over muscle. It is endomorphs who have problems with overweight. Even foods such as lean steamed fish can cause obesity.
Having determined the type of your physique, you can safely determine where exactly to start and the transformation of body shapes.
For those who aspire to slim and toned body There is no absolutely perfect percentage of body fat. Normal body fat percentage varies markedly between people and depends on various factors, including: body type, age, genetics, activity level, and nutritional habits.
Normal weight and body fat ratios vary considerably, but are considered safe to maintain good health, is 5 - 9% for men and 13 - 15% for women, although there is no hard and fast "rule" about what can be too low for an individual.
The table below shows the minimum percentage of body fat for both sexes by age. Thus, the normal percentage of fat should not be lower than these values. As you can see the table shows that body fat in the body increase with age, and although this usually occurs, it is mainly due to a decrease in the level of activity.
Fat content by age and gender
|
Age |
30 – 50 |
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|
Women |
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Normal body fat percentage
What is the normal percentage of body fat?
There are many ideas about normal body fat percentage for non-athletic people, including ranges of 16-20% and 20-21% for women, and 8-14% and 10-14% for men. These indicators provide a lean appearance.
For general health and fitness, for men, 10-15% - a good choice to which one can aspire. However, men who want a six pack abs usually have 10-11% since the abs are where fat usually accumulates. Women who want a six pack may need to drop theirs to 14-16%, which may be too low for some and disrupt their menstrual cycle. Usually, they begin to noticeably decrease at about 18% body fat. The first place where you will notice changes is in those areas where fat deposits are already relatively small. For most, it's around the shoulders and collarbones.
Low fat and weight loss
Important to note: Studies show that low body fat does not cause amenorrhea (absence of menstruation for several menstrual cycles) per se. It is the energy balance (the ratio of received and spent calories) that is in this case the main determining factor of health. Thus, it can be said that for sports woman, it is realistic to keep body fat levels as low as those of teenagers without any negative consequences.
Often among those who strive to become super thin is achieved through a long-term negative energy balance (i.e. getting fewer calories than the body requires), and it is this negative energy balance that causes the loss of menstruation.
Thus, a lean, non-overtrained woman who pays special attention to nutrition and calorie needs is not likely to experience the negative effects of having a lower-than-average body fat content.
So fat. It plays many important roles in our body. From how healthy our skin looks and how firm, supple and pleasant it feels to how well our hormones are, many of them are not produced when the percentage of body fat is too low.
In short, recently I have again changed the approach to food, to training, and in general to the psychological side of my fitness and my ideals of the female body. I am working on the mistakes that I have made and putting up with my body. I’m thinking of making a material about these mistakes, but the main one lies in the terrible word “fat”.
How much fat should be in a healthy body
Namely: for a long time I did not get fat in the diet (on average, it turned out 30-40 g per day) and too zealously pursued a low percentage of fat in the body. Why this is very bad will be discussed in today's article. But if we talk about nutrition, today I try to eat at least 80-100 g of fat per day. And I deliberately increased the percentage of body fat from 18-19 to 21-23. Yes, at first it was unusual to perceive myself after 18%, but my priority is still health.
The idea of this article belongs to the guru in the field of health and healthy eating- Dr. Andrei Beloveshkin. Actually, the article was co-authored with him. More precisely, it was created by him in collaboration with me.
So fat. It plays many important roles in our body. From how healthy our skin looks and how firm, supple and pleasant it feels to how well our hormones are, many of them are not produced when the percentage of body fat is too low.
I have already touched on this topic: with a lack of fat in the body and fat in food, the first thing with suffers in the female body - this is the reproductive system and reproductive function. The body begins to save resources, and gradually disables the functions that it can do without and ... survive. And why should he think about procreation if he himself is now in danger? ..
Let's figure out why fats (both those that we eat and those that we wear on ourselves) need to be understood, forgiven and pardoned.
It is important to ensure that the external fat does not fall below the acceptable minimum.
As long as subcutaneous fat does not exceed the norm, it is good. Because fat produces special hormones that protect our heart and blood vessels. And, as I wrote above, there is a minimum of subcutaneous fat, without which the normal functioning of the hormonal and reproductive systems is impossible.
Subcutaneous fat is aesthetics, all the smooth curves and outlines of the female body. Without subcutaneous fat, the body becomes senile-male: rough, dry, angular, with translucent bones and muscle bundles. A certain supply of subcutaneous fat is also needed for the “calm” of the body. When the body is under stress, it is concerned with only one thing: to survive. Therefore, it begins to push fat into the liver, into the heart, into the walls of blood vessels.
You can measure subcutaneous fat scientifically - by measuring the thickness of the folds in different places. You can try to control through the numbers on the scales (but here is a nuance: it is impossible to determine the percentage of fat and dry mass).
I have long come to the conclusion that the easiest and most reliable way is a mirror. Undress, stand in front of a mirror full height and… look. No, not in the vein of “Fu, I'm fat!”, But you adequately consider everything that hangs or does not hang down.
If there is too much adipose tissue in the body, it will give out folds, tuberosity, cellulite, abdomen, axillary and patella ridges. Yes, and in general general form. If it doesn't hang anywhere, then everything is in order. Veins, protruding tendons, cubes and individual bundles of muscles are a sure sign that there is not enough fat. And you are at risk. Yes, yes, that's what I'm saying. You didn't think so. No belly wreaths. No dry muscles. I really want children in the future, to be honest. And I really don’t want problems with the hormonal background.
Therefore, let the dry bodies remain for the fitonies who are trying to make money on this. People who want to stay healthy need to understand that artificially created excessive dryness of the body is not healthy. I emphasize: redundant. Lest you read this as an excuse for gluttony and obesity.
Speaking in numbers, 20-25% fat is the norm for a woman. The maximum excess fat is up to 15% excess body weight if it is subcutaneous fat (and not internal). When it falls below 9-10%, the body goes into a serious deficit, which causes the entire system to fail. For men, the critical threshold is lower - 4-6% body fat.
If you don't eat enough fat every day, your body will lose weight for a while, yes. It will please you. Only on the sly, our cunning and very smart body will slowly turn off the extra light so as not to waste energy, as it seems to it. And so that later you don’t have to work all your life to replace all your electrical wiring, it’s important not to come to this.
Experts recommend eating at least 1 gram per kilogram of body weight, but according to my feelings, the body still needs more. Especially to that body, which, like mine, is constantly in motion and in mental labor. Therefore, today I try to eat 1.5-2 grams, depending on the intensity of the day. By the way, a diet rich in fats also saturates better. Therefore, after 1.5-2 hours there is no desire. And I want in 4 hours.
It is also important to control subcutaneous fat so that it does not fall below normal! When the level of subcutaneous fat is below 7%, women go into deficiency mode, hormonal failure and menstruation stops. With a prolonged absence of menstruation, the ability to give birth to a child is sharply reduced and leads to infertility. Men are also not so happy. With a low content of adipose tissue (4-6% of the total mass), testosterone production stops and libido decreases. Superrelief is a destiny professional bodybuilders and it's harmful. If you already wear a couple of extra pounds, then it's better to do it on the buttocks than in the liver.
Control the energy balance: income and consumption
Energy balance is the ratio of the number of calories we get from food to the calories we burn during exercise. The difference between total calorie intake and calories burned physical activity, is the available energy for which the body can roam. More precisely, use it to maintain life and yourself.
Lately, I've been eating about 1700 kcal per day(and it's still not enough! but I'm working on an increase). Fortunately, I stopped eating at 1200 kcal. Because objectively, at my level of brain and physical activity This is not enough. According to the most conservative estimates, one workout costs me 400 kcal. But this is according to the most modest - I can burn 800! But still, let's start from the average value of 400 kcal.
This means that for everything about everything my body has 1300 kcal per day. He can distribute it to his internal affairs and other goodies. There is such a thing as a basic need, or basic exchange. This is the minimum energy that we need just to live and function normally.. And do nothing about it. Just lie down. As you can see, even now, having increased the daily calorie content of the diet, I underfeed myself. But thanks to Dr. Beloveshkin, I already eat a lot more. Details - further.
If you do not give the body energy for basic needs, slowly but surely this will lead to problems.
How to find out your balance?
First we need to find out the percentage of body fat. My average body fat percentage now is - 23% (9 months ago it barely exceeded 18%, and now I look at those photos and understand: well, thin, well, a tomboy, no ass, only bones - so what?).
Fat can be calculated using special impedance scales, or a bioimpedance device. The percentage of fat can be calculated on a special calculator different ways and choose the middle one.
Dry weight is calculated by the formula: lean body mass (fat free mass) = current weight - (current weight x current % body fat).
My weight today is 56 kg, and the proportion of fat is 0.23 (23%). I think for myself:
Dry weight = 56 - (56 x 0.23) = 43 kg.
The minimum available energy required is 30 kcal per kilogram of dry body weight. At a level below 30 kcal, your sex hormones will “fall in”, and if you drop to 25 kcal (the notorious almost 1200 kcal per day), the thyroid gland will most likely start to act up. After reducing to 20 kcal per kilogram, real problems with head.
Optimal for a normal life, well-being, without a threat to health and almost without a threat to the figure - this is 40-45 kcal per kilogram of dry body weight (body weight without fat - we have already figured out how to count it above).
This means that for my 43 kilos dry weight, my caloric intake should not be less than 43 x 30 kcal/kg = 1290 kcal.. And that's just the minimum basic requirement! And for almost a year I gave so many calories to my poor body for life, work, and training ... Do not repeat! Although it is very easy to get hooked on a low-calorie needle, because it gives a quick result. At what cost is another question.
My base calorie optimum: 43 * 45 = 1935 kcal. Since I do not lie on the couch all day, then this figure must be multiplied by a correction factor depending on physical activity.
Many of you have seen this list, I'm sure:
1.2 = sedentary image life, sedentary work, very little or no sports activities
1.3-1.4 = light activity (some daily activity + light exercise 1-3 times per week)
1.5-1.6 = average activity (training 3-5 times a week)
1.7-1.8 = high activity (active lifestyle and hard training 6-7 times a week)
1.9-2.0 = extremely high activity (sports lifestyle, physical labor, daily workouts etc).
I now have an average activity and a correction factor of 1.5. So my minimum is 1.5 * 1290 = 1935, and the optimum is 1935 * 1.5 = 2900 kcal. Assuming that now is mine daily calorie content is 1700 kcal, then my energy balance is negative (even taking into account the minimum requirement, more than 200 kcal are missing).
You can fix this by reducing the intensity (or frequency) of your workouts or by increasing the number of calories. Let's say in my case, adding two eggs (180 kcal) or one avocado (205 kcal) will help me. Or skipping half a workout (200 kcal) - and this will be enough to balance your energy balance. But I prefer to leave my gym as it is, and at the same time eat more.
To be honest, I’m already increasing calories, I don’t weigh food and don’t bother with accurate calorie counting - I just eat. And so good for the whole body, so calm. I'll watch a little more and then I'll tell you. But even visually there is a difference. By the way the skin looks all over the body, for example ...
Why is it important not to go negative for a long time? If the energy balance is negative, then the body goes into energy conservation (deficit) mode.
And here the action movie begins: the metabolism slows down, the work of the thyroid gland and sex hormones worsens, mood and energy drop, depressiveness and irritability appear. In addition, the body will still accumulate internal (bad) fat, sacrificing muscle.
Therefore, Andrey Beloveshkin strongly recommends: even losing weight or maintaining your normal weight, we should not go beyond 30 kcal per kilogram of dry body weight for more than 2-3 days. In no case do not do as they advise: "eat less, train more." This will lead to the fact that you will reduce body weight, but increase the amount of bad (internal fat).
I’ll add from myself: be reasonable, don’t listen to those who advise you to live on one lettuce leaf and kill yourself in training. Treat your body with respect, and it will thank you. Do not gesture, otherwise the body will respond with even more tin. Restoring metabolism and hormonal levels, treating the reproductive system is long, difficult and costly in every sense.
Watch the amount of internal fat!
"The most dangerous is internal fat that hides in the stomach. It disrupts the work of hormones, worsens mood, causes illness, weakness and chronic fatigue. Its excess provokes cravings for all sorts of addictions: from sweets to drugs and addictive relationships, ”says Andrey.
But the most unpleasant deceit lies elsewhere, friends. bad fat, which grows against the background of hunger strikes, drying, chronic overload and stress, can "melt" our body. Change its composition and kill the quality.
This means that disturbed sex hormones and stress hormones "reprogram" our fat cells."Reprogrammed" fat begins to behave indecently, which leads to the appearance and strengthening problem areas: we seem to be thin, but cellulite on the hips, buttocks and even calves blooms luxuriantly! And even more noticeable than before.
What does a normal average girl do in such a situation? Right! Nervous, starving, training until fainting and… the circle is repeated. And with each such circle, alas, our problem areas become more and more problematic, and cellulite appears even on the cheeks.
Twin studies have shown that only 20% of the accumulation of internal fat can be somehow explained by genes. Everything else is nutrition, lifestyle, bad habits. Bad fat is not so easy to see in the mirror, but even people with normal weight can have it: athletes, models, petite girls.
Now we will look at how to track the amount of internal fat and health status using ... tape measure. This block will be useful to those who are interested in a little self-examination, they say, how am I doing now?
The key in our study is the waist size. Almost all other indicators dance from it. After all, it is in the abdomen that the internal fat is hidden.
We take the tape. We give it into the hands of an experienced doctor Andrei Beloveshkin. We take one fitness blogger as a model and experimental subject. Who is not afraid to show you the whole truth of his body.
« Waist circumference should be measured midway between the lower edge of the lower rib and the top of the pelvic bones(as an option - in the narrowest place, usually at the level of the navel or slightly higher). When tightening, you should slightly stretch the tape, with an effort similar to lifting an empty mug. When measuring, the tape should be parallel to the floor. Stand still, arms at your sides, breathe calmly, measure as you exhale. Measure several times until there is a difference of no more than one centimeter, ”recommends Andrey.
Hip circumference can be measured at the widest part of the buttocks- we determine it visually, ”advises the doctor.
Neck circumference is measured at its narrowest point:
Thigh circumference - in its upper third:
My results: weight 56 kg, height 170 cm, waist 67 cm, hips 96 cm, neck 30 cm, belly height 17.5 cm, hip 55 cm. Fat percentage 23%.
1. Waist.
My waist is normal (67 centimeters). When I lose weight to 60, my hips deflate to 89, and this is already a boy's story - I'm still for femininity. The normal waist circumference for women is up to 75 (80) centimeters, from 80 to 88 centimeters is an increase in weight, over 88 is obesity. In men, normal parameters are up to 94 centimeters. Wide waist reduces your attractiveness and doubles your risk of premature death from any cause. This also applies to people with normal and low weight!
2. Hip-waist ratio.
My ratio is 67 x 96 = 0.70 (ideal).
“The ideal numbers are 0.7 (0.65-0.78) for women and no more than 0.9 for men. Normally, this index should be less than 0.85 for women and less than 1.0 for men. A good hip-to-waist ratio increases attractiveness, intelligence and libido, and reduces the risk of many diseases (cancer, infertility, diabetes). The hip-to-waist ratio is one of the best indicators of health, ”comments Andrey.
Immodestly I will add: mmmmm, bend!!!
3. Height to waist ratio
My ratio is 67 x 170 = 0.4 (excellent). The norm for this index is less than 0.5 for men and women.
4. Body shape index - an indicator of the risk of getting sick
The body shape index shows the relationship between waist circumference, height and weight. The formula is complicated, let's use a calculator. In addition to numbers, this index also gives a picture that shows where we are on the risk scale.
My body shape index is 0.0723 which is normal. At the same time, the calculator also calculates the relative risk. I have it equal to 0.76. This figure means that my risk of disease is less than the average (average risk = 1). The higher the number, the higher the risk of disease.
The circle on the graph is me / The further to the left and lower the circle is, the better. The higher and to the right - the more dangerous.
5. Conical index (K-index).
“The formula is complicated and I didn't find a calculator. Therefore, we divide the weight in kilograms by the height in meters, extract the square root from this (in the standard calculator, the sqrt button) and multiply it by 0.109.
0.109 x (square root of 56/1.7) = 0.63.
Then we divide the waist in meters by the resulting figure: 0.67 / 0, 63 \u003d 1.063.
So my conic index value is 1.063.
For men, the norm is a cone index of no more than 1.25, and for women - 1.18.
The higher the index, the more people similar to a cylinder rather than two cones converging at the waist. And the higher the risk.
6. Neck
We measure at the narrowest point. My value = 30 cm (excellent). For women, the neck circumference is not more than 34.5 (more strict norm is 32 cm) cm, for men the neck circumference is not more than 38.8 cm (more strict norm is 35.5 cm).
7. Waist-to-hip ratio.
My ratio: 67/55 = 1.22 (excellent). Normally, this index is less than 1.5 for women and less than 1.7 for men.
8. Belly height.
My value: 17.5 cm (excellent). The norm is up to 25 centimeters.
“The height of the abdomen is the smallest distance between two horizontal lines: lying on the surface of the abdomen and touching the back vertebra. Measure with your back pressed to the floor and bending your knees, at the level of the sacrum. By the way, the height of the abdomen above 25 cm is the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease if you survive a heart attack at 50, ”says Andrey.
The conclusion suggests itself: I recognized the alarm signals of the body in time, returned an adequate amount of fat to the diet and fat under the skin. All my health markers are in excellent condition.
I stopped gesturing and testing the body for strength. I am very sensitive and attentive to him. I listen. I make sure not to dry out, but not to swim. And, as a small experiment showed, everything is not in vain. Health markers are normal, which means I can continue to live in peace. What do you wish!
I want to express my gratitude to Andrey for this article, for all the information that he collected.published.
Tatyana Kurbat, Andrey Beloveshkin
If you have any questions, ask them
P.S. And remember, just by changing your consumption, we are changing the world together! © econet
For athletes, and even ordinary people who think about their health and those who seek to lose weight, it is very important to know the percentage of fat in the body. After all, trying to get rid of extra pounds, people mean exactly fat accumulation, and not muscle or bone tissue. Many simply ignore this indicator, focusing only on the arrow on the scales, but in vain.
Knowing the percentage of fat accumulation in the body is much more useful in order to correctly perform procedures to eliminate it. In what follows, methods will be presented how to determine body fat percentage, which is an invariable process when losing weight, drying and building muscle tissue. The methods presented below can be used independently or by contacting a specialist - a nutritionist or fitness trainer. These specialists will be able to determine exactly what needs to be done exactly to the person who asked for help. By studying individual characteristics, you can achieve the desired results.
Standing on the scales, each time it is clear that the weight is changing in one direction or another, even if these are small indicators. But this does not mean that the content of fat accumulations has decreased - it can be simple dehydration or a decrease in muscle mass. If you want to build it, then you need to get rid of the subcutaneous fat.
This is important: As a rule, people who want to lose weight tend to go on a fast-acting diet. This leads to positive results, but in fact a person loses water and muscle mass - fat remains unchanged, well, or slightly leaves the stomach.
The subsequent transition to a normal diet leads to a sharp replenishment of water and muscle mass - this happens even large quantities(therefore, a person gains even more after a diet). To formula good weight was more correct, it is necessary to know exactly the percentage of fat contained in the body. That is why it is necessary to know this indicator, for which several methods of determination have been developed.
The norm for a person
For the normal functioning of the body, it must have an optimal percentage of fat. To survive, a minimum percentage of fat is required: men should have 3-5% fat, and women 8-13%. You cannot get rid of it completely, since fat cells are necessary for the functioning of the body, otherwise you can simply die. You can not eliminate fat, which is part of nervous system and the one that surrounds internal organs.
Most of the fat in the body is located in the adipose tissue under the layer of skin and around the organs - this is visceral fat. A small part is found in the cells of tissues throughout the body. All fats play important role in the work of the body, but an excess can lead to the development of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiac ischemia, and certain types of oncology. Fat deposits in the body should be the optimal value, because they maintain body temperature, protect internal organs from damage, promote the synthesis of hormones and other chemical compounds, and also perform other functions.
The table clearly shows that normal fats are required not so little if a person is not an athlete. If you try to reduce the amount of fat below the lowest, then the body in general, and especially the internal organs, will suffer from this. It will not be possible to recover quickly - it is quite difficult to return the optimal percentage of fat.
This is important: Too low a percentage contributes to the section of the muscles, which makes them, as it were, dissected and "striped", dividing the muscle into small rollers. Everyone can reach perfect body through exercise and diet, but to keep yourself in perfect shape long time is difficult. To do this, it is necessary to constantly monitor the intake of calories, and this is too difficult, especially if the constitution of the body does not favor harmony.
You need to stay in the range of healthy fats and try not to go out of there. For normal health and reduce the risk of chronic pathologies, it is necessary to monitor the accumulation of fat cells and try not to overdo it.
Expert opinion
Egorova Natalya Sergeevna
Nutritionist, Nizhny Novgorod
The ratio of visceral and subcutaneous fat is 1:9. That is, in a healthy person's body, 10% of fat should be localized around the internal organs, and 90% in the subcutaneous fat. Violation of this ratio can have adverse consequences for the body.
Visceral fat is located around the internal organs and supports them. With its insufficient amount, these same organs begin to react painfully to increases in intra-abdominal pressure (for example, when coughing). And this can cause prolapse of the kidneys, spleen, liver, gallbladder, intestines.
An excess of visceral fat is even more dangerous than its lack, because visceral obesity is the main risk factor for a number of dangerous diseases: atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension, etc.
Thus, it is important to determine not only the total amount of fat in the body, but also its location, that is, how many percent of it is localized around the internal organs.
How to find out the percentage of body fat
There are many ways to determine the percentage of fat in the human body.
The simplest of them are presented in the following form:
- Scales with the determination of the mass of fat in the body. It is important to know that such measuring instruments always have a margin of error.
- Take a good look at yourself in the mirror and visually determine the excess body fat.
- With a centimeter ruler, measure the size of the waist and forearm. If the size of the waist has decreased, and the forearms have increased, then the fat has begun to be burned, and muscle grow.
All methods are easy to perform and accessible to everyone, but they do not give a specific result. With these methods, you can find out general state layer of fat.
Ideal weight formula
Having learned this, you can look at the result in the table:
This method is usually used by girls to determine the size of the fat layer.
Online calculator
The calculator, which is easy to find on the Internet, will quickly and correctly determine your indicator using five formulas. The results of the checks will be reflected in the chart of categories of fat content in the table, where the percentage of fat and age will be expressed. In the gallery you can find photos of bodies with different indicators of adipose tissue in the body. You just need to go to the online calculator page and fill in all the fields, click on the "calculate" button.
Result: Approximately fat (or ) in your body.
The result will be calculated by all formulas if all fields are filled in correctly. If something is ignored, then the calculation will be made according to an incomplete number of formulas. When completely filled in, the result will immediately be displayed on the graph, photo, and in tables.
Please note: The online calculator determines the percentage in five ways, and then gives the average value. Any of the methods produces an error in the range of + - 3%. The more methods used, the more accurate the result will be.
Each method gives an indicator in percent and its weight in kg. The methods have their own graphs, where the result of the person being tested will be highlighted with a yellow line. The second level of the graph, which is visible on the outer circle, highlights the scale, according to which the results are evaluated as a percentage. Next are two summary graphs, the first shows the results of all formulas and the average value. In the second graph, a more accurate estimate of the percentage of fat, which was carried out taking into account age. In addition to calculating the percentage of body fat, the graph gives recommendations for further action.
Other Calculation Methods
What other ways can you calculate the percentage of body fat:
- US Navy method. When enlisting in the US military, everyone is tested for body fat percentage, weight does not matter. To do this, take the height, girth of the hips, waist and neck.
- Covert Bailey method. The result is given taking into account age. For the calculation, the size of the hips, thighs, lower legs, wrists and age are taken.
- With BMI. The calculation is based on height, weight and age. It is important to know that after 30 years, the accuracy of the indicator decreases.
- Additional way. His calculations are based on a larger number of parameters. Weight, wrist, hip, forearm and waist are taken.
The resulting numbers are summed up, and the average is calculated, which will be closer to reality.
Application of the caliper
Women who diet to perfect their body are required to frequently calculate the percentage of body fat. After all, fluctuations in the fat layer can significantly affect health. Calculate the percentage of body fat for women quickly and accurately will help a special device - caliper. It is designed to measure the thickness of the fat layer anywhere in the body.
How can you determine the indicator using this device:
- Measure the thickness of the fat fold at the back of the shoulder.
- Do the same between the ribs and the femur.
- Measure the thickness on the stomach, slightly moving away from the navel.
- Calculate the indicator using the following formula: (The sum of all folds in cm + the same amount, but taken squared + 0.03661 x the number of years lived) + 4.03653.
It's a tricky calculation, but with practice, you can easily handle it. This device can also calculate indicators for men.
Correction of the amount of fat in the body
According to the law of energy balance, the more energy is spent, the more fat is burned. But this is up to a certain point, after the main burning of the fat layer, it becomes quite difficult to achieve its destruction. If you are planning to lose 10 kg, then burning the first half will be much easier and faster than the last 5 kg. To bring the body to the desired harmony, you will have to apply additional methods - playing sports. With a decrease in the amount of fat, each dropped kilogram will be given more and more difficult.
Please note: Visceral or visceral fat accumulates in adults with an increase in the total number of fat cells in the body, and not due to hereditary predisposition. In men, it begins to accumulate when the percentage of fat is reached - 20.6, and in women - from 39.4.
To move from one fat indicator to another, you need to follow some rules.
gain fat
- What to do: eat convenience foods and other fast food, eat more food at a fast pace.
- Restrictions: move a little, do not play sports, exclude fruits and vegetables, healthy food, sleep less.
Reduce fat
- What to do: eat 2 servings of protein meals per day, 1-2 vegetable meals, exercise sports exercises 3-5 times a week.
- Restrictions: Eat fewer processed carbs, and drink fewer high-calorie drinks.
It is not recommended to burn fat to a critical point, because the whole body will begin to suffer from this, and most of all the internal organs. It is recommended to lose weight in small steps, gradually approaching the cherished figure on the scales. The body should not experience stress during the process of losing weight, otherwise it may fail, and it will be difficult to recover.
