What percentage of fat is normal for women. How to calculate calories

A slim body is beautiful, fashionable and healthy. At least, our time prescribes just such canons. Following them, many people strive to get rid of fat deposits as much as possible.

Why does the body need fat?

You've probably noticed that even with the same weight, some people look fit, while others, to put it mildly, are not ideal. The fact is that the ratio of bone and muscle mass in the body, as well as fat and water, is of key importance. Therefore, when thinking about a good figure, and indeed about health in general, first of all pay attention to the percentage of fat in the body. Please note: not only its excess is harmful, but also its deficiency. After all, fat serves as a source of energy and warms us. It (in particular, subcutaneous fat) protects bones and internal organs. The so-called visceral or essential fat, which surrounds the internal organs, is part of the nervous system. Fat is required for the absorption of vitamins, the synthesis of hormones, and the construction of new cells. Its deficiency negatively affects hair, skin and joints.

“A low percentage of body fat leads to problems with potency in men and with ovulation, conception and regularity of the menstrual cycle in women.”

What percentage of fat is considered ideal?

What is the norm? The answer to this question depends on many factors, ranging from your gender (the percentage of fat in the male body is lower) to your age (it increases over the years). In the table below you can see what fat level will be ideal for you:

According to WHO recommendations, for men 20-40 years old an indicator below 8% is considered “unhealthy”, and for women of the same age the abnormal indicator fluctuates around 18%. The minimum percentage of fat that allows a person to survive is 3-5% for men, 8-13% for women. It must be said that bodybuilders, when preparing for competitions, sometimes reach such figures, but they never maintain such a figure for long. Still, the health risk remains.

How to Measure Body Fat Percentage

Now that you know the parameters, it would be good to understand how well you yourself meet them. There are many methods for measuring body fat. MRI, X-ray scanning, weighing in water and bioimpedance are quite accurate (a special device passes a weak current through the body and calculates the percentage of fat based on the speed of the signal). Special scales work on the same principle, which can often be found in fitness clubs and even purchased for home. It is quite simple, but not so accurate, to measure the amount of fat in the body using a tool called a caliper or an ordinary caliper or even a ruler. Grasp the fold of skin on the abdomen with your fingers a little to the side and 5 cm, measure the thickness, and check the result with the table.

Or you can do it even simpler - compare yourself with images of bodies in photographs:

What to Keep in Mind When Assessing Your Body Fat Percentage

Have you discovered that your indicators are not ideal and now you know what to strive for? Be careful and attentive.

“In pursuit of a super-athletic figure, never go beyond the physiological norm of fat content”

However, the problem is that your own norm may differ from the standard one. Each person is individual, which means your personal “healthy” body fat may differ from the average. Therefore, following the chosen weight loss program, monitor the condition of your body. It may also happen that, wanting to show the world not only a wasp waist, but also pumped up abs, a girl will reduce the percentage of body fat, for example, from 18% to 14% and get... menstrual irregularities. The fat indicator is still within the average norm, but the individual characteristics of the body come into play. Therefore, as soon as you notice any unpleasant symptoms, stop the weight loss program at least temporarily and consult a doctor.

And remember: in ordinary life there is no point in achieving extreme indicators. But bringing the percentage of body fat back to normal is useful, no matter how you look at it.

For many, it is surprising that low weight is not a sign of health. It is much more important that the fat content in the body is within the acceptable range. At the same time, people who monitor their health also evaluate the volume of muscle mass. With proper nutrition and exercise, both of these indicators can be easily corrected.

Why do we need fat?

It should be understood that adipose tissue must be present in a person. Otherwise, the protective function of the body, including internal organs and human bones, is eliminated. Adipose tissue also provides:

• normal functioning of the immune system;
• energy support for a person;
• absorption of vitamins;
• conduction of nerve impulses, which allows movement;
• transport of nutrients to muscle cells;
• comfortable body temperature;
• protection from damage, because in case of falls, cuts and other injuries, the adipose tissue suffers first, and then the internal organs or bones.

No matter how much a person exercises, he cannot live without a certain amount of fat. There is no point in getting rid of products that contain this substance. It should be borne in mind that excessive consumption of carbohydrates leads to their conversion into fats. Therefore, you should organize a balanced diet. Products with polyunsaturated fats are very useful in small quantities for everyone: both children and adults.

How to determine the norm of body fat?

To understand whether the percentage of body fat is normal, you need to carry out certain measurements and calculations. Then they turn to special tables that indicate what fat content is acceptable, taking into account:

• gender;
• age;
• working conditions;
• area of ​​residence, because in the north, under conditions of low temperatures observed for a long time, the percentage of adipose tissue should be higher.

There are many ways to determine the percentage of body fat in a person:

• Special scales. When indicating age and height, they give out the percentage of fat tissue and water during the weighing process. They can be used in everyday life to track the dynamics of the decrease or increase in layers.
• A computer scan of the body that allows you to calculate your body fat percentage more accurately.
• Measurement of selective skin folds to determine a person's fat content.
• Bioelectric measurement.
• X-ray absorbiometry, which is done in 5 minutes, but has a high cost, etc.

Modern fitness centers provide paid services for measuring the ratio of fat and muscle mass to everyone. This allows you to get an idea of ​​how much and what substances are contained in the body, and what health group a person belongs to.

What indicators of adipose tissue are considered normal?

All people have individual characteristics, so it is customary to focus on the percentage of adipose tissue within certain limits. This allows us to talk about whether a person has problems or is developing normally.

For those who do not play sports, the following standards have been adopted:

• for women – 15–25 percent;
• for men – 8–14 percent.

This level should be for persons over 18 years of age. After 50 years, it is advisable not to go beyond the upper norm, but it is acceptable if the figure is exceeded by 2–5%.

If a person lives in a northern territory with a large number of days per year when frost is observed, the percentage of body fat may be 5-7% higher. The volume and appearance of a person often do not reveal this. In such individuals, the metabolism is restructured in order to accumulate adipose tissue during periods of low temperatures, which prevents frostbite and protects the person as a whole.

For those who are building a ripped body, the fat content should be at the lower limit or 3-5% lower. In a woman, an indicator of less than 16% is associated with risks of disruption of the menstrual cycle and decreased reproductive function. Children under 15 years of age should have no more than 15% body fat.

How to measure body fat at home?

If you can't get a fat test in a medical setting, you can find out at home. The measurement process looks like this:

• pull the skin fold in the center of the triceps and measure it with a ruler;
• carry out a similar procedure on the biceps, on the shoulder blade and under the navel;
• summarize the obtained indicators and write the result in millimeters;
• use the data from tables that can be found on the Internet, taking into account the age group, where the corresponding results are reflected.

Knowing anthropometric parameters, you can use calculators that quickly provide results on body fat online.

For a woman, measurements should be taken on days 3–7 of the menstrual cycle. Otherwise, the fat percentage will be determined incorrectly. The body of the fair half is designed in such a way that before the start of a new cycle, not only weight increases, but also the volume of folds. They retain more moisture to protect a woman’s body from loss of fluid during menstrual periods.

A relevant question would be how many times such measurements should be made. Doctors recommend that those who are engaged in weight loss carry out calculations no more than once a month. For professional athletes, tests should be carried out weekly before key competitions.

It must be remembered that a low level of adipose tissue in the body does not mean that the figure will be beautiful. In any case, training is needed to shape your physique.

To motivate oneself to achieve better results in physical development, an individual wants to see a decrease in body fat percentage faster. If certain conditions for taking measurements are not met, the level will be incorrect. As a result, there is a risk that the individual will become upset and withdraw from an effective training and exercise regime. The rules for measuring the proportion of adipose tissue are as follows:

• the assessment must be carried out on an empty stomach, i.e. 3–4 hours before taking the indicators, the individual stops eating;
• 3 days before the test, reduce the amount of salt intake, reduce the amount of liquid you drink by a third, so as not to provoke the body to retain water;
• It is better to measure folds in the morning, because swelling increases after lunch;
• in winter, the indicators are more correct;
• it is better to retract skin folds using a special tool - a caliper, which will reduce the error;
• the test should be carried out before training, and not after it;
• It is useful to drink several glasses of lingonberry juice or diuretic tea a day before the test to remove excess moisture from the body.

The body will tell you how much fat tissue a person needs. After all, deterioration in health, poor appearance and the development of various diseases will indicate that the burning efforts were excessive. For a man, the fight against adipose tissue is more successful, because nature has placed a larger number of its cells in the waist area of ​​women. This allows you to protect the fetus during pregnancy and internal organs throughout life. In the fight against excess weight, one should not forget about physiologically correct standards in order to maintain health for many years.

The percentage of body fat is an important indicator that many people ignore, focusing only on kilograms and the arrow on the scale. But we all want to get rid of fat, and not the weight of bones and muscles. In addition, people with the same weight can look completely different. Therefore, knowing exactly how much fat is in the body is much more useful.

How to find out your fat percentage?

There is no exact way to say this with 100% success. There are more accurate methods, there are simple methods that show this approximately.

1. Identification from photographs

The fastest and easiest way. To determine your body fat percentage, you need to find a body shape that is as similar to yours as possible.

2. Using a caliper

A caliper is a special device that measures the thickness of the skin-fat folds in different parts of the body. Based on the obtained figures, the percentage of fat is determined using special tables or formulas.

Method number 1: measurements for women

1. Back of the shoulder: the fold is taken vertically in the middle between the shoulder joint and the elbow.

2. On the side: the fold is taken from the side diagonally in the middle between the lower rib and the hip bones.

3. On the stomach: the fold is taken vertically at a distance of +-2.5 cm away from the navel.

We calculate the percentage of fat using the formula:

% fat = (A-B+C) + 4.03653, Where:

A= 0.41563 x (sum of all three folds in mm)

IN= 0.00112 x (sum of all three folds in mm squared)

WITH= 0.03661 x age in years

Method No. 2: measurement for women and men

We add the resulting numbers in mm and find out the percentage of subcutaneous fat using the table:

3. Bioimpedance analysis

A weak current is passed through the body using electrodes attached to the ankles and wrists, after which the electrical resistance of the tissue is measured. The method is based on the fact that fat mass and the rest of the “dry” body mass have different resistance.

4. Scales with fat percentage analyzer

The principle is the same as in bioimpedance: the device passes a weak current through you and calculates tissue resistance.

5. Underwater weighing method

The method is based on Archimedes' law: a solid body immersed in water loses as much weight as the liquid it displaces. Since dry body mass and fat mass are different in density, the percentage of fat mass is determined by comparing body density after regular weighing and underwater weighing. The method is complex and rarely used.

6. Determination by body mass index from Lyle MacDonald

The method is only suitable for untrained people, i.e. for beginners who have not yet started strength training. For the lucky owners of visible muscles built in the gym beyond the “norm”, this method is not suitable.

In short, recently I have again changed my 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 I made and making peace with my body. I’m thinking of making an article about these mistakes, but the main one lies in the terrible word “fat.”

Namely: I didn’t get enough fat in my diet for a long time (on average it was 30-40 g per day) and was too zealously chasing a low percentage of body fat. Why this is very bad will be discussed in today’s post. 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 post belongs to the guru in the field of health and healthy eating - Dr. Andrey Beloveshkin. Actually, the post was created in collaboration with him. More precisely, the post was created by him in collaboration with me :)

So, fat. It plays a lot of important roles in our body. From how healthy our skin looks and how firm, elastic and pleasant it is to the touch, to whether everything is in order with our hormones - many of them are not produced if the percentage of body fat is too low (hello, fitness bikini Soon you will shoot me in a dark alley :)). I have already touched on this topic: with a lack of body fat and fat in food, the first thing that suffers in the female body is the reproductive system and reproductive function. The body begins to save resources, and gradually turns off functions that it can do without and... survive. 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 carry on ourselves) need to be understood, forgiven and pardoned.

It is important to ensure that 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 already 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 and masculine: rough, dry, angular, with bones and muscle bundles showing through. A certain supply of subcutaneous fat is also needed to “calm” the body. When the body is stressed, 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 according to science - by measuring the thickness of the folds in different places. You can try to control it through the numbers on the scales (but there is a nuance here: it is impossible to determine the percentage of fat and dry mass). I have long come to the conclusion that the simplest and most reliable way is a mirror. You undress, stand in front of a full-length mirror and... look. No, not in the “Ugh, I’m fat!” way, but you adequately examine everything that hangs or doesn’t hang. If there is too much fatty tissue in the body, it will be revealed by folds, tuberosity, cellulite, belly, axillary and knee ridges. And in general the general appearance is so-so. If it doesn't hang anywhere, then everything is fine. 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, I’m saying this :) You didn’t think so. No wreaths on bellies. No lean muscles. I really want children in the future, to be honest. And I really don’t want problems with hormonal levels.

Therefore, let the dry bodies remain for the gymnasts who are trying to make money from this. People who want to stay healthy need to understand: artificially created redundant dry body is not healthy. I emphasize: unnecessary. So that you don't 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 (not internal fat). 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 make you happy. Only on the sly will our cunning and very smart body slowly turn off the extra light so as not to waste energy, as it seems to it. And so that you don’t have to spend your whole life replacing all your electrical wiring, it’s important not to get to that point. Experts recommend eating at least 1 gram per kilogram of body weight, but my feeling is that the body still needs more. Especially to a body that, like mine, is constantly in motion and in mental work. 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 you don’t feel like eating. And I want it in 4 hours.

It is 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 disruption and menstruation stops. With a long absence of menstruation, the ability to give birth to a child is sharply reduced and leads to infertility. Things are not so happy for men either. With a low content of adipose tissue (4-6% of the total mass), testosterone production stops and libido decreases. Super relief is the lot of professional bodybuilders and it is harmful. If you are going to carry a couple of extra pounds, then it is 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 take in from food and the calories we burn during physical activity. The difference between the total caloric content of the diet and the calories that are burned during physical activity is the available energy, which the body can use to run wild. More precisely, use it to maintain life and your loved one.

Recently I've been eating about 1700 kcal per day (and it's still not enough! but I'm working on increasing it). Luckily, I stopped eating at 1200 kcal. Because objectively, given 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 very modest - I can burn 800! But let’s start from the average value of 400 kcal.

This means that my body has 1300 kcal per day left for everything. He can allocate it to his internal affairs and other goodies. There is such a concept - a basic need, or basic metabolism. This is the minimum energy that we need simply to live and function normally. And do nothing about it. Just lie down. As you can see, even now, having increased my daily calorie intake, I am underfeeding myself. But thanks to Dr. Beloveshkin, I already eat a lot more. Details below.

If you don't give your body energy for basic needs, it will slowly but surely lead to problems.

How to find out your balance?

First we need to know your body fat percentage. 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, skinny, well, a tomboy, no ass, just bones - so what?).

Fat can be calculated using special impedance scales, or a bioimpedance device. The percentage of fat can be calculated using a special calculator in different ways and choose the average one. A good calculator, for example, . But it will require precise girths of different parts of the body, which will be discussed further.

We calculate dry mass using the formula: dry body mass (mass without fat) = current weight - (current weight x current % body fat).

My weight today is 56 kg, and my fat percentage is 0.23 (23%). I think for myself:

Dry weight = 56 - (56 x 0.23) = 43 kg.

The minimum available energy requirement is 30 kcal per kilogram of dry body mass. At a level below 30 kcal, your sex hormones will “sprinkle”, and if you drop to 25 kcal (the notorious almost 1200 kcal per day), the thyroid gland will most likely begin to act up. After reducing to 20 kcal per kilogram, real problems with the head begin.

Optimal for a normal life, well-being, without a threat to health and almost without a threat to your figure - this is 40-45 kcal per kilogram of dry body mass (body weight without fat - we have already found out how to calculate it above).

This means that for my 43 kilos of lean mass, my caloric intake should not be lower than 43 x 30 kcal/kg = 1290 kcal. And this is only the minimum basic need! And for almost a year I gave so many calories to my poor body for life, and for work, and for training... Don’t repeat it! Although it is very easy to get hooked on a low-calorie needle because it gives quick results. At what cost is another question.

My basic optimal calories: 43 * 45 = 1935 kcal. Since I don’t lie on the couch all day, this figure needs to be multiplied by a correction factor depending on physical activity.

Many of you have seen this list, I'm sure:
1.2 = sedentary lifestyle, sedentary work, very little or no sports activities
1.3-1.4 = light activity (some daily activity + light exercise 1-3 times a week)
1.5-1.6 = average activity (workout 3-5 times a week)
1.7-1.8 = high activity (active lifestyle and heavy training 6-7 times a week)
1.9-2.0 = extremely high activity (sports lifestyle, physical labor, daily training, etc.).

I now have average activity and a correction factor of 1.5. This means my minimum is 1.5*1290= 1935, and my optimum is 1935*1.5= 2900 kcal. If we assume that now my daily caloric intake is 1700 kcal, then my energy balance is negative (even taking into account the minimum requirement, I am missing more than 200 kcal). This can be corrected by reducing the intensity (or frequency) of training or 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 of your workout (200 kcal) - and this will be enough to balance your energy balance. But I would prefer to leave my physical training as it is, and at the same time eat more.

I’ll be honest: I’m already increasing my caloric intake, I don’t weigh my food and don’t bother with accurate calorie counting - I just eat. And it’s so good for the whole body, so calm. I'll watch it a little more and then tell you. But even visually there is a difference. By the way the skin looks all over the body, for example...

You can also calculate your level of basic and general needs using a calculator. For me, the minimum number of calories for my physical activity was 1880 kcal, which is close to my calculation (1935 kcal).

Why is it important not to go into the red for a long time? If the energy balance is negative, then the body goes into energy conservation (deficit) mode.

And this is where the action-packed movie begins: metabolism slows down, the functioning of the thyroid gland and sex hormones deteriorates, mood and energy drop, depression and irritability appear. In addition, the body will still accumulate internal (bad) fat, sacrificing muscle.

Therefore, Andrey Beloveshkin strongly recommends: even when losing weight or maintaining our normal weight, we should not go beyond the limit of 30 kcal per kilogram of dry body mass for more than 2-3 days. Under no circumstances should you do as they advise: “eat less, exercise more.” This will cause you to lose weight but increase the amount of bad fat (visceral fat).

I’ll add on my own behalf: be reasonable, don’t listen to those who advise living on one lettuce leaf and killing yourself while training. Treat your body with care and respect, and it will thank you. Do not gesture, otherwise the body will respond with even greater gesture. Restoring metabolism and hormonal levels, treating the reproductive system is long, difficult and, in every sense, expensive.

Watch the amount of internal fat!

“The most dangerous thing is internal fat, which is hidden in the stomach. It disrupts hormones, worsens mood, causes illness, weakness and chronic fatigue. Its excess provokes a craving for various kinds of addictions: from sweets to drugs and dependent relationships,” says Andrey.

But the most unpleasant deceit lies elsewhere, friends. Bad fat, which grows against the backdrop of fasting, drying, chronic overload and stress, can “melt” our body. Change its composition and kill the quality.

This means that disrupted sex hormones and stress hormones “reprogram” our fat cells. “Reprogrammed” fat begins to behave indecently, which leads to the appearance and intensification of problem areas: we seem to be thin, but cellulite on the thighs, butt and even calves blooms in lush color! Moreover, even more noticeable than before.

What does a normal, average girl do in such a situation? Right! He gets nervous, hungry, trains until he faints and... the circle repeats. And with each such circle, alas, our problem areas become more and more problematic, and cellulite appears even on the cheeks.

Studies of twins have shown that only 20% of the accumulation of internal fat can be at least somehow explained by genes. Everything else is nutrition, lifestyle, bad habits. Bad fat is not so easy to see in the mirror, but it can be present even in people of normal weight: athletes, models, petite girls.

Now we'll look at how to track your internal fat and health using... a measuring tape. This block will be useful for those who are interested in doing a little self-test, like, how am I doing now?

The key thing in our study is waist size. Almost all other indicators dance from him. After all, it is in the abdominal area that internal fat is hidden.

Let's take the tape. We give it to the experienced doctor Andrey Beloveshkin. We take one fitness blogger as a model and test subject. Who is not afraid to show you the truth of his body.

“Waist circumference should be measured midway between the bottom edge of the lower rib and the top of the pelvic bones (alternatively at the narrowest point, usually at the navel or slightly above). When tightening, you should pull the tape slightly, with an effort similar to lifting an empty mug. When measuring, the tape should be placed parallel to the floor. Stand calmly, 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.

The 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 the upper third:

My results: weight 56 ​​kg, height 170 cm, waist 67 cm, hips 96 cm, neck 30 cm, abdominal height - 17.5 cm, hip 55 cm. Fat percentage 23%.

1. Waist circumference.

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 weight gain, and over 88 is obesity. For men, normal parameters are up to 94 centimeters. A wide waist reduces your attractiveness and doubles your risk of premature death from all causes. This also applies to people with normal and low weight!

2. Hip-waist ratio.

My ratio: 67 to 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-waist ratio increases attractiveness, mental abilities and libido, and reduces the risk of many diseases (cancer, infertility, diabetes). The hip-waist ratio is one of the best indicators of health,” comments Andrey.

I would immodestly add: mmmmm, bend!!! :)

3. Height-to-waist ratio

My ratio: 67 to 170 = 0.4 (excellent). The norm for this index is less than 0.5 for men and women.

The Body Shape Index shows the relationship between waist size, height and weight. The formula is complex, let's use a calculator. In addition to numbers, this index also provides a picture that shows where we are on the risk scale.

My body shape index is 0.0723 - this is normal. At the same time, the calculator also calculates the relative risk. For me it is 0.76. This figure means that I have a lower risk of disease than 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. Conic index (K-index).

“The formula is complicated and I haven’t found a calculator. Therefore, we divide the weight in kilograms by the height in meters, take the square root of this (in a 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 = 1.063.

So my conic index value is 1.063.

For men, the norm is a conical index of no more than 1.25, and for women - 1.18.

The higher the index, the more a person looks like a cylinder, and not like two cones meeting at the waist. And the higher the risk.

6. Neck

7. Waist-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. Abdominal 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 vertebra of the back. Measure with your back pressed to the floor and your knees bent, at the level of the sacrum. By the way, an abdominal height above 25 cm is a risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease if you survive a heart attack at 50,” says Andrey.

The conclusion suggests itself: I recognized the body’s alarm signals 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 my body for strength. I am very sensitive and attentive to him. I'm listening. I make sure not to dry out, but not to float. And, as a small experiment showed, it’s not all in vain. Health markers are normal, which means I can move on with my life.

I wish the same for you :)

I would like to express my gratitude to Andrey for this post and for all the information he collected. And in general, for what he does for us - who care about our health. And yes, if you haven’t taken his “Healthy Eating Course” yet, I recommend it. After the course, I began to look at food completely differently and finally made friends with it after a 28-year war. And if you want beautiful posture and a straight back, then take the fresh course “Healthy Posture and Core Muscles”.

Photo: Dmitry Rudenko
Filming location: Global Fitness gym

Anyone who has been at least somewhat interested in a healthy lifestyle and losing weight knows that it plays a big role in appearance. body fat percentage. The fashion for a curvaceous figure has passed for a long time and, by modern standards, beauty lies in a slim, fit, athletic body. Accordingly, the lower its percentage in the body, the more aesthetically pleasing a person looks.

But here, too, there are norms, neglecting which you risk getting obesity or anorexia instead of beauty. Also, maintaining body fat within normal limits is extremely important for health. Deviations in one direction or another can lead to disastrous consequences, sometimes even irreparable. The fat layer accumulates not only on muscle tissue, but also on internal organs, which is especially dangerous. You've probably heard the concept of “visceral fat.” So what is the optimal body fat content? How to properly reduce its percentage and not harm your health? Where is the line between beautiful slimness and excessive thinness and where can you “get” the desired relief? To understand how to determine the percentage of body fat and find out the answers to the questions, read the information below.

If you are overweight and you can see with the naked eye that your fat percentage is higher than normal, then you don’t need accurate measurements. They are necessary for athletes who carefully control their nutrition and exercise. It is difficult for them to determine something “by eye”.

There are many methods for determining its percentage in the body, but, unfortunately, not all of them are accurate:

• caliper - a specialized device with a scale - has a high error;
• X-ray - minimal deviations;
• special scales and other gadgets - the error is about 6% (highly dependent on the current state of the body);
• bioelectric resistance - there is also an error;
• “by eye” - the error is large, but the method is the simplest and most common.

Let's look at each in a little more detail. The caliper measures the thickness of the skin in the fat fold. Measurements are taken in several places, and then the results are summed up and applied to several equations. Disadvantages of this method: the equations are not accurate from the very beginning; if you clamp less skin, you will get an underestimated result, and if you clamp more, you will get an overestimated result. So you won’t be able to calculate the correct coefficient. X-ray has a smaller error than the previous method, but is still not accurate, this has already been proven by a number of studies. Moreover, a lot depends on the device itself, the condition of the body, gender, weight and many other factors. The error ranges from 4 to 10%. The most accurate method for determining your body fat percentage is the four-section test.

Here the body is conventionally divided into four components:

• bones;
• water;
• muscles;
• adipose tissue.

All this is individually “weighed”, and the results are passed through a special formula. This method will help you reliably calculate your body fat percentage for women and men. If you judge by eye, a sculpted body contains about 10% fat, while a slender, non-sculpted body contains up to 20%. Well, if there is obesity at any stage, then it’s no less than 50%.

Practical advice: When determining the percentage using this method, you need to remember the role of muscle mass. The same indicator will be for a “jock” and a thin one. The only difference is the relief.

Body fat calculator

Result: Your body contains approximately fat (or ).

What is the minimum fat percentage

It is completely impossible to get rid of the fat layer, since it is also necessary for the normal functioning of the body.

Please note: For men, the minimum content is considered to be 5%, for women - 13%. If the percentage is below normal, internal organ failure will follow.

There is such a case in history. A bodybuilder who overdid it with fat loss has died. A small part of fat is and should be in all human organs and systems.

In addition to it, there are 2 more types:

• subcutaneous;
• visceral.

The latter accumulates on internal organs and is more difficult to get rid of. A small amount of fat is provided for the normal functioning of the body, but its excess leads to many serious diseases.

Expert opinion

Smirnov Viktor Petrovich
Dietitian, Samara

It is known that life is impossible without fat. And therefore, you shouldn’t spend all your time fighting excess fat. Even in aesthetic terms, a harmoniously developed figure is considered not to be one with knotty muscles intertwined with a protruding venous network, but one with pronounced but smooth lines. In the process of losing weight, both men and women need to take into account the characteristics of the body and first of all pay attention to them. So, it is necessary to understand what body type a person belongs to: normosthenic, asthenic or hypersthenic. Different types start losing weight differently. In addition, you should not pay attention to where the fat comes from. It almost always happens that a person first wants to lose weight on his stomach, but the neck or buttocks begin to lose weight. The body itself knows where it will utilize excess energy reserves, and therefore there is no need to get upset and interfere with the natural process.

Normal (healthy) body fat percentage

Obesity cannot be healthy by definition. The World Health Organization has a chart that indicates a healthy fat percentage.

As mentioned earlier, a low content of subcutaneous (and not only) fiber leads to death, and a high content leads to many diseases. There is a norm for body fat content and it is worth sticking to it.

Visceral fat

For a long time, the accumulation of visceral fat in adults was attributed to genetics - predisposition and so on. But scientists have proven that a fat woman is not to blame for your obesity. The content of visceral fat increases along with subcutaneous fat, and genetics have nothing to do with it.

It becomes harmful when contained:

• for men from 20%;
• in women from 40%.

Reducing body fat percentage

Losing weight is a difficult task, but it can be done. In the first couple of kilograms you lose faster than the last few. At first glance, everything is simple - you need to eat less (kcal) than you spend. This is how the body begins to take energy from fat reserves, burning them. But the slimmer you become, the harder it is to lose a few extra pounds.

Please note: The greater the initial body weight (fat), the faster it goes away from the first weeks of training. Further more difficult. As fat mass decreases, more and more effort is required to achieve the next result.

For example, the initial weight is 100 kg. In the first month of training and proper nutrition, you can lose 5-10 kg. In the second month, 3-7 kg are lost under the same loads, and so on. Therefore, you need to increase the load as the weight decreases. An experienced trainer can help you choose the right initial and further exercises, and it is better to consult a nutritionist when choosing a diet. The percentage of body fat, both when losing weight and when playing professional sports, is more important than calculating BMI (body mass index). The latter only shows the ratio of height and weight; there are even calculators to calculate it. But this is not enough for a full assessment of physical development.

What to do to get the desired relief

When losing weight, it is important not only to get rid of fat, but also to achieve toned and defined muscles, even if not very pronounced. Below are guidelines on what you should and shouldn't do every day to move from one "fat category" to another.

A normal percentage of fat requires constant maintenance: proper nutrition, physical activity. Indicators above normal can lead to many diseases, including diabetes, problems with the heart muscle and the entire vascular system, joint diseases, and so on. The list of possible complications is too long.

Important! A low percentage of fat is also considered a disease - anorexia. And it can end in death.

With your current low body fat levels, you need to work hard to maintain them. The higher the initial weight, the easier it is for fat deposits to disappear. The less fat becomes, the more difficult it becomes to lose. It is important to monitor your diet and activity - a sedentary lifestyle and eating fast food only contributes to the accumulation of unnecessary and dangerous fat deposits.