Health experts in general consent that men with more than 25 percent body fat and women with more than 30 percent body fat are obese. However, it is difficult to measure body fat accurately. There are several techniques of calculating obesity. The body mass index (BMI) has become the standard way to measure overweight and obesity. It is a height weight system of measurement that relates to both sexes. It’s not an accurate procedure, because for example incredibly muscular people may fall into the overweight class when they are actually fit and fine. Nevertheless it is a valuable indicator for most people.
BMI is obtained by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by height in meters squared.
The arithmetic formula is:
BMI = Weight (kg)/Height Squared (m2)
To obtain your BMI using pounds and inches, multiply your weight in pounds by 704.5, then divide the result by your height in inches, and divide that result by your height in inches a second time.
A BMI of 25 to 29.9 indicates a person is overweight. A person with a BMI of 30 plus is regarded as obese.
For example: If your height is 5 feet and if you reaches at 153 pound you are set to obese, similarly if you are 5.5 feet and your weight is 180 pound you are obese.
Some additional techniques of calculating fat:
Calculating the accurate amount of a person’s body fat is not an easy task.
The most accurate measures are to weigh a person underwater or to use an x-ray test called dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). These methods are not practical for the average person, and are done only in research centers. Skin fold thickness are measures of the thickness of skin and subcutaneous fat at targeted areas of a person’s body. Measurements of skin fold thickness depend on the skill of the examiner, and may fluctuate widely when measured by different examiners.
Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) comprises of sending a harmless amount of electricity in a person’s body which estimates total body water. Normally, higher percent body water indicates a larger amount of muscle and lean tissue. BIA may not be exact in severely obese individuals, and is not useful for tracing short-term changes in body fat brought about by diet or exercise.
