| The US Navy uses the following equation to determine the percentage of body fat: %Fat=495/(1.0324-.19077(log(abdomen-neck))+.15456(log(height)))-450 Appearently they did a study on how precise it is, "Comparison of Circumference-and Skinfold-Based Body Fat Estimation Equations", where they compared their formula with several other methods for body fat estimation, against a baseline set by hydrostatic weighting. I couldn't find the full text online (at least not for free), but the abstract is here: http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPr... Quote: "For men, the Navy equation was the best predictor of body fat determined by hydrostatic weighing." So all you need to track your body fat is a measuring tape plus a pen and a pad. That's too much of an effort for me, though, so I use one of the web-based calculators, e.g. http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/body-fat-percentage-calcu... (you need to allow JS to use it). |