Your weight alone cannot tell you how much of your body is fat and how much is everything else. With a few tape measurements, this calculator estimates your body fat percentage and shows how it compares to published ranges.
Select your units and sex, then enter your age, height, weight, and tape measurements for your neck and waist. Women also add a hip measurement. The calculator applies the U.S. Navy method, which estimates body fat from the relationship between these measurements and your height, and returns your body fat percentage. Measure carefully, since a small slip of the tape can shift the result by a point or two. This is an estimate, not a clinical measurement, and it works best for tracking change over time when you measure the same way each time.
Your result depends on how well you measure. Use a soft, flexible tape, hold it flat and level against the skin without squeezing, and measure each spot twice. If the two numbers don’t match, measure once more and go with the one in the middle.
Place the tape just under your Adam’s apple and let it angle slightly down toward the front. Relax your shoulders, look straight ahead, and keep your neck muscles loose.
Men measure around the belly button. Women measure around the slimmest part of the midsection. Breathe out normally, then read the tape without pulling it in.
For women only. Stand with your feet together and wrap the tape around the fullest part of your hips and buttocks, keeping it level the whole way around.
Take off your shoes and stand with your back to a wall, heels together and eyes forward. Measure from the floor to the top of your head.
The categories below come from the American Council on Exercise. They describe the general population and are not personal goals. What is right for you depends on your age, your activity level, and your health history.
| Category | Men body fat % | Women body fat % | What It Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Fat | 2 to 5% | 10 to 13% | The least fat your body can run on. It keeps hormones in production, holds body temperature steady, and cushions your organs. Dropping under this level is a health hazard, not an achievement. |
| Athletes | 6 to 13% | 14 to 20% | Seen in people who train hard nearly every day and eat in a way that supports that workload. |
| Fitness | 14 to 17% | 21 to 24% | Lean and maintainable for most regular exercisers. A reachable goal that does not demand a competitor's lifestyle. |
| Acceptable | 18 to 24% | 25 to 31% | Normal for healthy adults who are not athletes. Many people in this band have sound metabolic health. |
| Obesity | 25% or higher | 32% or higher | Linked to a greater chance of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome. A good reason to talk with your provider. |
Source: American Council on Exercise general body fat categories. These figures are usually cited for adults aged 20 to 39 and are not a diagnosis on their own.
BMI only compares your weight to your height. It has no way of knowing whether that weight is fat or muscle. An athletic person can be labeled overweight, and someone with a normal BMI can still carry enough deep abdominal fat to face real health risks. It works well for studying large groups and poorly for judging one person.
Body fat percentage splits your weight into fat and lean tissue, and that split is what matters for your metabolism, your hormones, and the way you should eat and exercise. It is also a better way to follow progress. On a weight loss program, the scale may not move for weeks while your body composition is still improving.
Body composition is only one piece of the picture. During a visit, we review your lab work, hormone levels, and health history alongside it, and turn a rough estimate into a plan you can stick with.
Family Nurse Practitioner
“I grew tired of the traditional model of primary care. Patients deserve excellent, affordable care—delivered when they need it, not weeks later.”
Dr. Kenneth Argote is a board-certified, doctorally prepared Family Nurse Practitioner with more than 12 years of experience. He began his career at the University of South Florida, earning his Bachelor of Science in Nursing with honors before working in the Emergency Department and cardiac unit. His time caring for acutely ill patients sparked a realization: many hospitalizations could have been prevented with better primary care.
Motivated by this vision, he returned to USF to complete his Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on Family Primary Care in 2014, followed by his Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2019. Over the years, Dr. Argote has provided preventive, acute, and chronic care for patients of all ages while growing increasingly frustrated with how traditional insurance models limit patient outcomes.
In 2021, he founded Vital Advanced Medical Center to create a better way forward through Direct Primary Care—removing barriers, putting patients first, and providing care that is both high-quality and affordable. Today, he continues to lead the practice with a focus on whole-person health and long-term relationships.
