Body fat percentage tells you how much of your body is made up of fat.

Why track it?

When most of us say that we want to ‘lose weight’, what we mean is that we want to ‘lose fat’. Tracking your body fat percentage is a great way to monitor your progress. As with all measurements, it’s better to focus on trends rather than getting hung up on the actual figure itself.

How is it measured?

There are a number of ways to measure your body fat percentage. The easiest is with a smart scale, we recommend the Withings Body+. If you don’t have a smart scale you can use a tape measure and the US Navy Method. Progress can calculate your body fat percentage automatically based on this formula. Just head to the Me tab, then What I Track. Tap on Points of Measurement and select US Navy under Body Fat Percentage. 

Our Opinion

We’d recommend you DO track body fat percentage if you can. Over time it’s a better indicator of your health than weight.

Learn More

Read a more in-depth explanation of body fat percentage here.

This article outlines more about measuring your body fat percentage and what is considered a healthy range.