Several methods are in use, and unfortunately the same person is likely to get different readings from different methods. As with weighing yourself, your best bet is to pick one method, stick with it, and watch trends rather than specific numbers. Immersion: This method is based on the fact that lean tissue (muscles, bones, etc.) tends to sink in water, while fat floats. The client is seated in a chair which hangs from a scale, rather like a scale in a supermarket's produce section.

For the first 8 or 9 months of my transformation, I checked my body fat percentage 3 different ways, then I averaged the results. This is how I did it for the first 9 months: First, I bought a Taylor BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) body fat scale. They are not very expensive, and can be found at retailers such as target. Most BIA scales tend to read a bit high when measuring body fat (especially when measuring athletic individuals), but they are good for tracking relative changes.

The Hydrostatic method (weighing in water) is the most accurate. This is not always convenient. The skin-fold calipers is the next best for in-home and gym measurements.

Most physicians consider your body fat percentage to be a far better indicator of overall fitness than weight. Normal ratios are 12-18% body fat for men and 19-25% for women; very fit people (e.g., athletes) may have much lower percentages. Unfortunately, body fat percentage is more difficult to determine than weight (see below).

For men, between 6 and 24%. For women, between 14 and 31%. The following table may help you assess your body-fat goals: Cotton, Richard T. (Ed.) (1997). Personal Training Manual (2nd ed.) San Diego: American Council on Exercise, 192.

We recommend always using the same scales in the same conditions, once or twice a week. Measure yourself in the morning, preferably naked, when you are rested, not dehydrated and you have been to the bathroom.

Good question! There is a lot of debate about whether longer, slower workouts are better as opposed to shorter, more intense ones. Technically, you burn a greater percentage of fat calories with the slower workouts (long jogs, walks). But high-intensity workouts such as running or multi-impact step aerobics burn more calories overall, so you end up burning more fat calories in total. You really can't go wrong either way, though - both approaches will help you lose weight if you are consistent.

BIA (Bio-Impedance Analysis) is a technique that measures body impedance (resistance to a small electrical signal) to compute your ratio of body fat by weight. The resulting body fat percentage tells you how much of your total weight is composed of fat. This is a more useful measure of true fitness than weight alone.

A percentage body fat indicates the percentage of body fat to body weight. Too much fat can lead to health problems like heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and other serious conditions. If you keep your body fat within a reasonable level, you'll be healthier and, of course, slimmer. Percentage body fat is another way to assess whether you are obese or not.  This is more accurate than merely checking your weight and your BMI.

That depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you're happy with your current body fat percentage and fat/muscle ratio, a test every month or so will tell you if you're maintaining it. If you're trying to lose body fat, however, you should test yourself every week to make sure you're losing fat, not muscle. Daily body fat tests aren't necessary simply because fat doesn't disappear overnight.

Determining your body composition allows you to make appropriate decisions regarding the diet and exercise program that is best for you. Beyond that it is the most useful way to measure the progress in changing your fat to lean ratio. Hydrostatic weighing is the most accurate method to measure body fat, composition. Also referred to as "underwater weighing," this technique requires the individual to weighed on land and under water.

Eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day instead of the traditional: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Watch your intake of fatty foods and make healthy decisions at restaurants. Make a plan: establish an exercise program and diet plan that suits your needs. Incorporate cardiovascular training minimum 3 times a week for 30 minutes per session, first thing is the morning is the most effective to kick start your metabolism. Make your plan a lifestyle change not a diet.

Take all your measurements in centimeters (cm) to the nearest 0.1cm. If you have your measurements in inches you can use our chart too. When measuring, always look out for things like window handles or tiles and take their position into account if necessary. This is so you can be sure of the perfect fit. All our blinds can be fitted into the face of your window frame or wall, or into the top of the lintel or ceiling. This gives you complete control over the positioning of your blind.

Americans typically gain about a pound a year after age of 25. In addition, our sedentary lifestyle contributes to the yearly loss of about one-half pound of lean body weight (primary muscle) and gains one-half pound of fat. Thus, the average adult acquires about 30 pounds of extra fat over a twenty-year period. "At Risk" is considered to be 25% and 33% body fat or more for men and women respectively.

A certain amount of fat is necessary for normal physiologic functioning. For men, this level of essential fat appears to be 2-5% of total body weight, whereas women have approximately 5-10% essential fat. For women, minimal fat levels have a much greater individual variation. There may be a critical level of body fat necessary for the normal production and effectiveness of estrogen.

We have an "electrical impedance" machine (basically an electronic body-fat calculator) located at the "Issue Desk" on the first floor of the CRC. Simply ask one of our employees for the device. Please note that you should not workout or drink a lot of fluids prior to using the device - especially drinks like Gatorade that contain electrolytes. You will have to input a few variables into the device - such as: age, weight, sex, and height.