[dis2cruise]

I am sorry but how do you figure out how much body fat is actually in your body ??

thanks
cheryl

[sweetlovin]

go to your local workout store and buy a body measuring meter thingy

or have a professional do it

[baffled111]

I wouldn't try to do it yourself. I think it's quite hard to do it properly. Lots of gyms will measure your body fat. I go to the Y and schedule a new test every couple of months. It's only $5 but they don't usually even charge me that.

[kaw]

I second baffled's recommendation. Get a trainer at a gym to do it. There will still be some variation in your measurements even if a "pro" does it, so try to schedule your appointment for the same time of day and the same trainer each time you go. (I'm assuming you intend to track your BF% progress, which is the most effective way to use this tool.)

If you have a choice, ask for a 7-site pinch test rather than the electrical impedance test. The pinch tests are lower-tech and take a little while longer, but they're more accurate.

Good luck,
Kim

[dis2cruise]

thanks everyone for all of your responses.....

I have been reading about body for life (online) the book should be arriving soon, sounds really good. I have about 30 lbs to lose...I have put on aprox 15 lbs since my dad past away in June guess I am eating through my pain. However, I don't like the way I look and I have also read after 30 you start losing muscle so since i am now 46 years old I need to do some catching up plus live a better life style with good food/excercise. any suggestions about bfl would be really apprecitated.

thanks again,
cheryl

[sportmom]

You can do a search on BFL, as there are many threads where we were doing BFL monthlys back when there were many of us doing active BFL. To watch your BF decrease more easily than getting measured at a gym, you could also buy a tanita bf scale, which measures bf. While some people doubt their exact accuracy, most agree that they are at least good for monitoring your progress and how your bf drops.

[BabySteps21]

I bought a used Omron Fat Loss Monitor (at Amazon.com) and have seen a drop in my body fat percent by 5% since I bought it. I can recommend it.