Measure body fat and your more likely to lose body fat. More and more people are starting to realize that losing body fat makes a bigger difference in the way you look than just losing weight. A person could drop just 9 lb total but lose 7% body fat and that could result in dropping several sizes, considerable inches, and a much better looking body. Here's everything you need to know about how to measure body fat, how to lose body fat, and how it will affect weight loss.

How To Get It Measured
Bioelectrical Impedance (BIA) using a Tanita BF680W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor with Athletic Mode and Body Water, or a handheld Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor is the most popular ways to measure body fat because it's easy and you can do it yourself in the privacy of your own home. Both machines send a low, safe electrical current through the body to evaluate its composition. According to the ACE Personal Training Manual BIA can be as accurate as the skinfold method if the client stands still, is well hydrated, has not exercised in the past six hours, or consumed any alcohol in the past 24 hours.

The skinfold method using a device like the FatTrack GOLD Digital Body Fat Caliper with FREE MyoTape is recommended by Body-for-LIFE and endorsed by the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation, is the least expensive, easiest way to get measured. This is also used in health clubs and the margin of error is only 3.5%. You can do this yourself but it will probably be more accurate if someone with experience does it for you. Men will measure 3 areas on the right side of the body including chest: a diagonal fold of skin between the underarm and nipple, abdomen: a vertical skinfold taken 1 inch next to the belly button, and thigh: a vertical skinfold halfway between the hip and knee joints on the front of the thigh. Women will measure abdomen and thigh the same way but replace the chest measurement with triceps: a vertical fold on the back of the upper arm halfway between the shoulder and elbow. You add all three numbers, then look up your sum and age on a chart that comes with the calipers and that tells you what your percentage means.

What Your Percentage Means
Your body fat percentage tells you if you're obese, healthy, lean, or an athlete. Women have higher numbers than men because we are built to store fat for childbirth. Older people will also have higher numbers so whether your number is healthy or not will depend on your age and sex. Check out this Body Fat Chart to see what percentages mean. So what if you're percentage is in the excellent category but you're still not happy with the way you look? There's nothing wrong with wanting to look like a fitness competitor (their bodyfat is typically around 8%) just don't start obsessing about it and set up unrealistic expectations. Some women just can't and shouldn't go below 15% no matter how hard they try. If this is you try to be happy with what you have and focus on other fitness goals.

How To Lose Body Fat
Losing body fat is not as easy as just losing weight. It's basically a 3 step process that includes slightly cutting calories, eating the right foods at the right times, and increasing exercise intensity. The 3 links above will tell you in detail how and why you need to follow the guidelines below:

Guidelines for Rapid Fat Loss:
• Eat 5-6 mini meals a day
• Make 3 of those meals meal replacement shakes
• Cut 150-250 calories a day
• Eliminate all processed food
• Eat only 2 servings of starchy carbs earlier in the day
• Lower your carb intake to 1g per lb of body weight
• Try high intensity cardio 3-4 times a week plus 2 long low intensity cardio sessions/week
• Increase strength training intensity with dynamic workout techniques

Will You Lose Weight?
If you have a lot to lose the answer is yes but sometimes fat loss will outpace weightloss because you will be building muscle at a faster pace and muscle weighs more than fat. At this time it's important to focus more on body fat and inches lost rather than a number on the scale. If you have less than 10 pounds to lose the number on the scale may not budge at all and you will have to come to terms with the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. If you're losing inches and you've gone from a size 10 to a size 6 that should tell you that you're making great progress. If you still find it difficult to accept that the number on the scale isn't budging even if you are getting smaller take a picture and see for yourself how much better you look. Mirrors are very deceiving and sometimes a picture can show you how you really look. Another thing to consider is that weight fluctates from 2-10 lb a month depending on what time of month it is and what you've eaten so keep that in mind when you're having a bad weight day.

Get the Tanita BF680W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor with Athletic Mode and Body Water and track your body fat the easy way.