 on some muscle mass, your BMI is going to cry aloud. Anything over 25 is considered overweight!
Don't kid yourself here, however, don't calculate your number and then try and convince yourself that you are fit when you really aren't!
Body Fat Percentage
I will be the first to admit that I have never tested my own body fat percentage. Why? Because I feel there is no need for such a useless number. I have been a skinny guy (lucky) my whole life, so my body fat probably hasn't changed much over the span of my life. So what's the point? So I can brag to other people? Nah!
Not only that, but majority of body fat tests out there are terribly inaccurate. The only way you could make some of the tests reliable is to test yourself on the same day, after eating the same foods, and drinking the same amount of water, and blah, blah, blah.
There is one advantage to testing your body fat percentage however. If you an individual who needs to lose even a fair bit of weight, this can be a great motivational tool for you to see this number drop. Again, keep in mind that you would need to measure yourself with the same instrument, under as similar circumstance as possible every time, and also remind yourself that there is a possibility of a +/- %5 variation on each test!
These numbers can be the most telling. Again, remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are exercising and eating right but your scale hasn't budged, you may still be making progress! I recommend keeping track of your numbers that are relevant to your goals. For example, if you are trying to slim down and lose weight, take measurements of your waistline, hips, legs, and butt before and after many weeks' work to see the change. If, on the other hand, you are looking to put on some muscle, you may want to measure the size of your biceps and chest.
Often times, you may start to notice your clothes are starting to feel looser - or tighter if you are trying to put on some muscle - so you may not even need a tape measure!
There is a pretty close link with "calories in, calories out", but it is not an exact science. For the most part, we all need a specific number of calories to maintain, lose, or gain weight, but these numbers fluctuate between people due to genetics, age, metabolisms, activity levels, etc.
You can definitely experience some success by ingesting fewer calories, but the key is making every single one of your calories count. For example, you are far better off eating 200 calories of fruits and vegetables rather than 200 calories of candy. Not only will 200 calories of fruits and vegetables fill you up more, but they contain more useful 'stuff' in them such as vitamins and minerals.
To learn more about calories, you can read one of my past blogs here.
Photo - http://www.anthonyarroyodotcom.com/theabletoncookbook/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Weighing-Scales-1.jpg