Does anyone know an easy way to measure one's body fat percentage?

You mean measure it yourself? The simplest way is to have a trainer do the pinch-caliper test.

I went for testing at the University of Texas Fitness Institute https://www.edb.utexas.edu/fit/...they have a DEXA machine (https://www.edb.utexas.edu/fit/bodycompfit.php) which is about $100k and the most accurate method...however, they also do skinfold and a couple of other tests to see how well the other tests correlate, so you can do them at home. Not every person will correlate well with every method, but in my case, the skinfold showed 9.9 and the DEXA 10.0%.

Apparently 10% is where your abs begin to show. Therefore I must be 11% bodyfat.

Wikipedia's entry on body fat percentage includes a fairly accurate method of measuring body fat that you can do yourself in a pool: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_fa...ty_Measurement

Omron HBF-306 - simple hand held body fat analyzer, the same one that is used in the periodic health screenings that they bring in to the place where I work. Can be had for around $30.

I've heard they are wildly inaccurate. That would be expected as resistance/impedance varies greatly across the population and is not necessarily a simple function of fat content.

They claim accuracy within 30% of your actual body fat percentage, but measurements are consistent so you can track whether you are trending upwards or downwards.

try this for body fat calculation
https://www.he.net/~zone/prothd2.html
I have never compared it to a pich test or other means, but it is interesting

lose so much weight that you don't have any fat. at that point theres nothing to measure, you will have zero percent body fat.






OR you could go to a trainer, or get a pair of those calipers

I use a Tanita scale and a tape measure. The Tanita will get you in within a few percent of the truth, and you can monitor changes over time. I measure my waist every day as well, which is quite sensitive to changes in body fat.


https://www.tanita.com/IronManScales.shtml

the tanita is probably the easiest way.. most gyms have them... you have to do your measurement before working out.
the other way I've done it is in a "bod pod" it's alittle more scientific... but still i believe being tested while in the water is the best way.

my tanita measurement was 9.5% and bod pod was 10.1 %... i gotta quit eating my ice cream before bed..

I think with the Tanita / electronic type scales your total hydration is important. The better hydrated you are the easier the "ohms?" can travel through you body indicating less fat. I use my Tanita to measure weight in the morning, but remeasure in the evening when I'm better hydrated for BF tracking.

the easier the current can travel through - ohms is a measure of how difficult it is for the current to flow

The Tanita Body Composition models measure (or rather calculate) body water %. It seems to reflect reality, as if I drink 1-2 liters of water, the % goes up. It will read 59% as I go to bed, and 56% in the morning. It is handy to assess hydration status before I get started on a morning ride, to make sure I am tanked up. Likewise upon return to determine how I've kept up on fluids.

https://www.tanita.com/BodyFat_BodyWater.shtml




Proper hydration is essential for life. Maintaining a healthy body water % improves overall health and keeps you feeling energized and operating at peak performance. Tanita’s new Scale plus Body Fat monitors with Body Water % calculate body water levels using bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA), the same highly accurate method used in all our body fat monitoring products. BIA monitors body water % by sending a safe, low-level electrical signal through the body. Our body water scales are the first of their kind available for in-home use.

In my case the Tanita was way off compared to the skinfold and the DEXA...my first assessment a few months ago (prior to my weight loss) the DEXA said 24.8 and Tanita said 10.8%. The testers indicated that sometimes the Tanita is accurate, depending on the person, race, and other factors; but sometimes it's way off.

I'm not sure if comparing the delta between two Tanita tests would be accurate or not.

I did a nutrition study over the summer and they used a thing called a bod-pod that basically seals you in this little pod thing and does magic and measures your body fat, lean weight, lung capacity and a few other nifty things. It seemed rather expensive but they payed me for the study so it worked out well for me.

10.2% average over three measurements.

https://www.bodpod.com/

The bodpod probably uses DEXA or something similar.

Unless you're one of those very few people who is so thin that their body fat is so low that they could produce more power by adding a little body fat, why does it even matter what the number is?

If you need to lose weight, you know it without a body fat% calculation.

Calipers and scales are amazingly inaccurate. I have no idea why anyone buys one.

And, why would you want to know? Cycling is about strength to weight ratio. Raise the first and lower the second. Body fat is not equal to weight.

The DEXA is useful because it's not just body fat %, it's muscle mass.

If you are on a training program, it's very helpful to know how much fat mass you are losing as well as how much muscle mass you are gaining. In my case over 3 months I lost 24.4 pounds of fat mass and gained 6.7lb of muscle mass. I knew I was losing weight by checking the scale, but I didn't know if I was just losing fat. Was I gaining muscle or not?

In addition the DEXA told me exactly where I was gaining the muscle...breaking it down between upper body, torso and legs.

^ Several tools for that: 1) mirror, 2) belt, 3) power meter (or speed on a cycle computer).

The proof is in the pudding, not the caliper.