Have you had your body fat percentage tested?

[April]

If so, how and where? I want to do this, but if I do it at Bally's (I'm a member), I have to pay for personal training sessions, and those are $70 each.

[SallyK]

Hmm, I've had mine tested at Lifetime Fitness (I'm a member) when I first joined. There, you're given 3 training sessions for free - and the body fat analysis is included.
I also have a body fat monitor/scale at home. The numbers that the trainer at Lifetime game were really different than the numbers my scale gives me (with Lifetime being in my favor).

[holly golightly]

they do it for free at my gym. they have it about once a month and it's the kind that does it by you getting into a tank of water. it is more accurate than the pincher.

[zoebird]

sometimes doctors can do it too.

but, most gyms to it for free. i think bally's is a horrible gym. we belonged once--it was a mess. terrible mess.

[annabanana]

I had mine done once, but I only got the caliper numbers - no actual percentages. It's a long story, but I ended up looking up the measurements online to find out the percentages.

[Quizeen]

If you have the opportunity to get the water tank test then do it, otherwise see if your doctor can test you with calipers.

I've found that gym staff, especially at large chain gyms, usually know less than supposed laypeople. Also, they only test for free to try to sucker you in to personal training contracts, which are freakishly expensive and in my experiences, cookie-cutter and poorly executed.

Caliper tests are only moderately accurate, and they must be performed repeatedly over the course of a few weeks to account for fluctuations in your body and testor error. So unless the gym offers you repeat testing, it's not worth it.

[rainbowmoon]

If you can, get the fat testing that sends an electrical current through your body. Its accurate within 3-5%, which is a lot better than the caliper test. You should try contacting health clubs, weight loss centers, and doctors- I got mine done at the gym where I worked.

[Jinga]

In college, we were required to go through a health screening for class. Thankfully, a clinic came to school and did it for free. It was about 10 years ago, but I do believe it was a caliper test. The results were very similar to the readings I get from my Tanita body scale. The calipers put me a few percentage points lower ... but seeing as I am 10 years older and 10lbs heavier, its to be expected :p

[beforewisdom]

I had it done in college a million years ago. There was a big exercise physiology department with lots of lab equipment in the North Gym. They actually dunked me in a tank in a laboratory that looked like something out of 1930's horror movie. It was fun

[veganmuncher]

Yea I got mine down at a University Open Day! Haha! It was in the Dietetics section