How to Tell If You Are Getting Fat

America has become a nation of chunky monkeys. According to the Surgeon General's office, over 60 percent of the adult population is now overweight and obesity may soon surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in this country. In one of his last public statements prior to leaving office, former Surgeon General David Satcher called on Americans to eat sensibly, avoid diet fads, and get off their duffs. "This is probably the most sedentary generation of people in the history of the world," he proclaimed.

Et tu, Brutus? Are your love handles becoming a bit too...handy? Saddlebags bigger than your handbags? Because muscle weighs more than fat, the bathroom scale can only tell you so much. To find out for sure if you've joined the ranks of the porky, you need to find out your body fat percentage.

Physicians and many health clubs can evaluate your body fat using precise measuring techniques, such as underwater weighing and air displacement analysis. For most people, though, simple skinfold calipers are plenty accurate (to within 4 percent). Plus, even high-quality calipers are relatively inexpensive (about $100), and can be used without embarrassment in the privacy of your home.

Skinfold calipers are used by clamping onto a chunk of skin just above your hipbone. The thickness reading is converted into body fat percentage by using a simple table. For adult males a range between 9 percent and 18 percent is generally considered normal; for females the range is 18 percent to 24 percent. The old "pinch-an-inch" rule is actually way off. One inch of skinfold between the calipers equates to over 20 percent body fat in an adult male and over 30 percent body fat in an adult female. You can order a set of calipers from Accu-Measure, in Englewood, Colorado, (800) 866-2727, www.accumeasurefitness.com.

If you just want to get an idea of whether you are overweight or not, there is a simple calculation called the Body Mass Index, or BMI. The BMI was developed by the National Institutes of Health as a quick way to tell people they need to cut out the Chubby Hubby.

Here it is:

1. Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.

2. Square your height in inches.

3. Divide (1) by (2) to get your BMI.

Government guidelines are as follows:

BMI Score:

Underweight: Less than 18.5

Normal weight: 18.5 - 24.9

Overweight: 25.0 - 29.9

Obese: 30.0 - 39.9

Extremely obese: Greater than 40

Now that you know how to calculate it, what you do with this valuable information is entirely your business.