It always makes me laugh how people are scared to say the word 'FAT' in case they may offend somebody. Regardless of whether it is offensive or not, fat exists and in some cases we have maybe a little more of it than we really want!
I personally think its all about putting things into perspective, there is no ideal body shape or size, we are all unique, but knowing whether you are considered to be in the healthy fat range I think is important.
There are a number of ways of measuring your bodyfat, here are a few sites to help you out:
Body Fat Calculator calculates your body fat % using calipers or tape measure.
BMI Calculator which is a measurement of body fat against your height and weight.
Here's one thats new to me, the US Navy Circumference method.
here is a guide to your ideal %
A living persons body fat % cannot be exactly determined, but there are other techniques which can be used to estimate it accurately which include near-infrared interactance, dual energy x-ray absorptiomerty and expansions!!!
(YES I KNOW, ITS CRAZY STUFF..)
