The extra fat that hangs over your belt is not only uncomfortable, it's also unhealthy. There are a number of ways you can test your body fat to see where you stand, but some tests, such as bioelectric impedance and hydrostatic weighing, require special equipment.

The number of overweight and obese people in the United States increased from 45.8 percent to 73.9 percent between 1960 and 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between those times, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey weighed and measured a large sample of the U.S.

Any food, eaten in excess, will make you gain weight, which includes foods made from soy. That doesn't mean that soy is inherently fattening, though; in fact, many soy-derived foods have nutrients that actually help with weight control.

Water is important for regulating body temperature, cushioning your joints, strengthening your muscles, providing moisture for your skin and other tissues, and for carrying nutrients to your cells.

Basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the bare minimum number of calories needed if you were to stay on the couch all day and do nothing. Your BMR decreases as you age. It also decreases in response to eating less food in an effort to lose weight. Your BMR naturally slows down later in the day.

Assessing your weight helps you determine whether you're at risk for chronic disease or if you have compromised immunity. Too much fat, even on a person of normal weight, can have deleterious health effects.

Your caloric intake need is based on your estimated energy expenditure, which varies based on your ideal body weight, activity level, age, height and gender.

Whether you have a lot to lose or a little, belly fat is a tricky thing to get rid of. Because women's bodies tend to fiercely retain fat in the midsection, a multitiered approach to trimming the waistline is necessary for effective fat loss.

The key to maintaining a healthy weight is balance. You can eat whatever you want and not gain weight as long as your caloric intake is equal to your caloric output.

Most body fat measurements tell you what percentage of your weight is made up of fat tissue. When you know this percentage and your total weight, you can easily figure the number of pounds you carry in fat.

Bioelectrical impedence analysis is the method that Tanita scales utilize to measure body fat. These devices work by measuring the resistance of a small, water-conducted electrical signal that is sent through the body.

The ideal weight for a ballerina depends on the ballet company and the individual ballerina. Ballet has attempted to move in a more modern and sensitive direction by accepting larger dancers, but there is still a certain body type that is considered most appealing on the stage.