Ten Weight Loss Tips to Ensure Victory in the New Year's "Battle of the Bulge" by David Petersen
... A highly effective way of objectively monitoring your fat loss and lean muscle tissue gain is to monitor your body composition (% body fat, % lean muscle tissue and bone). Try to find a local personal trainer or fitness service that offers body composition tests. Body composition can be measured by a variety of different methods depending on the sophistication of the service. The simplest and least expensive method of determining body composition is by means of skinfold measurement.

Give Your Family a Health Makeover by Jamie Jefferson
... Do a Body Mass Index (BMI) check. Is everyone in your family at an optimal weight? Find out by using a BMI calculator (which you can find by doing a simple Google search for “BMI Calculator.”) Enter each person’s height and weight. Take a minute to talk about healthy weight and height and all the benefits of living a healthy life, from improved energy to the decreased likelihood of certain diseases. Make a plan together to help everyone get to his or her optimal weight in the months to come.

Seven Crucial Steps for Long Term Weight Loss by John Tiniakos
... Increases lean body mass (muscle) while reducing body fat - improving body composition and therefore improving physical appearance. 12. Improves self esteem. 13. Causes a natural tendency to be more conscious about eating healthier and therefore may improve a person’s diet. 14. Strengthens the musculoskeletal system protecting the body from unexpected physical shock. 15. Strengthens the body’s immune system and therefore slows down the aging process.