Calipers. If you’re training and dieting
for appearance, skin fold thickness most
closely correlates, I think, with how you
look. From the standpoint of health or
planning athletic training, calipers are
certainly close enough.
Unlike underwater weighing, calipers will
not give absurdly falsely low bodyfat
readings (you can test NEGATIVE bodyfat – computed – via underwater weighing.)
Waistline, not so much from a tape measure
but from pants, is a good general indicator.
For example, I simply won’t buy pants larger
than 32. This guarantees I won’t get fat.
If the 32s even START getting a little tight,
it’s time to diet.
Ya know, those guys who are wearing the size
52 pants… there was a day when they were wearing 38s but decided, heck, I’ll be more comfy in a 40 and I don’t mind being a 40.
And then sometime later, they were wearing 48s
and decided, I’d like wearing a 50, so they bought their first pair of 50s.
Getting fat requires conscious participation
on the part of the fatass.
So waist measurement is useful for this
protective measure against getting fat.