OMG, body fat percentage?!

What's my body fat % and how do I decrease it?

Let's start with the first part of the question. Although there are many ways to "guesstimate" your body fat percentage, the below pictures provide a general rule of thumb - 

*Courtesy of Google Images*

For more accurate results, you will need to find a professional and/or use a BOD pod (pretty hard to find).

Okay...I think I'm at XX%, so what?

Well...nothing actually, it's really up to you what you want your body fat % to be at. But let's assume you're a guy who's looking to get that 6-pack in the 9-10% range or a woman looking to become a little leaner, is there something you can do? Of course.

Short answer I'll get slapped for - Eat less!

Well no s*** Sherlock, what else can I do?

Here's the thing. Many people who are new to the body building/fitness/dieting scene thing there are some magical ways or exercises you can do to lose weight. There really isn't. 80% of losing weight and getting leaner is in the kitchen, so eating is the key. There's no way around it. 

Okay bye, I'm going to go starve for that perfect body now

Terrible idea. If you suddenly and drastically decrease your food intake, your metabolism will slow and you will burn calories even slower, leading to more fat being retained in your body. 

Oh my GOD okay what should I do then?!

If you're a meticulous person and you don't mind tracking calorie intake everyday, download calorie tracking apps and decrease the amount of calories you eat on a weekly basis.

Example - You find out you maintain your weight if you eat 1700 calories a day. And to maintain a weight 5 pounds lower you need to eat 1400 calories a day. So what you do is this week you cut down to 1600 calories a day, next week 1500 calories, the week after 1400 and stay there. (Figures are for illustration purposes, please calculate a decrease "rate" that is healthy for you). 

If you can't be bothered to track calories but would still like to lose weight, I've always found low carb diets to work for me. The idea is to eat normally during breakfast and lunch, but intake absolutely no flour carbs for dinner (bread, rice, pasta, buns etc...). This way, you'll have enough energy to get you through the day but you feel a little hungry before you go to bed and you most likely are intaking less calories than before.