body fat %

I have my trainer use calipers. I recommend not using one of the online estimators.

Not everyone can afford a trainer :-)

I actually asked him to do it 3 or 4 months before he was my trainer. I just started using him as a trainer 2 weeks ago. My recommendation comes because I'm 13% but the online calculators say I'm 22% . . . a little untrustworthy if you ask me.

I'd also like to caution against the online calculators. When I first started exercising I plugged my measurements into several different websites with comparable results (between 22-25% body fat). You can imagine my dismay when I had a DXA scan performed showing a whopping 30.4% BF. Check with you local radiology facility to see if it's affordable for you to have a scan performed. It was definitely a worthwhile eye opener for me!

is there really no way to take this measurement without going to a doctor or trainer??

Buy a pair of calipers for $5, do some research on how to use them, ask a friend to pinch you . . .