I am getting even more serious about this project.
Why? Because I am getting positive feedback.
I attended a pilot lunch last week and a few of the pilots who hadn't seen me in two months commented that I looked great and that I had lost weight. Little did they know I hadn't lost any weight. I did some measuring and some math - I have lost 3% body fat and I have gained 4 pounds of lean body mass. This explains the disappointing visits to the weigh scale and why many encourage you to not become a slave to the scale. I think that if I don't change my diet at all, with all this exercise, the increased muscle mass will burn more fat and the weight will slowly decrease over time. My next move is to modify my diet. But, this post I'd like to explain the math and some science regarding a goal of living in a smaller, healthier body.
First off, let it be said that one of the biggest indicators of health risk is waist measurement. Type 11 Diabetes is increasing to epidemic proportions. This is clearly a disease created by lifestyle and diet... ie. - lack of exercise, lack of muscle mass, ingestion of foods with a high glycemic index, complicated by high stress levels. With this disease process fat begins to settle in the mid section. Visceral fat, fat that is collecting around your internal organs is bad fat. When the body burns this bad fat it leaves behind bad cholesterol that in turn leaves sludge in your blood vessels and arteries that can lead to heart attack and stroke. Visual sign of this is weight collecting around the midsection. Elevated sugar levels in the blood will also confirm this process is occuring, along with blood pressure that creeps up, up, up. I have read that a more accurate indication of this process, an early warning system, if you will, is elevated homocysteine levels. This is a test your doctor can order and supposedly gives a better indication of the beginnings of Type 11 Diabetes than cholesterol readings do.
Oh, because we are talking about fat, and before we go much further I'd like to say that cutting fat from your diet is not the solution! That has been a myth we've been sold for decades... fat free this and fat free that! There are good fats that should be included in your diet and will help you to live in a smaller, healthier body.
I was talking earlier about total percent body fat. Your most appropriate percent body fat is based on your age, health status, fitness level, body build, and other individual factors. BUT a general guideline to work with (for those like me who don't want this process to get too complex) is:
10-20% body fat for men 18-27% body fat for women (oh, and I'm not there yet by the way)
Here's the math..... ready??
To determine (without the benefit of a chart) your percentage of body fat and your lean body mass (what you weigh without the fat) you will need two measurements - your physical weight and your abdominal measurement. The abdominal measurement is determined by taking the girth measurement around your NAVEL, not your natural waistline where your pants would sit (wow, I guess you can't say that anymore! I've seen pants sit well below the navel, even below the bottom!)
For Men's Percent Body Fat, or PBF PBF= ((abdominal x 4.15) - 98.45)) - (current weight x .082)
For Men's Lean Body Mass, or LBM LBM= (1 - PBF) x current weight
For Women's Percent Body Fat, or PBF PBF= ((abdominal x 4.15) - 76.75)) - (current weight x .082)
For Women's Lean Body Mass or LBM LBM= (1 - PBF) x current weight
Oh, and if you insist on using a target weight, remember that healthy target weights vary according to your age, height and size of frame. For instance I have a very large frame, even though I am a rather short 5 foot 2 inches. I know this from actual caliper measurements taken from my elbow by professionals with charts. A target weight for me, not taking account for my age, is 121 pounds, BUT if I had a small frame that would be reduced to 99 pounds. That is a big difference. I prefer to gauge my health status by lowering my percentage body fat, my waist measurement and blood pressure.
Phew, writing this was hard.... goin' out for a bike ride and then havin' a fruit smoothie!
