Monthly Weigh-In

[Being_the_Don]

I'm going to start another thread to supplement my fitness journal. Guys on the forum had been suggesting I cut back on my milk and cereal (especially Warboss Alex) so one month ago I cut milk. Well, after going for an entire month without milk and cereal, I had a couple of bowls last Saturday and Sunday. What I'll do is limit my intake to the last two days before my next weigh-in.

Wed Sep 26, 2007
morning weigh-in before shower after waking up: 158.91 pounds 26.0 % body fat.

morning weigh-in after shower w/o food: 158.91 pounds 19.0% Bodyfat

morning weigh-in after shower w/o food: 160.68 pounds 18.5% Bodyfat

I weighed myself three times because I had set the scale on normal so it had a higher BF % (though lower than last weigh-in). So I re-set the scale for athlete and got the lower BF% 19.0 which is more reasonable. Right after that I weighed myself again just to make sure it was correct, but I got different readings again. :crazy: So, I'll go with 19.0% BF. To support the fact that I'm continuing to make improvements is the way my clothes are fitting me. I'm wearing 32" jeans but they're a little loose around the waist now. And I'm continuing to see definition and the emerging V-shape.

I'm getting my bodyfat down and that's a good thing. Thanks for the advice.

 

[mrRuckus]

32" jeans and 19% body fat seems way off.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Bmi

I know that BMI is not perfect because it fails to take into account that weight from muscle is going to be heavier than weight from fat. All the same I want to do calculations by hand. Is this the correct formula?

Calculating BMI:

height (feet or meters) X height (feet or meters) = height squared

weight (pounds or kilograms)

weight/height = BMI

 

[Being_the_Don]

32" jeans and 19% body fat seems way off.

Yes, it does, doesn't it? That's why I don't trust the scale.

 

[Warboss Alex]

congrats on your progress dude - milk and commercial carb products (i.e. cereal) are a big reason for many people carrying excess fat, and cutting these often results in a reduction of bodyfat even if the rest of the diet or calories don't change.

as for the scale, don't trust it.. go by the mirror and your clothes. if you gain 10lbs of muscle and lose 10lbs of fat, the scale will show exactly the same weight, but the mirror will be a world of difference

 

[Being_the_Don]

congrats on your progress dude - milk and commercial carb products (i.e. cereal) are a big reason for many people carrying excess fat, and cutting these often results in a reduction of bodyfat even if the rest of the diet or calories don't change.

as for the scale, don't trust it.. go by the mirror and your clothes. if you gain 10lbs of muscle and lose 10lbs of fat, the scale will show exactly the same weight, but the mirror will be a world of difference

Thanks for the advice and I'll continue to keep everyone posted.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Tues Oct. 30, 2007

I weighed myself last week but the readings were all over the place so I'm not posting them. I will say this, though: I no longer count the scale's BF calculation. When I flex I can see my six pack. I still have some subcutaneous fat covering them but I can definitely see my abs, my obliques show, too. Actually this has been the case for at least the past month which gets me to thinking that my BF% is probably 10% -12%.

 

[mrRuckus]

Calipers are like $10.

I tracked my progress just watching my thigh, chest, and ab caliper measurements shrink while i lost fat. My actual body weight barely moved for 5 months but those measurements kept shrinking. I checked about every 2 weeks or so.

I lost fat in more or less this order:
face, arms, back, abs, thighs, abs...

Some measurements wouldn't change at all for a long time.. i actually got frustrated for a little while wondering why my stomach wasn't shrinking anymore for like 2 months, but then i measured my legs again and that measurement had gone way way down w/o me noticing. Then at the end my stomach shrank very quickly. Seems like things tend to hop around while your body concentrates on ridding body fat from certain areas of its choosing.

My chest measurement barely moved. The arms were way obvious without any measurment just because the definition of the muscle showed so clearly once the layer of fat came off.

So, just expect that sort of thing. It seems most people just stare at their stomach and think they're not losing fat since it keeps looking the same but especially for dudes it'll be the last place to shrink.

 

[Master Bates]

congrats on your progress dude - milk and commercial carb products (i.e. cereal) are a big reason for many people carrying excess fat, and cutting these often results in a reduction of bodyfat even if the rest of the diet or calories don't change.

Why is milk bad (for bodyfat) but cheese, as you've mentioned before, is okay?

 

[Warboss Alex]

Why is milk bad (for bodyfat) but cheese, as you've mentioned before, is okay?

cheese generally is okay because it contains no lactose (milk sugars). cheese is protein and fat just like eggs or meat.

some people may find they lose weight more easily without cheese, too. but you can get away with it in most cases.

 

[Being_the_Don]

November 25, 2007

I weighed myself twice this morning before eating anything or even having water.

current weight: 157.13 pounds
BF% according to the scale is 17.5 but I read something on a medical website that BF scales are off by as much as 8 %. So who cares what the scale says about my BF %. I'm 8-9 % body fat now.

My goal is to be 154 pounds all lean muscle with great definition with no excess body fat. I'm getting closer and closer to my goal.

 

[BluEyes]

My goal is to be 154 pounds all lean muscle with great definition with no excess body fat. I'm getting closer and closer to my goal.

Why not 174 with great definition and no excess bodyfat?

 

[Being_the_Don]

Why not 174 with great definition and no excess bodyfat?

Because I like being in this weight range. I like the way I look and feel in the 150s range. I definitely do not want to gain weight esp. at 5'8".

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot to mention that the green tea and fish oil suppls. are really helping. I'm drinking the tea everyday but I'm going easy on the fish oil since my blood pressure has always been on the low side of normal. B/c fish oil is a blood thinner I'm using the suppls moderately.

 

[Being_the_Don]

Tues. Dec 25, 2007

I'm posting my latest weigh in numbers. I used two different scales this morning, all measurements were made right after I woke up and on an empty stomach. I did 3 weigh ins on one scale and 5 on another. The second scale also measures BF% but two of those numbers were far enough off that I excluded them. All weights agree, however.

current weight: 154.52 pounds. Okay, I made it to 154 pounds. Now I'll start maintaining.

Since body fat measurements on the scale can be off by 8%, my current body fat is 11%. That is a little up from last month. I don't know if it's because of natural fat storage during the winter or because I've been eating a few too many sweets lately. So, it's going to be harder workouts to get rid of the body fat. I want it down to 4% by summer. (I read that is ideal bodyfat.) I'm going to add swimming on the days I'm not lifting in the gym, that will strengthen my upper body and get rid of the excess bodyfat.

I'm at 154 pounds and I going to make lifting gains. 150s class can be powerful and lean muscular. I already know it.

154 pounds with 4 percent body fat by summer!!!

And thanks to all the guys who post in H&F. You help keep me motivated.

 

[Quagmire911]

Congratulations, you are doing well.

But 4% is unnatural and your body can't stay at that for long. Get down to 8% and you will be great.

Going too low is unhealthy, especially if you maintain it for any length of time. Bodybuilders only go that low for shows, the rest of the year they are quite a bit higher than that.

And there is quite a difference between 11% and 8%. You'll see.

Quagmire

Ps-Who the hell said 4% was ideal?

 

[Being_the_Don]

Congratulations, you are doing well.

But 4% is unnatural and your body can't stay at that for long. Get down to 8% and you will be great.

Going too low is unhealthy, especially if you maintain it for any length of time. Bodybuilders only go that low for shows, the rest of the year they are quite a bit higher than that.

And there is quite a difference between 11% and 8%. You'll see.

Quagmire

Ps-Who the hell said 4% was ideal?

Here's a link to webMd where they list healthy body fat percentages

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/body-fat-measurement?page=2

I read somewhere that some fitness models are at less than 5 percent body fat. :nervous: Isn't Mark Wahlberg at 3-5% body fat?
http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=119170&page=4&highlight=wahlberg
But I guess having body fat that low (less than 6 percent) isn't year round as you pointed out above. I wanted to get my body fat as low as possible without injuring myself. I guess I should wipe the egg off my face now.

 

[Quagmire911]

Yeh man the article says 2-4% is ESSENTIAL.

Then 6-13% is athletic. I'd aim for 8%ish if you want to be really lean and be able to maintain it. Personally I think 10% is a good goal.

You'll always get some genetic freaks who can go a lot lower or are naturally lower too.

Quagmire

 

[Throttle]

a long time ago someone posted example pics of different bf levels, i'm sure the thread could be turned up in a search. remember also that there's lots of interpersonal variation here, not to mention gender differences (a guy can afford to go lower than a gal, but also doesn't have to for the same look)

there's no way marky mark goes around under 5% bf on a regular basis anymore. MAYBE when he was doing CK ads back in the day.

fitness models only go under 8% for competitions and certain types of shoots. fashion models are completely unhealthy in every respect (goals, habits, lifestyle) and should not be emulated, even by aspiring models.

my point is -- use a mirror as your guide, and rely on others to tell you if you've gone too high or low with the bf. they'll tell you, you just have to be willing to listen.

 

[Quagmire911]

Salvatore's thread:

http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=101881

In my opinion 8-10% is where it is at. Anything lower looks dreadful in my opinion and is unhealthy.

And my god, I wonder if that is Salvartore in his profile. If so he is doing well.

Quagmire

 

[Being_the_Don]

Yeah, I remember that thread. I'm somwhere in the 10-12 % bodyfat range now. I want my physique to resemble those exampls in the ripped state. I think I'm holding water. I don't drink alcohol. My main beverages are water, milk (though not as frequently as I used to), green tea and the OCCASSIONAL soda pop. I do consume moderate amounts of salt on my foods, I prefer it to spices. Since my blood pressure has always been on the lower end of normal I don't worry about high blood pressure, but I am concerned about the side effects of fish oil so I'm taking it sparingly. (And I know the debate on fish oil supps, I don't want to trigger it in this thread). But I worry that I retain water. Still, I'm going to work harder to get rid of the excess body fat. I went swimming today. I'll get in as much swimming as I can on off days. Thanks for reposting the bodyfat % thread and for you guys pointing out the safe body fat levels I should aim for.