[tolose85]

SO... I've been keeping a check up on my BMI using one of the calculators on the web.. I must say, those calculators are a reality check.. I started out at 38.6 and now am at 29.5!! I've FINALLY made it to the Overweight Category! Next stop...Normal Weight Range.. Here I come!

[lessofsarahtolove]

CONGRATULATIONS, GRETCHEN!!!!! That's GREAT news! I'm looking forward to that day myself, girlfriend -- I'm so happy for you!

[slimmingsi]

have you tried you body fat % gives you a much better result with regards to your health for example healthy body fat for me is 18% and i'm on 20.5% a fraction over normal but my bmi is nearly 32 making me obese!!! still a 9 point drop is a monster achievement its certainly a fair few pound

[lessofsarahtolove]

Hey Si -- how do you check yours? I have a Tanita BF scale (uses bioimpedence) but I was thinking of getting some calipers. I know the immersion method is the most accurate, but don't you have to schedule it with a university or something for a fee?

[slimmingsi]

calipers are great but using the weight and waist size calculations is accurate to within about 2%. i have used tanita scales before and they give more or less the same results as the calculators.

[lessofsarahtolove]

Interesting -- my Tanita is supposed to be correct within .5%, so I guess I'm close enough! I agree with you on the value of BF vs. BMI -- that transition from the obese category to overweight -- when what you've lost is a bunch of fat -- is a real milestone though! YAY, GRETCHEN!!

[tolose85]

How do you check the body fat % thing that you, Si and Sarah are talking about?

[Ivanna B. Skinny]

CONGRATS again Gretchen!!! You are doing SSOOOOO good!

[lessofsarahtolove]

Originally Posted by tolose85

How do you check the body fat % thing that you, Si and Sarah are talking about?

Hey, girlfriend! -- Your body fat percentage paints a much more accurate picture of your weight than does the BMI or just straight-up weight. It tells you the percentage of your total weight that is fat, so you can just do the math and see how much fat you're losing vs. muscle or water. There are several means of checking/testing it: to my knowledge three, although I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.

1. Immersion - usually performed at universities or some medical facilities where they perform studies. They identify the difference in weight between your muscle + bones, and the fat. This is the most accurate measure, usually has a cost attached, and must be scheduled.

2. Calipers - widely utilized method, accuracy varies pretty widely based on who's doing it and how they're doing it and where on your body they're doing it. For the average joe, it's an ok indicator, as long as you have the same person using the same calipers at the same spot on your body. You can buy them yourself for like 25 bucks -- maybe your husband could help you out, Gretchen and you could write it off as a marital aid?

3. Body Fat Scale - this is a bathroom scale that measures the fat percentage through something called "bioimpedence," where a small electrical current passes through the balls and heels of your clean, bare feet, and as it travels at different speeds through muscle and bone vs. fat, it calculates a percentage. A widely available high quality brand name is the Tanita scale; I got mine from the same people who created my awesome nutritional/exercise and metabolism tracking/diet planning software, and it cost me like $50 as I recall, with some different discounts. It's accurate within one half of one percent, which is close enough for me. One of the keys with weighing yourself on this scale to assess BF % vs. weight is that you do NOT want to check it first thing in the morning, as your reduced hydration level will skew the numbers radically. So weigh yourself for weight first thing, and then check the BF late afternoon for the most accurate reading. (That's what I've heard anyway, and that's what works for me.)

BMI is really important from a macro viewpoint, particularly when you know that you have fat to lose (ie., are not a professional/competitive athlete or a heavy weightlifter -- muscle weighs so much more than fat, with a straight pounds/height calculation you're not getting an entirely accurate picture, as Si well knows.) But BF% is critical if you're interested in examining the micro, or want to proactively preserve muscle as you're losing weight. You can see how much of it is muscle vs. fat.........and it's freaking satisfying to know how many pounds of straight-up FAT you've kissed goodbye. I'm here to tell you it's a great feeling!

Hope this helps!

[lessofsarahtolove]

Oh yeah, silly me I forgot the online calculators........they're supposed to be ok too. I know less about them because I hurried up and got my Tanita so I could make sure as I was losing I was minimizing muscle loss....but maybe Si could tell you about this means of measure. Gotta say......I love me some Tanita.

[tolose85]

Hey Sarah, THANK YOU!! I am going to see my dietician next Wednesday and she is going to do all those tests.. I should have accurate readings next week!! I hope I am not loosing too much muscle since I haven't been rep weight training since my gym closed. Mostly cardio these days.

[lessofsarahtolove]

By "rep weight training," do you mean that you were doing light weights, increased reps?

[tolose85]

Yep, I normally did 100 reps of about 30lbs. I still get some weights in but not as much as I used to. I think I am OK but soon, I am going to have to find another gym.. I need to get the arms toned up. My abs are peeking though just a teensy weensy bit so I figure if I work on them a little more they will gradually come out!

[lessofsarahtolove]

I'm curious, how was it you opted for lighter weights and higher reps? After doing some research and talking to some personal trainers, I decided to go the route of fewer reps and higher weights to build as much muscle as possible. (I'm not worried about mass -- minus the testosterone, it's a difficult thing to develop ) I want as much of that metabolism-increasing, calorie-burning, size-minimizing, just plain-nice-to-have stuff as I can get! I do a 3 day/week full body workout with my Cross Bow and free weights combined. Each of the 3 routines has 8 exercises, and I do 2 sets of 15 rep's lifting as heavy as I can. For fat burning, I do HIIT cardio on the exercise bike and also walk on my treadmill. I'm finally at a 3 day cardio/3 day weights routine, I'm proud to say.........it's been a real battle! (Remember our conversation a couple of months back? I beat the food before I beat the exercise......)

But I'm there now, and I have the rock-hard thighs to prove it! Oh yeah, and they scream at me on a regular basis now, too!

I'm so proud of you, Gretchen....you're doing a great job. Your success is hard won and you own it.

[slimmingsi]

online calculators go to a search and type body fat calculator basically you type you waist size and weight in i think for women you have to put in hips and wrist size normally too, muscle is good there was a pic floating around here once that showed 5lb of fat next to a simulated 5lb lump of muscle scary. the fat was like 3x bigger. i lift 5 days a week on a split programme plus my fight training at night which is my cardioish stuff lol and when i can muster the effort a jog in the mornings