I find myself torn between two worlds.

One where I'm adding back the foods I discarded back in August and noting which ones affect my weight and the other where I'm trying to build muscle to protect my damaged back and neck (accident January '03).

Hmm, ...am I making a mistake trying to do both at the same time? After all, I just want some way to gage my progress. Is Body Mass Index (BMI) accurate enough to give me an early warning if I find a food which I should avoid (tends to make me gain quickly) or should I be using a combination of the scale for my weight and BMI measurement?

Please let me know your thoughts.


Jeb

Here is my 2 cents.... You should try using the "pant-o-meter". Choose the pants in your favorite size, whether that be a 4 or 14, and when they get uncomfortable or tight, then change your eating plan OR exercise plan.... scales, BMI, etc, don't take into account your muscle mass.... I know women who weigh 150 who take a size 4 and others at the same weight who take a size 14! I would much prefer the 150# and size 4 pant....Just my honest opinion.... I'm presently 152 size 8-10... heading down to the valley of the 4s... where have I heard that one before ....

Hi Ilene,

I still have a little loose skin. Its tightening nicely but, for instance, I just changed pant size from a 33 waist to a 32 (yes, ...I've been working those abs and I've got my six-pack back ). I'm also working my legs so my pants might get tighter just in muscle growth.

Isn't there a sure fire way to measure your success in building? It seems losing weight is easier than trying to gain since most of the measurement is via the scale.

...hmm.


Jeb

Hi Ilene,

Here is a recipe you may enjoy for workout days. Its light enough not to weigh you down before you go.

Deviled Eggs

6 eggs (hard boiled)
1 Idaho Potato (baked)
1/3 cup Rice Milk
2 tsp Wylers granulated chicken bouillon
1 tsp Splenda
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
dash/egg paprika (sprinkled)

Cut the eggs in half and toss the yolks (free yourself from the tyranny of yolk, ...just toss it ). Remove the potato skin and put the rest in a bowl. Mix in the other ingredients (except the paprika) and fill each egg half with this mixture. Sprinkle with the paprika and let chill in refrigerator.

Enjoy!


Jeb

Quick answer: NO... For me everyday is a thinking process of what I will eat, which exercises I will do and when....There is no "sure fire way" IMO... What works for you may not work for Jane... so to speak...

Quick answer: YES... When you are regularly "losing" weight, the best measure is the scale of course. Then when you try to maintain it, it doesn't change, not for me anyways! It does NOT mean I can have desert at every meal, because I WILL definitely gain the weight back... I do NOT want that!! Or slack off on my workouts ... Because the weight will come back, and I don't want to be one of the stats that say that most of us losers gain it back within a year... again!

I LOVE the looks of that recipe!

I see that you are a fairly new poster here at 3FC. Come join us at the Maintainers or the Ladies (and Gents) Who Lift forum, for some great incentive and advise on maintaining that great weight lost you have accomplished. There are some great folks there....

How much weight have you lost? Where are you from? Age? Give us more details girl!

Hope to hear from you soon...

Well, ...to be real honest, it makes sense why some people just gain it right back. It's so difficult to gage if your gaining fat at the same time your trying to build muscle. I can see why people just give up. Let alone the duality of your mindset. You want to gain weight but not fat. After having a mindset of wanting to lose, you can't just shift gears and want to gain. You have to keep that little guy on your shoulder telling you to watch what you eat and yet I find my metabolism allows for more calories now without gaining weight.

Its a balancing act!

Gender: Male
Weight lost: 79.5 lbs (all fat, no muscle lost)
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio USA
Age: 44


Jeb

You might consider having your body fat measured at regular intervals, along with keeping your measurements, and putting all this info in a notebook. I find that extremely helpful. Some people swear by the "caliper" method of body fat measurement; others use underwater weighing, and there are various tape measure formulas. I use Covert Bailey's tape measure version, not because it's the most accurate, but because it's the most convenient, so I can see progress from week to week.

Hi Seek .... I'm with Seek on the measurements... I never took any, then started over a year ago. Every 3 months or so I check them and compare notes from last year to now, and I'm really surprised at the progress...even though I thought there were none... What also helps are taking pics... I was when I saw the first one: "Is that what people see when I'm walking away!!" ... They speak volumes and don't lie...

Jeb - besides the LWL forum, 3FC also has a Men's Corner, ably moderated by none other than our own Jack-150! Check it out

Hi Seek,

So, measuring becomes more important than weighing now. I suppose if my weight increases gradually along with a corresponding increase in inches in the correct areas then I'm doing OK. That would mean my waist would remain the same and be a good measurement area to gage for fat increase from trigger foods to catch it early enough (don't mind me while I think out loud ).


Jeb

Thanks Mrs.Jim,

I'll stop by and check it out. Do you like deviled eggs? If so, check out the recipe above because its just like the real thing!

Btw, ...add a tablespoon of olive oil to the filler in the egg recipe. I tweeked it a bit tonight and it turned out creamier and with a better taste than before.


Jeb

Good morning Jeb

I must direct you to a new post by Meg in the Maintainers Forum discribing her 2nd year anniversary! She's a true inspiration!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...102#post581102

It's still early and I'm still settling in to this weight as well as trying to transform myself into a new me with greater mass, better definition, and more protection for my spinal column. I have the support of all my doctors, family, and friends.

It's a mind game you play with yourself. I always told myself that I was built good. Even when I had the extra 80 lbs my mind thought I was thinner than that. So, now that I've lost it all my thoughts are the same but everything else is different. I no longer have trouble climbing stairs. I don't even give them a second thought now.

The problem is that having this mindset allows me to shrug off any fat gain as normal but it is not normal and I need to re-train my thoughts on this. Holding this weight area will help but building muscle mass adds weight and this extra weight should be easy to carry since it is muscle and not fat that I am attempting to add.

I'm going in two different directions at the same time and hoping they merge at some point, ...we shall see!


Jeb