Hey guys!!

I'm baaaack! In 5 weeks I'll be back home with my mum and dad and so I will be on here more often. I"m just visiting now. I needed some motivation and my parents are good for that! I've lost 9 lbs since being on here for Christmas.

So anyways...re-thinking my goal...

We had this group come in from Iowa at my work. They did wellness screening where they took your blood to check all your levels (cholesterol, blood sugar etc etc.), they weighed you and then they checked your body fat with this electrode thing. HOW INTIMIDATING! Or so I thought!

When I first started my new lifestyle, I was at 54% body fat. Now.....I am at 30%!!!! Granted, I'm not 25% yet, but man! How awesome is that! Also..it gives the weight of your bones/muscles and organs altogether and mine weight 166 lbs! In other words..my goal of 165 is not attainable for me. I weight-lift and I have a big bone structure. So to be at the 16%-25% body fat range, I will be weighing between 214 and 191 lbs! Crazy! I can't believe I Only have 30 some lbs to lose!

What do you guys think about that? Have any of you had that test done? I hadn't dropped much weight this week, and so going through that test made my day! I was the healthiest women at my factory!!...My cholesterol is at 106!!! My blood sugar and tryglicerides were lower than they've ever seen on anyone! All of these things were really high when I first changed my life. I'm so grateful right now. I feel awesome.

What great news that you're down to 30%!!! Awesome ^^ You should feel great, these are great things!!!

Do you have a way to retest that same way when you get down to 214 - 191 so that you can be sure you're on track % wise? I had it done once in high school, and actually wish I could get it done again somewhere just to know exactly how my body is like that, too! I think that's a fantastic tool in that now you'll be able to set a realistic & healthy goal without feeling like a "failure" for not reaching some number that may not be feasible. Really cool!

Welcome back Sheila! I was wondering what happened to you

You really have come a long way and I envy you for being able to stay OP during the Christmas season.

The best fat percentage test can be done in the water tank. I think any thing else is just an estimate. The body fat percentage thing on my scale at home says that at 5'8" and 159.4lbs I am 30% body fat, which I think is close to the real number, although probably not "correct". So I wouldn't really trust the numbers they are giving you *that* much. For instance that whole everything thing else weighing 166lbs? I don't know about that. I think you can get down to 165, being 1 inch taller than I am. I'm 5'8" and I'm shooting for somewhere between 135 and 145.

I agree with Faerie though. I think you should wait until you get down to around 180 or so and re-evaluate yourself and your goals. Good luck and keep up the good work!

Sheila, I just wanted to say, congratulations!! You are doing so well... keep up the good work. And the GREAT attitude!

While you may be right. This test is a whole lot different than stepping on a scale. It's not a fake test. They hook the electrodes up to your hand and then to your foot and what happens is the current goes through muscle a lot quicker than fat...and it measures your fat. I truely believe that my muscles/bones/organs weight 166. I have a very large bone structure...at 228 lbs, I can feel all of my ribs on my stomach without sucking it in or poking hard. My rib cage is very defined. I also lift heavy every day...my biceps (with very little if any fat on them) are 15 inches around each. I am not a frail girl.

I truely believe I cannot get down past 190 and look healthy and I've had several doctors tell me that my previous goal was unhealthy, but I just didn't believe them until now.

We will see though....It's no wonder that weight-loss has been quite a bit slower the past couple months though...if I'm getting down to wear I need to be.

Sheila - I agree with you that everyone's body is different! I wasn't saying my scale was the right way to do a body fat % either (BTW, it uses the same method that they did for your test - puts electricity through the bottom of your feet). I was saying that the only way to get the most correct number is to do the water tank test. My doctor told me that he didn't think I needed to lose any more weight and that I am fine where I am. I am at the very top of my BMI range, and would like to land somewhere in the middle. Everyone has different goals. I used to think I couldn't weigh less than 160 (back when I weighed 230lbs) but I can I just don't see any harm in re-evaluating yourself every now and then. I thought I would be good with reaching 162, and now I've set my goal lower. Sometimes we can't envision ourselves at a lower weight, but once we get closer our goal sometimes it is easier. Good luck to you!

How great that youre at 30%!! Good luck with the rest

Hey Sheila!! WAY TO GO!!! You're doing phenomenal!

I also wanted to mention, that as you get closer to goal, those numbers will change. And the percentages. Even the 166 lbs of muscle, organs, bone, etc. Even though you're lifting, the closer you get to goal, you still will lose some muscle and yes, even bone, blood, water, etc...

I think the most important number to go by is not even a number at all. As you get closer to your goal, you will see how you look and "feel". At some point, you will come to the conclusion that this is how you want to look and feel and whatever that number is, it is. And you will determine that you "are there".

Keep up the amazing work. When you're at your "goal", you'll know it. You just might not know what that number is right now, but trust me, you keep this up and you WILL know it.

Welcome back Sheila! Congrats on the phenomenal job you've done!

I agree with Robin on this one: as you lose weight, you will lose muscle and other stuff as well. You could certainly lose to 165 if you wanted to. The best thing is just to keep with it and see how you feel as your weight goes down. You might find yourself totally happy at 190 or you might want to drop a bit lower. There's nothing wrong with playing by ear on your goal weight or, for that matter, setting a body fat goal rather than a weight goal.

It's all about how you feel, how you look and how you feel about how you look.

thanks for the words of encouragement guys.

There is not doubt that I would love to be 165....but on the other hand...I've made a personal goal for myself that I want to be happy with the way I look. I've become obsessive with the scale...I used to weigh myself once a week and now it's usually twice a day.

I hate the way it makes me feel to get on a scale. I even made rewards for myself NOT weighing myself, and yet I can't do it. I hate this part of weight-loss...when things get obsessive. Any advice for me with that would be MUCH appreciated!

Ugh, not good. Scale-obsessiveness is not a pretty picture. Perhaps it would be a good idea to focus on the body fat number instead. Set a goal of 20% or something and have your bf tested at the gym every 6 weeks or so. In the interim, keep the scale in the cupboard and only let it out on weigh-in day. If you leave it on the bathroom floor in plain view, it will continue to taunt you.

I have the opposite problem: I hate the scale so I have to really force myself to get on it on weigh-in day. I often "forget" and workout/eat breakfast before I remember that it's Friday.

No it hasn't been a pretty picture. I was having a relapse of purging for a while. I am so ashamed of that. It's been almost two weeks though since I last did it and now I'm going for another two weeks. Maybe I should just be focusing on those goals for now?

I don't own a scale...it taunts me at the gym right in front of the bathroom door. Sometimes I'll even use it twice while I'm there...or three times. Don't ask me why...If I go to the bathroom while I'm there I use it too.

Ugh...I do eat breakfast before I workout...usually a bowl of cereal *because of the carbs* and then after I workout I have a protein shake and fruit. So I know my weight is off a little when I weigh-in.

I've also been constipated for....this will sound horrible, TWO weeks! I've barely moved anything. Maybe that's part of the reason I haven't lost much this week? I'm not sure but I sure hope I get to movin sometime soon. This is miserable. It's also supposed to be that time of the month too so that could also be it. I just really like to see the scale move..

Two weeks? Not good. Are you drinking enough water, getting enough fiber, etc? Hvae you tried taking anything? Getting eh, "backed up" like that is bad for more than just weightloss. If you've tried OTC methods and nothing's worked, you should probably put a call in to your MD, just in case.

Also, remember that weight TRULY is just a number. It's arbitrary, dependent on water retention, what scale you use, the weight of your clothes, if you're chewing gum.. etc. etc. Maybe try measuring your success with measurements or BF or something other than a number.

I second SouthLake on her concern about the GI issues. I was having the same problem and finally called my GP doc. He recommended OTC fiber (I take Benefiber) and to follow the directions on the packaging. For me, that worked. He said that even though I eat a high fiber diet, it is not the same type of fiber. If it has been that long for you, you might want to consider making an appointment with your doctor.

I agree about the GI issue with above posters. If I don't go for 2 days I feel so yucky. I got the same problems when I was put on several new medications around the same time and my doc told me to take Pericolic. Its OTC and works wonders