Diet, Cooking, and Exercise: Rethinking My Goal: Only 7 Pounds Away

I am much closer to my goal than I thought. Today was the day that I had my skin-fold body composition testing. I also had my blood work done, but I won’t have the results from it until Monday. I have been basing my goals loosely on the body mass index (BMI) even though I know that with my workout schedule, 3-4 days per week, I’ve been building muscle as well as losing fat. I was thrilled when I reached the BMI overweight mark and was no longer considered obese. Today I weighed 166 pounds for a total loss of 44.25 pounds. Previously I set a goal for myself of pre-1998 normal according to the BMI for an index of 27.4 even though I knew that the BMI was devised for a sedentary population. I was flying blind and didn’t really know what was appropriate. When the exercise physiologist/Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist at the Ouachita Fitness and Rehabilitation Center, Larry Wood, suggested that he could help me determine my goal based on my body composition, I jumped at the chance.

Larry used a seven-site skinfold test using calipers and, along with body measurements, determined that my body fat percentage was 22.4. My target is now 19%, only 7 pounds away, so my target weight is 159. Larry had to tell me this fact 3 times before it sunk in. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; I was nearing the end of this road. About 5 weeks ago I had my body fat analyzed using electronic body fat analyzer and if I were considered normal, and not an athlete, it calculated that my body was 30.6%. I told it I was an athlete, if only a 3-4 day per week fitness center one, and it recalculated my body fat at 27%, still not a good number. I still didn’t know whether I was an athlete or not and wasn’t sure what today’s results would show. They are far better than I could have hoped.

My waist-hip ratio has dropped from .958 to .95 and I have gone from moderate risk for heart disease to normal. A ratio of .9 is considered the ideal for men, but at least the risk for my heart is down. Larry said that when I reach my goal he would help me tone up some areas, I said this loose skin and things that sag, and he said yes. He also said that when I go to a maintenance diet of 2000 calories while continuing to build muscle, my weight might go up to 165 or more, but “who cares, if your body fat is 18%?” Who indeed?

Here is my recap for the last two days.