WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE - 7 Weeks-10#'s

[Pedal Wench]

*&$* scales.<<<snip>>>
But, I've kept up my no soft drink (diet or otherwise) commitment for well over a month

CA

You've brought up an important point: it's not just the weight that matters here. Making a healthy change that might not impact your weight is just as important. Maybe something folks who don't need to lose weight can also post about. Weight isn't everything to do with good health. (Says the woman who skipped the weigh-in this morning...)

[Jones]

I'm down about a half pound since Thursday. New weight 183.8. I have to say posting my weight on the internet twice a week is really good motivation for me. Congrats to all you losers and good choice makers.
Jones

[Tuckervill]

Maybe if I weighed a few hundred pounds, I MIGHT feel reticent to say it out loud...but then I think..."Hey, those 500+ lb people on teevee don't blush at their weight. I mean, does it really matter whether it's 500 or 700 lbs?"

I'm fat. There's no getting around it. Everyone can see it with their own eyes. So what if I'm 180 fat or 170 fat? I'm FAT. But I'm going to be fit (fitter, because I'm doing pretty well right now). I don't care what other people think.

Karen

[five one]

Had my body comp analysis appointment today and it was better news than I thought it would be. 24.4% fat. I was expecting 27-30 based on how I feel and look. This is 3% less than what Kaiser considers excellent for my age group. What this tells me is what I really knew all along. That I have a lot of muscle and the number on the scale is always going to be high for my height. I still want to drop 10 - 15# slowly in an attempt to get rid of the dangerous visceral fat I know must be hiding in my gut. I'd like to take 120# out for a spin and see how it feels, especially going uphill.

Anyway, I'm glad I went in and got tested. This is my baseline. I'm going to do it again in 6 months and hope to see an improvement.

The cold I thought never really developed into a full-fledged cold came back overnight. I guess I shouldn't have ridden yesterday. I didn't ride today. So disappointing. The weather was beautiful here and I was home all day.

I hope everyone had a good eating day. And if not, tomorrow's a new day. Keep at it.

[CLM]

I weighed in this morning at 157.5, down 3 pounds from last Monday's 160.5. I'm just trying to keep my calorie count between 1200 to 1500 and eat healthy foods while exercising regularly. I also need to drink less diet soda and more water. With my work schedule lately, it's been hard to get the exercise in. I managed to get to 3 spinnng classes at the gym this past week. I hope to add a couple of days of running and weight training this week. I don't have a bike yet. I'm in the looking and test riding stage. There are so many to choose from. I want a road bike. I have friends who ride centuries in the nearby mountains (east TN) and that is my ultimate goal. Given my lack of bike skills demonstrated during the test rides, it will take a while to get there, but I can't wait to get going.

[Kano]

My turn --
last monday, 177
today, 175

Tuckervill - Moving the scale -- I hate when that happens! Mine can be temperamental about being moved too. I've been tempted to make rings on the bathroom floor to mark the spot, y'know?

A couple of mentions of willpower today again -- I don't know if I'd call it willpower. Fear is probably more accurate. I've been able to avoid eating the halloween candy and other "treats" because I'm so insanely afraid I won't stop if I start! For now, it's working for me, so I'll go with it!

To everyone who had a successful week -- either didn't gain or lost -- congratulations! If you gained anything, darn -- next time will be different, eh?

Karen in Boise

[kelownagirl]

Had my body comp analysis appointment today and it was better news than I thought it would be. 24.4% fat. I was expecting 27-30 based on how I feel and look.

A question about body fat percentage. I had mine tested a few months ago. I weighed about 122 lbs at the time. She did the caliper test using calipers that she claims are "really good". She did every site 3 times and took the avg if needed. She also took a lot of other types of measurements and overall said I was in really good shape - fit and healthy. However, according to her test, my body fat was still at 30% ( ). I was choked that I had lost 20 lbs and was still at 30%. I want my body fat down to 20% so tell me if I'm figuring this correctly.

If 30% is fat, then 70% of my 122 lbs is lean body mass, right? 70% of 122 lbs is about 85 lbs (with about 36 lbs of fat!)

If I wanted to get my fat percentage down to 20%, my lean mass stays more or less the same (85 lbs) and the fat part drops, right?

80% of 107 lbs is 85 lbs
20% of 107 lbs is 21 lbs.

Now of course, I could be building some muscle during that time so that would have to be taken into consideration but overall, is my figuring more or less correct?

I would have a whole lot more to lose to get down to 107 lbs. I weighed that when I was 21. Not sure I could be like that now. And because of that, I keep wondering if the 30% test result isn't a bit high...

[steinspinne]

Start: 180
Week1: 177

Starting to worry about my scale. It measures to 1/10 of a pound, but I keep getting these even numbers. Methinks it's time to dig through the closet and find one of my dumbbells to give the scale a little pop quiz.

Had an excellent dinner tonight. Tried my hand at homemade pasta sauce (tomatoes, fresh basil and oregano, onions, mushrooms, the works!) and threw it on top of some little things I made by rolling breakfast sausage, chopped bell peppers and ricotta into a strip of "lasagna" style pasta. It was yummy!

Didn't someone mention a spoonful of powdered cocoa mixed into ricotta cheese as a snack earlier? I need to do a search in this thread...

[nonsmoker3]

Starting weight - 147
Monday weigh in - 145.5


I am really really happy

[NoNo]

Morning! Rough weekend. Spent Friday night and all day Saturday cooking and cleaning like a fiend. Same went for Sunday morning, and finally it was housewarming time! There was WAY too much food, and too much bad stuff (well it sure tasted good ). I did manage to sneak out for a 30 minute ride on Saturday, along with my Pilates. Yesterday I didn't feel like riding, so I did the "Kick Butt Cardio" on Comcast's On-Demand. Man, am I SORE today! Also did my Pilates, too. Ate well most of yesterday, doing my best to avoid all the yummy leftovers, but last night I caved and ate 3 mini cannolis Today I brought in the fried eggplant and chocolate cake so that I can fatten up my coworkers and not be tempted to eat it all myself! Weigh-in: 124.6 (but I'm really PMS-y now)

[limewave]

I would have a whole lot more to lose to get down to 107 lbs. I weighed that when I was 21. Not sure I could be like that now. And because of that, I keep wondering if the 30% test result isn't a bit high...

It's possible you have 36lbs of fat, but you probably don't need to lose any weight . . . you just need to gain muscle. Do you do any weight training? Start doing WT 3 to 4 times a week and maybe increase your protein--maybe for breakfast have a protein shake.

I have a body comp done every month or two at my doctor's office. And last time I weighed in at the same weight as the previous time, but I had gained almost 5 lbs of muscle and my BMI dropped a whole point--even though I weighed exactly the same.

[GLC1968]

A question about body fat percentage. I had mine tested a few months ago. I weighed about 122 lbs at the time. She did the caliper test using calipers that she claims are "really good". She did every site 3 times and took the avg if needed. She also took a lot of other types of measurements and overall said I was in really good shape - fit and healthy. However, according to her test, my body fat was still at 30% ( ). I was choked that I had lost 20 lbs and was still at 30%. I want my body fat down to 20% so tell me if I'm figuring this correctly.

If 30% is fat, then 70% of my 122 lbs is lean body mass, right? 70% of 122 lbs is about 85 lbs (with about 36 lbs of fat!)

If I wanted to get my fat percentage down to 20%, my lean mass stays more or less the same (85 lbs) and the fat part drops, right?

80% of 107 lbs is 85 lbs
20% of 107 lbs is 21 lbs.

Now of course, I could be building some muscle during that time so that would have to be taken into consideration but overall, is my figuring more or less correct?

I would have a whole lot more to lose to get down to 107 lbs. I weighed that when I was 21. Not sure I could be like that now. And because of that, I keep wondering if the 30% test result isn't a bit high...

Yes, you are figuring that correctly. Keep in mind that there is still margin for error when measureing body fat with calipers - so I wouldn't get too concerned about the actual number. Did you have it done prior to losing weight? If not, you can kind of see your progress by calculating what it would be with 20 lbs of extra fat on you (assuming no lean mass change): 122+20= 142. Lean mass = 85lbs, that means your body fat when you were 142 was 40%. 10% drop in body fat is AWESOME!

[Pedal Wench]

Grrrr. 132.0. Still. I've been eating clean, rode 53 miles on Saturday, mountainbiked 3 hours on Sunday, walked 5 miles with weights last night, starting working out my arms with weights, and nothing. Grrrr. *TMI warning* I got my period yesterday, so that might be why nothing moved. Grrrrr.
On the plus side, my tummy is getting flatter. I have to weigh myself fully-clothed on the shipping scale at work, so maybe I'm wearing heavier jeans today. I'll just keep on -- can't give up, I've got 6 weeks to go, and it's got to start moving in the right direction. Don't give up, don't give up...

[NoNo]

*TMI warning* I got my period yesterday, so that might be why nothing moved. Grrrrr..

Like I said earlier, I usually gain a little at that time, so don't get too frustrated. That's an amazing amount of exercise and you should be very proud!

[kelownagirl]

Yes, you are figuring that correctly. Keep in mind that there is still margin for error when measureing body fat with calipers - so I wouldn't get too concerned about the actual number. Did you have it done prior to losing weight? If not, you can kind of see your progress by calculating what it would be with 20 lbs of extra fat on you (assuming no lean mass change): 122+20= 142. Lean mass = 85lbs, that means your body fat when you were 142 was 40%. 10% drop in body fat is AWESOME!

yeah, I did it after losing 20 lbs. I did weigh 141 lb before.