- Stating your weight out loud to a person you don't know all that well?
- Re-confirming that weight on a scale in front of said person?
- Having that person pinch, grab and measure your chubs to get your body fat percentage?
Lucky for me, I didn't have to choose just one. I got to experience all three! In step one of shaking up my fitness routine and diet, on Saturday I had my body fat percentage measured. I imagined that I would be gently pinched a little on my upper arms, and maybe around my tummy. And la, la, la it would all be over in a minute, and we'd laugh. Little did I know that I would be pinched in 7 places, and 3 times in each spot. (She also said most gym employees when measuring body fat, don't do it this way, and they do it inaccurately, and people walk around with the wrong numbers. Aren't I lucky that she was doing it the right way? I'm still sore!) I adore my YMCA trainer, I trust her, and to her credit, she warned me that it would hurt. But oy even with that warning - standing in your sports bra, with your pants just under your belly button in the office of the YMCA with a woman grabbing as much of your chubs as she can REPEATEDLY - not really a good time.
So here's the good news! I weighed in at 223 on the YMCA scale, which was a loss from Tuesday, and my home scale showed 222, which was glorious. Then, she found I was 37% body fat, which according to her calculations makes me 82 pounds fat, and 141 pounds good things like muscle, bones and organs. That was interesting to me, since that is around how much more I wanted to lose, around 78 more pounds. But according to her calculations, if I lost 35 pounds, which would put me at 188 pounds, that would make me 25% fat and is considered healthy. That's only 12% - and 35 pounds, that's easy, right? HA! None of it is easy, but it seems achievable. A little less daunting than 78. But I'm only 5'6", so I can't imagine not being considered overweight at 188. I guess I'll find out when I get there - no sense worrying about something that is 35 pounds from now! And my trainer also pointed out to not pay so much attention to the number on the scale, focus on your clothes fitting differently, and needing smaller sizes. So true! But, I'm still weighing in tomorrow. Come on, 222!
I would recommend doing the body fat measurement, even though it hurt - very informative, and I left my session feeling rejuvenated to keep on trucking. And now my trainer has an intimate appreciation of my cellulite, lovely.
3 comments:
Your goal is doable and something you can work at over a little bit of time, you don't have to be there tomorrow, your daily lifestyle changes will get you there and keep you there! Sorry you had to get pinched all over to find this out.
I second your suggestion for body fat check. It's another great non-scale way to measure progress.
Fwiw, I think you're on the right track in breaking up your "journey" into different segments. I keep chasing the next 5 lbs., the next 5 lbs, and before I know it, I'll be where I want to be. You will, too!
Have a great week!
well congrats on your loss! that is great in itself. and you have guts to go and get all that testing (I would have been really embarrassed) and at least you know where your bodys at and you just do what you can. each pound, each inch of fat,etc off your body will get you closer so you just do your best and it will be good enough.
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