ren01's 12% BF Club: 7/28 Check In

See Aiming for 12% BF, Who Wants In??? for more details.

Monday 7/7/08

Check in here with updates.

Well, I'm feeling a bit discouraged. I shouldn't be though, as I know the problem lies with my eating habits- I'm eating too much, plain and simple.

Starting weight- 126

Todays weight- 125.8 :(

BF%- 20.03%, but I have my doubts...gaining weight but lowering BF%?? I must be measuring wrong.

The good news though, is that I'm seeing some definite results on my arms, I now have *visible* triceps which is nice. After working out last night I noticed I have lats, which is something I've never had before! So, cool!

Liked the link, ren. IMO the guy in the first pic looks better than the guy in the last.

dimitra - Come on in!!  The more the... less-body-fattier?

queenmedia - I've been a bit discouraged too.  And I know what the problem is, too.  Too many unplanned "excursions", too few workouts, and definitely too much alcohol.  I've also realized that my CC numbers only allow me a 400 cal deficit per day (2300 burn, 1900 in, set on sedentary).  So these last couple pounds will be slow, assuming I can lessen these detrimental habits.

I'll be out of town again for two weeks, to a hotel with no "fitness center" (which seems to be the hotel industry phrase for "a few busted-up, worn-out, creaky cardio machines".  But that's another thread.)  So I'll be taking the bicycle and doing as much as I can of body weight exercises.  This actually could be good, I'm gonna try to eat good, get good workouts in, and avoid the pitfalls.  Maybe when I'm back in two weeks I'll a good report and some good progress pics.

Finally, I LOVE me some on-line body fat calculators!!  The one queenmedia linked gave me a really great number.  Unfortunately, I think the calipers don't lie.  Maybe if the two-week-work-trip-workout plan goes well, I'll schedule another caliper appointment.

Original Post by st_rider:

Good link, ren. That's a good comparison & guide for what we are going for (and NOT going for - yeesh!)

Definitely extending the challenge!! At least through the end of the year, something to motivate us through the dreaded holiday season!!

(BTW - that's one reason to watch 300 - it makes it less gay. Not that theres anything wrong with that.)

Haha maybe I should of stuck with 300. Your right about going too far. Some of those guys just have a different set of aesthetics. I think anywhere between 10%-12% will be fine by me!

Anyways I believe in having concrete goals, so when should our next deadline be? I wanna challenge everyone here to lose 2% body fat every month until we reach our goal. So let's check in September 15th!

queenmedia it's definitely possible to gain weight and LOSE body fat! Don't get discouraged! Consider switching to a different progress metric like a favorite pair of jeans or the painfully truthful measuring tape.

dimitra Hi and welcome in! Joining a gym sounds like a good idea, but just don't overwork yourself the first couple weeks. Congrats on your current weight loss!

Original Post by ren01:

queenmedia it's definitely possible to gain weight and LOSE body fat! Don't get discouraged! Consider switching to a different progress metric like a favorite pair of jeans or the painfully truthful measuring tape.

 

I've done the measuring tape...that's how I'm getting the (probably) inaccurate
BF%. Since the guys outnumber the girls on this thread, you might not appreciate the irony of how measuring goes for me- the part I measure is halfway between navel and sternum, but below that belt is my belly, which sticks out further than the area I measure :S

I love measuring according to how my clothes fit. Unfortunately, I don't like what they're saying either! haha

Thanks for the encouraging words st_rider and ren. Here's hoping we all meet that 2% off goal!

I'm off on vaca for two weeks so I may not be able to check in. I'm packing gym clothes and shoes so I'm hoping some of the hotels will have atleast some equipment. Good luck all!

I am on vacation as well, looking forward to the hotel I'm heading to tonight- they have a really nice fitness center. Eating the waffles every morning for breakfast can't be doing much for me though!

so,yesterday I had my body fat measured at the gym.I got a 6% loss from May..Now it's at 25%.:(

I talked to the dietician of the gym,and he told me that 25% is normal and ok,and that 20% that I'm aiming for is way too low,and I will have problems with my cycle.22% he says is the least I should aim for and the most a 4-6 pounds loss.What do you think??  It's 20% really that low??

Anyway,I will try for a 2% loss this month,though I really doubt that I will achieve it.lol

A 6% loss is great! I don't think that 20% is too low, but neither am I any kind of professional. I'm aiming for 20 and then based on what I think when I get there I'll decide what I'm going to do.

Hi guys! I'm back from vaca and it seems you guys haven't been checking in so I'll start!

Start Weight: 196.5

Today's Weight: 174

Goal Weight: Arbitrarily chosen super middle weight class of 168 :)

The weight went down on vacation because it ended with a bout of food poisining. I'm not sure how much lean mass I lost eating nothing but jello and gatorade for a few days. I'll probably post some new pics next check in after all the after vacation fat settles ;)

That sucks about the way your vacation ended! Looking on the bright side though, I'm sure it was a memorable time?... :)

Somehow it's happening, I guess it just kind of snuck up on me- my BF% has definitely dropped. Started at 26%, now hovering at 20%. I've lost a generous 2" from my measuring area (halfway between navel and sternum). My weight hasn't dropped much, only a few pounds since July (I think?...). But I'm still working on it!

Original Post by queenmedia:

That sucks about the way your vacation ended! Looking on the bright side though, I'm sure it was a memorable time?... :)

Somehow it's happening, I guess it just kind of snuck up on me- my BF% has definitely dropped. Started at 26%, now hovering at 20%. I've lost a generous 2" from my measuring area (halfway between navel and sternum). My weight hasn't dropped much, only a few pounds since July (I think?...). But I'm still working on it!

Good to hear your making your goals! Oh and it was definitly memorable ;)

Hey ren, I have a question for you- you've had your BF% done professionally, right? Either through caliper or that hand held thing method? I'm still just using a measuring tape and this site. This morning, based on my stats (120 pds, 26" waist), I have 17.76 % BF. That just doesn't seem right to me. I look at my stomach and think "that is not what 17% is supposed to look like.

So my question is this; I don't suppose you would try the site and let me know how accurate it is according to your other results?

Original Post by queenmedia:

Hey ren, I have a question for you- you've had your BF% done professionally, right? Either through caliper or that hand held thing method? I'm still just using a measuring tape and this site. This morning, based on my stats (120 pds, 26" waist), I have 17.76 % BF. That just doesn't seem right to me. I look at my stomach and think "that is not what 17% is supposed to look like.

So my question is this; I don't suppose you would try the site and let me know how accurate it is according to your other results?

EDIT: Tried the site out. I'm not a very big fan of these estimators but I put in my age of 23, waist size of 32 and todays weight to get an estimate of around 12%. This could be coincidental, but that's pretty much where I'm at right now. I'd use it more to measure progress than get definite body fat percentages though. If I have time today I'll use my at home caliper test to see how it stacks up.

Sure thing! I'll get back to you later in the day.

Start Weight: 196.5

Today's Weight: 172.5

Goal Weight: 168

Thanks! I really appreciate- maybe it's more accurate than I was giving it credit   for. If that's the case, then YAY! I got to 18%!

Start weight & BF%- 126, 26%

Today's weight & BF%- 120.4, 17.76%

Goal weight & BF%- 118 (?), 15% (?)

Not really sure what my BF% should be- I'd like to have it as low as possible without the concern of losing my period.

Whew!  More than a month since I've checked in....and what a month.  The two-week-travel-workout-plan was pretty good.  August workouts were pretty good, even with being out of town.  September has been rough so far, I was really ill for the first week, then alternately busy/ traveling/ unmotivated/ hurricane impeded from the gym till this week.  The illness was a great weight loss method, but I really don't recommend it.  The second week brought on some dietary indulgences that really didn't help, but the damage wasn't nearly as bad as I'd expect.  The real problem  isn't the weight gain, but the redistribution of weight.  I've definitely lost some tone and gained back a little "extraness".  "Skinny" jeans still fit fine though, so it's not a total catastrophe.

 Made my first workout in two weeks yesterday, and boy am I feeling it today!  Looking forward to being back on the wagon, eating right, and being fit & trim for HAWAII century ride in 10 days! 

Start weight/ BF:  212/ 23%

Best Weight/ BF:  188/ 18%

Todays Weight/ BF:  190/ ??

Goal Weight/ BF:  ??/ 12ish% 

Start Weight: 196.5

Today's Weight: 172

Goal Weight: 168

I uploaded a new progress pic for the week. Remember, today is the monthly check in! I hope everyone met their BF lose goal, though I'm not sure I did Oh and welcome back st_rider!

• SW- 126
• CW- 121.6
• GW- 118?

Still haven't gone for that BF% testing yet...Have a great time in Hawaii, st!

188.  Broke even on vacation.  I'll take it.  Back to real life!

I'm still 172 but my waist is getting smaller, so it's a good sign. I'll post a progress pic a little later. Good job breaking even in Hawaii st_rider!

Hulloo? anybody left out there?

I guess my post vacation report wasn't altogether accurate.  I reported what the scale said, but that was about the last time it said that.  So either last week was artificially low, (my guess) or I've somehow managed to gain weight while having a really good dietary week and good workouts. 

Either way, I'm feeling pretty good now - got my "abs" (or rather the vagueish hint of an outline of abs you can kind of imagine if it's dark, and you squint, and you kind of tilt your head sideways...) back.  This is where I got lazy before, so now I'm ready to step it up and stick with the program and see how good it can get!  I think I'll be confident enough to go for a bf% measure in a week or two.

Check my journal for the new 6 week workout that really seems to be burning some flubber.

190 lbs on Monday morning. 

edit:  my original word for tilt got asterisked.