Geek Goals

This year is about getting my sanity back. Getting my health my house and my family into a better place by deliberate incremental changes in all areas of my life.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

What percent of my fat is body?

Huh?

Quick - before you go any futher - take a guess at what you think my % of body fat is. I'm 5' 8". My weight yesterday morning was 209.5 - at the gym last night, fully clothed and after a day of eating was 214 (yeah, I almost cried when I saw that number again). K - go record that number down in the comments and THEN read on...

Well, I joined the Biggest Loser competition at the gym. I think I'm the thinnest woman there, but alas... It was $30 and you get a $20 card to go to classes that I was planning on buying anyway, so I'm only out $10. Plus it's good motivation for me to get my ass in the gym for the next 4 months - did I mention that it goes thru April? They are going to have competitions every other week and weigh-ins every week.

As part of that, I had to weigh-in (of course), get my measurements taken (oh God, I couldn't look. My hips alone are 47.5"!!!) and get a body fat test with a fancy little computer gun. I love the fancy little computer gun. What % of my body is fat, you ask? You're going to have to wait a little longer.... ;)

We all know that the CDC goes by your BMI. Well, my BMI is 32.5. Obese. Yep. Did anyone question that? I certainly didn't. Though, I have none of the health problems that occur in obese people. My BP is low. It usually runs about 103/60ish - though when they take it at the doctor when I'm all stressed out or sick, it puts me right at 'normal' 120/70ish. Even when I was 9 months pregnant with Logan, my 10 lb gigantor baby, I topped out at 140/87 or something of that sort. My blood sugar, which gets checked EVERY appointment when you have a parent with Diabeties mind you, is perfectly normal. I was borderline GD with Logan, but let me restate - HE WAS A 10 LB BABY! :)

BMI is tough for a person like me who does have a lot of muscle - albeit hiding under a candy coating. I work out - a lot - when I'm going to the gym. Monday night alone I was there for an hour and a half and I STILL felt like I didn't get everything done! I was a figure skater who, in season, with high school 6 hours a day, still spent 6 hours on the ice. In the off season (summer) I was on the ice 8-9 hours a day. In the summer when I wasn't on the ice, I was taking dance classes for 3 hours or so! I didn't even have time to eat (yeah, I got a little too thin that summer - I was about 146 and a size 6 - 7) ! :)

Imagine my surprise when the readout said that my body fat was at 27%. Completely within the 'healthy' range. Albeit on the high end - but that will change. According to fancy little computer gun, even with almost 0% body fat, my lowest weight without losing muscle - drum roll please - 156.2. So, needless to say, my 160 that's listed as my goal, might have to change. Lord - I can't get to 0% body fat, can I? I'd be too hot to handle!!! LOL

Needless to say, today is a good day and the start of a new outlook.

7 comments:

Danielle said...

I'll play along...

Well I think mine is around 20% but you have been working out a LOT more than me so you must be having some muscle under there too.... so 19%?

How did you measure it, I got a caliper measuring thingy from beachbody a few years back and I just remeasured last week.

Danielle said...

Well I calculated my BMI and its 27.6

Not sure what the story is with my little caliper measuring thing but I know its not as accurate as the computer gun thing you tried. SO maybe mine is higher than 20%... It made you take 3 measurements and average them. Just goes to show I really need to know more about this stuff!

Its never going to be like it was back in High School for any of us.

At 0% body fat aren't you dead? Even top athletes I have heard are around 6%.

Jossie said...

I haven't measure my BMI in years. I remember when I got it done professionally at the gym, they measure in 3 different places and averaged them out...like what you did Danielle. Don't know what it is now and I'm not going to find out :-)

Oh gosh, I definitely DON'T want to look now like I did back in high school, someone once thought I was 13 years old when I was 18...that was tough! I'm doing it for my health now, so how I look in the mirror is of very little importance to me.

Karen said...

My scale has a body-fat measurer on it so I'm usually around 30% the last time I used it so I'll say that. Whatever that means ;)

For BMI I'm sitting at 22.

I only had the calipers to measure body-fat in high school averaging the arm, side, and thigh like Danielle and Jossie were talking about. Since then I've had it measured with the cool gun thing either at a health fair or the gym and with our scale.

Danielle said...

Hummm maybe I should come over to ClickChick's house and see how close my measurement came!

Kat said...

I also just joined a program at my health club to motivate losing weight. Hoping it will not only get me there more, but maybe I will do well enough to get some rebates on my monthly cost!

Danielle said...

Kat,

Saving money never hurts either! That is why I dropped the gym I never went to and started to redirect my workouts to things I could do at home. Right now my workout DVD's are working for me.

Whatever works for you! Let us know how your contest/program at the health club goes!