Why the disclaimer before the directions? Because I'm going to ask you to assess your body fat percentage. A true healthy weight goal incorporates much more than a number on the scale (which as we know is so easily influenced by everything from water weight to muscle mass). Body fat will lead you to your lean body mass, and ultimately a calculation of the dream body you want. Mr. Nut and I just got around to sizing up the BF situation last night, and I believe so strongly that this number is crucial for you to find your healthy goal that I'm using my own numbers as a guide for you. While I am certainly in a lot better shape than I used to be and the scale has been steadily dropping, the pinches revealed just how far I've yet to go. So get those calipers out and get ready to pinch your way to fitness!
Start by getting yourself a partner to help you take the caliper measurements (someone with whom you are comfortable enough to not only reveal your body to but to pinch your fat and see the raw truth of your physical state). There are dozens of different combinations of pinch measurements that can be used to determine BF and from what I have read even the most accurate can be off by as much as 4%. Keep in mind that this calculation will also be used as a tracker for your personal starting point and progress rather than simply a static status. After much research I opted for the Parillo equation because it incorporates the most pinch sites (in my opinion giving a more complete picture of BF, since all bodies store fat differently). Here is the website I used to calculate the results (as well as detailed instructions for how to take measurements at each of the sites): http://www.linear-software.com/online.html
My results showed that at 28 years old, 137lbs, I have 30.15% body fat. As you can see from the website, 30% is on the high end of "acceptable" for women. I definitely feel and think I look better than high end "acceptable" but I know when I look in the mirror that I have many places left to work on and I have decided that for me the high end of "athletic" is my goal. That means 20% BF, so my goal is to lose 10% BF. Now that I have my starting point and my ultimate goal, we can begin the calculations to figure out what corresponding weight goal should go with that (rather than reach for an arbitrary weight goal that just sounds good but doesn't incorporate newly built muscle or body shape).
With my weight and BF, I can now calculate my lean body mass. Multiply your weight by your body fat percentage, and divide by 100. Ex: (137x30.15)/100= 41.31. This gives the amount of fat on your body. To find lean body mass, subtract your fat number from your overall weight. Ex: 137-41.31= 96.69 (lean body mass)
To find your goal weight, you need to pick your desired BF percentage (these zones are listed on the above website). As I previously discussed, I am shooting for 20% BF. To calculate the corresponding overall weight I first find my lean body mass goal by subtracting the desired percentage from 100. Ex: 100-20= 80.
Next I calculate the goal weight by dividing lean body mass by lean body mass goal and multiply by 100. Ex: (95.69/80)x100= 119.6 My goal weight is 119.6, which means I still have 17 pounds to go. At 2lbs/week this will take me about 8 weeks to reach.
This may seem a bit daunting but I ask you, what are YOUR goals. Is 8 weeks too much time when I've been busting my butt 3 times a day for 2 months. Of course not! Life is about the long haul, it's about continued results, maintaining victories and preventing backslides. If you're a long way from your goal, so what?!?! What would your status be in 8 weeks if you didn't try? Still heavy, out of shape and tired? It isn't about whether it takes 8 weeks or 8 months, it's about 8 YEARS, and 80 YEARS from now and maintaining those losses and chipping away at it. Be honest with yourself, find your goal, and get moving! Anyone else brave enough to post their status? Put yourself out there and let us know. You'll find that getting it out there is a lot less scary than you think, and once you bring it out into the light it's a lot easier to see where the changes are needed. Before you know it you'll be bragging about your results and flaunting what you've got. So let's hear those numbers! You know I'll be faithfully posting mine! :)
I'll revisit my numbers again in 1 month to see how each individual pinch site has changed. As I stated earlier, regardless of the hard accuracy of the overall number, testing these sites periodically will show whether there is any overall improvement in body shape as you melt off that fat and each site depletes little by little.
P.S. here is a shot of my current status so you can see what "30%" looks like!
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