Weight Loss Challenge - End of Week 2 - Weigh-in and Measurements

Posted in: July to October 2009, Suzanne's Weight Loss Journey, Week 2 | 1 comment

After last week’s non-results, I upped the intensity of my exercise (upped my weights) and the frequency (biked more often and added in a killer cardio workout on Sunday). I’d have to crunch some numbers, but I think I ate a little bit less, too. But not by much. I don’t want to be eating less. My calorie deficit goal is at 1700 and I sometimes eat at around 1600. Going for less, unless my nutritional needs change, would probably only hurt me.

When I weighed-in and took my measurements this morning, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I felt there would be improvements but after a lousy Friday and Saturday, I wasn’t too sure.

So, I took out the measuring tape, the calipers and the scale…

Whoohoo! The scale showed a decrease, some of the measurements showed a decrease, but the all import body fat percentage using the Accu-Measure calipers showed a drop of 1%! That’s huge!

I allowed myself a few moments of fist-pumping and then reminded myself that measurements are only as good as the person measuring. I did my best to not pull on the tape and I took three different measurements with the calipers. I also make sure to weigh myself under the same conditions, in the same place, in the morning, etc.

We’ll see if these numbers hold up or get better next week! It’s all about the feedback loop and looking for a consistent pattern over a period of a few weeks.

Starting Measurements (also Week 1 Measurements)
Date: Sunday, July 12, 2009
Weight: 138.8lbs
Thighs: 22 1/2″
Hips: 38 1/2″
Waist: 30 1/4″
Body Fat %: 22.30% (10mm)*
Lean Body Mass: 107.8lbs
Fat Weight: 31lbs

Current Measurements
Date: Monday, July 27, 2009
Weight: 137.4lbs (-1.4lbs)
Thighs: 22 1/2″ (same)
Hips: 38 1/4″ (-1/4″)
Waist: 29 3/4″ (-1/2″ !!! Seems like a lot? Did I pull too much on the tape?)
Body Fat %: 21.30% (9mm)* (-1%)
Lean Body Mass: 108.1 (+ .3lbs — this is good! You want to increase your lean body mass!)
Fat Weight: 29.3lbs (-1.7bs)

* I’m using the Accu-Measure calipers. You can use my body fat percentage calculator if you don’t have calipers.)

I added in some new numbers: Lean body mass and fat weight. See, this is the beauty of tracking your body fat percentage. If we look at just the scale weight, it says I lost 1.4lbs. But by tracking my body fat percentage, it seems that I lost 1.7lbs of fat and gained .3lbs of lean body mass — hopefully, in the form of muscle. (Lean body mass is everything else other than fat: muscle, bones, organs, etc.) That’s why you can’t just look at the scale weight; it doesn’t always tell the whole story.

My thigh measurement hasn’t budged, but I’m hoping that with all the leg work, elliptical, biking and walking I’ve been doing that I’ve gained a bit of muscle there.

Since I’m seeing some good results, I’m going to keep everything more or less the same. It’ll be interesting to see how next week’s weigh-in and measurements go!

How are you doing? Are you seeing the results you want?

If you want to stay up-to-date on what I’m doing, you can follow me a few ways:

Bookmark: Go to this blog’s main page and then bookmark that page.
RSS Feed: Get the RSS Feed
By e-mail: Subscribe to Suzanne’s Weight Loss Journey by Email
Facebook: Become a fan of FitWatch on Facebook

Eat better, move more, and believe in yourself!