1lb a week - till 2014

[MAndrews]

Hey all. I am so glad to have found this website.

I hope you guys and gals would witness my journey as well as giving me a proper kick in the derrier when I need it.

I have a very specific goal. I have 1st 8lb of fat to get rid of. I am only referring to the fat. Losing other weight isn't going to count. My only goal for now is to get lean.

According to Physical Fitness Beta, women can lose 0.5 - 1.5% of their fat weight a week. At my body weight, it translates to a loss of 1.3lb and 1.9lb per week. To play it safe I am rounding the lower figure down to a pound a week. With your support I am feeling less lonely already.

Current Fat Mass (FM): 3st 1lb - 11 Aug 2013
Target Fat Mass: 1st 5lb

(In case anyone is interested, I am using the US Navy body fat calculator. There is an Android app for it and it can be found on the web. It give a body fat % and from that, work out the fat mass.)

 

[MAndrews]

Sorry guys... this stones and pounds stuff is just not for me.


Fat Mass:

19.58kg 11 Aug 2013
17.57kg 18 Aug 2013 Diff -2.01kg

 

[Arum Lilly]

That's a big drop in just a few days! so well done for that, but is it possible to lose 4 and half pound of just fat in 7 days? or is this your overall weight loss. Im a bit confused by the fat mass calculation. Anyway, whether its fat or just overall weight, that's very very good. You must be feeling really happy with the result!

 

[MAndrews]

Hi Arum Lily

Thanks - LOL - am a bit skeptical myself but that's what the measurement shows...

As for a "Fat mass calculation"- it's based on something called the "two compartment model".

Fat and water "don't mix", so, what constitutes the body, is categorised into two: all things fat, and all things non-fat.

This "two compartment model" is more directly relevant when using a electronic body composition gadget. They are often hand held, or are built into scales that you can stand on, and the read outs give you your body fat percentage (BF%).

For my own senario, BF% don't mean that much because any fluctuation in the non-fat weight will skew the percentage, so I'd rather deal with the good honest number that is fat weight, which is calculated from the percentage of overall weight, that is, the simple readout that is on a simple scales.

My overall weight has only dropped by about a pound, so to make up the difference, I have either beefed up by 3lbs in a week (not even steroids could do that!), or, it is just water weight. Hence I am not fussed over the body fat percentage, because any increase in muscle mass and water weight will skew the %, which is why I focus on simple measurement of the waist and hip, with a tape measure.

Here's a link to an Android app (one of many!) that does most of the calculations for you:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andrios.prt

To get the fat weight you'll probably still have to calculate it from the body fat %.


Hope this clarifies it a bit!

 

[Arum Lilly]

ohhh so you are replacing fat with muscle, well that does make a lot more sense, so yes I can see where you are coming from. Sounds much too complex for my ancient and addled brain to cope with, but actual weight loss isn't the be all and end all of how you are doing on any given regime. I know in my own instance that although my weight has barely moved this week, my clothes are a lot looser than last week, and actual weight fluctuates due to many variables, not just simply a mathematical equation of how many calories you do or don't consume. If you are overall 1lb less, but are 4lb down on fat and 3lb up on muscle, then that's a fantastic and envious result!

 

[MAndrews]

If only

Well I know for a fact the non-fat mass is not all muscle, hence I am excluding that in my target.

As for "replacing" fat with muscle, it's alot easier said than done, and one doesn't just substitite the other.

The "bottom line" is, (excuse the pun), waistline and hip circumferences. As long as they are decreasing, that's all cool - just like what you're saying about clothes hanging loose

 

[MAndrews]

Fat Mass:

19.58kg 11 Aug 2013
17.57kg 18 Aug 2013 Diff -2.01kg
17.67kg 27 Aug 2013 Diff +0.10kg



What a mad week! RushFit wiped me out and I have not had such bad DOMS in really quite sometime. This past week therefore has been a total wash out. Not gonna sweat over the 0.1kg of fat. IMO it's bloat and hence the numbers are slightly up.

So to turn the trend back in the right direction, I went straight to the gym after work... it's been a while as I am really not a fan of gyms these days. My OWN, PERSONAL PROBLEM is that only on a cardio machine (namely, cross trainer) can I get to a certain intensity. Anyway, so I went and did my thing.... as I was leaving, this muscleman drove up towards the gym in a Mini.

The Mini was immaculate and the driver was in great shape, but at that point I really became convinced that the Mini, no matter what, IS a women's car. End of.

I continued to walk away from the gym and still slightly bemused at the sight of that big dude squishing himself into an itty-bitty car, when this woman who was on the pavement, already walking towards me side by side with some bloke, walked ahead of the bloke, approached me, made her arms like gorilla arms and said to me, "Look at you!"

I was still miles away thinking about other big-guy-in-small-car senarios, like that Russian (?) boxer who took a Smart Car to West Coast Customs to have it modified (.... what was his name...Klitchenko?), so when this woman approached me I could only just smile at her. And frankly, I wasn't sure if she was going to say something racist, or frankly, pull a knife on me. Anyway, just as she passed me she followed up with, "you look like a f***ing geezer!!"

Bear in mind I was still thinking about cars and the utter incrongruence of big-guys-in-small-cars and what cars would suit the relevant individuals and if my thoughts were in any way prejudiced, what that woman followed up with just completely blindsided me, and I had to bring myself back and quickly rethink, word by word, just what she had said...


Moral of the story, a well fitting black t-shirt hides spare tyres and muffin tops.

(Seriously, had she seen me from the side she would have probably congratulated me for being pregnant!!)



In hindsight as much as I am a tad hurt, I can also see a weird mix of feelings from her - besides spite. I mean, my delts and biceps are not exactly well defined by any measure!!

Jokings aside....

I drink, but don't do any mad partying or have any substance abuse problems. In her world, someone my age would probably be living/stuck with some bloke who is not the father of either children out of necessity, have done up hair, gel-nails and smoke, and probably not just tobacco - and certainly not go to a gym and walk tall (all 5ft 1 of me, on flat shoes) and be independent.

I dunno. Do people have a choice?

 

[MAndrews]

It's been one week since my last diary entry and in short the good news is that I am losing about a kilo of fat a week, which is more than what I have been aiming for.

Calorie restriction is hard to do given the hunger-factor, as well as my food sensitivies. "Bad things will happen" if I eat certain things!

But so far by having a protein shake, or and egg, bacon & mushroom breakfast, a bag of salad at lunch (with balsamiic vinegar and olive oil as dressing) together with some nuts and raisins has kept me fuelled throughout the working day. Then at night depends on how hungry I am, I sometimes eat fish with salad or mushrooms again.

I have had to modify my exercise plan A LOT. One thing I enjoy at the gym (that contributes massively to my personal fat loss) is interval training, which I think is helping with the weightloss.

This fatloss thing is certainly not easy and hats off to all who are hanging tough and remain committed to their goals.

 

[MAndrews]

Quite unexpectedly an old friend dropped a chalenge: I want you ripped in 8 weeks!

As sods law would have it... this is exacyly the kind of thing that trigger cravings - fried chicken, chinese take aways, curries.... chips...

To add insult toinjury, I had a work outing and had to eat out. I ordered a caesar salad, but ate the shared chips that was on the table... which was fine, I can work that off.

But it's not the calories - it's the sensations and smells...and boy did I have a craving tonight for fried chicken. In the end I restrained myself and bought pork shops from the supermarket instead, and spent less money.

 

[MAndrews]

Talk about falling splat on my face... The cold weather has really messed with my head and all I can think of is spaghetti bolangese and meatballs! What losses I made is now regain with "interest"... Not good....

Must replan.

 

[MAndrews]

It's been a few weeks and after my immune system has been pushed to the redline again, fighting off persistent sniffles, the good news are that I have beefed up, and have not fallen ill; the down side is that I have also porked up.

Like they say... "you win some, you lose some". Overall fat loss about 1.5kg.

 

[MAndrews]

Really could do with some shizzle to snap out of this blanket feeling of "meh".

I have stocked up those konjac/shirataki noodles, I have my protein powders for shakes, I have FOOD as well as vitamin supplements lined up for my fatloss journey. Why am I feeling so, so very "meh"?

I'm serious... I am absoloutely miserable at the moment. Gggrrr... gotta get back into my positive groove.

 

[MAndrews]

Another month and a half has gone by. I am fighting off some bug at the moment, as my immunity, which has been red-lining - has finally given in.

The good news is that compared to my starting point, I have lost 3kg of fat, without losing any lean mass.

The rate at which the fat is lost, is however too slow IMO. It has been exactly 4 calendar months since I started, which means that there has been 17 weeks, for 6.6lbs loss, that is nigh on 1/3 of the speed set at the beginning.

As much as I am happy that things ARE undeniably going in the right direction, I am P1$$ED OFF that things are going so slow.

Aside from fighting off all kinds of germs (being stuck in the office with sick people and certain individuals whose hygeine is plain questionable...), which has indeed affected my training regime, I do admit that for a while life has really lost meaning and purpose, which has really been a larger proportion of the reason why I have not been as fervent in my training.



I can't say that I have since found the purpose of life, but putting pen to paper has helped me to gather my thoughts and find *MY* reasons for wanting to shift that fat. It has been a path of self discovery, none the less it has been good to be able to get my thoughts together and regain some focus.

 

[MAndrews]

19.58kg 11 Aug 2013
17.57kg 18 Aug 2013 Diff -2.01kg
17.67kg 27 Aug 2013 Diff +0.10kg
16.01kg 16 Dec 2013 Diff - 1.66kg

Slow going, but getting there.

 

[MAndrews]

19.58kg 11 Aug 2013
17.57kg 18 Aug 2013 Diff -2.01kg
17.67kg 27 Aug 2013 Diff +0.10kg
16.01kg 16 Dec 2013 Diff - 1.66kg;
15.66kg 22 Dec 2013 Diff -0.35kg; 3.92kg overall.

 

[MAndrews]

19.58kg 11 Aug 2013
17.57kg 18 Aug 2013 Diff -2.01kg
17.67kg 27 Aug 2013 Diff +0.10kg
16.01kg 16 Dec 2013 Diff - 1.66kg;
15.66kg 22 Dec 2013 Diff -0.35kg; 3.92kg overall.
13.91kg 27 Dec 2013 Diff -1.7kg; 5.67kg overall.

 

[MAndrews]

19.58kg 11 Aug 2013
17.57kg 18 Aug 2013 Diff -2.01kg
17.67kg 27 Aug 2013 Diff +0.10kg
16.01kg 16 Dec 2013 Diff - 1.66kg;
15.66kg 22 Dec 2013 Diff -0.35kg; 3.92kg overall.
13.91kg 27 Dec 2013 Diff -1.7kg; 5.67kg overall.
12.81kg 10 Jul 2014 Diff - 0.9kg; 6.57 overall.



Slowly but surely.

Why the 1/2 year absence? To cut a long story short, someone in my family passed away and as a result of that this thing called "life" had a shake up. Finally the dust is starting to settle and I am finding my feet again. Glad to know that the site is still up. Thanks everyone.