We just wrapped up a Body Transformation Challenge within our boot camp and the results were astounding! Maybe it had something to do with the winner getting $600. I will tell you more about the transformation contest and how people got the best results later.
For now, I want to talk about fat. Body fat percentage to be exact. Do you have any idea what yours is?
Just so we are clear, I am not talking about BMI. Some people confuse the two things. BMI is a measurement based on height and weight, but does nothing to measure actual fat. you can calculate yours here -->BMI
I'm not a big fan of BMI because to does not take muscle mass into account. I am in the overweight category at 6'2" 195 pounds. My hard earned guns are holding me back!
The main reason I want to talk about body fat is because it is another nail in the scale's coffin. If you are basing your success solely on what the scale says you missing a big part of the picture. Be careful, there's math ahead.
One of my clients went from 138.8 pounds all the way down to 138 pounds in 4 weeks. 0.8 pounds baby! Time to talk trash about your trainer and feel like a failure right? Not so fast my friend.
We checked her body fat with calipers and she had lost 4% in weeks. In the beginning, she was 138.8 pounds and 38% body fat. At the end she had dropped down to 138 pounds and 34% body fat.
Here's where the math happens. Multiply 38% times 138.8 and you get 52.7. That is the number of pounds in fat she had.
Then you multiply 138 times 34% and you get 46 pounds of fat.
52.7 minus 46 gets you 6.7 pounds of fat lost in 4 weeks. That is excellent! Maybe you need a visual explanation. Check this out:
Imagine taking 5 grapefruits off you and then some. Would you rather have that off your body or just 5 random pounds off your scale? Body fat percentage gives you a truer picture of what is going on.
So before you get all upset about what the scale tells you, get a grip and take stock of everything. Are you feeling better? Is your body stronger? Are your clothes looser?
So many people get completely thrown off track because of some number on a scale. Do NOT let that be you. Be fit, get stronger, eat healthier, and you will eventually achieve all of your weight loss and smaller clothes goals.
