I had an interesting, eye-opening day

ebaymommy

I joined a new fitness center this week and one of the services they offer new members is a one-on-one health assessment consultation with one of their personal trainers.

Basically you talk about your exercise and eating habits and goals. They also use a scale that weighs you, does BMI, body fat %, body water %, muscle mass and bone mass.

My weight was no surprise. My BMI is 21 which is right in the healthy range, also not a big surprise. What did surprise me though was that my body fat is 20% (I thought it was higher) and that is actually on the low end (falls slightly into the underfat category, but just barely) and my visceral fat rating was a 1 (on a scale of 0-50+). My physique rating was an 8 (thin and muscular, slightly in the underfat category and midpoint for muscle mass index).

Now here's what really got me. My BMR is 1369 calories and my daily recommended caloric intake is 2136 calories.

So, in a nutshell....I don't eat enough. I usually net around 1200-1300 calories a day. The scale does not budge for me. I haven't lost weight in a month.

If I'm really going to be honest with myself and push toward my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon then I need to take a serious look at my nutrition. I need to get over my fear that eating more will make me fat. And I need to also move past that place that says "Oh, I get extra calories, I want to splurge on junk!" and focus on more protein and healthy fats.

My goal for the next few weeks is to 1) stay off the scale and 2) up my net calories to at least 1600-1700/day.

I am so glad I went for that appointment today. Even now (I've been at my current weight about 14 months) I still feel like a "chubby" girl. When the trainer handed me the printout with my stats on it I still had that "Oh, you printed out the wrong one" feeling because I cannot possibly be underfat with a physique described as thin and muscular.

And for a NSV, my metabolic age is 13 years (the trainer said that was awesome!) and my body water percent is 56% which means I'm well hydrated.....she said she sees a lot of dehydrated people.

healthygirlforever

Great news! I completely understand your feelings and frustrations. I have been at the same weight for months, I weigh the same when I am trying to lose weight and when I am not. I am also at a healthy BMI and have low body fat, so my main motivator is to weigh a little less to get faster. When I weighed 5 lbs less my 5k times were consistently 30-60 sec faster. A big difference! I am doing Boston in April, and would love to get a PR, so weight will have a lot to do with my time. Taking a mental break and letting your body get more calories might be all you need, worth giving it a try!

amysj303

That is all very good! I wonder, how do they arrive at the 2136 for daily caloric intake? Is that because you are running so much? That seems like a lot to me, too.

ebaymommy

That is all very good! I wonder, how do they arrive at the 2136 for daily caloric intake? Is that because you are running so much? That seems like a lot to me, too.

I think they input my daily "usual" amount of exercise. She asked me what my normal workout routine is and I said running 5-6 days a week plus weight lifting 2-3x and cross-training 1-2x.

calderst

Wow! Was this all done at your fitness center? I'm curious now to see if any place around here does that. I'd love to know my "stats."

Beeps2011

I would like to read about your progress, ebaymommy. Did you up your calories? Did your weight start going DOWN (again)?

ebaymommy

I would like to read about your progress, ebaymommy. Did you up your calories? Did your weight start going DOWN (again)?

Well, my calories have definitely been up but it's the holidays.....so I haven't been eating the best overall. We were traveling out of state for a week over Christmas, but we're home now and I'm buckling down. My goal right now is at least 1500 calories net per day, closer to 1600 is probably best and instead of all the holiday treats that took up a lot of my calories last week, I'm going to really focus on eating more protein which is something I struggle with.

I haven't been on the scale for a while. I have um (sorry, TMI)....bathroom issues......when traveling so now that we're back home I'm going to wait to get on the scale until those things are worked out 'cause I'm sure that alone has me up a couple pounds.

rhondajean43

I am so glad I found your post!

I saw a personal trainer in May at a cross-training facility. I did the body analysis and I was shocked....It came back as 21 percent body fat. I thought this cannot be possible....Im still fat.......I even went back 1 week later to have them retest me.....(and yes....I'm sure the trainer thought I was nuts.) it came back the same.

I have a BMR of 1638 kcals. She had put me on at 2000 cal eating program. Very clean eating though....She assures me that I will still LOSE weight, but I will change my composition as well. So the flab WILL disappear.

And YIKES, I was unable to get my head around it!!!!! Before I found MFP I averaged 1200 cals when dieting and exercising - only to lose and gain over and over again. Once I found MFP I increased my calories to 1600 - 1700 (so that when working out my net would be 1200-1300)

That was when I noticed huge changes. However, what I'm not happy with how much flab I still have. I want to be firm and look good in a bathing suit.

I really want to try upping the calories to 2000 clean calories. And the one thing that keeps going thru my mind is these girls have AMAZING solid bodies!!!! Why am I afraid to try this??!!!!

ebaymommy

I really want to try upping the calories to 2000 clean calories. And the one thing that keeps going thru my mind is these girls have AMAZING solid bodies!!!! Why am I afraid to try this??!!!!

I'm there with you! I think it's so scary to take that step because we are just have ingrained in our brains the notion of "eat less, weigh less."

I'm seriously about to throw my scale in the garbage and go by how my jeans fit and how I feel. Maybe that should be my New Years Resolution - stay away from the scale. LOL!

Beeps2011

That SHOULD be EVERYONE'S new year's resolution...it is MINE!

:laugh:

ebaymommy

I'm not on the scale - trying to keep that New Years Resolution going for a few more days anyway. LOL!

But I do want to report that I'm on *just* my 3rd day of upping my calories, eating clean and going from macros that had been 55/25/20 (carb/fat/protein) to 45/25/30 (would like to bring down the carbs to 40 and the fat up to 30 but I'm working on it and not expecting instant perfection) and I feel freaking fantastic. My tummy bloat is going down and (sorry TMI warning!) I feel thoroughly "cleaned out" after being way backed up over the holidays. I think really focusing on protein is making a world of difference for me. And I will get on the scale in a few days. I just need to not be on it every.single.day as I have done in the past.

ebaymommy

I couldn't resist the scale this morning. I felt so good I just had to see what it said. I lost 1.2lbs after being stalled at the same weight for over a month. Very pleased! If I can keep eating this much food and losing I will be a VERY happy lady!

Beeps2011

Well, there ya go!! Now you, too, can post on the "eating more and losing weight" board(s).

kvreeken

Wow that is exciting! I finally achieved my weight goals and need to add calories to maintain. I added more nuts, low fat cheese, and low fat meats. I did so with a lot of trepidation but it seems to going well. Good luck and keep up the good work!

Beeps2011

Congratulations for meeting "goal", kvreeken!! That's AWESOME!

pinkprincessmama

Wow! Was this all done at your fitness center? I'm curious now to see if any place around here does that. I'd love to know my "stats."

I know! I want to see my stats too! I'll have to ask at my center tomorrow!

amysj303

I saw a personal trainer in May at a cross-training facility. I did the body analysis and I was shocked....It came back as 21 percent body fat. I thought this cannot be possible....Im still fat.......I even went back 1 week later to have them retest me.....(and yes....I'm sure the trainer thought I was nuts.) it came back the same.

I really want to try upping the calories to 2000 clean calories. And the one thing that keeps going thru my mind is these girls have AMAZING solid bodies!!!! Why am I afraid to try this??!!!!

That is really low body fat, and even the error rate was 5% in either direction, you would still be in the healthy/athletic range!

starbucksbuzz

That is so awesome ladies! I've been thinking about this as well, as I've been reading NROLFW, and there's a fairly in depth nutrition / calorie breakdown that I think I'll have to read a couple more times to completely understand. Anyways I calculated my BMI / calories needed per day through their formula and it's definitely higher than MFP suggests for me, even at maintenance. It also inspired me to start eating cleaner, especially my dairy and meat products. I'd love to get one of those body workups done as well... I don't think they offer anything like that at my gym though.

amysj303

what does it say about meat and dairy? Aside from eggs, the Eason plan doesn't allow for dairy, but sometimes I have a little milk or a little cheese.