What's on your mind today?

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RangerRickL
RangerRickL Posts: 8,469 Member
This is where you can share what's on your mind. Recipes, ideas, workouts, anything that you think might be helpful to others.

Maybe, you've tried something that has worked for you in the past and would like to share it with the group. Maybe, you have a NSV (Non Scale Victory) that you would like to share with the group. Anything that you feel comfortable sharing or anything that you feel comfortable asking the group with help....this is the place to come.

The GOOD!! What NSV did you have this week!!
The BAD!! So what....you ate the whole thing!!
The UGLY!! That darn scale went through the window this week....it deserved it too!!

So, what's on your mind today??
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Replies

  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 2,883 Member
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    @MaltedTea How are you determining your body fat %? As I head into maintenance, this might be interesting to me.
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
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    SModa61 wrote: »
    @MaltedTea How are you determining your body fat %? As I head into maintenance, this might be interesting to me.

    While I did my last Dexa scan back in the fall of 2019, I weigh myself in my birthday suit every morning after prayers using a digital scale lol Mine is from VitaGoods. I do not recall paying that price back in 2013 though.

    Furthermore, at that price point (on Amazon Canada, at least), there are now similar scales that come with apps so you can track all this automagically.

    When the world opens back up, I'll be getting an updated Dexa scan. In the interim, I also take measurements with a simple tape on the 1st and 15th of the month to track inches (but which can also be used as a method to calculate body fat percentage using a variety of free online calculators).

    The general idea is to pick one method and stick with it consistently to track the trend. Everything is within a standard deviation.

    Unless an autopsy is done, I don't think anyone can ever truly know what a person's precise body fat percentage is. I don't want you getting an autopsy any time soon: we're UAC twins.
  • LazyBlondeChef
    LazyBlondeChef Posts: 2,809 Member
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    @MaltedTea Did you notice the scan vs the scale at the time? I have a Withings scale that tells me percentage of body fat, muscle mass, bone mass & body water plus BMI & weight of course but I don't really know how accurate it is. I can see the changes as I lose weight.
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
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    No, @LazyBlondeChef, because at the time of my first Dexa I wasn't actively losing weight (it took another month to get in gear lol). But have no fear! My chronic online YouTube habit means I know of a video to answer your question.

    In short, different methods give you different results. 😱

    Skip to 3:05 of this video from megsquats (although the ENTIRE 8 min video is of interest if you are interested in body fat changes in a woman, regardless of whether you lift as much as she does)...

    https://youtu.be/xHoDGu8BSts
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
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    TLDR in graphic format
    xwhubo9t4lij.png

  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 2,883 Member
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    Hey @maltedtea, Did not realize you replied. I hate that MFP does not notify when quoted. I am so jealous that you did a Dexa Scan. I looked into them years ago, and there were very few options. With COVID those are even gone. But in Florida, specifically Miami, those service are open. While I will be in Florida for a bit, I need to think if this is the time, or I should wait a bit longer with all the COVID concerns.

    Anyhow, you scale look neat. I think my old scale in the basement bathroom does offer "body fat". I have not used that one in years, but I still have it...... Just ran to the basement. It is there. I stripped naked, stepped on a lo battery came on. Searched for batteries and there are no AA's in the house. Will have to give it a gander once I get batteries at the store.

    Curious about the tape measure method as well.

    Yes, UAC twins except that i am not Canadian! I too would prefer to delay my autopsy for a while longer.
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 2,883 Member
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    @maltedtea So I picked up batteries. My antique Tanita body fat scale came back with a reading of 27%.
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
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    An antique scale will still measure 😉.

    The digital ones sometimes need calibration (for your height, age, gender) so you may want to check if your model does that @SModa61.

    When you asked me about my scale, I was surprised to see its user manual available on the VitaGoods site. You may find the same for your Tanita!
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 2,883 Member
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    @maltedtea - thanks - I also did the tape measure version and the BMI version. Numbers are all over the place - 27%, 31+%, 33+%
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
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    There are several sites where you can look up body fat percentage images in a range of men and women. This site is one of them...

    https://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

    ...and barring the blatant promotion of their services at the end of the article, the mention of the roles lean muscle mass and water retention play in how your body looks is important to keep in mind.

    So, imho, it's less important to get concerned about a specific body fat percentage (especially if most all of your other health metrics are in a clinically healthy range) and just go by how you feel in your body naked, clothed or otherwise 🤗
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 2,883 Member
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    I've take a look at a few of the body fat photo charts as well, and the issue for me is that it is very hard to compare a 59+ body to a 20-something. If I went by images, I would assume I am closest to the 27%, but who knows. I agree, how one feels and ones health are more important than that number. I would more like to know what it is as another metric to watch.
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
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    Body comparison is an unwinnable game. Some of the women on that page I linked to look to be in their 40s but I get what you're saying.

    AnnPT77 is a mainstay in the forums and, at age 65, looks better than I ever will. There are also several threads for mature women (of which I'm not yet one on several levels but mostly mentally lol) that provide great support no matter your goals. This one is pretty active...

    60 yrs and up

    And this one is a monthly group which seems to be similar to UAC but stays on the main forums...

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10819529/women-ages-50-for-january-2021/p85

    Lastly, it's also important to remember that genetics play a factor along with modifiable lifestyle choices.
  • Cclye
    Cclye Posts: 32 Member
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    I hv been trying to meet my daily calories intake, still not able to. I just counters it with more steps, not sure if this is will help me lose 4kg by Mar. :#
  • TerriRichardson112
    TerriRichardson112 Posts: 18,226 Member
    edited January 2021
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    MaltedTea wrote: »
    There are several sites where you can look up body fat percentage images in a range of men and women. This site is one of them...

    https://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

    ...and barring the blatant promotion of their services at the end of the article, the mention of the roles lean muscle mass and water retention play in how your body looks is important to keep in mind.

    So, imho, it's less important to get concerned about a specific body fat percentage (especially if most all of your other health metrics are in a clinically healthy range) and just go by how you feel in your body naked, clothed or otherwise 🤗
    This is true. Each person is different. So long as you are in the healthy range for your age/height/build etc the actual %age isn't that key.
    Also, I would recommend that you use an up to date Smart BMI calculator which takes account of age/height etc. Just google Smart BMI Calculator. Again ignore the marketing ads.

    Cclye wrote: »
    I hv been trying to meet my daily calories intake, still not able to. I just counters it with more steps, not sure if this is will help me lose 4kg by Mar. :#
    So long as CI < CO you will be fine. I regularly do 300-400 exercise calories daily to offset minor treats/indulgences. I also find that prelogging my food for the day is helpful. It means I'm not constantly wondering what to eat. I weigh my food as I serve it out, and adjust quantities on my log.
  • thabit11
    thabit11 Posts: 272 Member
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    Cclye wrote: »
    I hv been trying to meet my daily calories intake, still not able to. I just counters it with more steps, not sure if this is will help me lose 4kg by Mar. :#

    I managed to lose 4 kilos on my first and second months, I focused mostly on walking , since my body burn around 1720 calories, I ate 1200 daily , so 500 from food , and 600+ from walking, I had free time then so I did nothing but walk, cook + do variety of workouts ( muscles training , stair climbing, beginner yoga). I printed a month chart and filled it with exercises. I only took a break when I reached my limits. If you burn from food more than me, you can exercise less. In general you have to burn 7700 calories per week to lose 4 kilos at the end of the month, which can be around 1100 per day - what you burn from less eating = 600 for me , maybe more or less for you.

    When I first started at 97 kilos, it was really difficult to eat less, I found that drinking coffee in the morning ( worth 0 to 100 calories depend on type and flavor) and fast for as long as possible, helped a lot since I feel more hungry at night. So, depend on the time you usually feel most hungry at, spend a good portion of your calories intake at them.

    Something else was also helpful, I made soup at night, I usually add type of protein , veggies and noodles, I rarely finish it and it keep me full all night, and usually cost 400 to 500 calories.

    Doing other activities will be helpful for many reasons, such as maintain muscles and burn extra calories that could help in reaching your monthly goal.

    I hope my advices come in handy :blush:
  • thabit11
    thabit11 Posts: 272 Member
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    + I forgot to mention, I didn't walk all the 600 calories in one go, I divided it through the day, sometime 150 calories per session, or 200, depend on my athletic ability and energy on that day.
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 2,883 Member
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    MaltedTea wrote: »
    Body comparison is an unwinnable game. Some of the women on that page I linked to look to be in their 40s but I get what you're saying.

    AnnPT77 is a mainstay in the forums and, at age 65, looks better than I ever will. There are also several threads for mature women (of which I'm not yet one on several levels but mostly mentally lol) that provide great support no matter your goals. This one is pretty active...

    60 yrs and up

    And this one is a monthly group which seems to be similar to UAC but stays on the main forums...

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10819529/women-ages-50-for-january-2021/p85

    Lastly, it's also important to remember that genetics play a factor along with modifiable lifestyle choices.

    @maltedtea Sorry that I missed this reply to me. The aspect I found challenging with the chart is looking at the 30% image. Invariably, the 30% has very nice curves made out of additional body fat. That might have been the case for me in my 30's, but at 59, keeping my waist is a challenge and I have no @ss anymore. I don't become curvy with more weight, I become a block. :( So again, the photos are hard.

    Yes, indeed I have seen AnnPT77's great posts. She is very thorough and thoughtful in her responses. Yesterday, I was reading the sticky to her thread in the maintenance forum. Excellent thread.

    To share more experience with the Tanita BF scale. I used it first thing yesterday, 6 AM. I was 126.5 and 26% body fat (126.2 on regular scale). Today at 6:30, 127.0 and 25% body fat (127.0 regular scale). And on a related note, my waist if now .5 thicker than a week ago, though I weigh less, after having been so excited about losing 2" during January. :(

    Thank you for sharing those links. I have never seen them. I will certainly check them out.
  • GigiDoma
    GigiDoma Posts: 445 Member
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    MaltedTea wrote: »
    SModa61 wrote: »
    @MaltedTea How are you determining your body fat %? As I head into maintenance, this might be interesting to me.

    While I did my last Dexa scan back in the fall of 2019, I weigh myself in my birthday suit every morning after prayers using a digital scale lol Mine is from VitaGoods. I do not recall paying that price back in 2013 though.

    Furthermore, at that price point (on Amazon Canada, at least), there are now similar scales that come with apps so you can track all this automagically.

    When the world opens back up, I'll be getting an updated Dexa scan. In the interim, I also take measurements with a simple tape on the 1st and 15th of the month to track inches (but which can also be used as a method to calculate body fat percentage using a variety of free online calculators).

    The general idea is to pick one method and stick with it consistently to track the trend. Everything is within a standard deviation.

    Unless an autopsy is done, I don't think anyone can ever truly know what a person's precise body fat percentage is. I don't want you getting an autopsy any time soon: we're UAC twins.

    Thank you for the question@smoda61, and thank you for the great answer and info @MalteadTea as I am heading into maintenance as well! I LOVE the idea of measuring on the 1st and 15th, and I WILL be doing that NOW!
  • GigiDoma
    GigiDoma Posts: 445 Member
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    SModa61 wrote: »
    Hey @maltedtea, Did not realize you replied. I hate that MFP does not notify when quoted. I am so jealous that you did a Dexa Scan. I looked into them years ago, and there were very few options. With COVID those are even gone. But in Florida, specifically Miami, those service are open. While I will be in Florida for a bit, I need to think if this is the time, or I should wait a bit longer with all the COVID concerns.

    Anyhow, you scale look neat. I think my old scale in the basement bathroom does offer "body fat". I have not used that one in years, but I still have it...... Just ran to the basement. It is there. I stripped naked, stepped on a lo battery came on. Searched for batteries and there are no AA's in the house. Will have to give it a gander once I get batteries at the store.

    Curious about the tape measure method as well.

    Yes, UAC twins except that i am not Canadian! I too would prefer to delay my autopsy for a while longer.

    Hey! I thought WE were twins? So MalteadTea then is like us too, so we are TRIPLETS!
    :p
  • GigiDoma
    GigiDoma Posts: 445 Member
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    SModa61 wrote: »
    I've take a look at a few of the body fat photo charts as well, and the issue for me is that it is very hard to compare a 59+ body to a 20-something. If I went by images, I would assume I am closest to the 27%, but who knows. I agree, how one feels and ones health are more important than that number. I would more like to know what it is as another metric to watch.

    I am FLABBY now! Since losing 29 pounds, EVERYTHING jiggles, and WHERE did my CHEST go? I NEED an UPLIFT!