Focusing on % rather than Lbs

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bear_nakey
bear_nakey Posts: 367 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I met with my pt today, and she is really encouraging me to focus more on my body fat % than on the pounds. It is really hard to change my frame of mind, since its been drilled into my head my entire life (as I am sure it has for others). Any one else focusing on their body fat %? What are you doing to keep focus on that, rather than on the scale?

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  • Ebbykins
    Ebbykins Posts: 420 Member
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    I go by % rather than lbs. Burning off fat while maintaining muscle is a pretty win system, I'm glad your PT is doing that for you, your mindset will be healthier in the long run working towards body recomposition rather than purely poundage lost. :)
  • psmd
    psmd Posts: 764 Member
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    Well being honest I'm definitely watching the scale, but my PT has weighed/measured me the past month and I went from 39% body fat to 35% body fat which translated (with my weight loss) into 4 pounds of fat replaced by muscle. That made me feel pretty good. I am excited to see what it is for next month. With inches I only lost 1.5 inches on my waist but it's a start and I can tell some of my clothes are looser than they were.

    I think it's just another way to measure things and can be just as encouraging. Good luck! :smile:
  • quietlywinning
    quietlywinning Posts: 889 Member
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    I'm trying to be focused more on clothing size and how well I can keep up with my almost-7-year-old.
  • bear_nakey
    bear_nakey Posts: 367 Member
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    I am just really trying to focus on getting my brain off of the scale and more on how I look and feel. I am hoping that if the scale doesn't budge, that it doesn't discourage me!! But I agree, I think measuring in body fat is a better focus than pounds, as with weight its cumulative i.e. muscle, fat, bone, etc.
    Society has beaten us all with a number on a scale, its hard to retrain my brain!! :p
  • ennaejay
    ennaejay Posts: 575
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    Definitely re-train your brain. The media hasn't done us any favors. Keep doing your reading and research, that'll help you stay focused on fitness rather than skinny-ness, and nutrition rather than starvation, getting TIGHTER rather than lighter. If you must weigh yourself, go ahead, but keep taking those measurements (that's a better estimate of change) and keep track of your strength/endurance levels. Be strong, girl! :happy:
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    The world of weight los would be FAR, FAR better off if more people focused on % instead of #.
  • kyylieeeeee
    kyylieeeeee Posts: 197 Member
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    I definitely am going by BF% and how I feel, rather than the scale. I've only lost 4 pounds in the past few months, but my body fat % has gone significantly down. My size is going down, too. But the scale is the only thing not moving. So I've given up looking at that number!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    ^ awesome, an another p90x'er.. Same here!



    I have been concentrating on body fat for a while. In fact, I have for over a year or so. I will say my weight has pretty much stayed the same for 6 monhts but I have lost 4% body fat since then. It just means I have great lean muscle mass and can eat more which I love. So days I splurge, i have less chances of gaining. Also keep in mind, there are chance as you increase muscle mass, your weight will increase but you will fit into smaller close, feel healthier and look better. This is kind of how they push things over at the beachbody forums. Weight is practically meaningless. It varies by person and has way too many factors which makes it difficult to predict your health from it.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    I had to make that change too. Focusing on the pounds made me in fact lose muscle mass and fat (about 50/50). Since starting strenght training, putting my calories at maintenance and eating my exercise calories, my weight stayed the same but I lost 6 inches total in 6 weeks. My lost is now all fat.
  • dianaskin
    dianaskin Posts: 66
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    The scale does funny things to us. See a loss and you might ease up on your eating habits. See a gain and you might give up totally or get very discouraged. The scale never tells the whole story and it is SO MUCH BETTER to use it as only ONE of the -- and NOT the most important -- many ways to track progress.

    Your PT is absolutely right to focus more on your percentage of fat loss. You should also be sure to track your measurements. Also think about how you feel and your energy levels!

    I still do weigh myself - like I said it is ONE of the ways to track progress. But that's just how I treat it - it's giving me a point in time number that may not take into account what's really going on inside my body. I actually have a pair of pants that I'm working to get into and after I do my weekly weigh in I try on the pants. Mostly the scale hasn't moved much BUT the pants are fitting better and better!

    Good luck!
  • sapphirelazuli
    sapphirelazuli Posts: 95
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    I'm still going by pounds, but I'm checking my measurements reasonably regulary, and going by what I see in the mirror. My goal weight is probably on the high end for what is 'healthy' for my height, but I know by that point I'll be focussing on getting more toned rather than 'skinnier'.

    Also, I've tried to measure my body fat % before, but every website is different, so I can't really track it accurately. :(
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    I use accumeasure calipers once a week. I don't really trust the %'s it gives me but the mm don't lie. I did get a dexa scan done to get accurate BF% a few weeks ago for the end of my bulk which was well worth it IMO.

    I don't rely too much on the random number generator anymore :smile:

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