Body Fat

This weekend went by far too fast, as they mostly all do. I mean, as exciting as it is to not have to work, why do those 8 hours fly by compared to the horrific reality of 8 hours behind a desk? Not fair. So this weekend was in fact a pretty good one for me because I got to spend it at my second home; the gym.

Here’s the thing my friends, one can all me obsessive which is ENTIRELY true and one can say that I have no other real life if I want to spend that much time at the gym, and that might also be true. However, let me clarify that I choose to spend my time there because I really love it that much. I could make different choices in my life. I could hang out with my sisters or other family members. I made the choice to go to the gym because I love it that much. Also please note that I am not neglecting other parts of my life either by making this choice. It’s simply that; a choice I have made for my own happiness. The gym makes me happy. As Elle Woods said in Legally Blonde, Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. (And happy people just don’t shoot their husbands)…. Not relevant at this moment but I was just finishing out the quote. Basically exercise makes you happy. And yes, by gosh, it does.

Saturday morning I met with my trainer to do my measurements. Is anyone out there at all familiar with body fat percentages? I ask this because I am honestly not even a little bit. For 10 years I could tell you all about the scale and what mine has done but I have never taken a body fat percentage measurement until I joined the gym. No joke. When I walked into the gym my first measurement told me I was 27.7% body fat. I was like okay. Sure. I had no idea what that meant. I still don’t really. All I know is that is where I was at when I weighed 140 pounds and joined the gym. After months and months of running. She told me it was in the healthy range. That’s all that really matter too much to me. Consequently I have lost body fat as my muscles have grown. On Saturday I was 21% body fat. Which means in a little less than 3 months I lost 6.7% body fat. Again, I have to be honest and say that I have no idea what this means. I was like okay. Sure. 6.7% doesn’t seem like a crazy amount to me, but that’s because I have no basis of comparison; at ALL. I know that it’s pretty hard for women to get really really lean. I know that 15-18% is where a lot of top athletes are. I know body builder women tend to come in at around 8-10% but that is for a short period of time in competition prep. I know that women start to have not enough body fat to have children at around 14%. These are things I know.

In terms of rate of body fat loss, I am completely oblivious. My trainer of course told me that this was a crazy impressive amount to lose in 3 months so I will have to take her word for it. Somewhere at some point I heard that if you are REALLY good and active and work at it, a good rate would be 1% a month. I don’t know if that’s true. Just about everything else on me has stayed relatively consistent. Here are my official measurements for the last 3 months.



I also kind of realize that being 21% body fat means that I probably won’t have a lot of room to go in terms of losing additional body fat either. Sure, I think I can get it down some more but how much more? I don’t honestly know. When it sends that little electronic pulse to measure your fat, how does lose skin get accounted? I mean, I have lots of lose stomach and thigh skin that has got to get accounted for somewhere and that shit is not going away.

Now I am no math person. I’m not stupid either, but not a mathematician by any means. So in 3 months if I lost 6.7% body fat, let me run the numbers here. Bear with me. I started at 142 pounds so at 27.7 body fat that means I was 39.33 pounds of fat. If I am now 135 pounds and 21% body fat that means I am 28.35 pounds of fat. So I guess then that means I actually netted a result of 10.98 okay almost 11 pounds lost of body fat. I only lost 7 pounds but I converted the other stuff into muscle instead of fat. Not too bad. So my 135 frame carries around 28.35 pounds of fat. I just read that essential fat for women is 8-10% meaning that you cannot go below that because this is the amount of our bones and other tissues and organs. This means I would no matter what have to carry around 11-13 pounds of fat that is essential fats leaving me with 17.35-15.35 pounds of fat on my frame that would be extra or losable. Now that doesn’t seem like a lot at all. When I break the numbers down it seems like I am pretty dang lean as I am.

This is what I just read about body fat. That basically if you are in the 20-22% range (me right now! Right in the middle)….

This body fat percentage is usually in the “fit” category of most body fat charts and is typical of many female athletes. Some definition in the abs is apparent, there is body fat on the arms and legs, but it’s not too pronounced. There is minimal, but some separation between muscles.

Body fat percentages between 15-18% is considered a very low body fat for women. Many bikini and fitness models reach this body fat level and some may not be able to menstruate. And then the 10-13% range is extremely low and typical of bodybuilders. This level is safe for women who will be unable to menstruate. So basically they are saying that between 15-18% you start to run the risk of fucking with your body’s natural cycle but at 13% you have pretty much turned off your organs. Not enough fat. Interesting. So basically, I am fit according to my body fat percentage.

Why is it that I still have a ridiculously hard time thinking I am fit? I mean, yeah, I know I’m fit but like female athlete fit… nah… I don’t know what it is about our mental state that doesn’t allow for former fat girls to wrap our heads around being worthy of things. I have to be honest, I think it’s because I still have so much loose skin in places that it mentally prevents me from seeing myself as an athlete. Or considering that I am “fit”. How can I be a fit girl with so much loose skin in areas? Admitingly it’s getting much better. Things are getting tighter but still, loose skin abounds.

This is what I am promising to you guys. My 1 year anniversary is coming up in a few weeks. Holy shit! And I have been thinking about commemorating the anniversary in some way. What I am promising is this, I am going to take pictures of my loose skin, the embarrassing truth about stomach flap of skin and I’m going to show you guys because that is the reality. Also because I hope in 9 more months, after a year of strength training, that it will go down some. I already feel like it has. I want this blog to document the truth about what is really happening and not just the glossy version. Nothing is EVER photoshop’d over. I know how to touch shit up in Photoshop, but I have not ever and will NEVER do that. This is the truth. This is what is really happening to me and my body and I have no desire to ever lie about it. This is the harsh realities of what losing and gaining weight will do to your body over time. It’s also the proof that you CAN lose 80 plus pounds and look pretty good. Our bodies are amazing things.

So you see what can be done in literally 3 months’ time? And if you can’t afford personal training, which is expensive and even I struggle with, you can do it on your own. Most ALL of this was done on my own. I have taken what I have learned and I put in the time. And let’s be honest ¾ of it is from taking classes at the gym. Those I’m pretty sure are included in most gym memberships.

I did something very brave for myself, I went ahead and posted pictures of myself on Facebook. Photos of me in a sports bra flexing. It felt very narcissistic and completely out of character for me. Not out of character for twitter, as that is my vain place, but on Facebook I like to keep it more private. I felt a little silly doing it, but I also was prepping for my gym member of the month profile which is going to come out and be posted on Facebook so I kind of wanted it out there already. Plus honestly I am proud of my hard work. I can see a difference. I am not sure I feel like an athlete or “fit” as they say but I guess I will take 21% body fat and run with it.

I wonder where I can actually get it all to. Honestly I have no desire to be one of those muscle builder women. I think they are gross. I love the muscles I am forming and this month I am falling in love with my back. I like seeing the muscles in my back. It’s way cool. I put in the work though. I put in a ton of work. Actually you guys know how much crazy work I put in. Because I love it. It is so rewarding and satisfying to me. That is what my trainer told me, that I actually live it. I take what the trainers say to me, I listen, and I go out and apply it myself. That I work really hard. Speaking of personal training, I have my session tonight actually. Time for more torture that I ultimately love. Obviously.

So seriously guys, who knew? Who knew 3 months ago, before I went to Maui and I was toying with the idea of going to the gym that I would love it this much? Who knew that I would fall in love with strength training so much and see such amazing results? (Wait, I have one friend T, who pretty much told me this for months prior, love you, cause I guess you knew didn’t you?) I certainly didn’t know or believe it. I shake my head now because I was so scared to join the gym. I was so scared to give up my daily running. I was afraid I’d gain the weight back if I didn’t run every day. I was afraid my endurance would fall to the way side. I was afraid I would not like the results. 3 months later and are you fucking kidding me? If I cover up my head in photos and just look at my body I swear to you I would not believe that body was mine. It’s not great, it’s not perfect, but holy shit I don’t believe it’s me.

I found some photos from the last time I was really into fitness and health and got down to like 130 pounds, or rather got down to 125 pounds. I took some photos and my body did not look like this at all. Hmm… so crazy to me. That is part of what I am working on for my 1 year anniversary. I am going to try and present a photo extravaganza if you will of my progress over time and changes. It’s going to be fun.

Anyhow, here are the photos I took yesterday that I bravely or stupidly put on Facebook. So here you go, this is muscle and progress and 21% body fat.