Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Very good point, RoadDogg. I think a lot of people worry about going to the gym and lifting because it will put too much weight on them.

Muscle weight is very good weight. You burn more calories at rest the more muscle you have. Body fat percentage is a much more important number. I've known 150 pound guys with 30 percent body fat. Not healthy, even though they're supposedly skinny.

Realistic target for most folks is between 10-16 percent. Anything lower than that you'll need to be a pro athlete or someone who is VERY dedicated to achieve.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Statistical norms put forth by the National Strength and Condition Association (NSCA) list the following as "good body fat percentages"

Men
Age 20-29 (9%-14%)
30-39 (14%-17%)
40-49 (16%-20%)
50-59 (18%-21%)
60-and older (18%-22%)

Women
Age 20-29 (17%-21%)
30-39 (18%-22%)
40-49 (21%-25%)
50-and older (25%-29%)

Remember these body fat percentages are slightly above average and well below superior. For instance a superior body fat percentage for a 23-year-old male is less than or equal to 5%. A very poor percentage for the same male is greater than or equal to 29%.

Also, and I'll stop rambling after this, taking ones hip-to-waist ratio is another good indicator of body composition. This ratio is a good indicator of the risk one has for developing coronary heart disease, too.

To get this ratio, measure the circumference of your waist (approx. 2-3 inches above your belly button). Then measure your hips (greatest protrusion of your butt). Divide the waist girth by the hip girth to get the ratio.

The lower the number the better, which only makes sense because the more fat we have around our waist, the more fat that's close to our heart.

Hope that helps a few folks.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Wear a helmet when mountain biking.
And wear long pants, too.
Four days later, and I've still got a hideous scab on my forehead. What used to be my right knees is still sore and oozing. And the bruising of my ribs is making me sleep funny, leading to all sorts of other cricks and pains.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Since pounds don't mean much to me anymore -- easy go, ya know -- I've been tracking my BMI.

Check yours out: http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

Lots of cool numbers to play with here. The site looks kooky, but the numbers match what I found at a govenment-sponsored BMI engine. I like the extra toys here.

According to BMI, I remain "overweight" despite losing 114 pounds. Gives you an idea of how big I was before ... or that these tables suck ...

I'm only 16 pounds from being in the average range. The problem is this: I don't really want to lose more weight!

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Forget your Body Mass Index. That table does suck. It fails to adjust for anybody who works out a lot.

For instance, I'm a little taller than 6-0 and weigh between 218-223. According to my BMI, I'm obese. Yet, my body fat is less than 12%.

Muscle density is greater that fat. Therefore, on the same vertical frame, muscle weighs more and throws off the BMI numbers.

That's why I advocate taking your body fat percentage or your hip-to-waist ratio. The BMI is a waist (no pun intended) of time.

Congrats on the weight loss, too.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

You have a point, fo sho.

I just had my body fat tested (with calipers) and I'm around 20%, which is way down from the 41% of a year ago. I'm 5-11 and weigh 194-198. I'm pretty happy with the way things are now.

So, yea, down with BMI!

I'll keep tracking it just for fun, though ...

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Right with you, Road Dogg.

I'm 5'11", about 212 right now, and I am certainly not obese, as the BMI would tell you. Hell, half of the professional athletes out there would be considered obese if that was the scale.

I really could stand to lose about 10 pounds of paunch, but aside from that, the weightlifting I do skews the hell out of BMI numbers.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Here is a formula you can use to help you lose fat. It may seem complicated, but it's worth it.
Becky Chase, a retired dietician, developed the formula years ago and it has worked for me and many people I know.

First for men:
Multiply your weight by 11 to get your baseline calories

Now multiply your weight by your activity level to get your activity calories: Sedentary 3.2, Light 6, Moderate 7.2, Heavy 10.5 (people in desk jobs are generally sedentary, unless they run marathons, which would give them a 'heavy' activity level ... I lift weights four times a week and do extensive cardio twice a week, and I'm considered in the moderate category)

Add your baseline calories and your activity calories to get your total

Multiply the total by .1, .2, and .3 to get 10, 20 and 30-percent of the total calories that should come from fat

Divide the calorie percentages by nine to convert calories into grams

Finally, eat between 10- and 20-percent fat calories to lose excess body fat


Here is an example with me.

220 lbs. x 11 = 2,420 baseline calories
220 lbs. x 7.2 = 1,584 activity calories
2,420 + 1,584 = 4,004 total calories

4,004 x .1 = 400.4 10% fat calories
4,004 x .2 = 800.8 20% fat calories
4,004 x .3 = 1,201.2 30% fat calories

400.4 / 9 = 44.49 fat grams
800.8 / 9 = 88.98 fat grams
1201.2 / 9 = 133.47 fat grams

So, for me to lose excess body fat, I need to eat between 44.49 and 88.98 grams of fat per day.

Good Luck

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Here is a formula you can use to help you lose fat. It may seem complicated, but it's worth it.
Becky Chase, a retired dietician, developed the formula years ago and it has worked for me and many people I know.

First for men:
Multiply your weight by 11 to get your baseline calories

Now multiply your weight by your activity level to get your activity calories: Sedentary 3.2, Light 6, Moderate 7.2, Heavy 10.5 (people in desk jobs are generally sedentary, unless they run marathons, which would give them a 'heavy' activity level ... I lift weights four times a week and do extensive cardio twice a week, and I'm considered in the moderate category)

Add your baseline calories and your activity calories to get your total

Multiply the total by .1, .2, and .3 to get 10, 20 and 30-percent of the total calories that should come from fat

Divide the calorie percentages by nine to convert calories into grams

Finally, eat between 10- and 20-percent fat calories to lose excess body fat


Here is an example with me.

220 lbs. x 11 = 2,420 baseline calories
220 lbs. x 7.2 = 1,584 activity calories
2,420 + 1,584 = 4,004 total calories

4,004 x .1 = 400.4 10% fat calories
4,004 x .2 = 800.8 20% fat calories
4,004 x .3 = 1,201.2 30% fat calories

400.4 / 9 = 44.49 fat grams
800.8 / 9 = 88.98 fat grams
1201.2 / 9 = 133.47 fat grams

So, for me to lose excess body fat, I need to eat between 44.49 and 88.98 grams of fat per day.

Good Luck

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Or just eat less crap.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Clearly you do not have what it takes to write a bestselling diet book.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Maybe, maybe not, but I'm guessing -- based on her health, diet and workout tips -- she has what it takes to be on the book's cover.