How To Measure Successful Weight Loss!

Imagine your body in layers: you have skin on top, fat in the middle, then muscle on the bottom. The goal is to REMOVE the Middle Layer...........the FAT. When you do this the skin will lay right next to the muscle, & you will be able to see the actual shape of your body. So, get off the scale and get your fat pinched so that you can decrease your middle layer.

In my opinion Body Fat %, pictures, and the tape measure are the best combination to see the current condition your body is in, and to measure your progress. The most important in this combination is Body Fat %.

Weight on the Scale

The SCALE LIES! Weight can change daily based on the weight of the food and liquid that you have taken in during the day, the last time you went to the bathroom, bloating, etc. With these daily variances it's hard to stay motivated and easy to get disappointed when you are basing your results off of weight alone. In addition to the daily variances a loss on the scale doesn't necessarily indicate positive results nor does a gain indicate negative results. The body will very easily give up muscle mass before it gives up fat mass. One might continue on a plan that is causing them to lose muscle mass if they continue to see the scale dropping which will be slowing their metabolism and getting rid of their tone shape (decreasing the bottom layer..muscle......left with fat and skin.......not sexy). A weight gain can actually be a sign that you are building muscle, increasing your metabolism, and re-shaping your body. If you don't know that it's muscle you might give up or change a program that is working. Weight on the scale is an important tool, just shouldn't be the sole yard stick for progress.

BMI

BMI is an old school ineffective tool in my opinion. Body Mass Index puts you into a category of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese based on your height and weight alone. It's downfall is that it doesn't differentiate between lean muscle mass and fat mass. For example if you have two people who are 5'10" 225, they both fit into the obese category. The difference is that one guy is 6% body fat and the other is 30% body fat. So, imagine a beer drinking non athlete and a running back.......they don't belong in the same category that the old school BMI puts them in. I don't think this tool should be used by someone who is trying to accurately see how in shape they are nor should it be used as an accurate measurement tool for progress. Now, Dr.'s tend to use this on your yearly check-in as a "scientific" "non-personal" way to tell you that you need to lose weight. I guess this could be BMI's one positive is that it acts as a buffer and scientific tool for the Dr. to tell patients who obviously need to shed some pounds to lose weight.

The Ultimate Combination

1. Body Fat %
Imagine your body in layers: you have skin, fat, then muscle. The goal is to remove the middle layer...........the FAT. We want to get the skin to lay right next to the muscle so that we can see the shape of your body....... this is decreasing your body fat percentage.

Fat Calipers is my tool of choice as the most inexpense and accurate way to measure body fat %. It combines gender (men genetically have more lean muscle mass), weight, age (we lose muscle as we age), and I prefer a 7-9 site test to determine your body fat %. At the 7-9 sites you literally are pinching all the fat that is covering the muscle in several different areas all over your body. Body fat % determines how much lean muscle mass you have compared to fat mass.

I think someone who is really serious about wanting change in their body should get their body fat % done every week by someone who is very experienced at doing it. My clients who have a set goal get their body fat done every week. I personally get mine done every week by my trainer, and it helps me to keep my workouts effective and my eating healthy.

Body fat % options:
(+)Two well known tools are hydrostatic weighing (water tub) and the bod pod are accurate, but can be expensive and inconvenient.

(-)The other well known, and convenient method is the scales or the handled devices (used at a lot of franchised gyms). These tools utilize Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), the scale sends a current through your limbs, working on the concept that lean tissue and water conduct electricity better than fat does. These two tools don't measure current through the entire body and can be affected by food intake, water, skin temperature, and other factors. These methods are convenient and inexpensive but not very accurate.

2. Tape Measure
This doesn't differentiate between muscle and fat, but it does allow you to visually see the inches/clothes sizes that you are losing....motivation.

3. Photos
Even though we see ourselves in the mirror everyday pictures allow us to actually see our progress.......motivation.


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Weight Loss Solutions: Increase Your Metabolism With Resistance Strength Training!

Listed are the reasons why male or female it is beneficial to weight train. I believe weight training should be incorporated in all workouts......even runners.

1. The natural decline of your metabolism starts around AGE 25 and rapidly increases after age 50, weight training helps to reverse the decline. At age 25 we start to lose muscle each year which means our Basil Metabolic Rate will decrease each year. A decrease in BMR means our body is less able to use the food that we consume as energy. So.......1.) We hit 25 2.) We lose muscle 3.) BMR decreases 4.)Our body is less able to BURN the food that we ate as energy 5.) We gain adipose tissue........WE GET FAT. That's why people look back and say "Now that I think about it in my 20's I kept eating the same way, but I just kept gaining and gaining a small amount of weight every year and now I am 10-50+ pounds overweight." I hear this ALL THE TIME! It's because they weren't doing cardio & lifting or weren't lifting weights with their Cardio just to gain the muscle that they were naturally losing due to age. So, if you decide not to weight train in your 20's and after you will have to continue on a path of eating less or doing more cardio year after year just to maintain the weight that you are at. That's not even talking about improving your body.......Lots of cardio or eating less, just to maintain.......... That SUCKS!

2. When we weight train we can actually RAISE our basal metabolic rate = you burn more calories 24 hours a day. When you build the muscle that you lost due to aging you help your BMR to stay constant. When you build what you lost and then build more you actually you will raise your BMR and burn more calories all day long which will make controlling a healthy weight much easier. This will also make it easier to actually improve the look of your body. So you can lift weights, eat the same, and actually improve ......I'm all bout' it. A prime example of a higher BMR in effect is that men can eat more than woman and maintain a healthy weight. Why do you think this is? Men naturally have more lean muscle mass so they have a higher BMR so therefore they can eat more.

3. Your BMR can stay elevated for several hours after a weight training session. This means for those hours after your workout you are burning more calories than normal. The amount of the post exercise energy expenditure is mainly due to intensity of your workout (how hard you worked out) and to a lesser degree duration (how long you worked out for). So, get in the gym and keep the intensity high! For example: heavy weight with little rest in between or lighter weight with no rest.

4. Weight Training with weights, resistance, your own body weight (calisthenics), etc. is the best way to change the muscular structure of your body. The type of change you get depends on what type of weight training program you select. Muscular structural changes include long and lean, fit & tone, athletic, large muscles, dense compact muscles, etc.

5. Strengthen your bones, decrease risk for osteoporosis

6.Your body is able to control blood sugar levels with less insulin. Decrease your risk for Adult Onset Diabetes

7. Increased Balance and Coordination

8. Improves Posture

9. Less likelihood of low back pain

10. More efficient Heart, from lowering your resting heart rate, and decrease in resting blood pressure

11. Increases levels of HDL Cholesterol (good cholesterol that helps to get rid of the LDL, the bad kind)

12. Enhanced performance in sport or exercise

13. Increases joint stability

14. Decreases risk of injuries

15. Increased immune system function


Your Online Personal Trainer...More Fitness & Healthy Food Ideas!

Sweat Training is Downtown Cincinnati's Urban Loft Style Gym catering to the Urbanite that Works Hard, Trains Hard, & Enjoys the Social Scene. Indoor Urban Boot Camp & Personal Training. More Information or Contact