Then yesterday morning, right before our scheduled training session, my husband had to cancel, leaving me ALL ALONE to face this training session and GETTING ON THE SCALE trauma all by myself. Why? Well, he took our baby to the doctor two hours before the free training session. We thought that would leave my husband plenty of time to make it to our appointment. It wasn't. He called at 9:30 telling me to go ahead without him.
Stress! My old self would have panicked and canceled. But I've decided to change and face my fears. Alone if I have to.
So I went....not knowing what to expect. Mr. Trainer Boy started by asking me what my 3 goals were. I asked him, "Do you really want to know my goals? Or the results I'm hoping for?....."
Er....huh?
I wasn't trying to bust his balls.
It's just that I'm an occupational therapist and we're trained to write goals that are MEASURABLE. So to say, "I want to increase my flexibility...." Well that is NOT GOOD ENOUGH. That's not measurable. How do you measure flexibility? Well, in rehab, it's easy. We use goniometers to measure the range of motion a joint has.....but I doubt that's what he had in mind.
"Ummm. Uh. Well..... I guess I'd like to know the results you're hoping for...," he stammered.
[He was probably thinking, "This girl is freakin' crazy."]
So I launched into my explanation of how my goal is to get to the gym 3-4 times a week come HELL or HIGH WATER dammit. And how that's not easy when you have two children ages 2.5 and under. One or the other is usually sick. Especially in winter. So that's my ONE goal, because I can measure it. And I'm going to work hard while I'm there.
The results I'm hoping for?
Increased flexibility. Increased core strength (and after 2 c-sections, Dear Lord, I need help!). Increased endurance. Toned muscles. And MOST OF ALL---a 50 pound loss.
Goals? Results? Semantics, yes I know...... Good grief, I'm such a bitch. I wasn't trying to be. I'm sorry Andy. Yes, that's his name---Mr. Trainer Boy.
So then came the scale........The dreaded stupid scale.
It said 189. I made sure to tell him I'd lost 25 pounds on my own recently, God forbid he think I'm just here for some impulsive New Year's Resolution. Then came the body fat % thing.
Back in September, my body fat % was measured for free because I'm participating as a research subject on how WLS reduces the rate of endometrial cancer (that's the hypothesis anyway). On September 28, I was 47.6% body fat. Yesterday, I was 39.1% Woo Hoo!!! I'll take it. That's progress baby.
So then, Mr. Trainer Boy busts out his calculator and says, "That's 73 pounds of fat. So you're about right. You need to lose 50 pounds."
But HOLEY BUCKETS, I went home and busted out my calculator. I did some calculatin'. If I subtract away ALL 73 pounds of fat that would leave me at 116 pounds. But everybody needs some fat. So I need to add some back. 20% of 116 pounds is 23 pounds of fat. So I add that back---that equals 139 pounds. Yet, the BMI chart will still say I'm very close to "Overweight." Did I do this right? Is my math off? Can anyone confirm this? Or tell me I need to go back and redo 6th grade?
According to Wiki, this Body Fat % chart was developed by the American Council on Exercise.
| Description | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Essential fat | 10-13% | 5-8% |
| Athletes | 14–20% | 6-13% |
| Fitness | 21–24% | 14–17% |
| Average | 25–31% | 18–24% |
| Obese | 32%+ | 25%+ |
So these percentages just prove that I have every reason to be happy with 142 pounds....with some strength training I can probably be fairly lean at that weight. Not overweight like the BMI chart had me believing for so many years. My bones & muscles must be extra dense or something.
Three months after surgery I go back to get my measurements taken again at the hospital (for the research study). I can't wait to see the progress I make. I actually LOOK FORWARD to getting on the scale and seeing how far those numbers have gone down. :) I'm still waiting with bated breath, crossed fingers, crossed toes, and crossed eyes, hoping to get approval from the insurance company....
Oh, and did I mention Andy gave me a great workout? I'm a little sore today. Feels good.
P.S. I'm serious. Can one of you Math Whizzes check my math?
Not sure I can help you with the math.. I am "mathematically challenged"! But, I can say, WAY TO GO!! I am so thrilled that you went to the gym, stood on the scale, and got yourself back in the groove!
ReplyDelete