Wednesday, February 15, 2006
My Weight Loss Saga
Like so many others, I've gained weight over the past few years - about 40 pounds in the past 4 years, in fact. Despicable, I know. So, now that graduation is right around the corner, I've decided to lose weight and attempt to get back down under 200 pounds - a weight I haven't seen in about 5 or 6 years.
The thing is, I don't look fat right now - a bit soft around the middle and a few other places, but not fat. However, I've watched my pants size expand over the past few years and I finally got tired of it. I'm going to lose weight and get healthy, dammit!
This isn't my first time having to lose weight. During undergrad and just after, I packed on a few pounds and was in much the same shape as I am now - although now is probably a bit worse because I've been at it a while longer and I'm also a bit older, which never seems to help in the weight department.
About 3 or 4 months before I started medical school, however, I decided to lose weight and was quite successful in my venture - I lost quite a bit of weight and also toned up quite well in the months before August 2002. Now it is time to begin again.
I've re-started my original diet, which consists of calorie restriction (starting at 1700 calories a day and progressively decreasing over the weeks) and daily exercise to build muscle mass, which only increases fat burning potential. I also drink a LOT of water - like between 1 and 2 gallons a day. These things are the basis of the "Bowflex diet." Fortunately, back when I actually had a job, I bought a bowflex, so it has always been sitting around - just waiting to be brought back to life. I think it was probably the best purchase of my life... well, definitely one of the best :)
I started 2 weeks ago, and although I haven't lost a ton of weight, I can feel and see the changes in my body. My stomach doesn't stick out as much, my thighs don't rub together quite as much as they used to, my love handles are smaller, and I have much more definition in my chest and arms. Once I burn off this spare tire, I think I'll look pretty good again.
My scale has weight and fat percentage measurements (it's one of those fancy digital scales). With that information, you can calculate how much of your body weight is attributable to fat. For instance, when I started, according to my scale, I had 73 pounds of fat on my body - gross. So, since I started, I have lost almost 2% body fat. While my weight has not changed much, my body composition has. Muscle weighs considerably more than adipose tissue, so until muscle mass plateaus, weight will not dramatically drop. I should be getting to this stage pretty soon.
I'm very excited to see what I can do before graduation - as I said, I would like to get down to about 15-20% body fat, and see where that puts me on the scale. With the muscle mass I add, I might not be in my "Ideal body weight" or "body mass index" range, but I'll be well within the healthy parameters for body composition.
This is one of the fallacies of using the IBW or BMI to determine obesity. Neither scale takes into account your body frame or your body make-up. A man who works out and has a larger proportion of muscle mass than another man can be considered in the "overweight (>25kg/m2)" or even "obese (>30kg/m2)" range for BMI, just because of his body composition. Likewise, the IBW does not take into account the person's body frame. Ideal body weight for me may not be the same for someone who is built like a rail. I have muscle mass, a broad shoulders and chest, and strong hips. These numbers cannot be the same across the board.
I suppose that's why they leave the final judgements up to the person's physician. However, there are internet BMI calculators that will classify you as overweight or obese as long as you provide them with 2 numbers: your height and weight. That's all it asks for - nothing else. Only those two numbers make up who you are..
I hate computers sometimes.
Ok, I'm rambling now - I'm going to stop before I end up on a tirade. Wish me luck!
¶ 3:47:00 PM
The thing is, I don't look fat right now - a bit soft around the middle and a few other places, but not fat. However, I've watched my pants size expand over the past few years and I finally got tired of it. I'm going to lose weight and get healthy, dammit!
This isn't my first time having to lose weight. During undergrad and just after, I packed on a few pounds and was in much the same shape as I am now - although now is probably a bit worse because I've been at it a while longer and I'm also a bit older, which never seems to help in the weight department.
About 3 or 4 months before I started medical school, however, I decided to lose weight and was quite successful in my venture - I lost quite a bit of weight and also toned up quite well in the months before August 2002. Now it is time to begin again.
I've re-started my original diet, which consists of calorie restriction (starting at 1700 calories a day and progressively decreasing over the weeks) and daily exercise to build muscle mass, which only increases fat burning potential. I also drink a LOT of water - like between 1 and 2 gallons a day. These things are the basis of the "Bowflex diet." Fortunately, back when I actually had a job, I bought a bowflex, so it has always been sitting around - just waiting to be brought back to life. I think it was probably the best purchase of my life... well, definitely one of the best :)
I started 2 weeks ago, and although I haven't lost a ton of weight, I can feel and see the changes in my body. My stomach doesn't stick out as much, my thighs don't rub together quite as much as they used to, my love handles are smaller, and I have much more definition in my chest and arms. Once I burn off this spare tire, I think I'll look pretty good again.
My scale has weight and fat percentage measurements (it's one of those fancy digital scales). With that information, you can calculate how much of your body weight is attributable to fat. For instance, when I started, according to my scale, I had 73 pounds of fat on my body - gross. So, since I started, I have lost almost 2% body fat. While my weight has not changed much, my body composition has. Muscle weighs considerably more than adipose tissue, so until muscle mass plateaus, weight will not dramatically drop. I should be getting to this stage pretty soon.
I'm very excited to see what I can do before graduation - as I said, I would like to get down to about 15-20% body fat, and see where that puts me on the scale. With the muscle mass I add, I might not be in my "Ideal body weight" or "body mass index" range, but I'll be well within the healthy parameters for body composition.
This is one of the fallacies of using the IBW or BMI to determine obesity. Neither scale takes into account your body frame or your body make-up. A man who works out and has a larger proportion of muscle mass than another man can be considered in the "overweight (>25kg/m2)" or even "obese (>30kg/m2)" range for BMI, just because of his body composition. Likewise, the IBW does not take into account the person's body frame. Ideal body weight for me may not be the same for someone who is built like a rail. I have muscle mass, a broad shoulders and chest, and strong hips. These numbers cannot be the same across the board.
I suppose that's why they leave the final judgements up to the person's physician. However, there are internet BMI calculators that will classify you as overweight or obese as long as you provide them with 2 numbers: your height and weight. That's all it asks for - nothing else. Only those two numbers make up who you are..
I hate computers sometimes.
Ok, I'm rambling now - I'm going to stop before I end up on a tirade. Wish me luck!
¶ 3:47:00 PM
