Weight loss success follow-up and question . . .
 

Posted here about my story back in April of this year. In a nutshell, I lost about 80# last year, thanks in large part to FitDay. I reached my goal weight of just under 170, but have been creeping back up:mad:. Still about 180-185#, would like to be in mid 170's.

Now, although I am still journalling everyday my intake and exercise activities, I realize I have increased my calories to some extent. I am also doing a bit more weight lifting and leg exercises, and I know my muscle mass has increased. I do not have (nor want) a Muscle Beach physique, but I know some of my increased poundage is due to increased muscle mass.

I know I'm not being very specific here, but you hear people say that "muscle weighs more than fat." Any idea how much? Of the extra 10 -12 # I am carrying, how much could reasonably be muscle?

I think your best bet would be to measure your body fat % and lean mass.
Then you can decide if you want to lower your body fat %.

How do you do that?

1) BMI - there are calculations you can use to get your bf% from you BMI.

2) There are tests online which will do it but you will need a tailor's measuring tape.

3) BIA - Bioelectrical impedance analysis. There are digital scales which use this method to estimate your bf%. Accuracy is dependent on the scale model and brand.

4) You can purchase calipers and measure your body fat with a skin fold test. Most gyms will estimate your bf % but they might charge you -- they will use calipers and a skin fold test.

5) Hydrostatic body composition testing... but you would have to look up in your local area if someone offers it.

6) DEXA - Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry

BTW, I listed them in order of accuracy.

those people are wrong. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, not matter how you look at it. However, a pound of muscle will take up a lot less space than a pound of fat b/c it is more dense. In other words you can cram more weight in muscle into a pillow case than you could fat.

Also, the more mucle mass you have the more cals your body will burn, so in essence mucle can help you burn fat. So would you rather have less muscle and weigh mid 170's or more muscle and weight 180?

Thanks everyone for their input. Yauncin--I will probably look into options 1 or 2, as they seem to be the easiest (and cheapest) to do; I know they are not as accurate as the others.

01gt4.6--that's how i figured things, too. I would much rather have the 180 weight be muscle of course. But when people start working out, how much increased muscle mass do you see? 5 pounds? 10-20?

from what I've always read, you'd be hard pressed to gain 10+ pounds in a YEAR or working out NATURALLY. Once you throw streoids in the mix, you may see gains like that during a single cycle.

Keep in mind though that when "bulking" you will gain SOME fat. I guess if you do a super clean bulk (diet being spot on) you wouldn't have that issue.

trust your mirror... NOT YOUR SCALE!

I agree with 01gt4.6. Many people get too pre-occupied with the number on the scale and they forget that what is really important is how comfortable they are about their looks and health. Over on the Bodybuilding.com site many talk about how they were 'skinny fat' before starting weight lifting. Meaning that they were technically in a healthy weight range but lacked strength, muscle definition and form.

I personnally place little stock in BMI measurements. BMI does not account for frame or musculature. So two men of the same height and weight would have the same BMI but one could be obese and the other an amatuer bodybuilder. If you track BMI over time all it can tell you is if you have lost or gained weight (assuming you have already acheived your mature height).

When using any of the methods for determining bodyfat percentage (until reaching #5) remember that your measurment may not correlate to the same measurement on someone else. Meaning that you may not look as cut at 12% as someone else. That said it is still a great way to track your own progress. So if your body fat percentage is going down and the scale is going up you can be assured you are gaining muscle and losing fat.