Ignore the scale!

This post is just a quick note to talk about my progress for the past couple of weeks. My weight on the scale has been hovering right around 200-203 lbs give or take.

However, one thing that is drastic is to look at my body fat percentages. I've been using accu-fit calipers to measure my body fat. When I first started at Day 1 I was 215 lbs, and my body fat percentage was about 25%. So, that meant I was 53.75 lbs fat and 161.25 lbs of lean mass.

A couple weeks ago I was 202 lbs and 21% body fat according to my caliper test. That puts me at 159.6 lbs of lean mass and 42.4 lbs of fat.

This past Sunday I was right at 201 lbs on Sunday morning. But my body fat was 19.5%. Basic math would put me at 161.8 lbs of lean mass and 39.2 lbs of fat.

So, these may not seem like dramatically amazing numbers or anything. But there are some very noticeable trends and lessons you can take away from this. In the past two weeks I've shed 3.2 lbs of fat, and increased my muscle mass by 2.2 lbs.

I think in phase one, with the super low carb diet I was dropping a lot of fat, and making some changes in my body. I wasn't really putting on a lot of muscle, in fact I may have lost just a bit. However the body was making some drastic changes. Now, with that groundwork laid and my body ready and primed to work hard and make progress, I'm able to do the hard work and reap the results.

Another lesson to be learned: Ignore the scale. You don't work out to just lose weight. If that were the case, and your goal was to lose weight, you wouldn't mind if I came by and cut off your leg. I'm sure you could drop 20 lbs easy if I chopped your leg off above the knee. You could be at your goal weight in a couple hours right? Of course that's nonsense. A fitness goal should never be based on a goal weight unless you fight people for a living.

Focus on how you look, how you feel, how you perform in all areas athletically. Focus on the old pair of jeans you own that don't fit so well anymore, focus on the inches you'd like to lose around your waist. Don't depend on the scale alone to measure success. You need to use the scale along with the context of body fat.

Remember: Hope is not an action plan!

John