Progress Report 1st October 2011, and some thoughts

I weighed in today at 91kg.

I am not sure about this weight, I have been doing daily cardio and eating my calculated energy requirements (2100 calories), but it just seems like it's shedding too quickly! My last weigh-in I weighed about 98-100kg.

The scales I use are digital and for some reason I worry that it is not an accurate measurement... Damn calipers have shaken up my faith in measuring tools!

Still, it is progress. I will take a new photograph this coming tuesday, and add it to my progress album.

And now for some thoughts I have had lately.

I've been looking around other places than Scooby's forums to people's progress and what not, and I seem to be finding a large amount of people who have really unrealistic goals and possibly unhealthy ways of going about reaching these goals.

Things like cutting out carbohydrates completely, eating around only 1200 calories per day, and only doing cardio 3 times a week.

It just seems like a recipe for failure. For starters, I will wager that many people will not feel fulfilled at only 1200 calories, and sure, you may make some progress initially, but I guarantee unless you are an iron willed monk you will fail at some point, and end up binging.

I eat around 2100 calories per day, as per what Scooby's calculator told me. I feel fulfilled each day, and the numbers don't lie, I have been losing weight, quite quickly I might add.

Another thing people seem reluctant to do or even completely think it will ruin their weight loss journey is cheat meals, I believe cheat meals are essential, I have a bar of chocolate or soft drink occasionally, and it helps curb the cravings you might get. I do make sure to keep the cheat meals in my caloric budget though.

It just seems to me the reason most people fail their transformations is because of misinformation or poor knowledge in the whole fat loss process. I am no expert but I am doing things a lot differently from the vast majority of posters on these weight loss forums, and I dare say I am doing far better.

• I don't make posts about why I weight a bit more even though I ate only 1200 calories the previous day and did rigorous exercise.
• I don't make a bunch of posts asking for tips on getting 'motivated'
• I am losing weight at a good, steady pace
• I am aware that losing fat takes time and will not give up because I have unreasonable expectations
• I indulge in regular cheat meals, and I have not binged since starting
• I have no need for other people to motivate me, as I motivate myself

Now, this is generalising people, but after spending some time on some weight loss forums I just wanted to pillow scream. It seems misinformation has become ingrained into some people, that they refuse to believe the actual facts about weight loss.

You can still eat food and lose weight!

I am glad I was shown Scooby's website, through Scooby I have learned about healthy weight loss, and this time my 'lifestyle change' has become permanent.

Dropping BF Measurements

I am thinking of dropping the caliper measurements, I can't seem to get an accurate reading. After studying various visual examples of differnt bodyfat levels, I do not believe my current bodyfat to be around 14%, more like 18-20%.

I can't seem to get an accurate reading with my calipers, it does not help that they are a cheap $5 set either.

I will probably just measure total weight from now on, or maybe use the bodyfat measurer on my set of scales. I am not sure on the accuracy of those though.

I will still follow my energy requirements and regular exercise regime, though.

Progress Report 25/09/11

Weight - 100.3kg
Bodyfat% - 14%
Lean mass - 85.5kg
Body fat - 14.7kg

I relaxed on my diet a little this week, tending to record calories and macros maybe once every second day. I still tried eating correct portion sizes however. Cardio also slipped just a little this week, though I still did about 5 days of cardio this week.

I am not sure on the accuracy of the calipers, it looks like I am losing muscle mass a bit too fast to be realistic. I will need to do some research and tighten up my exercise and diet a little more again.

I find it best to take these weekly measurements with a grain of salt, it takes hundreds (maybe even thousands) of measurement with the calipers to be considered 'professional' and even then I believe bodyfat measurements to be approximate within 4%.

As I am mainly focusing on aesthetics for this fat loss, I am not too worried about statistics or numbers. Once I have reached my goal, that is to look good in the mirror, visible abdominals maybe, I will then decide if I wish to work further and start lifting.

In an ideal world I should lift now, but I do not wish for a gym membership and haven't invested in a set of home weights yet. I have been slack in muscle training, when I started this project I did bodyweight exercises 3 times a week, push-ups, pull-ups and the like, but I ended up slacking off and continuing my daily cardio. I may have to start this practice back up.

Things seem to be going well and I have no intention of stopping this.

Progress Report Saturday 17 September 2011

Here is this week's progress report:

Weight - 102.3 kg
Bodyfat % - 14%
Lean Body Mass - 87.5 kg
Body Fat - 14.7 kg

Not too bad, still losing a bit of lean body mass but I still struggle to eat enough calories some days, I feel too full. I eat around 2000-2200 calories per day, and do 20 mins of cardio daily, apart from maybe 1 rest day every week or two.

My next photo will be taken on the 4th of October and I am looking forward to seeing the results of this month.

Progress Digest 11/09/2011

Here are the numbers for this week:
Weight - 103.6kg
Bodyfat% - 15%
Lean Body Mass - 88kg
Body Fat - 15.5kg

If these are accurate, it looks as though my lean mass is going down slightly, and my fat is going down quite quickly. This is likely becase I am eating a little too much under my TDEE, because some days I struggle to eat enough calories. I will need to work on rectifying this.

1 Month Today

It was one month today that I started this effort to change my lifestyle and get fit. Here is my one month photograph. I will try to take a photograph on the 4th of each month, to get a visual on progression and to motivate me.