Week 23 - A Pound of Flesh

Back more on topic this week.  I backed up last week's drop under 100kg with a couple of days in double figures.  My new low mark set this week is 99.5kg, which represents a 400 gram loss.  My average weight loss in the same period was 500 grams.  Bang on target.  In a week, maybe two, I hope to drop my average below the 100 mark.  That will be a cause for celebration!

You may remember my last visit to the dietician (Week 13) where I had my skinfolds taken to measure my body fat levels and set a baseline.  This week I returned for another checkup so to speak and to see how I have been progressing.  I was more than a little pleased with the outcome of the visit and those of my efforts as well.

Previously I had come in at a total figure of 88.5mm across the 7 points measured, which put me in the Good to Average range of body fat levels as depicted in the chart below, depending on whether I am considered to be an athletic person or not.  Even then I was pretty happy with the outcome given that it was not that long ago that I was well and truly in the poor category.  The goal was to drop body fat, without losing muscle mass.  The way I understand to measure that using skinfolds is that for every kg of body weight that you lose that is purely fat where your skinfolds are above 80mm, you will lose 10mm from your skinfolds total.  So for the first kilo I lost, my results would have dropped to just under 80mm, assuming that I only lost fat and no muscle.  From there, where you are under 80mm, for every kilo of weight you lose, you will only reduce by 5mm from your total skinfolds score.

So in the time between visits (just over 2 months), I lost exactly 5kg.  Based on the system above, that means if I had lost only bodyfat, my skinfolds should have been around the 60mm mark.  Any more, and I would have lost muscle and fat in a percentage ratio determined by the skinfolds result.  Very pleased to report that I came in at 59.8mm.  What that means is that every bit of the weight that I have lost in the past 2 months has been fat and I have retained whatever muscle mass I started with.  All but the perfect outcome.

The image here is me trying to put some context around what that looks like.  You may have seen this method before.  I went searching the intermaweb for an image of what 5kg of fat compares to physically.  Of course everything only came back in pounds, but, I thought this one was quite good.  Allowing for conversion, I lost 11 of these handfuls of fat from my body.  In answer to the question the image poses, no, I am not mad at all.

The other thing that made me smile about the skinfolds result was that it puts me in the Excellent range for both Normal and Athletic people.  Now that is not something I have been able to say about anything to do with my weight ever!

Extending the skinfolds maths out a little further.  At 5mm per 1 kilo lost, pushing on to even 95kg would see me at 35mm total skinfolds.  That is one tough challenge.  My dietician, who works with a lot of athletes has only ever seen someone go as low as just under 30.  She presented me with the proposition that it will most likely not be possible for me to go any lower than 93-95kg without losing muscle mass.  Perfect!  That just happens to be my goal.  Sit on about 95kg day to day with a view to sweating out around 2kg in the days before competition.  For those of you who have trained with me on the mats, you can no doubt attest that sweating out 2kg for me will not be a problem....I reckon I break into a sweat while stretching before the warm up!

Another thing that came out of my visit was a slight adjustment to my macronutrient intake on rest days.  Raising my protein a little and lowering my carbohydrate commensurately.  Nothing dramatic like hopping on board a 'no carb diet'.  Just a small reduction.  I also still need to work on getting my fat intake up to the right level.  Peanuts are my friend in that regard.  I had forgotten them in the last few weeks.

The final note is about the Body Mass Index (BMI).  Going back to the skinfolds maths again for a second, where it was established that I cannot expect to go below about 95kg without sacrificing muscle density and acknowledging that I am really not that muscular to begin with, what does that say about the BMI as a reference point?  My dietician gave a mirthful scoff when I asked her about it and exclaimed that it should not in any way be applied to athletes.  A point that is very hard to argue with given that 93kg is the first weight that I would need to reach before I am considered healthy.  Right now I am still a fair way into overweight....  Can you hear the sound of me chucking the BMI into the discard pile?  No longer shall I let myself be bound by its constraints and I shall enjoy a freedom somewhat akin to that aspired to in Braveheart!!