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The Scale Still Rules!
By Cindy | July 11, 2007
Okay, I understand that old habits die hard. The scale beckons. There is no resistance. One foot in front of the other and soon the whole body causes the digital readout to flash, or if you’re old-school like me, the little needle flickers back and forth. The groan–”NO, I must have lost, at least, half a pound?!”
Yes, I fell victim to my own warning. I used the scale and depended on it’s numbers. See, I’ve not gained anything since I had Little Monkey a year and half ago, but my body has undergone change. I avoided the tape measure and my own knowledge. I haven’t kept my muscle mass. I knew I wasn’t strength training, and I ignored the lean to fat mass conversion that was occurring in my body.
The last tape measurements I had taken were a month after Little Monkey was born. Since then, I lost 10 pounds, but I gained an inch in the waist and hips, resulting in a 2% increase in fat.
Since I have a fixation for weight, as many of us do, I want to share this equation I received in the course I took with The Cooper Institute to determine what an “ideal weight” to strive for taking into account lean body mass:
- % of Lean Body Weight Now
- % of Lean Body Weight Goal X Current Body Weight =
The result = Goal Body Weight
I really like this equation because it allows me to still use the scale, but realize that I’m also taking into account my Lean/fat % body mass. Remember, Fat is not evil. It’s essential for the body, so don’t dip into your essential fat percentages because you think you should weigh an X amount!
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Topics: Health Knowledge, Personal Journey |
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