When I got a consultation done at Goodlife Fitness, the trainer had me step on a Tanita scale which gives you a body composition breakdown. It prints a little receipt telling you about your body and I am trying to break it down from a simple perspective. I'll be using myself as an example.
But first, tell me which girl would you rather look like? Personally, I want to keep my curves and have a smaller waist like on the right; more muscle, less fat.
When you jump on this Tanita scale, you have to talk a little about yourself. Here's what I had to say:
But first, tell me which girl would you rather look like? Personally, I want to keep my curves and have a smaller waist like on the right; more muscle, less fat.
When you jump on this Tanita scale, you have to talk a little about yourself. Here's what I had to say:
- Standard (other option is Athletic, and I would say I have an athletic body type, but considering I'm on this path to better health, I stuck with "Standard" for now)
- Female
- Age: 22
- Height: 5ft 4"
By the way, try and go on this scale with as little clothing as possible, but since you're not naked, I put about 2lbs of clothing (it'll subtract this from your total weight).
As it calculated my weight, disappointed with the number (155.6lbs.. you can see why I'm disappointed by reading my "New Birth Control Made Me Fat?" post here), I stepped off and took my receipt then Google'd how to read this thing.
The site that I went to (click here) has a pretty good explanation of what this all means. I'm going to try and make it even more simpler and what this means to me.
BMI (Body Mass Index)
= 26.7
The BMI is as simple as the HEIGHT to WEIGHT ratio. This can be misleading if you have more muscle, so don't worry too much on this index. Apparently I'm "Overweight" a bit. and yes I could stand to lose a couple pounds here and there (especially my waist), but I wouldn't go as far as "overweight".
BMR (Body Metabolic Rate)
= 1530kcal (calories)... Caloric Intake = 1760 calories/daily (to maintain weight)
The BMR is basically how much calories you burn on a regular day (energy your body takes to survive daily). Add 15% of this and you have yourself your CALORIC INTAKE (basically how much calories you should be eating each day). If you're quite content with your body and don't want to lose any, then stick with this amount. If you're trying to lose weight at a healthy pace (1/2-1 lb a week), then subtract 500 calories. If you exercise, you should also be taking that into consideration because whatever you burn, you should be replacing with food (eating that much more)! And you should NEVER be eating below 1200 calories or it is not healthy, no matter what your health goals are!
Ex. On an average workout I burn about 300 calories (on the low side). Given, if my caloric intake is 1760 - 500 calories to lose weight = 1260 + 300 calories to replenish workout = 1560* ... meaning I should be eating 1560 calories on days that I work out, and 1260 on days that I don't!
This is why a lot of people workout, so they can EAT =) This is why I have worked myself up to working out 5x a week so I can eat normally and not feel like I have to eat like a rabbit =(
1260 calories is VERY hard in my opinion when trying to eat a balanced 5-6 small meals each day. I have done this before successfully with a LOT of determination and looking very closely at everything I ate (cutting out McDonald's, etc completely) and logging everything in a nutrition diary.
*I highly recommend FitnessPal if you're going to track your diet and fitness (do it online here, or download their app here)
1260 calories is VERY hard in my opinion when trying to eat a balanced 5-6 small meals each day. I have done this before successfully with a LOT of determination and looking very closely at everything I ate (cutting out McDonald's, etc completely) and logging everything in a nutrition diary.
*I highly recommend FitnessPal if you're going to track your diet and fitness (do it online here, or download their app here)
Fat%, Fat Mass & FFM (Fat Free Mass)
= 32.1%, 50.01lbs, 105.61lbs
Everyone knows fat is pretty much the enemy, and you should really try and limit your fat intake as much as possible. The leaner you eat, the leaner your body will be: more protein & carbs than fat.
However, as females we are supposed to carry a certain amount of fat on our bodies in order to protect organs and such. The usual percentage for a young female adult is between 21% & 33% so I am still in the "healthy" range but on the higher end so I could do with reducing that % in order to lean out.
My Fat Free Mass (FFM) is 105.6lbs so if I lost all the fat in my body, which I would never want or even could do, that's how much I would weigh. I like this number considering this is the weight of my bones and MUSCLE:
THE MORE MUSCLE YOU HAVE, THE MORE FAT YOU BURN.
GAIN MORE MUSCLE BY STRENGTH TRAINING AND LIFTING HEAVY.
Ladies, do NOT be afraid of strength training in the gym. If you don't know how, grab a friend who knows to show you (like I often do with my bestie) or invest in some personal training classes. Trust me, you won't look bulky, you will look STRONG which is 10x better than just being skinny.
Everyone knows fat is pretty much the enemy, and you should really try and limit your fat intake as much as possible. The leaner you eat, the leaner your body will be: more protein & carbs than fat.
However, as females we are supposed to carry a certain amount of fat on our bodies in order to protect organs and such. The usual percentage for a young female adult is between 21% & 33% so I am still in the "healthy" range but on the higher end so I could do with reducing that % in order to lean out.
My Fat Free Mass (FFM) is 105.6lbs so if I lost all the fat in my body, which I would never want or even could do, that's how much I would weigh. I like this number considering this is the weight of my bones and MUSCLE:
THE MORE MUSCLE YOU HAVE, THE MORE FAT YOU BURN.
GAIN MORE MUSCLE BY STRENGTH TRAINING AND LIFTING HEAVY.
Ladies, do NOT be afraid of strength training in the gym. If you don't know how, grab a friend who knows to show you (like I often do with my bestie) or invest in some personal training classes. Trust me, you won't look bulky, you will look STRONG which is 10x better than just being skinny.
TBW (Total Body Water)
= 77.21lbs
I'm happy with this number because it means I'm hydrated and I have been really working hards towards making sure I drink a lot of water, at least the daily minimum of 8 glasses. You can get your Total Body Water (TBW) % by dividing your TBW/Weight = my TBW% is exactly 50%. Optimal for females is between 45-60% so I'm doing good and could even look towards drinking more water (maybe even incorporate some green tea).
****
I'll try and do this assessment every couple of months to better track my fitness progress but I wanted to break down some of these terms and what they actually mean in a simpler way. So ladies, hope this helps and if any other questions let me know!
I'm happy with this number because it means I'm hydrated and I have been really working hards towards making sure I drink a lot of water, at least the daily minimum of 8 glasses. You can get your Total Body Water (TBW) % by dividing your TBW/Weight = my TBW% is exactly 50%. Optimal for females is between 45-60% so I'm doing good and could even look towards drinking more water (maybe even incorporate some green tea).
****
I'll try and do this assessment every couple of months to better track my fitness progress but I wanted to break down some of these terms and what they actually mean in a simpler way. So ladies, hope this helps and if any other questions let me know!
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