So, I always think that scale-obsessing is over-rated. I do watch the scale to be sure I don't climb close to that big awful number that I worked so hard to get under... and I'm doing pretty good, I must say. But there's this other measurement regarding if one is over-weight or not called the BMI. I go back and forth on the credence would should give to the almighty BMI. I mean, we really shouldn't base our success and failures on a number that simply represents a hight/weight ratio. On the other hand, if we don't focus our goals SOMEWHERE relevant then we must not be serious about changing our body shapes.... Ugh I just don't know.
So this scan I took part in last week supposedly measured all these variables. The guy said the purpose of the scan was to get a baseline so that we can monitor progress. It's apparently a more thorough way to gauge success than just hopping on a scale and measuring the displacement of gravity (his words, not mine). I agree that total body composition is more important than just weight measured on a scale so I went along with it. This guy says that we are going to weigh in (on a scale) every Friday and do a thorough body scan every month to measure success. The person who loses the most body fat percentage in the 11 week challenge wins the jackpot (the challenge cost $5 to participate and those who miss a Friday weigh-in/seminar are required to pay $2 and those who gain a pound pay $1 per pound gained each week.. so the jackpot is kind of pretty and enticing). He said that if someone loses a ton of weight according to the scale but their body fat percentage isn't down, they can't win. Hmmm.. interesting enough.
So, I just know you're curious now. What are those variables he measured?
Well, for what it's worth my current BMI is 28.0. This is, thank GOD, drastically lower than what it was at this time last year. :) However, according to the charts, it puts me in the "Obese" range... meaning I've got a lot to lose still to be considered "normal." The normal range for a female my age is supposed to be 20.1-20.5. (Again I have to ask... who defines normal? The "average" person is so arbitrary considering how many folks there are in this beautiful world. I digress..) Whatever, a BMI in the 20's is a goal I can aim for.
My body fat percentage, according to this little body scan I did last week, is ... I'm not telling. I guess I feel shame about it. But it's really high and will decrease considerably as I meet my new goals in the next 11 weeks. According to this paperwork that I was given by the body scan guy, the normal range for Body Fat percentage is 21.0-32.9 percent body fat. Hmmm... I have no choice but to believe that to be "average" or "normal" or whatever comforting descriptor I want because I don't have the education or knowledge or experience to say otherwise...
On the other hand, my Viceral Fat (the abdominal fat that protects my internal organs and all that important stuff inside my gut) is supposedly at a 6, which is within the normal range of 0-9. This is, again, on the paperwork that was given me by this Herbalife body scan guy who is facilitating our new weight loss challenge at work. I am such a skeptic and am disbelieving that these numbers he is pulling out have any real substance.
My skeletal muscle (the muscles that attach the to the skeleton and helps with daily living and posture and moving and breathing, etc.) is at a 26.8 percentage (percent of what? of total body fat? I don't really know). According to this, the "normal" range for this type of muscle is from 24.3-30.0 percent for someone my age and sex. So I'm golden there, too, right? Whatevs!
I guess I just wanted to put these numbers down in my journal so I can compare them to body scans I have in the future. My hope is that I will be learning more about this stuff as I meet my goals. To be honest, it's all very very boring to me. I don't find interest in any of it at all - so listening to a seminar or lecture about it all makes me want to take a nap. But, I do want to know what defines NORMAL and why I'm so large. :)
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