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Date Posted: 10:43:04 05/26/02 Sun
Author: Sherry
Subject: Hi all

Scale is down a little more today, I didn't do anything particularly right yesterday or the day before, so I guess it was just excess water weight that came on for some reason.

I'm still not back down to my low, but 230 looks way better than 235.

I used the Protein Power book to do some calculations the other day. I was a little amazed at the results. He has some calculations you can do to figure out your lean body mass (what your weight would be without any fat), your ideal weight with the right percentage of fat for your sex and age.

What I learned was a little amazing. When I first lost my initial 50 pounds, I took my measurements and marked them on a piece of drywall tape. I took the measurements again yesterday about a year and a half later while weighing EXACTLY the same as I did the day I first took them. What I found was that I was an inch to an inch and a half smaller in all the places I measured (except for around my neck, that didn't change). Hips were about an inch and a half smaller, ab an inch and a quarter, thigh, waist, upper arm, calf, all about an inch smaller.

BUT in addition to that I did the calculations for then and now, and found that although I weighed the same both times, my lean body mass was about 9 pounds heavier than it was before. As though I have gained 9 pounds of muscle and lost an equivalent amount in fat.

Since the goal of low carb is to lose fat, but not muscle this puts my GOAL weight much higher than it was. The previous goal area was between 132 and 145, new goal (with the addition of extra muscle that I don't want to lose) is 144 to 161.

Kind of amazing.

The thing is I am NOT an excercise fanatic. I try to get some when I think about it, but certainly not enough. So I guess I've been gaining muscle just from eating more protein. Imagine what would happen if I were really working out? Too, what I find fascinating is that by gaining muscle you don't need to lose as much weight. You will look good, at a higher number. It also surprises me that for this year and a half, I have been feeling like I wasn't making any real progress since my weight has stayed pretty much the same. And yet all those inches have been lost, lean body mass has increased. Wow.

Maybe this explains why people who have been stalled, suddenly start losing again. When the muscle to fat ratio changes, your body may need time to stabilize itself. But having done that a point comes when your more active tissue (muscle) needs to use more calories to maintain itself.

It is nice to know that the "goal" weight that I have been aiming for in my head for SO long is way lower than I need to be. For some reason even though it is still a long way off, 161 sounds a lot more obtainable than 130 ever did.

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