HCB's Journal, 05 March 2016

I even read something, that said BMI's are very inaccurate. Well, I'm not obese anymore. lol 

Ya for you MJ, they should have a separate category titled "beast"....for clarity that's a compliment...only people that have attempted or succeeded at getting to 10% body fat will truly understand how difficult it is and how determined you need to be to get there, hats off to you!!  

Everyone's focus is on "Weight". Weight changes very quickly..up and down by several pounds per week, or even daily. However, Body Fat changes very slowly. If you lose 2% Body Fat per month, that's a fast rate of change. You can easily lose 10lbs and see less than 1% change in Body Fat %, the same goes for gaining weight. If you are in a healthy BF% range and you gain 10 lbs, you are not now suddenly unhealthy, if you continue gaining, over time you will be. I've tested various scales where you stand on them, then others that you stand on and have a handheld unit tethered to it. Have also tested stand-alone handheld units, and calipers...by far the most accurate is calipers, and they are the cheapest. Every scale and handheld unit that measures Body Fat % uses Biometric Impedance Analysis (BIA). As muscles are 75% water, the muscle you have, the more water you will have in your cells, and the faster the current will travel from one foot to the other, or from one hand to the other. Conversely, if you have less muscle mass and less water, the slower the current will travel and are calculated to now have a greater fat %. The problem is that the water is your cells will and does vary greatly depending on overall hydration. The best option remains calipers. For Men, a 1 - position measurement is all that is needed. For Women a 3 - position. If you have some extra cash and want to see not only the BF%, but where it is...opt for a DEXA scan, this is the most accurate method. 

I agree that the BIA scales are not as accurate based on hydration. I have a cheap caliper from Amazon my husband uses on me - then every 60-90 days, I have my trainer do it because he is more experienced and accurate! Funny, though, I had a Dexa Scan for bone density and I asked the technician if it could measure my bodyfat and he adamantly said, "No, not at all" even though I had the same idea as mahjohn. 

It all depends on why you are doing this. For me, the priority is extending life. I want to maximize the number of years I can love, live, build community and create jobs. I'm about your age. Being scientifically minded, what I want is a measure - what can I measure that most significantly tells me I'm on the right track. After lots of reading and talking with longevity specialists, it turns out that the best measure is endurance. Pick any aerobic activity that you can measure...that is, how long does it take to swim 2 miles, how many miles can you run in one hour, etc. 100 years ago, our agrarian lifestyle meant that most of us could put in 10-12 hours of hard work every day. Unlikely now, even farming has become mechanized and automated. So, my endurance test is running. I tend to be in better and worse shape over time, as I get lost in various projects that take my diet and exercise off track. So, I have a few measures and they're all running, because I can do that without a gym and with minimal investment of time and equipment. If I'm out of shape, like now, it's "how long does it take to run 5 miles". If I'm in shape, it's "how many miles can I run in two hours". But I have never been able to run every day...just haven't been able to create a schedule. So, I need something shorter term...and I need it easy, or it'll be too easy to decide I don't have time. A daily weigh-in is the easiest measurement. Over the years, I've found that if I weight daily, but observe the monthly trend, that keeps me as on-track as anything. You have to train your eyes - a daily up or down doesn't bother you. Look at the graph, not the number, and think of it as a grassy hillside. You're adjusting the slope of the hillside, don't pay attention to the grass. There was a time when I attempted to measure bodyfat...not sure why I didn't stick with it...moved too slowly, or had difficulty correlating results with activities, don't know what. It wasn't adequate motivation for me...but you have to do what works for you. But always start with your "divine purpose" in making this lifestyle change - is it to increase your lifespan, and if so, for whom? You, your family, or others? Is it for physical appearance? To satisfy yourself or others? I have found that answering those questions helps you select sub-goals and methods of attainment and measurement. By the way - I am in AWE at what you've done. nearly 80 pounds in less than 4 years....that speaks very highly to incredible diligence, something I lack. And you don't look 61 at all. WCB 

Makes me wonder if your Technician has simply never used it for measuring body fat percentage. A simple Google search will tell you that it is the gold standard of measuring body fat. Here's a site that is pretty outdated as far as web design goes, but is the best I've seen with information on weightlifting. Google exrx body composition calculator. Once your husband has your 3 or 7 position measurements in mm, drop them in the calculator. 

LOL mahjohn - I know the calculations to do the 3 point - my husband just cannot seem to be consistent with the caliper even within one sitting. I make him do each place twice and he gets different millimeters - not consistent pinches 

I am well into the healthy range and I am not buying it. I think the ranges are far too broad. I want to get to 25% at 50+. I am not sure how accurate my tanita is however so maybe thats a bigger bite to chew than I think lol. 

@HCB the key to consistent pinches is to keep the fingers the same width, about 2".... Then you fired and tighten the muscle..... Then he digs in and pinches... Separating fatty from muscle, then placing the caliper at the same distance from the fingers each time..... So yah' interpretation of pinching and caliper can be very subjective. 

@nicholaix, 25% st 50yrs old is achievable, it is right on the edge of lean and "ideal". As for your Tanita, it may be off by as much as 5 - 7%. 

Maybe I will make him watch a YouTube...or just wait for my trainer's next visit with me.