Body Composition Challenge (Page 3)

Hi all,

I apologize for starting a challenge and then going incognito.  I have been unexpectedly away from all technology so I haven't been able to keep up.  I will catch up today, get myself up and running, and post a "beginning" summary table sometime this morning.

It is VERY exciting to know that we are all in this together.  Let's ROCK!

Cameron

NAILED IT!  I'll amend the rules to reflect this.

Okay... I've been going about 100mph since I promised to get back here and put in my stats, so I haven't had time to come up with too much specific regarding goals.  I'll think on that part.  But here are the starting numbers and a general idea of where I want to be in 3 months...

Weight: 146.2
Neck: 12.5"
Waist: 29"
Hips: 36.5"
Body Fat (according to online calc): 26.4% 

I want to get close to about 135 pounds -- I think that's doable and will come along with everything else.  Mostly, though, I want to drop inches and body fat and start to look more toned ... that's more important than the number on the scale.

To give you an idea, this girl has done what I'd like to accomplish:
http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

This might be difficult with marathon training, but I'm going to spend this week revising schedules/diet/etc to make this kind of change.  Better foods, more lifting, maybe some CrossFit... all along with 35-40mpw of running.  We'll see how that goes.

I took some pictures, just need to get them uploaded and will do so later. 

Nice!

LOVED the link Laura.  What a great story. Thanks!

I like this point in the article:http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

"Appearance is a consequence of fitness"   So often we pursue appearance and disregard doing it in a healthy manner, the point is that fitness is the goal and appearance is a secondary achievement.

This is so true.  I also find for myself that my self-image becomes more positive as I focus on fitness which in turn motivates me even further.  This is regardless of what I look like but when I am fit, I (the key word there is "I" and not anyone else) love the way I look.  This is my driver for the photos.    I play mental games with myself so much so that any setback is viewed as failure.  Abbie's quote is also very true and I need to make that a daily mantra for myself.

Great points all.

That serving size sounds about right to me!!!  At times I am best off just avoiding it.  My body seems to do better with Almond Butter anyway and I don't eat it like Ice Cream.

BT needs a "LIKE" button.  This is great!

I already know you like me Cam

Am I that obvious?--damn--I better tone it down! 

LOL, no worries, nice ego boost for me!

I am ... but, I'm also not doing heavy duty triathlon training either.

I'm training for the Chicago Marathon -- so while I'm running a fair amount, I can still fit in about 3 strength sessions per week.  I'm doing probably 75% Olympic lifting and 25% kind of "typical" strength along with stuff specifically for running (hip strengthening/stretching mostly).

I'd like to delve into CrossFit, but I'm having a hard time figuring out the time/expense part of it.  I already pay for a trainer (which is totally convenient since she's also my roommate) and so hate to pay for something else.  And - the nearest CrossFit facility is a good 20-25 minutes from me.  I'm wondering if I can pick some of it up on my own and incorporate it.

LOVE this!  Thanks Abs!

Starting stats:

weight      154

body fat %  41

chest           35.5

waist           34

hips             43

right thigh   23.25

right arm     11      

Goals:

weight 130

body fat 25%

Get my easy run pace back to 10 minute miles

Loved the link and the quote!

One of the things I know I need to get back to is strength training. I haven't really done any consistently for a couple of years, and I think it makes a huge difference. I'm also going to focus more on eating fruits, veggies, and lean meats. Once I started marathon and long distance triathlon training, I used it as a free ticket to consume tons of carbs and that has definitely not worked for me.

Lets do this!

I am, not sure how many of us are.  It's been helpful for me in the rehab process with the gastrocs....plus I forgot how much I actually like it.

Okay--time for me to "weigh-in".  The reality is that I am not very healthy right now--mentally and physically.  I am training for mental and physical power in these next three months.

Weight:  194.8

Bodyfat estimate:  still need to measue--I cannot find my skinfold calipers

Plan:

--Eat amazingly well with 5-6 meals per day (each 300-400 calories) for 6 days and give myself a COMPLETE day off on Saturdays to get my fill of pizza and beer (this really works for me).

--Workout consistently on the bike and run (marathon training with Tommy starts August 15th) and WEIGHT TRAIN.  I have never had a real body composition change except for once in when I weight trained 3 days per week.  My other yoyo ventures (documented here and here) have just include weight moss without a gain of lean muscle mass (which then translate directly to increased physical power).

--Have fun and be inspired by everyone else who accepted this challenge! 

Photos (yikes---classic beer gut: we actually call it the Young belly in my family)(Abbie--I do have a butt--the angle just hides it ):

It is funny that Justin's was mentioned above.  Here is it at my desk at work.  I do limit myself to about half a tablespoon at a time.