A thread for people to post their weights and measurements.
Waist to Height Ratio (WHtR)
It's basically about measuring your waist at the mid point between the lowest rib and the upper part of your exposed hip bone, just above where your belt usually sits. Then dividing that measurement by your height. According to the inventor of the standard, it is said to be a better indicator of body shape and therefore body composition than Body Mass Index (BMI, explained below). It is also said to be less impacted by extremes of height than BMI. The OK zone (green on chart) is a measurement result ratio between 0.4 and 0.5. Endurance athletes have been measured at approximately < 0.43. So my goal range is between 0.41 and 0.43.
http://www.ashwell.uk.com/images/2011%2 ... Charts.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waist-to-height_ratio
Estimate of Body Fat Percentage
Here is the U.S. Navy's Body Composition Assessment guide. They use waist circumference - which appears to be the same measurement used for WHtR - neck circumference and height, to estimate percentage of body fat.
For those who are interested enough to take the 3 measurements, but aren't interested enough to read the guide, Calculator.com has this online calculator which is based on the Navy's guide. The guide does say "This is only an estimate and the official BCA is determined once entered in PRIMS." (page 9, 3b). So it might be OK for a "ball park", or vague assessment.
The argument for weighing yourself frequently
A two-year Cornell study, recently published in the Journal of Obesity, found that frequent self-weighing and tracking results on a chart were effective for both losing weight and keeping it off, especially for men.
http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/06 ... your-favorThe method “forces you to be aware of the connection between your eating and your weight,”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3268700/In conclusion, although there were methodological limitations to the studies reviewed, there was ample evidence for the consistent and significant positive relationship between self-monitoring diet, physical activity or weight and successful outcomes related to weight management.
Weight and Body Mass Index (BMI)
There is no problem with just posting weights alone, but it doesn't mean much to others. The same applies with waist measurements. So if you want others to know at what stage of weight loss you're at, I encourage you to give a height reference, or calculate your BMI. To calculate, it is your weight (W) in kg, divided by the square of your height (Ht) in metres, or BMI = W / Ht^2.
Measurement consistency.The best time to measure your waist and weigh yourself for consistency is before breakfast. There is no point in weighing your food, drink and clothing. Obviously if you need to wear clothes to use the scales, then best to know the clothes' weight to subtract from the total. Also on the day before weighing it is best to eat whatever your normal diet is, including regular amounts. If you end up doing exercise the day before and lose some hydration in the process, then try to take that into account. For most consistent results, your hydration needs to be consistent as it's a significant factor in what you weigh.
The below graphs are from this study on BMI versus all-cause mortality. The data used is most likely of people who were clothed and ate breakfast etc before being weighted in a doctor's office. Consequently they would be at least 2 kg heavier than the results one might get by using the method listed above. Something to keep in mind for comparisons.
Graphs below are from another study here showing the ideal BMI to be even lower.
Jee and colleagues published a detailed analysis of BMI and CHD incidence among 133 740 Korean participants during nine years of follow-up (Jee et al., 2005). After adjustment for age, sex, and smoking status, each 1-unit increase in BMI was associated with a 14% (95% CI, 12–16%) increased risk of incident CHD. Compared with a BMI of 18–18.9, even a normal BMI of 24–24.9 was associated with a twofold increased risk of CHD.
Diet, exercise, or both for weight loss?
The two main factors that influence weight are diet and exercise. Being a cycling forum, most will try to increase their exercise to lose weight. But the study below shows that of the total weight loss equation, diet is 78% and exercise is 22%. Both significant diet change and exercise together is obviously better. Interestingly, the part of genetics in the variability of body weight between people is said to only be 3%. So almost all of what we see in differences between people are due to lifestyle factors.
The following is from a the American Institute for Cancer Research blog which summarises a recent study comparing diet and exercise in weight loss.
http://blog.aicr.org/2016/07/15/study-l ... more-18206After 12 months, women in the exercise group lost 2.4% of their body weight; diet only reduced by 8.5% and those exercising and dieting lost 10.8% of their weight. And the more they lost, the more their biomarkers were reduced.
The Diet Thread is available to discuss diet, or if you have any questions relating to diet..
Some Guides on Healthy Eating
I have posted some guides which can be found here.
So bit of extra fuel to optimize my endurance.
my t-rex physique is going out the window. Starting to get a few pains and niggles here and there. Hopefully my body is starting to run low on protein and shed some mass.