Weekly Progress

Current Weight: 221 lbs.
Body Fat: 30.2%
No Change Today


This week I'm going to focus on relieving stress, in addition to regular topics.

Week 1: 6 lbs
Week 2: 6 lbs
Week 3: 0 lbs
Week 4: 1 lb
Week 5: 1 lb

Another Friday

Current Weight: 220 lbs.
Body Fat: 30.2%
No Change Today

Heart healthy recipes from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Cooking the Heart Healthy Way

Body Fat

Current Weight: 221 lbs.
Body Fat: 29.2%
No Change Today

Your weight is only a measurement of your mass, a fundamental measure of the amount of matter, times the acceleration of gravity. Since we calculate the acceleration of gravity on Earth as 1g, anything times 1 is itself, and your weight is the same as your mass. But that doesn't tell the whole story.

A useful measurement that gives a more overall picture is the Body Mass Index (BMI). The National Heart, Lungs, and Blood Institute has an easy to use BMI calculator available. While this can be helpful, it only takes height and weight into account.

A more useful measurement when you are trying to lose weight is your Body Fat percentage. Typically someone who wants to lose weight actually wants to lose fat. And in the process of losing fat, through exercise, they may gain muscle mass. Muscle mass is more dense, and therefor weighs more, than fat, so one can actually gain weight while losing fat. However, muscle requires more calories than fat, so if you increase your muscle mass, it will be easier to lose, and maintain, a long-term fat loss.

There are multiple ways to measure your Body Fat percentage. From lowest to highest accuracy: circumference measuring, home body fat scales, skinfold calipers, and hydrostatic weighing. Scales, while quick, easy, and inexpensive, use Bioelectrical Impedance method of measuring by sending a low-level electrical current through your body. For a more accurate reading you cannot eat for 4 hours before measuring yourself, and shouldn't exercise for 12 hours prior to measuring, so the best time to measure yourself is just after you wake up.

Slow Down

Current Weight: 222 lbs.
Change 15: Eat slower

When you slow down the pace at which you consume food, you tend to feel full sooner, and eat less. Place your fork, or spoon, down between bites and chew slowly, savoring the flavors in your mouth. Don't speak with food in your mouth, but do have dinner conversations between bites to help slow down your eating. Chewing slowly and thoroughly will also assist in digestion.

Use Free Weights

Current Weight: 221 lbs.
Change 14: Workout using free weights

Free weights not only help you burn calories, but unlike exercise machines, they force you to work on your balance. Balancing weights exercises your brain, keeping it healthier and younger. While aerobic workouts are more efficient at burning calories in the short term, more muscle means more calories burned so don't be afraid of a little gained muscle mass.

If you want to increase your muscle mass, work your muscles to fatigue. At the point of fatigue is when new muscle mass will be created, and cause an increase in strength.