Weight Management | Assessing Your Own Weight 1.1

this is my attempt to lose weight safely and naturally. today is December 1, 2010 and am currently at 160lbs. i hate it. it shows! im chiseled at 148lbs. anyway, i got this from a dieting book, which i got mistaken for as a nursing student. funny thing isnt me being a nursing student, it's me still being a student :) in everything, results show. results of my training and strenuous activities never lie.
here i'ma share you my first steps to losing those unwanted pounds. from my previous entry, i blogged about determining our current weight status through knowing our BMI and Waist Circumference. from these data, we'll shift to our next step on how do we effectively trim down those unwanted pounds, here, specifically by knowing our required calorie intake.

Lestart!

1.     Estimate your Basic Energy Needs

How many Calories your body needs per day for basic energy needs
AGE	Use this equation to calculate your BMR
Men
18-30	[15.3 x weight (in kg)] + 679
30-60	[11.6 x weight (in kg)] + 879
60 & above	[13.5 x weight (in kg)] + 487
Women
18-30	[14.7 x weight (in kg)] + 496
30-60	[8.7 x weight (in kg)] + 829
60 & above	[10.5 x weight (in kg)] + 596

For example: Me, 25, male, weighs 160lbs [as of December 1,2010]

My BMR should look like this:

                          160 lbs. / 2.2 = 72.73 kg 
                
                          72.73 kg * 15.3 = 1112.73 cal

                         1112.73 cal + 679 cal = 1791.73 cal or 1792 cal

So my BMR (or the number of calories that my body needs at
complete rest to function is roughly 1792 calories.

 

2.     Determine your activity factor value

How Active Are You?
In any given day, your activities include:	Your Activity Level Is	Your Activity Factor Is
Sitting, standing; driving; painting; doing laboratory work; sewing, ironing or cooking; playing cards or musical instrument; sleeping or lying down; reading, typing	Very Light	0.2
Doing garage, electrical, carpentry, or restaurant work; house-cleaning; caring for children; playing golf; sailing; light exercise such as walking for no more than 3 km.	Light	0.3
Heavy gardening or housework, cycling, playing tennis, skiing or dancing; very little sitting	Moderate	0.4
Heavy manual labor such as construction work or digging, playing sports such as football, or soccer, climbing	Heavy	0.5

3.     Determine your Calorie needs for Activities

Multiply your basic energy needs by the activity factor value that you determined in Step 2:

Use this equation:

BMR * Activity Factor     =     Calories for Activity

Using my data again:

1792 cal * (0.5) = 896 calories

[*Note: I used 0.5 as my Heavy Activity Factor since I run, swim and bike regularly, and workout in the gym if not doing training.]

4.     Determine your calorie needs for digestion and absorption of nutrients

Digesting food and absorption of nutrients uses about 10% of your daily energy needs.

Use this equation:

[BMR calories + Activity calories] * 10% = Calories for Digestion/Absorption

Using my data again:

[ 1792 cal  + 896 cal ] * 10% = 268.8 cal or 269 cal

5.     Total your calorie needs.

Add your BMR, Activity Calories and Digestion/Absorption Calories----this is your calorie needs to maintain your weight.

Using my data again:

BMR + Activity Calories + Digestion/Absorption Calories = Total Calories

1792 cal + 896 cal + 269 cal = 2957 cal

2957 cal total number of calories I need to stay at 160 lbs.

But hey, no way! My ideal weight at 5’6” is 148 lbs so I need to lose 12 lbs more.

So how do I lose weight from these data?

We have to understand that to lose weight, we have to cut down on how much we eat and increase our muscle mass through resistance training or workouts. Muscles burn fats better.

How much do we need to trim down on our meals? ---- Not too much, gradual trimming will do. If we try to cut too many calories, we may not lose weight at all. When we massively decrease our calorie requirements, our metabolic rate slows down to adjust to the lower calorie level. Plus, we might not be able to stick long with it since we will always be hungry and starving.

So how do we it? Here’s how:

Since there are 3500 cal in a pound (lb.) and 7 days a week, we can cut our daily calorie intake by 500 to lose 1 lb. a week.  If we want to lose 2lbs. per week, we cut 1000 to our total calorie needs.

In my case, am settling lo lose 1 pound per week since I need energy [extra calories] for my training and workout.

2957 calories – 500cal = 2497 calories

In order to lose 1 pound per week while in training, I need to maintain 2497cal.

How do i know whether am getting 2497cal or short? watch out! later!

Weight Management | Assessing Your Own Weight 1.0

This is it. Need to lose weight while in training. perfect match. the reason why am trying to lose weight is so that i can run faster and lighter...it's difficult to run with excess baggage in the stomach area. it hurts when they rumble with every stride. i perform well at 148lbs. and that was about 3 or 4 months ago. am currently at 160lbs.

and since it Christmas, the month of parties and get togethers and foods..whole lotta foods and alcohols (which btw falls under 'fats'), what a way to mold our eating. discipline is king. Like Manny Pacquiao, "No One Wins like Manny Because No One Trains Like Manny"

Lestart!

For starters, we’ll determine what our current fitness status is thru weight management. We’ll try to get our personal stats from these constants:  

BMI – Body Mass Index – practically states how much fat you have in your system; not really a good basis for determining fat percentage since total weight used contains fat free mass (muscles).

Waist Size – measures whether the location of your body fat is health hazard. The bigger the waist size, the more dangerous it is.

To calculate your BMI

1.       Convert your weight from pounds (lbs.) to kilograms (kg)

Using my data:

Weight: 160lbs. (as of December 1, 2010)

Weight in pounds (lbs.)  / 2.2 = Weight in kilograms (kg)

160 lbs. / 2.2 = 72.73 kg

2.       Convert your height from inches to meters

Using my data:

Height: 5 ft. 6 inches =  66 inches

Height in inches (in) / 39.37 = Height in meters (m)

66 in / 39.37 = 1.68m

3.       Calculate your BMI

Weight [kg] / [height (m) * height (m)] = BMI

72.73 kg / [1.68m * 1.68m] = 25.79 BMI

                After calculating your BMI, you can determine whether you’re at a healthy weight:

BMI Chart
Healthy weight	19 – 24.9
Overweight	25 – 29.9
Obese	30 & above

Since my BMI is 25.79, i fall on the 'Overweight' zone. i used to be 24.4, 4 months ago.

what's yours? hope you're in the 'Healthy' zone.

Another step is measuring our Waist Circumference. here's how:

Waist Circumference:

 To get our waist circumference,

1.       Relax your shoulders and stand naturally

2.       Measure your waist at a point below your rib cage but above your belly button. [make sure the tape is snug but doesn’t pinch your skin and is parallel to the floor.

3.       Breathe out

4.       Read the number.

If your BMI is 25 – 34.9 (like me, 25.79) and your waist line is more than 40 inches (if you’re a man) and 35 inches (if you’re a woman) you’re at a greater risk of developing serious weight-related health problems. Bad news is, even if your BMI is at normal range yet you have a waist circumference greater than the limit, you’re still at a greater health risk.

df

Health Risk of High Waist Circumference
BMI	Less than 40 in (Men) Less than 35 in (Women)	More than 40 in (Men) More than 35 in (Women)
25 – 29.9	Increased	High
30 – 34.9	High	Very High
35 – 39.9	Very High	Very High
Over 40	Extrememly High	Extremely High

I researched about how to calculate body fat percentage and Google led me to this site:

Body Fat Percentage Calculator

I had the privilege of monitoring my weight stats when I was still with Fitness First. I enrolled in their Nutrition Counseling session and I had the luxury of using their Tanita wow-very-nice-i-wish-I-have-one weighing scale which shows you stuff like body fat percentage, fat free mass, hydration level and a whole lot more. First class gyms employ Registered Nutritionist-Dietitians and I highly recommend everyone to enroll also in their program if you’re seeking professional guidance.

Using the Body Fat Percentage Calculator with my data:

Waist size at narrowest point:         34 inches

     *between the rib cage and navel

Waist size at navel:                             35 inches

     * exactly at the navel

Hip size at widest point:                     33.5 inches

     * this is where you can feel your pelvic bone

Neck at narrowest point:                   15 inches

     * below the Adam’s apple

Here are the result:

           Body Fat Estimation:

           Results:

Using your measurements of a 34 inches waist and weight of 160 pounds your body fat    percentage is estimated to be 21.08 % using the U.S. Navy body fat formula, or 21.07 % using the formula developed by the YMCA. 

Neither method is as accurate as a water displacement test, but is usually within 1-3% for most people. If you have a very small waist, it will show a low value. On the other hand, if you carry all your extra weight around your middle, you may have an elevated percentage. Please note that having this extra weight in the middle is a high risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The waist to hip ratio calculator can give you more information.

Men are typically lower in body fat percentage, averaging around 23%, with an ideal of about 15%. Highly fit athletes are between 5-10%. Remember these are guidelines; your physician should help you determine the ideal weight and body fat for you. 

Using the Waist to Hip Ratio:

Waist to Hip Ratio:

Results:

You have a waist to hip ratio of 1.06. The information you entered: Sex = Male, waist = 35 inches and hip = 33. inches. 

Your shape puts you at increased risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Frequently referred to as apple shape, you tend to keep fat at your midsection and less on your hips. Your body converts this upper body fat to energy whenever your body runs short. This raises cholesterol and blood pressure. 

*We'll discuss the shapes in the latter entries. Meanwhile, let's get our initial stats checked then we'll move on.