BodyPod - body fat and composition changes since starting MJ
I started on MJ on 19 March. At that point, I'd lost 22lbs / approx. 10.5KG through lifestyle changes, diet and exercise for about 15 months. And I was miserable, fed-up and disillusioned as to why I had to work so much harder than other people to achieve that loss, when I really should have been so much smaller (I was at 194lbs when I started MJ).
So I started this treatment, hoping to level the playing field. And hoping for a miracle. I did a lot of reading up about it, and about how muscle wastage is a thing - you need to eat lots of protein, weight train etc. to ensure your body is losing fat, not muscle. So I went to Uni of Westminster Polyclinic to have my fat measurements taken in what I describe as an Astronaut fat pod, on 3 April (2.5 weeks into MJ - where I was already 8lbs / 3.5kg down).
The photos that have hopefully uploaded with this post show:
- 3rd April reading: Weight = 85KG, 39.1% body fat, equivalent to 33KG of fat
- 3rd July reading: Weight = 75KG, 31.7% body fat, equivalent to 23KG of fat. this means of the 10KG I lost in those 3 months, near enough all of it was fat
- 7th Nov reading (today): Weight = 70KG, 29.2% body fat, equivalent to 20.5KG of fat. Again, of the 5KG I've lost, c. 2.5/3Kg of that was fat
You can see the dial on the top move from the dark orange to bang in the middle of green. I am now....."average". Which explains why the weightloss has slowed the past few months (and I've not increased dosage or anything - I'm making peace with this being my body type and weight).
So what am I chatting about?
Well - for comparison. My trusty Amazon scales told me this AM that my BF % was 37.8% !! Ummmm. I think the fat astronaut pod is far more accurate, so TAKE YOUR SCALE % BF READINGS WITH A PINCH OF SALT!
Worth noting, MeThreeSixy predicted my BF % on 25 October to be 32% - so still out, but not as far out as the scales
If you can, I'd really recommend getting these scans done. The scales will only ever tell you so much, and whilst I imagine a lot of us collectively agree that BMI is a pile of sh1t as a measurement for health, Body Fat % matters far more. So having this measurement comparison has really helped me start reconciling in my head the journey I've been on, and how I'm now very much at the end of the loss stage of it.
Also. Take Measurements. I've lost 85cm across my whole body in the same time period as these scans. Which is nearly as mind blowing as dropping 10% BF in 7.5 months!
Comments are open for any questions / observations / wondering what I am gibbering on about!
