Many have asked me how I’m measuring body fat percentage. I use this scale:
http://www.amazon.com/Tanita-Body-Water-Percentage-Monitor/dp/B000IXXCDG/
It is more important to watch your body fat percentage when losing weight than it is to watch your actual weight.
This is because your body naturally stays slimmer if you have a higher percentage of lean mass. Muscle causes a higher metabolism and tends to preserve itself.
I would gladly gain 10 pounds using a plan if I absolutely knew that 90% of that weight would be muscle. Why? Because that would then lead to easier weight loss of fat.
I would also personally avoid any plan that lead to weight loss of 90% muscle even if my total weight was decreasing rapidly. Why? Because that would lead to a rebound where I would quickly regain that weight.
I encourage you to watch your body fat percentage more closely than your total weight.
-James D. Brausch
2 Comments
James,
How does this scale determine the body fat and water percentages? I went to the link and it didn’t explain that. Is there something else other than the scale that helps figure that out?
Thanks,
Rob
James,
I wanted to comment on your statement here: “I would gladly gain 10 pounds using a plan if I absolutely knew that 90% of that weight would be muscle.”
That is so true and I have only found one program that works for me and I’ve tried everything. This addresses the kind of exercise rather than the foods you eat.
Dr. Al Sears, MD, has developed over the last 20 years a method whereby one can lose more fat than muscle. It is using anaerobic exercise instead of the more popular aerobic exercises of today. It’s easy and takes only 15 minutes a day.
I was skeptical, but then read studies by several medical institutions that tested his theories and claims. It really seems to be a fool-proof method.
You can find information at his site here: http://www.alsearsmd.com/pace/
(This is not an affiliate link and I make no money on this by the way.)
All the best,
Rob
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