The Bod Pod

Well, that was shocking and disappointing.  All of my body fat tests during the years have been, I don't know why I thought a highly accurate test would somehow feed my delusions? 

The experience itself wasn't so bad.  They have a tent set up in the lobby of the gym.  A closed party-size tent not a sleep-out-in-your-backyard size tent.  Therein sits the elusive Bod Pod.  I didn't realize you are totally enclosed in said pod.  I had it envisioned that my head would stick out of it or something. 

I was way too anxious about the whole swimsuit thing, so I wore a fitted exercise top with no sports bra (no underwires in the pod) and fitted exercise pants.  They have you put your hair in a nursing cap and then a swim cap over that.  As if I could look any hotter at this moment.  I had to remove all jewelry and take off my socks and shoes. 

For prep they ask that you do not eat, drink or exercise for two hours prior to your test.  I took that one step further and didn't do it at all today until after my test at 9am.  I wanted my weight to not be clouded by food in my system for an accurate read. 

The gal was super nice and showed me how I will just sit in the pod, breathe normally and not move a lot and oh, by the way here's this big panic button on the bottom if you need it....  I'm assuming this is for the extremely chlostrophobic, because the test itself is a series of 3 - 40 SECOND scans.  She kept opening the door between each scan asking if I was ok.  Yes, I'm fine.  Scan on!  During the test the machine makes a single pop noise and then it sounds like a little man in the machine is sawing back and forth for the remainder of the time.  It doesn't feel like anything, just maybe a small vibration in the chair. 

After the test I asked how it works.  The gal started to attempt to answer and then said "well, they tell us to tell people it's magic."  Seriously?  I wasn't expecting the Harvard version, but I wasn't expecting that! 

Here's the Harvard version for inquiring minds like myself:
Bod Pod How It Works

It's supposed to be as close in accuracy as you can get to the water-submersion way which is considered the most accurate way.

Anywho, so I hopped out of the pod.  We stepped out of the tent and walked over to a printer where my fate was printing out.  Yes, I really am that dramatic.

I was shocked that my body fat was 33.5%.  Yikes!  10 pounds ago at my skinniest, I was stuck at 21%.  The trainer would always tsk,tsk that really a person of my age should be able to get into the teens.  Which is what started my foray into my dietary downward spiral.  And although I have not been really watching my diet and we have been going out to eat excessively for awhile, seeing the number printed on paper made my stomach sink.  Because now I'm faced with have to lose fat pounds I already lost before and just ugh.  UGH.  Not only am I up 10 pounds, but I am quickly trading muscle for fat in a big way.  Must.  Stop.  Now.

The nice thing about the report though is it's informative.  She said it's good that I have over 100 pounds of lean body mass.  I'm in the Excess Fat category, but I'm 2.5% away from being in the Moderately Lean category which made me feel as if all hope is not lost.  Here's their breakdowns:

                                          Women       Men
Risky (high body fat)             >40%     >30%  (good thing I'm not a dude!)
Excess Fat (could we have a nicer name please?)
                                            31-40%   21-30%
Moderately Lean                 23-30%    13-20%
Lean                                    19-22%    9-12%   (sniff.  I used to be here)
Ultra Lean                           15-18%    5-8%
Risky (low body fat)             <15%      <5%


Then the report goes on to tell me my current RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) is 1,358 calories a day.  So if I do NOTHING in a day, that's how many calories I should be consuming.

Then, depending on your activity level, you times that number by a "factor".
Sedentary     1.24       (so for me, 1684 cals)
Low Active  1.52        2064 cals
Active          1.74        2363 cals
Very Active  2.07       2811 cals

Okay, well this tells me that last year, even through all my guidance and diet trials I was not eating enough by a long shot.  When I was lean and miserable last year, I never ate 2800 calories.  Ever.  No wonder I felt like I was void.  I was starving myself. 

So, I am considering myself active at this point.  I WILL be making it to the gym every day and vigorously exercising on a regular basis.  I am NOT eating out all the time like we have been and any time I do, I need to eat as clean a meal as possible.

I'm rescheduled to pod again in 5 weeks.  I have no idea what a realistic body fat percentage goal would be, so I'll go with scale weight.  I'd like to lose 2 pounds a week in five weeks.  Be down 10 pounds of ALL FAT.  That would put me at 29% body fat.  So, there it is.  5 weeks.  -10 pounds fat.  -4.5% body fat. 

The best antidote, by the way, to the reeling depression a body fat test can bring is to immediately have scheduled yourself for a workout class.  I do that every time and I work off my despair with an extra-invogorated workout and feeling empowered that I'm taking steps immediately to change things for myself.  I've felt much better ever since. 

The Road to Portland is Paved in Sweat

Well, it is.  I worked out really really hard the week before last.  I did Group Ride (spinning class) on Monday and found myself to be quite the beast in that class.  I had reserves of energy and, coming off of last Winter when I kind of "burned out" on all levels, it was really nice to feel energetic while exerting so much effort.  I used to always feel depleted during those classes.  I did a vigorous step class, I ran hills and found my energy levels just kept on keepin' on.  I know this improved vitamin intake and nutrition has got to be a key for me.

My weight didn't change this week but then all of a sudden I could wear a pair of capri pants that last week wouldn't close.  So, the shift is still happening.

I found a link online.  See what Dr. Oz says about drinking a shake for breakfast:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/boost-your-declining-metabolism

I don't know about you, but boosting my metabolism up to 25% has got to be a good thing, especially with weight to lose.  Besides, I'm feeling downright sprite these days.  I pop up out of bed in the morning, I'm in a really decent and even mood all day long, I don't slump in the afternoons, I have energy when I workout, I'm more productive and feeling light and healthy inside. 

I didn't really do anything exotic with my shakes this week.  Same ole, same ole's, but that works just fine for me. 

This most recent week I wasn't so on track.  My workouts were few and far between, and we ate out a lot.  Tons of social engagements and I was lazy and didn't plan as well as I should for that.  My weight is the same, but that's my fault, not the shakes!  It's a helper, not a miracle! 

I went to the grocery store and got some healthful things for noshing this week.  I'm also T-minus two weeks out from a swimsuit wearing opportunity (opportunity just does not capture the dismay running amuck in a swimsuit in public places brings about, but I try to be optimistic).  So the next two weeks I am upping myself to two shakes a day and then a normal dinner.  If I have a heavy workout planned though, I will eat a normal breakfast and do a shake as post-workout. 

I also have a date on Tuesday with "THE BOD POD".  The name must've scared people silly, because my gym now changed it to be called "True Analysis".  Whatever.  It's a "Beam Me Up, Scotty" type of pod you sit in and it scans you and tells you how fat you are.  And what makes it even better, is you have to either wear a swimsuit or a spandex bodysuit to get the test done.  Gee, can't wait.  There was also a rumor circulating that they manned the pod with a dashing young man which made both bodysuit and knowledge of fat levels very uncomfortable for us gals.  I did a little fact finding and found out a girl would be beaming me up on Tuesday.  I'm subjecting myself to this potential trauma because I want to really track my progress as I get further into the Body by Vi Challenge.  I want my changes to be lasting and lifelong and to support the active lifestyle I want to get back.  Not deplete me like my former diet did and get me totally off track.  If I plan to run 26.2 miles in October, I need to be feeling great, not void like I did last year.

I'll post again on Tuesday night so you know how my pod experience turned out.  Beam me up!

Body by Vi Challenge - Week 3 Review

Week three and going strong.  It's just not that hard.  I take 3 minutes, throw some stuff in the blender and make a shake.  And I either drink it in the car on my way to the place of the moment or I put it in the fridge and down it for lunch or dinner.  It will never be easier than this.  And for once I don't feel like I'm suffering in the name of weight loss.  It's a beautiful thing.

I'm down 12 pounds in three weeks.  My body maintains for a few days and then woosh, big weight loss. 

I am feeling really "good".  That word doesn't give proper oomph to what I'm feeling.  I feel really "even", an ongoing sense of well-being, more energetic and I feel healthy.  I talked to my family members who are doing the Body by Vi Challenge too and they are reporting the same findings.  Dieting and I'm feeling good... it's a new concept but I'll go with it.  I keep thinking it must not be working because it's too enjoyable and easy.  And yet, it's working. 

I went to the gym only once this week (bad girl) but when I did, a gal I know there immediately said "you're losing weight".  Why yes, yes I am!  Woo hoo!

So far, so good.  I got some other products in my distributor kit and finally curiosity got the best of me and I tried some of them.  Here's how that went down:

1.  NEURO - this is a healthy energy drink.  Only 1 gram of sugar (I think some brands top out at 50+ g, so that's excellent), some caffeine but not as much as the ones on the market.  They say it lifts you up without the "crash" that is associated with other energy drinks.  They say it "clears brain fog". 

I stuck it in a Costco bottled water and shook it up really good.  It comes in lemon or berry flavor.  It tastes like a flavored fitness water or perhaps a Crystal Light.  Pretty good.  I do not drink caffeine at all typically and I don't think I've EVER had an energy drink.  After about 15 minutes, I started to feel little zings of energy and about 25-30 minutes in I felt extremely energetic.  I found my eyes darting about and my mind thinking "I just wanna DO something".  Hee hee.  I didn't notice myself come down from the high energy feeling but at some point I must've.  I never crashed.  It didn't make my heart palpitate like a caffeinated soda usually would.  I would definitely use this during a half marathon (caffeine has been shown to boost athletic performance) and on afternoons when I know I'm going to get sleepy. 

2.  Vi Trim - this is a tasteless powder that is supposed to control hunger.  I don't really have issues with hunger on this shake challenge so far, but I just wanted to see what it would do.  I had a normal food breakfast.  Then I had a nutra-cookie (see #3) and an apple for lunch.  By about 2:00 I was already getting hungry, so I mixed a Neuro and threw some Vi Trim in there.  I was still hungry at 2:20 but then all of a sudden I wasn't.  I decided to just wait it out and see at what point I would want dinner, which was to be my delectable chocolate peanut butter shake.  I had to work late that night so I figured I would probably drink my shake at around 7.  I found myself driving home at 9pm and realizing I never drank my shake!  Still not hungry!  I did drink it anyway just because I probably should eat something, but I was impressed at how un-hungry I was. 

3.  Nutra-Cookie - I'm having a love affair with the Nutra Cookie.  This actually didn't come in the distributor kit, but I know myself well enough to know that any cookie is a friend of mine so I ordered some to sample at parties and well, let's be honest, EAT.  It comes in Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, and Peanut Butter.  It's 150 calories.  I could eat it plus an apple for lunch and feel satisfied.  They are delicious.  They are super nutritious with ingredients such as broccoli sprout concentrate, brussel sprout powder, raspberry powder, etc etc.  You can't taste these in there, swear!  It tastes like a healthy cookie.  A smidge earthy, but very good overall.  I heart the nutracookie and it saves me on days when I need to have a shake but have nowhere to store it until I'm ready for it. 

One last thing I'm noticing on the shakes, they are taking away my insatiable sweet tooth.  I think because they are sweet tasting, I find myself not so preoccupied with finding sweet things to get into around the house.  This is a very good thing. 

Bring on week 4!