I Got Tested (A Bod Pod Experience)

I've been working with a nutrition coach who specializes in athletes and the first thing he recommended doing was to get my body composition tested.  Previously, I've tracked body fat using both calipers and BIA (those bodyfat scales you can use at home) and they both suck.  Calipers require a high degree of skill to use and only measure subcutaneous fat.  Even with an experienced tester, the margin of error is around 5%.  BIA has a margin of error around 8% and is greatly influenced by hydration levels.  Depending on the machine you have, BIA also only measures your lower body fat (scales) or your upper body fat (handheld devices).  Not to mention that you aren't supposed to consume caffeine for a week prior to BIA testing.  Eff.  That. 

For example, I would wake up and get on my fancy bathroom scale and get a reading of 40%.  I'd then use my handheld Tanita device and get a reading of 30%.  Then I'd go to the gym and one of the trainers would measure me to be 22% and another would measure me at 32%. 

I always told myself that it didn't matter what the actual numbers were; the trend is what was important.  But it's hard to see a trend when the margin of error is greater than the change.  (Did I really lose 5% body fat or is that part of the +/-8%?)

So anyways, my coach advised me to get a Bod Pod measurement.  Bod Pods have a 1% margin of error, which is similar to underwater weighing and DEXA scans, but is cheaper and easier.  Plus, being repeatedly dunked in water or bombarded with radiation just isn't my thing.  Google told me that a local university had a Bod Pod, so I called and made an appointment for Jason and I for that same week. 

Photo from http://www.recsports.vt.edu/fitness/assessments/bod-pod

I was told to wear tight fitting Lycra shorts and a sports bra for the testing and not to eat or exercise for 3-4 hours before the test.  They said that normal hydration was okay, but I had read elsewhere not to drink anything 2 hours prior to the test. 

We got to the testing lab, donned a stylin' swim cap, and got weighed.  Then we sat in the Bod Pod, a big egg-shaped chamber that looked like something out of a B-list Sci-Fi movie.  The tester (who was a grad student in the Human Performance Lab) ran two tests with us just sitting in the machine.  We sat there, perfectly still, for about a minute while the pressure was changed inside the machine.  It wasn't uncomfortable or anything, but my ears felt a little funny.  Then, he repeated the test with us breathing into a tube so he could account for our lung volume.  This part was a little tricky.  The machine required us to breathe at a certain pace and then huff at the end.  Jason took three tries.  I, however, am excellent at breathing and nailed it on the first shot. 

We got dressed and got a printout of our results.  All to the tune of $25, each.  It took less than 30 minutes from start to finish.  

Now about the results...  it is what it is.  As I said, my body fat numbers have been all over the place each time I've been tested before, so I really didn't have a certain number in my head.  These results are really just a starting point for my journey with my new coach.  I'll test again in 3 months and all that will matter is that the number goes down. 

This link will give you all the science of how a Bod Pod works (pdf). 
This link will take you to a Bod Pod site locator. 

A Year's Difference

The picture on the left was taken 4 months after Noah was born.  The picture on the right was taken exactly one year later. 

The difference is 141 miles and 20 pounds. 

Normally, I hate pictures of myself, especially those where I'm not wearing makeup and have runner's hair.  Yet, I'm proud of this picture.  Yes, I still have a lot of work to do, but my ankles are smaller.  My calves are stronger.  My midsection isn't hanging over my waistband. 

My goal for the next year?  First and foremost, I need to rehab my meniscus tear.  I'd also be okay with another 20 pound weight loss. 

P90X Results and Review

Jason and I started P90X 12 weeks ago and the results are in!

… But before I get to the cold hard numbers, I want to begin by saying that we didn’t follow the program. Not 100% anyways. Hell, probably not even 50%. P90X requires 6 workouts a week and a low-carb nutrition program. I never had any intentions of going low-carb as I’m still breastfeeding. The workouts were fun (and HARD), and I looked forward to most of them, but life happened. I probably shouldn’t have started the program with a newborn who wasn’t sleeping more than a few hours at a time. There were a lot of workouts that I was just too tired to start and I’m sure I wasn’t “bringing it” the way Tony Horton would have wanted. Then, we had two deaths in the family — one being Jason’s dad. Needless to say, with the stress and time involved dealing with everything, pushing play wasn’t at the top of our list. Add to that a couple of trips out of state and Jason’s work schedule drastically shifting…

We definitely didn’t do P90X the way it was intended.

I still saw results, even with my half-hearted attempt and I still recommend everyone try it. In fact, my brother and a couple friends are going to be starting P90X while I’m going through Round 2. Yes, I’m doing it again and hopefully this time, I can do the program right. I got pretty decent results doing about half the workouts so I’m dying to see what happens if I follow it all the way. (Still breastfeeding, so still no low-carb though.) As for my thoughts on the actual workouts:

Chest & Back — Lots of push-ups and pull-ups. A little dull, but the basics work.

Plyometrics — I love plyo. It’s hard. You’ll hurt the next day. But it’s fun and I’m sure it’s the reason why I’m running faster even though I haven’t been running nearly as much as I used to.

Shoulders and Arms — My delts and triceps are my favorite parts to work and it was really similar to my arm workout prior to P90X so I may be a bit biased, but I enjoyed it. My problem was not having enough different weights. My 8s were too light and my 15s were too heavy for most of the exercises.

Yoga – Eh. I still don’t like it (and I really love my other yoga dvds) and it tends to be the first dvd that gets skipped during the week.

Legs and Back — Sneaky lunges! Love the calf workout.

Kenpo — It’s fun, but not much of a calorie burn. You really have to push yourself if you want to get your heart rate up.

Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps — Confession here… I’ve only done this workout once. It was HARD. Like, too hard for me to even do half the reps. So, I went back to the Phase 1 dics. Of course, Jason LOVED this workout.

Back & Biceps — Never did it. Again, Jason preferred it over Phase 1.

I did leave out AbRipperX and Core Synergistics because I like to pretend they don’t exist. You know, I hate it, but I love it sort of thing. Overall, it’s a great system although the Classic program is a bit light on cardio. Tony is funny although after 90 days, his “Tony-isms” start to get a little old. I still want to punch Dreya Weber in the face. Karen pot-stirrers are amazing.

Okay, now on to the results.

Jason’s lost almost 10 lbs and 3% bodyfat.

I’ve lost over 13 lbs and almost 3% bodyfat. I’m down 2.5 inches off my waist, 2.5 inches off my hips, and over an inch off of each thigh. I haven’t taken my official final fit test, but as of month 2, I’m jumping higher and squating longer. I’ve more than doubled my push-ups and more than tripled my ab strength. I also doubled my bicep curls. (Keep in mind that all of this is without doing P90X every day.)

Skinny Fat

Kate Harding is one of the masters of this topic, but there are a ton of bloggers who preach Fat Acceptance. Basically, Fat Acceptance means that overweight and obese individuals shouldn’t be discriminated against because of their size. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the movement because I believe nobody should be discriminated against for any reason — be it gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or the number on the bathroom scale.

Of course, the opposition to Fat Acceptance will argue about the health consequences of being overweight. Yes, I’ll completely agree that someone who weighs 300 lbs and eats a diet of Big Macs probably isn’t the epitomy of health and well-being. But what about someone like myself who has a few extra pounds while eating a mostly healthy diet and running half marathons? It really bothers me that people assume that just because my BMI is above 25, I’m sick. Sure, I’d love to lose 20 lbs and be in the “healthy” range, but my blood pressure is fantastic, my cholesterol is perfect, and I can easily touch my toes.

Would it be better if I was back at 125 lbs with high blood pressure and a cholesterol of above 200? If my BMI was a perfect 22, but I couldn’t run around the block? How about if I looked like Heidi Klum in a bikini but smoked two packs a day?

Just because you’re thin doesn’t mean you are healthy.

Surprisingly, there was a great segment about being “Skinny Fat” on the news the other day. Plus, BMI standards are just ridiculous anyways and not really an indicator of health.

Harper Grace is Here

This post comes a little bit late, but it’s very hard to type when you have the most adorable little baby craving attention. Harper is two weeks old today after a very surprising appearance (a quick 2 hour labor followed by an unplanned home delivery). She’s doing well, and the whole family is just in love with her.  (Click here for her birth story.)

Unfortunately, I gained more than I had hoped with this pregnancy — 50 lbs! I lost 14 of that at the hospital, then another 13 during our first week home. So even though I’ve lost 27 lbs so far, I still have another 23 to go just to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight (and 60 lbs total to get to my goal.) I haven’t “dieted” yet because I’m breastfeeding and cutting calories can interfere with your milk supply, but now that Harper is getting the hang of it and gaining weight well, I’m thinking about trying Weight Watchers.

Numbers on the scale aside, I’m really nervous about my actual fitness level. I stopped running in October and stopped going to the gym altogether in December when my shoes stopped fitting. Apparently, they frown upon working out in flip flops. I’m not supposed to do any vigorous activity for another month, but light exercise is okay, so starting tomorrow, I’m going to be doing the C25k program… again. It feels weird not being able to run for a minute since less than a year ago, I ran a half marathon with no problems. I know I have to start somewhere, but I’m really worried I won’t get my endurance back in time for the Marine Corps Marathon in October. Registration is in April, so I need to figure it out and fast! Sadly, I can’t get back in the gym due to child care issues, so I’m going to be doing 30DS every other day until I can start P90X next month with my husband. I’ve never had much luck working out at home, but I don’t really have many other options.