From >450 to <160 lb by 2022

[Cate]

I love the sound of that swimming too. It is so good to have an exercise that also supports your body & doesn't cause pain. Also great to have some personalised coaching. I used to love water aerobics.

 

[whispers65]

I got started down this track wondering why my meticulously weighed and counted calorie deficits were resulting in greater than expected weight loss. 3500 calories is a pound, right? Turns out that isn't the whole truth. 3500 calories is 1 pound of fat, but you don't just lose fat - you also lose lean mass along the way. And 1 pound of muscle is only 700 calories (you also lose other bits in "lean mass" but we'll ignore those).

Each person will lose a different ratio of fat to lean mass, but in general the research seems to suggest 70-90% of your lost weight will come from body fat. That suggests you need a calorie deficit of just 2660 to 3220 to lose 1 pound of body mass. Not only is that a far cry from 3500, that's still quite an extreme range!

I have never heard of this before - losing a pound is more than losing just fat - it totally makes sense though and can explain a lot of what happens to me when I try and lose. Sorry, I'm reading through your whole diary. It may take me a bit to catch up.

 

[Err2]

Granted this was my dehydrated weight after 2 hours of cardio in 100* heat, but it's the first time I've seen <200 lb on the scale as an adult...

 

[Cate]

Ah, but you saw it & so did we! What a lovely sight. Your weight looks good too (silly Australian humour).

 

[Llama]

Wow, congratulations!

 

[Err2]

Week 22: average daily caloric deficit of 791

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2722
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880 (maintenance week)
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184

It was a good week: my (Garmin) VO2max is back up to 46 from 42-43 and I feel a lot stronger & more energetic than I have in recent weeks. The scale swung wildly though: from a high of 213.8 on the 28th to a low of 201.2 on the 2nd (with unofficial -dehydrated- weights after work outs twice below 200). It also looks like lean mass is starting to decline again, but at least I'm able to lift as heavy as ever so I have some hope that it isn't muscle mass that is going.

 

[liza]

Awesome about hitting below 200 Err! And nice to hear that you are feeling stronger and more energetic too!

 

[Err2]

Week 23: average daily caloric deficit of 502

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2722
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184
JUN 04-10: 203.6__22.5%__19.4%__16.4%__165.5_38.0__3547

It was a good week: aside from the weight loss, I hit a new high of 47 for my Garmin cycling VO2max. I'm also 1 month out from my first triathlon, a half Iron, and I'm feeling pretty confident that I can finish strong (albeit with a slow time) as long as I remain healthy.

 

[Llama]

'm also 1 month out from my first triathlon, a half Iron, and I'm feeling pretty confident that I can finish strong (albeit with a slow time) as long as I remain healthy.

How exciting! It's kind of incredible just how much has changed in a relatively short amount of time.

 

[liza]

I'm also 1 month out from my first triathlon

Will be cheering you on virtually!

 

[Cate]

It is exciting about you participating in a triathlon! You have gone from strength to strength

 

[Err2]

Week 24: average daily calorie deficit of ~400:

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2722
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184
JUN 04-10: 203.6__22.5%__19.4%__16.4%__165.5_38.0__3547
JUN 11-17: 202.6__22.5%__19.4%__15.9%__165.4_37.3__3750ish

The main progress this week was losing about 3/4" from my waist - enough to reliably drop me into the healthy waist/height ratio range (e.g. waist under 50% of height). Visually it seems like disproportionate share of my remaining excess fat is on my upper thighs, butt, & hips which is why I think the scale's bio-impedance body fat averages remained unchanged while Navy body fat continued downward.

 

[Llama]

The main progress this week was losing about 3/4" from my waist - enough to reliably drop me into the healthy waist/height ratio range (e.g. waist under 50% of height).

Great news!

 

[Cate]

Well done, Err

 

[Err2]

Week 25: average daily calorie deficit of ~590:

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2722
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184
JUN 04-10: 203.6__22.5%__19.4%__16.4%__165.5_38.0__3547
JUN 11-17: 202.6__22.5%__19.4%__15.9%__165.4_37.3__3789
JUN 18-24: 201.8__22.5%__19.5%__15.7%__164.8_37.0__3650ish

I am starting to taper my training for the half iron distance triathlon and am enjoying the extra rest & recovery time. Hopefully it won't be too hard to lower my calories commensurately and I think I'll be alright if I cut out all the refined carbs I've added during peak training. Doing so may even help curtail my late night carb cravings...

I'm tempted to use this newfound time & energy to increase weight training in hopes of regaining some of my declining lean mass. It will probably affect my time in the triathlon, but I'm not really competing as much as looking to finish strong...

I also scored a 20 year old time trial bike that had been languishing on craigslist for the last two months for $250. It feels uncomfortable & unstable and I can't put down quite as much power with it as I can with my old road bike, but I'm still significantly faster on it and I haven't even started using my power meter pedals to optimize my aero position.

 

[Milanica]

Just wow! Your story is truly impressive!
Good luck and enjoy your triathlon!

 

[Err2]

Thanks!

Week 26 (halfway through 2021) average daily calorie deficit of 839:

-- JAN 06 Dexa scan: 28.6% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
JAN 01-07: 244.5__31.9%__N/A____30.9%__167.8_76.8__1811
JAN 08-14: 239.9__32.6%__27.4%__28.8%__169.3_70.6__2190
JAN 15-21: 236.3__31.9%__27.3%__27.4%__169.0_67.3__1834
JAN 22-28: 234.4__30.6%__26.0%__26.4%__170.3_64.1__1884
JAN 29-F4: 231.4__30.3%__25.9%__25.5%__169.5_61.9__2103
FEB 05-11: 229.1__29.1%__24.7%__25.3%__169.3_59.8__2268
FEB 12-18: 226.8__27.9%__24.0%__25.4%__168.6_58.2__2488
FEB 19-25: 225.3__27.4%__23.4%__24.9%__168.7_56.6__2704
FEB 26-M4: 221.1__27.6%__22.9%__24.0%__166.7_54.5__2376
MAR 05-11: 220.0__26.9%__23.9%__23.0%__166.9_53.1__2722
MAR 12-18: 216.9__26.3%__23.1%__22.6%__165.6_51.3__3086
MAR 19-25: 220.2__25.6%__21.9%__22.9%__168.8_51.4__3880
MAR 26-A1: 217.5__25.6%__21.6%__22.1%__167.9_49.6__3080
-- APR 02 Dexa scan: 21.0% body fat --
Week___Weight_highBIA_lowBIA_NavyBF_Lean_Fat_Calories
APR 02-08: 215.6__25.7%__21.7%__21.0%__167.4_48.2__3086
APR 09-15: 214.7__25.4%__21.4%__20.5%__167.5_47.2__3363
APR 16-22: 212.6__24.8%__21.3%__19.5%__167.3_45.2__3430
APR 23-29: 212.4__24.1%__20.9%__19.4%__167.8_44.6__3761
APR 30-M6: 210.3__24.1%__20.6%__18.8%__167.0_43.3__3835
MAY 07-13: 209.5__24.0%__20.4%__18.2%__167.2_42.3__3776
MAY 14-20: 206.9__23.9%__20.6%__18.1%__165.2_41.7__4261
MAY 21-27: 210.3__23.6%__20.1%__18.6%__167.7_42.5__3857
MAY 28-J3: 207.3__23.4%__19.6%__18.0%__166.3_41.0__3184
JUN 04-10: 203.6__22.5%__19.4%__16.4%__165.5_38.0__3547
JUN 11-17: 202.6__22.5%__19.4%__15.9%__165.4_37.3__3789
JUN 18-24: 201.8__22.5%__19.5%__15.7%__164.8_37.0__3637
JUN 25-J1: 200.0__21.8%__18.4%__14.5%__165.4_34.6__2977

I'm a bit late updating this week - I just got back from a week-long vacation. Thankfully I was able to stay on track.

I am pleased to now be consistently under 15% body fat based on the US Navy method - though my 49% waist-height ratio is supposed to be more like 20-23%. I do have a dexa scan scheduled Thursday, but the Navy method has been pretty close in the past so it looks like I'll ultimately be aiming to land around 175-180 lb at ~10% body fat in another 6-7 months. It has been a long road, but it is starting to feel like the end (of the weight loss portion) is finally in sight:

 

[Llama]

Congratulations on hitting 200! I'm sure I don't need to tell you this but just in case: health-wise 15% bodyfat would be excellent, maybe even better than 10%.

 

[toodamtall]

Err, this is cool stuff. I did the cliff (spark?) notes on your journey here. Love the dedication to both science and understanding of the mental aspects. Congrats on the Tri training too. I love swimming and cycling. You can keep the running portion though.

 

[liza]

I am just in on-going awe of your progress Err. Both in weight loss and your fitness levels!