My weight / BMI isn't changing?

[chris06]

Could someone diagnose me!  ???:


I feel like I am getting stronger, especially since I can lift more and heavier weights as well as run before I lift.  I have a professionally created program from my community centre.  I work out 4-5 times a week, yet over the past two months, I have been +/- 3 lbs and +/- 1 BMI.  I also eat very well and don't drink alcohol at all.  I've probably got 5lbs of fat on my stomach that I need to loose before BMQ.

Can anyone give me any suggestions on what to do?  ;D

Thank You

 

[medic269]

What do you use to take your BMI?  How long have you been doing this program?  What kind of program is it?  What time of day have you taken it?  Do you do it before or after your workout? There's way too many variable in play to try and answer that question.  Need more details....

 

[chris06]

Thanks for the reply Medic269:

I am using a BMI scale. I know that the emmersion tank is more accurate, but I work for a company that makes the scales, so I got one for free!  I take it about every 7-10 days first thing in the morning, after a trip to the bathroom.

I have been doing the program since October.  It's a two day cycle of legs/chest arms/back.  I usually work out in the afternoons.  Every month or so, I switch out an exercise or two and try something different on the advise of the fitness instructor.  Every 3 months, I switch the combination of muscle groups.  I run a 2.4km at 8.5 mph before I start on the weights.  After my workout, I drink a bottle of Greens+ with protein.

As far a meals go, I eat a whole wheat bagel and a coffee in the morning, a huge salad  (random vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, chicken), carrot juice and yogurt, and a well balanced dinner at night.  Aswell, at least 8 bottles of water.

 

[medic269]

It's tough to tell, if you've been working that long it COULD be your BW isn't changing that much because you're converting fat to muscle, also those BMI scales need to be calibrated depending on how much they're used, and they are only accurate within 3%.  That being said, you could try splitting your meals up and eating 5-6 times a day.  It'll speed up your metabolism and help to burn fat off quicker.  I can't say too much about your workout program because I've never met you or worked with you, and I'm not sure what your program is.  Take things with a stride, I work with some trainers who have moved up the food chain quite a bit, and yet they still can't train certain people properly.  Do some research and experiment.  Find what gives you the best results and stick with it.  www.crossfit.com is an excellent, free resource I highly recommend you check out.  Keyword is RESEARCH.  There's alot of reading you should do on that website and many others before jumping into, just like Army.ca.  If you need any more help PM me and maybe we can exchange some emails.

 

[mcchartman]

It's tough to tell, if you've been working that long it COULD be your BW isn't changing that much because you're converting fat to muscle

medic269: Not that I want to challenge your opinion (considering my knowledge on the matter is very limited), but I always thought that the whole 'converting fat directly to muscle' was but a myth. Could you, or anyone else who is knowledgeable in this field, clarify this point? The way that chris06 says he is training is quite close to what I have been advised to do by my own personal trainer, i.e. switch routine every 2-3 months, concentrate on a muscle group every day and rest that muscle group for the remainder of the week, drink lots of water etc. As for running prior to weight lifting, I was told it is not recommended if one tries to gain muscular mass - however chris06 seems to concentrate on losing the fat on his stomach, not gaining muscular mass, making it appropriate for him to run prior to his weight lifting routine (based once again, on my assumption that turning fat directly into muscle is indeed a myth).

EDIT: Corrected a typo.

 

[medic269]

I should've been a bit more clear, yes you are correct, turning fat into muscle is complete bs.  What I was saying is that it's possible he's not seeing huge amounts of weight loss is because he is gaining muscle as he is burning fat.  As we all know muscle is more dense so if muscle was being built it could accomodate for the little change in weight.  I should've been a bit more clear in that, I wasn't trying to state fat is directly converted into muscle.  Any better?

 

[Bert]

Fat is put on when the net calories over time are postive.  Fat is reduced when the net
calories over time is negative.  If balanced, then the calories used and the fat created
are in balance so that over time, one doesn't put on weight.   It might take a bit
of food experimentation to get the right balance you seek.

Typically those in a weight-lifing intensive program tend to eat more in order to
supply the nutrients to build strength, bulk, and maintain the energy to the muscle
fibres.  If you're trying to loose fat at the same time, its difficult to balance the energy
needs of muscle building yet reduce the caloric intake to loose fat.

It might be easier to change your program to a fat-burning/diet/cardio program to start
and achieve a greater negative calorie curve.  When you meet your weight targets,
transistion to a weight-lifting program, and make changes to your diet if that is your
intention.

Depending on your size, 5 lbs of fat on the stomach is insignificant compared to your
overall body weight.  Are you being too clinical in your program?

If your concerned about fat over the stomach, be advised guys that have a defined six pack
also have a low body fat percentage whether they exercise or not.   You can do abs until
the cows come home but if your body fat percentage is high, you won't get the definition.

Medic269 meant that muscle is heavier than fat.  You can loose fat, gain muscle, and see
few changes on the scale.  Slight changes in fat/muscle may not be obvious in a BMI test
due to inherent inaccuracies in the measurement taking.  Its results better considered
over time and a couple of tests to see the consistency of measurement.

Check out paracowboy's training threads for good info.

 

[Haggis]

The term "converting" muscle to fat could be misleading.  In fact, when you build muscle, it replaces fat.  Pudgy parts become firmer as the fat that formerly occupied that space is replaced by lean muscle mass.

Like Medic269 said, don't expect your BMI to change much at all if your looking to build muscle.  A cubic inch of muscle weighs about 3 X what a cubic inch of fat weighs.  Simply put, muscle is denser (it's smarter too.  Ever hear of the term "muscle memory"?  Your muscles can be trained to remember and instictively execute a specific "drill", like reflexive shooting.   Nobody ever talks about "fat memory").

Try this:  Have a buddy help measure you.  (Using one from the opposite sex is waaay more fun). Neck, chest, waist, hips,  biceps, thighs and calves.  Repeat this every two weeks and IGNORE the scale and your BMI.  Track your progress that way.  Set a realistic goal for yourself, not based on body weight or BMI, say reps or sets completed; lifting a specific weight or running a set dictance in a set time.  When you attain it, celebrate with your measuring buddy.

 

[navymich]

Try this:  Have a buddy help measure you.  

There is a good body composition report that you can set up here.  It tells you what and how to measure.  You can then add a new report whenever you want. Once you have at least 2 reports to compare, it sets up the comparison for you showing inches lost and graphs it all too.

 

[mcchartman]

Agreed medic269. I also agree with Bert's and Haggis' followups. I myself do not tend to rely much on BMI. Considering how heavy muscle is, I have found BMI to be a poor index of fitness when weight training. So it's all good for me. Thanks for your replies guys.

 

[paracowboy]

BMI is meaningless. You say you're getting stronger, etc? Then why worry?

 

[chris06]

Thanks very much everyone!  I think I may try the 'measuring yourself' tip.  I'm just one of those 'statistics' guys who like to track progress and examine numbers.  I guess that's just not going to work in this case. 

Bert, my body type just won't yield a visible six pack.  I just don't have a swimmers build, but that's OK.  The only reason I said 5lbs is that I can grab my excess fat with one hand, so I assumed that that was about 5lbs.

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE HELP.   

 

[paracowboy]

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/33109.0.html
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/48433.0.html

those may prove helpful as well.

 

[Bo]

BMI is meaningless. You say you're getting stronger, etc? Then why worry?

+1

If you were to measure the BMI of an NFL running back, he would be considered obese by that standard.

Get a set of bodyfat calipers if you want to guage your bodyfat percentage. Just like Paracowboy said though, as long as the weights are increasing in the gym, why worry?

 

[17thRecceSgt]

BMI was turfed out years ago because it was useless, probably actually got rid of some fit soldiers that didn't meet the stupid BMI.  I know one guy I knew in 3 PPCLI (at the time when it was on the Island) who was told during his entrance medical that he was 15 pounds overweight according to BMI.  He was a fit-freak and spent lots of time in the gym, and had no way of loosing 15 pounds, atleast not in a healthy way.  I am not a BMI fan, atleast not for using on already-fit people. 

Body fat percentage is probably more what, IMHO, you should be worried about.  Last time I was at GNC, you could get the calipers (if thats what they are called") for the pinch-test for about $15 and it had the "Calipers for Dummies" instructions with them, so I am sure even I could figure it out  ;D

 

[Hot Lips]

IMO BMI has it's place...as part of an overall assessment...you have to look at all of the data and decide whether the BMI is or isn't an accurate reflection in relation to the other collected data...

I am in agreement with the whole...fat/muscle discussion as mentioned above...in my experience and from the advice of a good friend of mine who is an extreme athlete...mixing it up and shocking the body is an effective weight of breaking through plateaus while training...as well as the six mini meals instead of larger ones.  If you really want to get into detail...a few of the foods you have mentioned chris06 are have high glycemic levels which will effect fat lose...not sure how scientific you want to get or leaned down and for what purpose?

A few thoughts...

HL

 

[Retired45]

I remember the good old BMI crap in the Battalions, my God we ran 10-12 Kms every morning for PT, circuit training, weight training forced marches and 1/2 the soldiers in the battalion failed the BMI. We where in our mid to late 20"s and in the absolute best shape of our lives. We lost some good men over that crap, just up and booted them out because they failed their BMI. BMI is such a load of garbage!! Ottawa finally woke up and got rid of it.

Train for endurance and work your body, sit-ups, crunches, chin-ups, build up your cardio, stay away from the chemical garbage, eat right, drink plenty of water and get plenty of sleep and challenge yourself everyday.  Don't worry about your BMI, your body will take care of the rest and i guarantee that 5lbs of flab on your stomach will be gone in a few short months.

Retired.