Losing the Last 10lbs: Week 2 Update

Merry Christmas!

Results from Week 2:

• Bodyweight unchanged, 178.5lbs
• Body Fat % down to a low of 15.5% / 21.3%, compared to 16.4% / 23.8% (Omron Handheld VS Omron HBF-516B)
• Muscle % increased by 1%

Devin here, with an update on my weight loss & fat loss progress.

This week was challenging for me, as I’m sure it was for many of you.

To be blunt: I ate like a fat kid this past week, leading up to Christmas yesterday.

Christmas cookies, chocolate cake, spiked cider, Christmas candies (we open up a box of Frango dark chocolates every season – they are only allowed at Christmas!), prime rib, mashed potatoes, etc.

Now, I’m not bothered by it. I ate pretty clean the rest of the week in anticipation of enjoying myself over the holidays.

I kept most of my meals on-template, but definitely had a few more splurges than usual.

My weight was the same, even though my body fat percentage is notably down.

This could have a few explanations:

• I could be bloated or otherwise retaining water from extra salt or extra carbs (false weight gain)

   

• I could need to use the bathroom (TMI but a common culprit)

   

• I could be eating too many calories to lose weight. I’m still eating well enough and training hard enough to cause body recomposition (more muscle, less fat).

  Or my focus on getting more protein in (1g per lb bodyweight, minimum) might be enough to increase my muscle mass.

You can see that I’m leaner as well. Less of a muffin top and my muscles look a bit sharper. My secret bathroom selfies show the difference from week to week.

This marks a successful week for my goal of getting leaner. I framed my goal as about weight loss, but it’s truly a fat loss goal.

Which brings me to an important point: use multiple progress markers to keep yourself sane.

I’m not relying on my bodyweight alone. I’m also comparing my progress photos and my body fat percentage. Ideally, I’d be comparing my waist measurement as well. Waist-to-hip ratio is an excellent measure of general health and body composition that doesn’t lie.

For many of my clients, we rely on a combination of jeans size and body fat %. I track their weight in secret, but mostly for reference. Frequently, I won’t tell them their body weight. Especially if it causes them anxiety.

I stopped tracking after week 1. I imagine that my template from that week leaves a caloric margin for each week. The difference between fat loss and maintenance might be what I ate in splurges – which would cause a neutral week.

A good plan will allow for some splurges, but not too many. As I get closer to 10% body fat and/or 170lbs, my splurge allowance will decrease sharply.

What I’ll do next:

• Keep eating the same as in the first week by following my template from before, which had a focus on lean protein with plenty of veggies. Simply avoiding holiday treats will put me back on track.
• Keep training the same, since it’s working well for me. I’m breathing easier during the circuits and recovering faster.