posted February 02, 2000 09:01 PM            

Secondly 4% bf is not bad for you, i used to row for the canadian national team, and my bf stayed down there and sometimes even lower with no probs.

if you're a woman it will fuck you up, but i dont' think it messes with men to much

posted February 02, 2000 09:38 PM            

7% with skin calipers is not too low.

if you were using dual xray spectometry- which is the only way to truly measure body fat- then 7% might be to low. (it is kind of like an MRI). Skin calipers tend to give measurements that are 4-6% lower than actual body fat becuase it does not take into account all the other fatty tissue in the body- inlcuding intramuscular and interperitoneal fat.
but skin fold meaurement of 7% is real good.
sorry i have tendency sometimes to get technical and ramble.
peace

posted February 02, 2000 09:38 PM            

And about your problem, why you just put some roid that make you gain some muscle mass with a little fat keeping ???

------------------
"What can be imagined, can be done" (I hope so...)

posted February 02, 2000 11:47 PM            

First, congratulations on the weight loss. That's amazing.

Second, I'm a trainer and a damn good one, so I hate to do this, but I disagree with what your trainer told you.

I don't know her or her qualifications, but to say that 7% BF is too low, and you face "long term health risks", sounds like some shit she heard on the first day of trainer certification class. I mean, "long term health risks" is a phrase that could be applied to a lot of activities. It's your typical, vague, "cover your ass" trainer statement.

Many professional athletes are known to remain lower. I don't want to get into it too much - I have worked out with more than a fwe NBA players and several NFL types. If you want specifics on what they say about body composition and their routines/diets, email me. Here is some advice:

Trust yourself. You can usually judge your health to a degree from the way you feel. If you are truly concerned, see a doctor, get a medical opinion.

Congrats again.

posted February 03, 2000 05:01 AM            

1 provides insulation
if you work or live in certain climate you will have to be a little more carefull about xposure to temperature xtremes that may lower core body temps

posted February 03, 2000 01:24 PM            

In response to studcj's question, I am 23.
Also, before this, I had been fat my ENTIRE life (9.5 lbs at birth). I can actually recall weighing more than I do now in the 6th grade, and that was without hardly any muscle mass. This is why I was so perturbed when some actually instructed me to get Fatter. Jesus, I have enough psychological issues related to being a fat child, I don't need that too.

Also, this is why I have trouble tolerating people who claim genetics is the cause of obesity. I admit genetics may make the issue more difficult, but I do not believe they necessarily preclude some people from being thin.

In response to aslan. I can definitely say I have noticed severe differences in the "insulation" department. I recall always being hot and sweating when I was larger. Now, I am always cold. No shit, I have electric heaters in just about every room in my house because I cannot keep the place warm enough to be comfortable.

In response to those who asked how, well, my general diet went something like this:

I would spend approximately one month attempting to loose weight and maintain muscle mass, then another three months trying to maintain weight and gain muscle mass. During my cutting phases, I would constantly apply different diets ( I used the Zone, Body Opus, rote calorie restiction, low fat etc...) and as soon as I detected my body adjusting to the diet I was on and my weight loss began to slow I would switch. During my matinence phases, I would attempt to hold to the weight I was at, and not loose any more. I wanted to give my system time to adjust to its new caloric requirements and my thyroid/metabolism to return to normal function. Also, during these phases I would lift signifigantly more.

The reason I believe I was successfull at losing weight was because I never allowed my body to become accustomed to any routine. The reason I believe I am now successfull at maintaining (its been 4 months at my low weight now) is because I allowed myself time to learn to adjust to my new phases incrementally, and didn't simply try to do everything at once.

Now, I am no chemist, no physiologist (I am an internet programmer, actually), so I have no secrets to bestow. I simply came across this by learning about my own individual strengths and weaknesses both gentically and psychologically, and responding to them.

I don't really know if this would work for anyone else or not, since the test group was me alone and there was no control in the experiment. My results, though, cannot be argued. I was 5'8" and 250 pounds, now I am 165, and signifigantly more muscular than before. Also, there is no sign that any of the lost will return. Even when I eat signifigantly large quanities of food, there doesn't seem to be any "diet rebound" effect.

Also, I didn't use any weight loss agent or chemicals throughout the whole ordeal, though recently I experimented with ECA to see if it would help me "cut up." I am going to give Yohimbine a try now, as well.

Also, thanks for the agreement that this trainer was on crack, it did sound suspicously like most of the advice she was giving me was memorized from a mail order instruction video.

And, finally, to respond to Leroy, I haven't done any steroids to date. Actually, that is how I came across this board. I've begun thinking about it, and figured I needed to know more. In the last couple weeks, I've definitely learned a lot, but I haven't made up my mind quite yet. I am definitely not content with my measurements yet. I have a 45" chest and a 30" waist, which I am okay with, but my arms are not large enough proportionally.

Thanks for the info, If I can be more specific about any of the diet facets just ask. Oh yeah, onemore thing, as far as cardio goes, I will go to my grave extolling the virtues of the jump rope.