Remodeling El Jef, week 1

By | January 27, 2007
3 Comments

Goaded Irritated Inspired by Phil’s year-long success on the weight-loss front (see here for the first and the most recent entries chronicling his progress), and not wanting my nickname to be changed from El Jefe to El Hefty, I’ve decided to embark on a program of my own to both reduce my overall weight, and to improve the measured composition of what remains.

(Please see the extended entry for progress to this point and other information.)

  • Jim Strickland

    Be aware that fat loss is not a linear process. My suspicion is that the omron, measuring your body conductivity, is reacting to a water loss as a loss of muscle.

    Also, I suggest a third measure, and that is the usual tailor measurements.

    Be aware that these will not change in a linear fashion either, or at the same time as your other data sources.

    In fact, tailor measurements do some pretty interesting things. As one goes from more spherical (El Jef isn’t starting out that big, so this may not apply), to more cylindrical, there’s a period where one’s measurements change ridiculously rapidly, since weight loss is more or less a volumetric loss, and the more you lose, the higher order force in the equation your height constant becomes.

    As far as weight lifting goes, start out gentle. The old “no pain, no gain” thing is nonsense, and once you’re over about 25, the pain *lingers* more.

    -Jim

  • Michael S. Sargent

    Thanks for the inputs, Jim. All of these are points I’m working on writing up for next week, but, for the sake of the teaser:

    1) Linearity: this is a big part of next weeks entry. Suffice to say, my plan is significantly NON-linear.

    2) Water loss v. Muscle loss v. Fat loss. I don’t yet have sufficient information or field data to make a judgement as to how hydration and other factors influence the Omron’s figures. There is an interesting blip in the numbers that may be significant in that regard, though.

    3) Tailor measurements. Not currently being taken (other than pants waist) but planned for monthly.

    4) After injuring myself early on the last three out of three times I’ve tried a deliberate exercise plan, you can bet I’m taking things very gradually this time. Besides, the weights element of my current planned program is much more an ego-based attempt to ‘keep what little I’ve got’ than a serious influence on the major goal , which is getting down to a healthier weight.

    -Mike.

  • Phil Bowermaster

    Here’s one thing I’ve figured out — water loss, fat loss, whatever — when you need new pants, you’re heading in the right direction.

    Vaya con Dios, Jefe!