I'm happy to report the first of my results for the paleo challenge I set for myself back in April. I suppose technically this is the second set of results, since I didn't exactly "pass" my 400m running test Tuesday, but I plan on having a rematch with a track this weekend.
The first goal I set for myself in the paleo challenge was to drop 2.6% body fat. My measurements from my January Bod Pod Assessment were:
22.6% Fat
77.4% Fat free mass
26.339 lb Fat
90.375 lb Fat free mass (including muscle and organs/bones/ligaments, which don't change, so this is essentially a baseline for how much muscle one can gain)
I'll admit that I was super nervous today as I headed back into the Bod Pod for my "after" measurements. Heather, my roommate, asked me about a week ago if I thought I was making progress with this goal, and I honestly had no idea. As much as I've been working out and trying to eat as healthy as possible, I've had my fair share of awful cheat days towards the end of this challenge. I just lost all self-control! But I still really want some new Lululemon gear...and it looks like I'm going to get some! Here are my current measurements:
18% Fat
82% Fat free mass
20.935 lb Fat
95.095 lb Fat free mass
OMG! I lost 4.6% body fat and GAINED about 5 lbs of muscle just by Crossfitting roughly 3-4x per week and eating clean paleo foods about 80% of the time (yes, I had the occasional chocolate bar or homemade coconut ice cream or yogurt with honey for dessert). But still! I don't know what more proof one needs to see that Crossfit WORKS. I went above and beyond meeting my goal in just 6 weeks.
Interestingly, I didn't gain or lose any weight between assessments, staying at a constant 116 lbs. Just goes to show you that health measurements that rely solely on weight might not be the best way to measure progress. Clearly, my body underwent significant changes, but you wouldn't know that just by hopping on a scale and weighing yourself.
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that's so awesome! good work bubbles!!!
ReplyDeleteWoow, this is amazing!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Crossfit's what I'll have to do for fall, considering my way of working out resulting in the loss of 4lbs of muscle, and no change in fat :(
I'm curious, what's the main goal? To be at 20% body fat? Does paleo recognize an "ideal" body fat amount? Or does the challenge have to do with challenging yourself to become healthier overall? This seems like fun, I'm happy you met all your goals! :)
Thanks Victoria!
ReplyDeleteSusanne - you are always welcome to try our free workouts on Saturdays at 10 AM, you can bring any and all of your Tri friends too! To answer your questions: I set a personal paleo challenge to myself, since other gyms around the country usually do those types of things to hold their members accountable. The main goal was just to see what kinds of changes I could achieve by doing Crossfit regularly and eating cleanly. Getting down to 20% bodyfat was an arbitrary number to get down to, the paleo method/diet does not recognize an ideal percentage. In fact, getting too low body fat can actually be harmful for your body and functioning (i.e., fertility and organ protection). I hope to just maintain this level of bodyfat for health, maybe even slightly higher - doctors usually recommend staying in the low 20s.