Day1: Body for Lifers Challenge

I registered for the BodyforLifers 10 week challenge to win a Caribbean Cruise. Today is Day 1. Some people make fun of people like me who still make New Years resolutions or recommit to programs with the new year. While I fully agree that "Now" is always a great time to start a new program or endeavor, I do like pondering my goals for the coming year at, conveniently, the end of the current year. And, of course, there is the possibility of winning a cruise.

Over the last few weeks my sole exercise has been snow related: shoveling snow, walking to public transportation, etc. Today was the day to face the brutal truth. How much has my slacking off post marathon hurt? I suppose the answer is it could have been worse.

Today I faced the scale (134.4 lbs) and the Omron (22.1% body fat). I also faced the tape measure. I have not measured in many months. I did notice that some of my pants were getting tighter so I had an idea of what was to come.

Body Location	Inches	Goal
Shoulder	41.0	OK
Chest (underarm)	35.0	OK
Chest (w/breast)	37.5	OK
Waist	27.5	lose 2 inches
Abdomen	29.0	lose 2 inches
hip (bones)	35.5	lose 1 inch
Hip (widest)	38.0	lose 2 inches
Thigh	22.0	lose 1 inch
Calf	13.8	OK
Bicep	10.5	gain 1/2 inch
Forearm	9.3	OK

I have gained a few inches, especially in the areas between navel and knee. My biceps are sad and wimpy. Ideally I'd like to get back to about 17 to 18% body fat. This will require a loss of about 8.26 pounds of fat using Maggie's super fantastic weight loss calculator. So over all, I'm shooting for an average loss of 0.83 pounds of fat per week over the 10 weeks.

On the upside, I know I can lose weight with even a slight caloric deficit (say eating 1800 calories per day). I know that the basic Body for Life Program works just fine for me if I follow it carefully. I know what my body can look like at 17% body fat (see the week 52 pictures) and that if I don't slack off the weight training I can maintain it.

There are a few obstacles in the coming 10 weeks. The big one is simply my schedule. I start teaching as overload for the next 10 weeks starting Wednesday. I will simply have to prep all of my meals on weekends and get my workouts done in the morning.  The second is more insidious. I am not actually all that unhappy with my body or my level of fitness. Yes it could be better, more asthetically pleasing. Yes I'd like it to be better, but over all, I'm healthy and generally fit enough to do anything that I would like.

So what is my dream body?

I bring you Jessica Biel (pictures taken from Egotastic). She is fit and firm. She has curves and visible muscle tone. She does not look like one of the naturally waifish actresses who I can admire but not really aspire to looking like without an eating disorder or surgery.

Comments

[Irene]

I hope everything is going well with you 10 week challenge. I think it's great that you recommit yourself to a new plan, even if it seems like a resolution so some. It works for you. Good luck with with teaching.

[Cathy]

Thanks Irene! Diet = on target. Workouts = um, less so. Teaching is a big time commitment & our gloomy, snowy weather has me feeling a bit blue and less motivated overall.