For the first time ever, I had an InBody test done. I needed one to join a nutrition challenge at my gym.
I’m excited about this for a couple of reasons:
- I already planned to start another cut with my Renaissance Periodization plan. Doing this challenge will keep me motivated to stay on track. Having the support of other members from the gym makes it so much easier!
- As I wrote about in my last post, I’m trying to maintain a somewhat normal routine while I cope with my father’s health issues. This challenge gives me a goal to focus on, which will help take my mind off everything else.
Every challenge we do, the coaches try to switch things up and keep things fun and exciting. For example, the challenge we did earlier this year was done in a “Survivor” format. We started with about 40 people on the “main island.” Every two weeks, we sent the coaches pictures of our weight on the scale and of ourselves from the front, side and back. They used the progress pictures to vote on who would stay on the “island” and who was voted off. People who were voted off had a chance to complete some kind of exercise or quiz at the gym, and one person would win their way back to the “main island” every four weeks.
The challenge lasted 12 weeks. Somewhere around the 11th week, the coaches had narrowed the field down to a group of 5 finalists – 4 people who were lucky enough to not get voted off previously, and 1 person who had gotten voted off but was picked to get into the final stage.
This challenge was a lot of fun. Knowing I could be “voted off the island” at any time was a huge motivator. It definitely made me think twice when I wanted a cheat meal or wanted to skip a workout. I loved how the members supported each other. We really bonded with each other over the 12 weeks.
I didn’t win that challenge, but I did get pretty far along. The coaches voted me off the island in week 10. It was one of the last rounds before they chose the finalists. I was bummed, but I’m still happy with my results. I lost 10 pounds and about 7 inches from my hips, waist, and chest. I was proud of myself for staying dedicated and disciplined throughout the majority of the challenge.
I’m really looking forward to seeing even more positive changes with this new challenge. This time around, they made it simpler. No “Survivor” challenge or anything. They did, however, ask us to have an InBody test done. If you’re unfamiliar with this test, it’s a small machine that measures your body fat, hydration levels, tells you where in your body you store most of your fat, and tells you how much lean body mass you have.
Here is what my “before” test looks like:
The main stats that we’re paying attention to for the challenge are total body weight, lean body mass, and body fat percentage. My starting numbers for each of those are:
- Body weight – 167.7 lbs
- Lean body mass – 119.5 lbs
- Body fat percentage – 28.7%
According to the people who did the test for me, my body fat is a little high but still within a healthy range. This is pretty close to what I expected, so I didn’t walk out feeling depressed about myself. I’m glad I have this information and can use it to measure my progress. I took some before photos of myself, too, but I’m not brave enough to share those yet.
I’m working on a post showing some of my favorite meals that I’ve been eating lately. I’ll also try to remember to write a progress post when we’re about halfway through the challenge.
