Fitness Assessment

Well I went and had a body composition analysis and fitness assessment done today at the hospital. I was very pleased with how I did. My vital signs were within normal limits and my VO2max was exceptional on the treadmill test. BTW- VO2max looks at your cardiovascular fitness. My flexibility was fair, which I already knew. I was fair on the sit up test and average on the bench press. So all in all I did pretty okay. The good part came with the body composition analysis. I am officially 5'9" and I weighed in at 171 pounds today (1.8 less than Tues I might add). My percent body fat was 25.3% (recommended is 18-25%). My lean body mass to fat ratio was 3:1 (recommended is 3.2:1). My recommended body weight range in 156 to 170 pounds. So according to this I need to lose 1 pound! Sweet. According to the tests he did he was able to tell me how much was water, how much was lean body mass (muscle, bones, connective tissue), and how much was fat. He was also able to roughly calculate how many calories I need per day to stay at the weight I am at. Also, based on how much exercise I do on average (30 min cardio 5x/wk and 30 min weight training 3x/wk), he was able to estimate my total calorie requirements. So currently I am almost 1600 calories under what I need to maintain my weight. Because I am pretty much at where I need to be as far as amount of fat is concerned, and considering the amount of calories under my requirement I am, he highly recommended that I start the adapting phase of the program. He was able to show me the research that shows once you drop 1000 calories below what you need to maintain weight, your body will start using muscle for fuel, even if you weight train. I currently need about 2560 calories to maintain weight at my current activity level and amount of lean tissue. In the adapting phase I will be taking in around 1500 calories to start which is still enough for me to lose weight, but do a better job of maintaining my muscle. I may actually be able to gain some muscle since I will be taking in more food. So, since I have already met my clothing goal (hello size 8 and 10), I set up an appointment for next Tues to start the adapting phase of the program. I had been waffling about when to make the switch but this just solidified it for me. Plus I will prob have lost the 1 pound I needed to be in my recommended weight range by then anyway. So I meet with the nutritionist first, then go to group, then get my checkup and weigh in. Can't wait. I am very proud of myself for making it this far. I also ran into a former patient of mine at the hospital and they almost didn't recognize me. My surgery wound is healing up. I get to go back to work on Monday. Life is good.