Weight, Muscle, and Fat

This morning I hopped on the scale just to check in with myself. I am still 137.6 lbs - a number with which I am pleased. I've gotten caught up with the numbers on the scale many times in the past and it can truly drive you crazy. Miso soup at dinner (high in sodium) can spike your weight the next morning, leaving you discouraged and frustrated. Eating dinner closer to bedtime than you normally do changes the number you see the next morning. Staying hydrated can jack those numbers up as well.

June 28, 2013

Now that I'm back into most of my clothes, I'm less concerned about my actual weight and more focused on my body composition. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone says muscles weighs more than fat. No, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat; they both weigh one pound. Muscle is denser than fat. What that means is that two women can own and fit into the same size 4 pair of pants. If they have different amounts of muscle mass, one woman could weigh significantly more than the other, but still fit into the same size clothing. This also means that a person can remain the same weight on the scale but drop a few dress sizes through diet and exercise. At one point in college, I actually lost weight but wore a larger size because I had stopped lifting.

My goal is to remain between 135 and 137 lbs, but to lower my body fat and build muscle. According to my fancy scale, today my body fat percentage is 25.8. This is too high. I plan to lower it with my improved eating habits, regular CrossFit attendance, and weekly runs. Instead of a number on the scale, my ultimate goal is to fit into my size 26 inch waist Citizen jeans. Those things are tiny.

And now for your viewing entertainment...

3.5 hours of sleep plus 96 oz of coffee equals this chick:

look at that calf definition!

I made the executive decision to cancel CrossFit and go home when I found myself doing this in the office:

it's a unicorn mask

I asked Facebook how ballsy it would be to wear jorts to work today. The consensus was DO IT.

So I did.