--How much fat loss to shoot for?

[Guest guest]

Reading your prior post wondering how people come up with fat loss goals...this

is

precisely my problem. I don't really know. I'm 5'8 " , and for most of my life I

weighed

between 125 and 130. That was a good weight--not skinny at all, but I looked

quite

slim. In those days I didn't work out with weights, though. Now, however, I

weigh

150 to 155 depending on the day, and I've made my goal my former " good " weight

of

130 to 135. This is just a tentative goal, though--because now I work out with

weights and have put on a good amount of muscle, so I can't really tell what

weight I

may be when I look the way I want to look and get rid of the excess fat. I also

don't

really know my fat levels...my Tanita BF scale gives me readings of around 30 to

35%,

and I think it's highly unreliable to say the least. I'ved tried the BF

calipers, but I don't

feel I get a consistent reading--that comes out to around 25%. I did an online

BF

calculator which took a huge number of tape measurements, plus height and

weight,

and that one said I was 38% fat, which I don't believe could be accurate. So

I'm left

with a big question mark in this regard. I'm kind of staying away from the

scales

because I don't think that shows a lot at this stage, and I'm going to make my

evaluation more visual: How do I look in my birthday suit in the mirror? That

will be

my final determination of success. In any case, it's hard to have a specific

goal---i.e.

at 150 lbs now, if I reach 130 will that be a 20 lb fat loss? Should that be my

goal?

[Guest guest]

How about a goal to stick with the program 100%? To increase your

weights? To always push a little harder on cardio? To not give up?

These are all great goals because you can recycle them challenge

after challenge. One problem with the weight mentality is that a lot

of people tend to focus on that number ... get there ... then stop.

They celebrate and use that as an excuse to go into " maintenance "

when really maintenance is 9 times out of 10 simply gaining the

weight back. By focusing on the clean eating, even if you don't reach

your ideal weight as rapidly, you form enduring lifestyle changes.

You are able to embrace the moment - the journey - rather than

focusing too hard on the destination. Then, it doesn't matter if you

dropped 0 pounds or 3 pounds this week, because you can celebrate

another week of living healthy!

> Reading your prior post wondering how people come up with fat loss

goals...this is

> precisely my problem. I don't really know. I'm 5'8 " , and for most

of my life I weighed

> between 125 and 130. That was a good weight--not skinny at all,

but I looked quite

> slim. In those days I didn't work out with weights, though. Now,

however, I weigh

> 150 to 155 depending on the day, and I've made my goal my

former " good " weight of

> 130 to 135. This is just a tentative goal, though--because now I

work out with

> weights and have put on a good amount of muscle, so I can't really

tell what weight I

> may be when I look the way I want to look and get rid of the excess

fat. I also don't

> really know my fat levels...my Tanita BF scale gives me readings of

around 30 to 35%,

> and I think it's highly unreliable to say the least. I'ved tried

the BF calipers, but I don't

> feel I get a consistent reading--that comes out to around 25%. I

did an online BF

> calculator which took a huge number of tape measurements, plus

height and weight,

> and that one said I was 38% fat, which I don't believe could be

accurate. So I'm left

> with a big question mark in this regard. I'm kind of staying away

from the scales

> because I don't think that shows a lot at this stage, and I'm going

to make my

> evaluation more visual: How do I look in my birthday suit in the

mirror? That will be

> my final determination of success. In any case, it's hard to have

a specific goal---i.e.

> at 150 lbs now, if I reach 130 will that be a 20 lb fat loss?

Should that be my goal?

[Guest guest]

I've got to agree with --I would always AIM for 100% while realizing that

life

may get in the way. You can't beat yourself up when you fail, but rather should

see it

as a learning process, pick yourself up and go on. Bill Phllips mentioned a

great

quote from Trump which I really like: " If you're going to be thinking

anyway,

you might as well think BIG! " . I have a friend who is a very successful

salesman, and

he has a useful approach with everything he does: Always ask for the moon, you

just

might get it!

For me, I would feel like I'm not making a full effort with BFL unless I wanted

to

succeed 100%, that must be my goal. It may not be possible to achieve, but

that's my

goal with everything I do. The whole thing about Body For Life is to push

yourself

BEYOND what you previously thought was within your capability. I see so many

people in the gym month after month who are religious about going to the gym,

but

they never stretch themselves, they operate entirely within the realm of what

they

know is their capability, with what is attainable with certainty. Consequently,

their

bodies NEVER change radically as we can see happen with BFL. The amazing

transformations occur, I believe, precisely because of shooting for the moon,

and

pushing yourself repeatedly beyond what you did before. That's the purpose of

the

" 10 " in BFL exercises. You don't hit it all the time, but it's always the goal,

and when

you really push you will reach it. That's the whole point.

JMHO, of course! Carole

> > ,

> >

> > Very well said! Pounds mean almost nothing in BFL. The only thing

> > I'd say different is to make the 100% a little less. Too many

> people

> > set a goal of 100%, miss one little thing, and then quit because

> they

> > have failed.

> >

> > A goal of following BFL 100% is nearly impossible. We all have

> > emergencies, we under-hydrate, we oversleep (or undersleep), etc.

> > But shooting for 95% means a little setback is just part of the

> > plan. You can get right back to being good, with no shame.

> >

> > Oh, well. It works for me anyway!

> >

> > Bob

> >