The Test
I had to fast for 12 hours before the test. I celebrated the start of my fast with a klondike bar 31 minutes before the start of my fast. Those things are so good. The morning of the test I intentionally got up late because I knew I couldn't drink coffee or eat. Why even get up?!
I arrived at the office and was greeted by my tester, Lisa. We instantly connected. After talking for a few minutes she realized that we use to belong to the same gym. She remembered that I always "smiled when I exercised". I love this! I love that I look like I'm having fun when exercising because I really am.
I shared a bit of my story. 165 pounds lost through what eventually became a 1200 calorie a day diet. 20 pounds regained after I stopped tracking. Looking for a realistic weight range for my body.
Lisa explained the test to me and I got started.
First I took a Metabolic Resting test. I had to clip a plug on my nose and then breathe in to a tube for 10 minutes, while sitting still. Sitting still for 10 minutes is hard!
Next was the Bod Pod. Lisa explained that there is so much air in the tube. That air remains constant. Once I get in the tube I take the place of that air, thus finding out how much volume I take up. She equated it to dropping an egg in a glass of water. Some water spills out. The difference in water is the volume of the egg. That totally makes sense. You have to wear your swimsuit (or tight clothing) for the test. I hopped in to the pod. Lisa showed me the eject button in case I needed to get out during the test. Eeek! This is serious business. The test was only 50 seconds long. Thankfully there was a clock that I could see so that I could count down the time. We did the 50 second test twice.
I got out of the pod and started to put back on my sweatshirt. She printed the results. The first thing she said was, "Don't ever eat only 1200 calories again".
WHAT?!?!! 1200 calories a day works.....
The Results
Where to start?!?!?!
Fat %- This is the only number I didn't like so I'll start there. :) There is a Body Fat Table that breaks down like this:
Risky- 40% or higher
Excess Fat- 30-40%
Moderately Lean- 22-30%
My body fat percent was 40.5! I was stunned for a minute. Lisa told me that the .5 was a pound or two and that I could consider my fat "excess" instead of risky. I'm going with excess fat, which still sounds awful.
I was surprised and disappointed with my body fat percent until I started to consider what my fat percent must have been at 356 pounds. 40's not good, but it's leaps and bounds above where I was. I did the math and could get down to 35%
Resting Metabolic Rate- If I did nothing and stayed in bed all day long my body would burn an estimated 1661 calories. Doing nothing I am burning more calories than I had been eating. Doing nothing. I also learned that my metabolism is 8% above the "normal" range. That shoots my "I have a slow metabolism" mantra out the window. Lisa said that my activity level probably contributes to my higher metabolism. Another reason to love my workouts.
From my base RMR they calculate a calories per day energy output- mine was 2,450. To maintain my weight I need to consume around 2500 calories a day. This calculation is based on my exercising moderately three times a week for 30 minutes and we all know that is not true.
Drum roll please......
My suggested calorie range to LOSE weight is 1800-2000 calories a day.
SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!
I need more fuel. My body needs more.
This is probably not a shock to anyone reading this.
People have been telling me for years that I need to eat more.
I have been scared to "eat more" and still track. So, instead of eating more and tracking I had given up. The middle of the road is hard for me. Giving myself permission to eat more, but not eat EVERYTHING is hard.
My nutritionist reminded me that eating more means eating an apple, not eating a snickers bar.
What now?
Now I track, but I now track with a 1800-2000 calorie range! I eat and exercise with a fat loss goal in mind. The weight will come off. My goal is to get down to below 30% body fat. Not going to lie, that goal scares me.
Maybe I should make a smaller goal?
I'm going to do the Bod pod test again in June. My nutritionist said that if I didn't see the weight slowly coming off that she does nutritional counseling and that we could sit down for an hour to look at my food logs. I am totally going to her if I get a month in to recording again and don't see a 4-5 pound loss in the next month.
Anyone still reading????
For me spending the time and money to do the Bod Pod test was one of the best things I've ever done when it comes to my own health/fitness. It liberated me to fuel my body. It gave me a clear picture of where I'm at. It reset my focus. I want to do a pull-up.
Have you ever done a Resting Metabolic Rate or Bod Pod? I'd love to hear about your experience!
~Kari
