Day 3: Wednesday, 04 June 2008

It was another somewhat restless night, although not so much as Monday night. I woke up about 6 and turned on the TV to watch the weather & an episode of Third Watch and then dozed until 9. I don't feel as hungry this morning, but mild hunger pangs are still there. I have a slight headache, too.

For women my age, my body fat should be 20-25% to be considered excellent (20) or good (20.1-25). Moderate is 25.1-30. Overweight is 30.1-35. Obese is 35.1+. So, regardless of weight, I am presently considered overweight, although I think "over fat" is a better term since it accounts for fat versus just weight. I could have a bunch of muscle and be at 20% body fat and still weigh the same as I do now. Conversely, a thin person with little muscle and too much squidgy fat could be "over fat" without being overweight. Generally, they will also be out of shape even though they are thin. And, of course, the reverse holds true with regard to fitness: you can be overweight/over fat and be in pretty good cardiovascular shape ... good enough to run marathons and half marathons and the like.

I just now came across software called Optimal Weight 1.0 to calculate your optimal weight using height, weight, leg length, and ankle and wrist circumferences. Unfortunately it is PC-based and not available for the Mac. I'll go fire up my PC later and give it a go.

I am not a fan of BMI measurements because they do not take into account body fat percentages. BMI just looks at height and weight just as the old height-weight tables do. The only difference is that BMI uses a standard number that means the same thing for various height-weight combinations, e.g. a BMI of 31 means you're Obese I, regardless of how tall you are or whether you a man or a woman.

Check out this article for more information. For a ton of fitness and health screening calculators, check out ExRx.net.

Morning Stats

weight: 152.0 lbs
bf: 31%
bp: 112/66
pulse: 56 bpm
bg: 76 mg/dl