Saturday, October 29, 2011

Bod Pod XIII: The point of inflection

So, Bod Pod XIII went down yesterday morning around 9:00am.  I had no Jury duty due to the super-confab of Superior Court Judges that happened down town yesterday.  The Court schedule was dark. What were the results of the test?

  1. There were only 13 days in this cycle.
  2. We did reach the point of inflection
  3. My total body weight increased from 190.664 to 195.7 pounds.  This is an increase of 5.036 pounds.
  4. My lean mass increased from 146.95 to 151.14 pounds.    This is an increase of 4.19 pounds.
  5. Shockingly enough, my fat weight also increased from 43.714 to 44.56 pounds.  This is an increase of 0.846 pounds,
  6. Interestingly enough, my body fat percentage decreased from 22.9 to 22.8.  This is a reduction of 0.1% percent.  Yes, it's paltry, I know.
  7. My body volume increased from 82.627 liters to 84.78 liters.  This is an increase of 2.153 liters
Fate %
Fat Weight
Lean Weight
Body Weight
Volume
10/15/2011
22.9
43.714
146.95
190.664
82.627
10/18/2011
22.8
44.56
151.14
195.7
84.78
-0.1
0.846
4.19
5.036
2.153
Of course, I am not happy about picking up 0.846 pounds of fat, but the 4.19 pound gain of lean was downright thrilling.  I have finally exceeded 150 pounds of lean mass.  Not only this, I have finally exceeded the 151 I was hoping for weeks ago.
This is an excellent sign.  It indicates several things.  First and foremost, it indicates that the CrossFit training is working extremely well.  It also means that the weight lifting sessions with Aaron are also working.  This sets me up for much better and more rapid weight loss in the weeks to come.  The more lean mass you have, the higher your BMR/RMR.

Now for some reality noise:
  1. This morning, my weight dropped to 192.6 pounds on the Tanita scale.  As you know, it would be lower on the Bod Pod.  
  2. Yesterday the Tanita vs. Bod Pod variance was very high, the highest figure seen yet.  The Tanita said 196.6.  The Bod Pod indicated 195.7.  This is a variance of 0.9 of a pound.
  3. This means I lost 4 pounds over night.
  4. This is enough to annihilate nearly all of my lean gain.
  5. This was the first Bod Pod test that I did not prep for.  
  6. In each of the 12 Bod Pod tests prior to this one, I would do extensive preparation the night before the test.  I would do my longest and best workout of the cycle.  I would do 30 minutes in the dry and steam saunas to shed excess water weight. I would get a massage and pop two Tylenol tabs to bring down inflammation further.  I would purge my intestines with Magnesium Citrate.
  7. My brother's band played at The Mint in West Los Angeles Thursday night.  Rather than prep for the test on Thursday night, I went to see him play.  This little adventure is a story I will tell you about some other time.
All of this casts doubt upon the results of Bod Pod XIII.  Without the normal prep before the test, there is no telling how much of this weight increase is just water retention and fecal matter.  On other hand, you could argue that these test results are more reflective of David on a normal day, not less.  Ergo, they are more valid and not less valid.  Still, the rapid drop this morning casts doubt on the entire weight figure.

In short, if we were in a court of law, we would have more than a reasonable doubt about these results.  I may have simply tested on an exceptionally heavy day. Further, I think this is clearly the case.  194.4 seems to have been my most common weight over the last several weeks.  196.6 and 195.7 are clearly exceptionally heavy weights for me these days.

Nevertheless, one thing is exceptionally clear:  We have reached the point of inflection.  The sign of the trajectory on this curve has flipped.  It has been negative, trending down.  It is now positive and trending upward.  Regardless of whether my weight is 194.4 or 192.6, my weight is now higher than it was 13-14 days ago.


I am not worried about this, as the indicator points towards a big increase in lean weight.  This is good and wonderful, and precisely what I have been looking for.