i originally entered the zone in 1998 with very good success and lost 30lbs, somehow in the time between 98 and 2003 i gained all the weight back and more. I finally had enough and recommitted to the zone in July of 03 and so far have lost 25 pounds and am continuing my quest to my ideal weight. I do my Zone measurements once per month. i have noticed that my lean body mass fluctuates quite a bit. My LBM has ranged between 151 and 163. How can I nail down exactly what my LBM is and therefore calculate my ideal weight based on 15% body fat?

[quote:3d660a93c7="chartnell"]i originally entered the zone in 1998 with very good success and lost 30lbs, somehow in the time between 98 and 2003 i gained all the weight back and more. I finally had enough and recommitted to the zone in July of 03 and so far have lost 25 pounds and am continuing my quest to my ideal weight. I do my Zone measurements once per month. i have noticed that my lean body mass fluctuates quite a bit. My LBM has ranged between 151 and 163. How can I nail down exactly what my LBM is and therefore calculate my ideal weight based on 15% body fat?[/quote:3d660a93c7] Hi, I can't comment on the best way to determine "exactly" your LBM. There are several methods you can use. How have you been measuring it? Do you mean it has gone down, basically to 151, or that it is always different, ranging from 163 to 151, and maybe back up to almost 163 at times? You really should not be losing LBM. If you are, it would indicate you aren't eating enough protein. To calculate a wt based on 15% body fat, you would simply divide LBM by 0.85. If your LBM is 160, your wt at 15% body fat would be 188. Sue

I'm measuring LBM using the method in the Zone book. I cannot say conclusively that there is a direct relationship between my LBM measurement and my overall weight. Although there could be. My last three months my weight has been 219, 216, 210, where my LBM has been 179, 179, 174. From those numbers it looks there could indeed be a correlation. Is the Zone book's calculation of LBM accurate and repeatable?

[quote:0882440cb9="chartnell"]I'm measuring LBM using the method in the Zone book. I cannot say conclusively that there is a direct relationship between my LBM measurement and my overall weight. Although there could be. My last three months my weight has been 219, 216, 210, where my LBM has been 179, 179, 174. From those numbers it looks there could indeed be a correlation. Is the Zone book's calculation of LBM accurate and repeatable?[/quote:0882440cb9] Hi, It's repeatable for me. I don't understand your point about correlation with your weight. LBM represents a portion of your total weight. As you lose excess body fat, it should remain the same or increase, not decrease. If it's decreasing, you need to be eating more protein every day. I'm confused because you first posted your LBM fluctuates between 151 and 163. :?: Sue

When I said that it was between 151 and 163 I was looking back over the last seven years of my measurements. The numbers I gave you in the second posting were the last three measurements. I figured LBM should stay the same and my overall weight should change. But if my readings are accurate then my LBM is decreasing with my body weight.

[quote:a8e34d86b0="chartnell"]When I said that it was between 151 and 163 I was looking back over the last seven years of my measurements. The numbers I gave you in the second posting were the last three measurements. I figured LBM should stay the same and my overall weight should change. But if my readings are accurate then my LBM is decreasing with my body weight.[/quote:a8e34d86b0] .......which means you are[b:a8e34d86b0] not eating enough protein[/b:a8e34d86b0]. The body fat calculator on this site is basically the same as the tables you're using in the Zone book. I suggest you try the calculator to determine your daily blocks because it has a slightly more informative description of activity levels. This may give you a better idea of your actual protein requirement. If it comes out the same as that which you are currently eating, I suggest you add at least one more balanced Zone block every day. If you continue to lose LBM, you may even need one more additional balanced blocks. Sue

I had myself figured for 16 blocks per day. I calculated that from the book. I went to the Bofy Fat Calculator at this site but it doesn't seem to be working. I then went to the calculator over at Zone Perfect. According to them, I am active, by their defintion I exersise more than 1.5 hours per week. I jog for 20 minutes and walk for 20 minutes five time per week. According to them I should be consuming 18 blocks per day. Does that sound right? I have been losing 2 lbs per week on a very consistent basis over the last three months. If I go to 18 blocks will that slow my weight loss?

This is interesting. I know you posted these messages a while ago. I read somewhere that when you lose fat, you lose a small percentage of muscle that supports the extra weight from the fat. But I think that if you weight train this is supposed to prevent muscle loss. As for your question about losing less weight if you eat more protein, why would you want to lose muscle anyway? You may have lost some fat, but you are losing alot of muscle too. Try not to focus on weight loss and think about losing fat instead of muscle. If you are losing muscle, you are slowing your metabolism and won't get the end result you want, which is to lose fat. I'm no expert, but I have read alot about these things. I haven't tried it myselt, but if you eat more protein and fat and less carbs, they say this could help. Please let me know how you have been doing in the past month. Andrea

Can,t find the chart to measure body fat, by weight and measurements to calculate what to eat