10/17/2005 07:37:00 AM|||John Calnan|||

Yesterday when I was shopping for fenders for my bike, my wife noticed a display in the mega-congolmerate bicycle store for a household scale that also calculates body fat percentage.

We've been toying with the idea of a new scale, being unhappy with the inaccuracy of our current spring-and-big-dial-from-Costco model, and the big balance-beam unit at our gym, which disagree by 10 pounds on most days. Our old home unit also varies by about 5 pounds if you shift your weight between heels and toes.

I set up this technological wonder last night, programming in our height, age, and gender into it's little scaly brain.

This morning, I weighed myself, and hit the following figures:

Weight: 261.4
Body Fat %: 31.4%
Body Water %: 48.6

According to my research, an Adonis like myself in great health should have a Fat % of 17%. That got me thinking, so, how much do I have to lose to get there?

Thus the following calculations:
Weight times current percentage = current body fat weight
261.4 x 31.4% = 82 lbs

Yikes

So, how much fat should I have if I'm healthy, according to the "tables"?
(Current weight) minus (body fat) = (lean body mass)
(lean body mass) times (desirable fat percentage) = (target fat pounds)
(lean body mass) plus (target fat pounds) = (goal weight)
(current weight) minus (goal weight) = (weight to lose).
(did I lose you there? I didn't think so). Sorry, it's how my mind works...

So:
261 - 82 = 179 lean body mass
179 x 17% = 30.43 target fat in pounds
179 + 30.43 = 209.43 goal weight
261.4 - 209.43 = 51.97 pounds to lose

So I have to lose about 50 pounds, which is what I thought in the first place. It's just more fun when I can be all "scientific" about it.

|||112956098650050639|||When Geeks set goals...