Every three months (each quarter), Hungry and Fit go get a BodySpec DXA scan. This measures their weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone density and more. They’ve been doing it for years now (first one in March 2016) and find it to be the most legitimate way of tracking that type of fitness. They recently got scans in December and March, read below to hear what they have to say.
Fit
December
Boxing works! I’ve been going to Fortune Boxing Gym and boxing 4-5 days a week for 9 months now and my body has seen a difference. Besides being a better boxer and having better flow and movement, my body had a positive change in the last three months. I was actually a little nervous for this one because though I had been working hard for three months, I had recently gotten a stomach bug and hadn’t worked out for a bit. But alas! All was well. I’m not going to bore you but my highlighted achievements from the report:
- Lost two pounds of fat
- Gained two pounds of muscle
I was extremely happy to read this on my report. It means all the sweat and sore muscles from boxing is doing something! Imagine if I got my nutrition all the way into gear! But also, a lesson can be learned from this:
*YOUR WEIGHT IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF YOUR FITNESS*
I weigh the same as I did last quarter, but I dropped two pounds of fat (which is a good bit since fat doesn’t weigh much) and gained two pounds of muscle, making me a fitter person. Take this as a lesson that the scale does not tell you your worth, it just tells you a number that you need to learn more about.
March
A little different on the results. Although I train hard in boxing, once the holidays started I really just ate whatever. I’ve been traveling a lot too, which never helps. My body fat percentage went up some (so did my lean muscle mass), so the plan for the next few months is to plan meals and eat smarter. I’m not one for cutting things out–I believe that just leads to fall-outs–so I will of course treat myself here and there. It’s all part of the journey.
Hungry:
Physically, the past 6 months has been more challenging than any period I can remember in the past. There are three main reasons. First, I’m not competing in any sport, so there isn’t a need to stick to a certain training plan. Second, I’m busier than ever with work, school and family life, so time is restricted. Third and finally, all of my past injuries are just stacking up and limiting what I can and cannot do in the gym. Back on December 10th, Alana drafted her half of this post, but I never got around to finishing mine.
For context, we’ve done these DXA scans every three months since March 2016. For my first scan, I weighed 208.5 lbs and had 12.4% body fat. My bone mineral content was 9.0, my visceral fat content was 0.53 lbs/15.42 cubic inches, and my resting metabolic rate was about 2,045 cal/day. We don’t need to go into depth about life over the following 30 months, but on September 5th, 2018, I weighed 201.1 lbs and had 12.1% body fat. My visceral fat, however, was 0.64 lbs and 18.9 cubic inches. During the next three months I sustained some major injuries and had to go into a rehab training block. The most significant were some severely herniated discs and fractured vertebrae in my neck. As a result, I cut down to 197.1 lbs, 10.8% body fat and 0.45 lbs of visceral fat/13.32 cubic inches. Although I did not want to, I knew that I needed to continue with rehab and try to take care of some injuries.
Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with two obnoxious injuries for the past three months and as a result, I’ve lost progress. I don’t mind maintenance; I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. I really haven’t made any progress since I graduated college. There is really no way I can get back to that level, since it was basically my full-time job.
In the past three months I’ve been relatively consistent in making it to the gym to train. In December, I trained 28 of the 31 days of the month. A trip to North Dakota slowed me down. In January, I only missed New Year’s Day. In February, I took the 23rd off because I felt awful on an early travel day to New Orleans. My diet hasn’t been great, as I’ve been trying to consume plenty of calories to fuel my beaten body. Those two injuries are, unfortunately, very limiting because of their location. My wrist and my calf. I cannot perform any impact exercises as a result, so it has been very difficult for me to train to the level I want. Add those to an already-long list of injuries like my torn rotator cuff, arthritis in shoulder and elbow, and torn labrum in my hip. Without being able to run, jump, jump rope or play any sports, my cardio and performance has suffered. My lifts aren’t heavy due to my hip, calf and wrist, but I’ve maintained relatively well with all that considered.
I’ve actually improved my muscle ups, as I’ve forced myself to move my body smarter. My core is very strong, despite injuries to my lower back. On March 10th, my body scan showed that I weighed in at 198.2 lbs with 11.2% body fat. My visceral fat increased to 0.56 lbs and 16.57 cubic inches. The fat mass in my legs was identical, but my left leg weighed 0.5 lbs more muscle than the right… this is probably due to my inability to train my right calf. My arms had identical muscle mass, but the right arm had 0.2 lbs more fat than the left. This is probably due to the arthritis in my elbow. My fat increased in all parts of my body and while my upper body muscle mass slightly increased, my lower body decreased. This is the result of not being able to squat or deadlift.
What’s the plan? My plan is to prioritize recovery and rehab in my left wrist and right calf. I’ve learned to live with many of my other injuries, but these are far too significant at the moment. I have to find smarter ways to increased my heart rate without risking re-injuring them. I also need to increase active recovery. I need to stretch and use my Theragun daily. I need to supplement properly and hit my macronutrient goals, especially for protein intake. I need to spend more time in the water. I am fine with maintenance if the injuries are recovering, even if it is slow. Consistency is the key. Once these injuries improve enough, I can go harder. Learn from your mistakes. And as always, stay hungry and fit!
