Even more on body fat percentage

In my last post, I talked about body fat percentage and mentioned that Matt Fitzgerald's book Racing Weight encourages you to measure body fat percentage in addition to weight. I thought it would be good to write a quick review for you, and I will definitely do that this week or next.

Image from a website about body fat, duh

But before I do that, I was thinking about the numbers I generated last post, including the whopping 33.72% that the Army method gave me for body fat. Last time I got weighed, I was 127 lb. That means that my actual body fat is 44 lbs, and if I lost all that body fat, my essential self would weigh 84 lbs. Now, that sounds laughable for me, since I'm over 5'7", even if you consider that you should probably add about 10% to that since no one has ZERO body fat. Still, it sounds way off! But here is the catch. It's not. When I had thyroid cancer, I got extremely skinny extremely quickly, and I weighed in at the doctor's office at under 90 lbs. (After my surgery to remove the tumor, I gained 30 lb in less than a month!)
So what I'm saying is, maybe the Army formula isn't that far off after all! It definitely gives a general sense of how much of your weight isn't essential...although I think it is not accurate for estimating how much of that is actually fat. But still, it is interesting, because I assumed that if I subtracted my supposed "fat" I would end up with a number too low to sustain life. On the contrary, I actually have lived at that weight, albeit for a very brief period of time!
That was some random personal history for you there. Hope you aren't too grossed out picturing what I looked like at 87 lbs. It was pretty awful. 
And since we're talking about fats, take my poll:
On a delicious slice of fresh bread, you would slather:
a- real unsalted butter
b- light margarine spread
Obviously I would choose butter. I think it's one of the five major food groups.

Body fat percentage

Can calculating your body fat percentage help you become lean, fit, and ready to race?

Probably. If you go by Racing Weight, by Matt Fitzgerald, body fat percentage can be one of the best tools to reach your ideal weight for racing. I might review this book later. Once I lose those last 5 pounds. Kidding.

But there seems to be a bit of confusion on how to determine your body fat. Take a look at the results below: according to the website I used (based on height, weight, sex, and circumference of  your neck, waist, low waist, hip, thigh, wrist, forearm, and bicep), I am anywhere from "obese" (the worst ranking) to "athletic" (the lowest except for "essential"). I think I'll just go buy an inaccurate body fat scale. Results: Using your measurements of a 25 inches waist and weight of 127 pounds your body fat percentage is estimated to be 33.72 % using the U.S. Army body fat algorithm, or 25.08 % using the U.S. Marine body fat algorithm, or 18.99 % using the U.S. Navy body fat algorithm, or 19.37 % using the formula developed by the YMCA.   Geez, sucks to be in the Army.

Picnic in the park and stupid taper

I just wanted to highlight a moment of my weekend. It wasn't the moment in which I called Sean Payton names for running the ball so much in the first half (Dude, we are a PASSING TEAM, we have Drew! Quit running Ivory!). Nor was it the moment in which I humiliated my brother in public in order to confiscate his lighter. As you know, lighters are the only source of fire, so this means he will not smoke a cancer stick now, because he cannot light it. I'm having brother troubles lately, can you tell? I mean, with seven of them, one of them is always having drama. This particular brother (it's Abe, like I just said, I don't mind humiliating him in public) is especially trying lately. 

But back to my moment. It was a lovely picnic in Audubon park with my hubby. We had tortellini salad, satsumas, and toffee, and we played football until it started to rain. Perfect Saturday afternoon!

You're welcome. I know you want this as your wallpaper. 

Next Sunday is a marathon, and this time I am tapering - also known as pulling out all the stops on lazy. Really, I am just being a sloth. During the last week I start to question everything: What should I be eating? Is it going to be shorts weather? What should my goal time be? (Seriously, I change this a hundred times, landing on a number seconds before the gun. I am nuts.) Is it ok to do speedwork this week? Should I pop this blister on my foot, or leave it?
And then stupid stuff always happens when I taper. Always! Last year I had to work a 9-hour day the day before the RnR Mardi Gras marathon, and one of my techs was an hour late. Then we were insanely busy and I didn't get to eat or even drink water all day!
This week it's starting already. I have not gotten over my Christmas cold yet - it keeps lingering - and today the sore throat returned!*
Does taper drive you crazy? What the worst thing that's happened to  you before a race? (As for right before a race, nothing beats this marathon!).
Do your siblings also drive you crazy?
*What? You think it's related to the Saints game? Nonsense. I shouted quietly. 

Foody Friday: Three-ingredient soup

Sometimes I'm feeling really lazy and don't want to get all gourmet after a long day of work. A perfect recipe for this kind of night is Sausage and Leek soup - just three ingredients and almost no work creates a cozy winter meal. All it needs is a salad!

Six hot Italian sausages, uncooked, sliced or removed from casing
2 stems leeks, washed and coarsely chopped
6 - 8 ounces of wide egg noodles

In a large stock pot, brown sausage. When nearly done, drain off any fat and add leeks. Cook for a minute or two to wilt. Add egg noodles and cover by one or two inches with water. Cook on high, uncovered, until pasta is tender; adjust water volume as needed to make an appropriate amount of broth. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Serves 8.

Packing lunch

At my house we pack lunch to save money. True story: when David and I first got married, he wanted to replace his old television with a new, flat screen model. I made him put $5 in a jar for every day he brought his lunch until he could afford it. And just for the record he cheated and bought it two weeks early.
I eat a lot.
Between running for exercise and running around at work all day, I get hungry. Plus I just like to eat. Good thing I own a carry-on sized lunch bag.
Here's what I'm bringing today:

I read the paper on an operating table every day. Hey, my hubby already owned this steel table when  we got married and I'm too cheap to replace it. 

Lasagna for lunch (a mediocre recipe, sigh) with a big salad. I pack those lettuce leaves in there! And I only drizzle dressing in a corner so the whole thing doesn't get soggy.
Yogurt for mid-morning snack. This is uncharacteristic of me. I don't like yogurt, after being force-fed the homemade variety every morning for 12+ years, and Greek yogurt is crazy pricey. But I bought this when it was $0.50 a cup on sale.
Grapefruit for an afternoon snack. Can't wait to eat that juicy thing! Grapefruit are my favorite fruit!
Peanut butter cups for the hours between 4 and 6 when I wonder why I chose my profession.


What did you pack for lunch today?

Breaking in new shoes

I wore my last pair of shoes for over 1000 miles. I didn't realize how old they were until my knees got a little achy. That was my warning bell to grab a new pair. Last week I switched to my new Kinvaras.

Tell me those shoes on the right don't look like they have 1000 miles on them! I am so impressed by the quality of those shoes! And ignore the grayness. The dirt is all me. I ran along the streetcar tracks. 

Oh my gosh.
The difference was astonishing. I practically bounced in the air for the first few steps, there was so much more cushioning. My old shoes hadn't felt worn out until I tried the new ones!
I realized I needed to replace the old pair two days before the Ole Man River half-marathon, but I waited until after the race. Even though they were the same style, I didn't want to be breaking in shoes during a race.
How long does it take you to break in a new pair? A week? One long run? One ill-thought-out marathon?

Happy New Year!

May 2012 be a year of love and happiness!

From David, Grace, and our sporadically lit tree. Let me tell you about the problem with pre-lit Christmas trees.