Entering the Bodpod

Recently I took some tests to establish a baseline for comparison next year when I turn 55.

Included amongst them was the "Bodpod". This is a device that provides an accurate measurement of your body fat %. 

Using it is quite funny, its a bit like an egg/womb. You strip off down to your undies and sit inside it, then a soothing woman's voice asks you to relax and stay quite still while in the background you can hear the whirring  of machines and feel subtle wafts of air on your skin as the Bodpod does its stuff.

Bodpod in action (not me in it though)

Anyway once all that was over I got my results. The result was 12.4%. My weight at the time was 67.5kg which means that I am lugging about 8.3kg of fat. 

8.3kg is quite a lot. Many cyclists (including me I have to admit) will spend large amounts of cash on carbon fibre widgets that will shave a few g off bike weight, yet I am carrying around the equivalent of an entire bike (and full water bottles) in fat all the time, including up every mountain.

Shifting all of this is not going to happen. However knowing exactly how much fat I have does let me set a target. 

I'm going to aim for 5kg of fat which will mean a target fat% of around 8%.

This in turn gives me an objective/means of tracking. I need to lose roughly 3.5kg of fat which is the equivalent of 11500kcal. so I need a total calorie deficit of around that number.

So, in theory, I can just keep a running total of my calorie deficit with a view to hitting this magic number. This is nice as I find tracking a running total that I have complete control over the most satisfying way of working towards a long term goal. 

Will be interesting...