When I hear Bod Pod, I giggle a little.  It is such a funny name for anything.  I’m not an expert in these sort of things, but basically it a contraption you sit in that looks like a big egg that displaces air and is able to measure VO2 max, basal metabolic rate, and body fat.  Feel free to Google it since I still don’t completely understand it.  I was solely concerned with body fat percentage.  I wanted to get tested and then go back the week before my April half marathon and see how much body fat I have shed.  A lot of times in weight loss, the scale won’t move but you’ll lose fat so I wanted an accurate reading not associated with the scale.

Last week, I went to a local health store and uncomfortably stripped down to get this assessment.  I’ve never stood with just spandex and a sports bra on in front of anybody so needless to say I was a little uneasy.  Standing in a cold white room with fat rolls hanging out everywhere in front of a complete stranger really is a humbling experience.  The girl was super nice and the entire process literally took like 5 minutes.  I knew that I was very obese going in and don’t need a machine to confirm that, but I’m glad I have an exact number to place on my body fat percentage so that I can have something to work towards and have a big fat number to motivate me.  

The results revealed that I had 46.9% body fat.  Wow.  Putting a number makes it so real.

The man who discussed my assessment with me afterwards agreed with the fact that I was fat but he also said I have one of the biggest lean muscle amounts he has seen on a female.  He told me in a nice way that I was “big boned” and that I would be the type of girl who resembles an athlete and is never “skinny”, rather just super fit.  (that is, once I get there).  He said that I could get to a desirable weight range, but would still be considered overweight on any scale due to my muscle mass.  That was encouraging since I know that my basic bone structure is just naturally larger than others.  It felt nice to have a professional confirm it.  

So, as of right now I am starting with 46.9 percent body fat and going to do everything I can to get that number a lot smaller by marathon season.  Hopefully in four months at my next visit I will be a lot more comfortable in my sports bra and spandex.