Hellenistic Greek God!

Motivation:

"The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for." ~Maureen Dowd

Diary:

D: brocoli, ramen soup, tilapia
---------------
B: eggs and turkey bacon
S: protien bar
L: homeade chicken, tomato and peas
S: deli turkey & cheese, celery and peanut butter
G: elliptical 1.76 miles, 353+ calories, walk 1 mile, sauna

Notes:

I have been trying to figure out what the perfect (ideal) measurements are, for goal setting, and have come out more confused than I went in.

1) The quick and easy.
My coworker - let's call him Wade - indicates that a perfect male body is 106 lbs for the first 5 feet in height, and add 6 lbs for each extra inch. Then add or subtract 10% of the total if you have a tiny or large frame. I would be 209 lbs based on this formula. One of the problems about this calculation is that is it doesn't account for size or body fat%, just the weight. I guess I am looking for more information.

The other quick and easy is to look at Body Fat % as your guide. Here is a quick and dirty table (for men only):

• Competition Shape ("ripped") 3-6%
• Very Lean (excellent) <>
• Lean (good) 10-14%
• Average (fair) 15-19%
• Below average (poor) 20-25%
• Very poor 26-30%+

2) Greek God. We can look into the past to find the perfect male body. We can look at the ancient Greeks is the proportions used by artists in works of paint and sculpture during the Hellenistic period where we see muscular men and gods in many poses. Neck: 17"- Biceps: 16" - Calves: 15" - Chest: 44" - Thigh: 24"- Waist: 32" The Greek Gods had about 8% body fat. The problem is that I am taller than most Greek people in 323 BC - 146 BC, plus they didn't have cubicles and swivel chairs and sofas and big screens and remote controls.

3) Wrist Size. I found many calculators that use Wrist and Ankle sizes to measure your genetical potential for building muscle and losing weight. The best one I found is here: http://www.trulyhuge.com/fitnesscalculators.htm

My Wrist Size is 8 Inches, so my "ideal body" measurements are:
Chest Size: 52
Forearm Size: 15.08
Waist Size: 36.4
Thigh Size: 27.56
Hip Size: 44.2
Calf Size: 17.68
Biceps Size: 18.72
Neck Size: 19.24

Ok, that isn't too far away from the Greek God measurements.. but nowhere near what I am right now.


Ok, Time-Out! Here is my problem with what I have read so far: I put the following in my Fitness Chart to see where I would be with the 'ideal weight and measurements":

Weight: 209
Chest: 52
Waist: 36.4
Hips: 44.2

Then my calculations turn out as follows:
Estimated Body Fat Percentage = 18.9% (That is "Average", not "Ideal")
Estimated Body Mass Index (BMI) = 26.83 (This is still considered overweight!)

I don't trust the numbers, nor the "ultimate measurements". I will have to continue doing some research. read on....


4) "Reallistic Body Weight"
The weight-for-height table currently used by the US Army is related to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company standards that form the basis of medical weight recommendations. In 1943, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company introduced their standard height-weight tables for men and women. They were called "desirable" weights, which would indicate those persons with the lowest mortality rates. According to that table, I should be somewhere between 176 - 202 lb, which matches up closely with calculation #1 from my coworker, Wade.


5) What does Joe Sixpack say about me?
According to the calculations on http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm, where you can find the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's table, there is another way to calculate your weight. This is not by FACTS or CALCULATIONS, but by asking you peers to judge their PERCEPTIONS of weight at the current time.

The "Peoples Choice Ideal Weight" formula tries to predict what other "similar" people would choose as their own ideal weight. People were asked: " Ideally, how much would you like to weigh at the moment?"

So, based on the Medical Recommendations, I should be somewhere around 176 - 209 lbs for the ideal weight, but according to my peers and the people on the street who are approximately myAge, Height, Weight and Gender, I should weigh 304 lbs.

Here is the funny thing, though. When I get to 304 lbs, then do the calculation again, my peers now think that I should weigh 242 lbs!
When I get to 242, they STILL won't be happy, and they think I should weigh 211 lbs!, then 195 lbs, then 187 lbs, 183 lbs, 181 lbs, and finally stop at 180 lbs. It really seems that people who are my weight are never happy with themselves. At least they know when to stop....

I guess I will stay confused for now. I guess I will be happy when I am in my size 46 pants and then go from there.

have a good weekend. see you on Monday.

Chazz