Results will be based on greatest percentage of body fat % lost...eg 20% BF loses 2%, this would be 10% BF lost.

Recent weigh in update - You guys ROCK!!! You guys are such a great example of how 2 different body types respond with consistent exercise and healthier eating. Buzz´s metabolism is going off the charts...due in large part to previous exercise and muscle building. Dana is finally starting to see muscle increase and has lost a ridiculous amount of FAT for such a short time...Keep it up and you guys will be our next year billboard models.

First weigh-in update - Buzz and Dana have both worked hard over the last two weeks and the results display their commitment. Dana lost 7 lbs in 2 weeks and 1.6% body fat. This means she lost 5 lbs of actual fat and 2 lbs of muscle, or what we call lean mass. This is excellent considering expected body loss per month is about 2% with moderate exercise and cleaning up your diet. She needs to make sure she really focuses on her weight training though, in order to prevent continued muscle loss. People who reduce their calories extremely, or starve themselves on diets, have a tendency to see quick weight loss, but in reality this end up being muscle and leads to the yo yo effect. Buzz also lost 1.5% body fat, but only lost 2 lbs of total weight. This doesn't sound too impressive until you consider that he actually lost 4 lbs of fat and gained 2 lbs of muscle. This is why weight loss by itself can be misleading to those of use trying to get in better shape and depend on the scale as our only measuring stick for success. Remember that lean mass (muscle) is one of the best ways to improve our metabolism, which is how the body burns calories. The higher your metabolism the more calories your body consumes, even at rest. The more muscle or lean mass you have…the higher your metabolism is. So we want Dana and Buzz to build muscle and lose fat…so when they reach their personal goals it will be much easier to maintain and their body will be much more efficient with how it burns calories.

Your body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat your body contains. If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it means that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass (bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else). A certain amount of fat is essential to bodily functions. Fat regulates body temperature, cushions and insulates organs and tissues and is the main form of the body's energy storage. The following table describes body fat ranges and their associated categories:

Classification	Women % fat	Men % Fat
Essential Fat	10-12%	2-4%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-31%	18-25%
Obese	32% plus	25% plus

Knowing your body fat percentage can also help you determine if your weight loss goals are realistic.
Remember, weight loss doesn't always mean fat loss. For example:
Let's say you're a 130# woman with 23% body fat, and you goal is to "lose 20 pounds": Initial body fat: 130# x 0.23 fat = 30 # body fat
Lean body mass: 130# total - 30# fat = 100# lean body mass (bones, organs and all else) Goal: 130# - 20# = 110 pounds

As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or healthy. At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100# of lean body mass (bones, organs, etc.), but would only be carrying 10#, or only 9% body fat. From the chart above, you can see that this is a dangerously low percentage. A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat from 23% to 18%. In this case: 130# x 0.18 = 23 # body fat 100# lean body mass + 23 # = 123# goal weight
So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from her current 130 pounds to 123 pounds. Losing more than 7 pounds means losing lean body mass (usually metabolically-active muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable.
So before you decide that you need to "lose weight", remember to consider that "weight" consists of both lean body mass and body fat.

Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic, and remember, keep the calorie-burning muscle, and lose only the fat.

	Buzz Russell	Buzz Russell	Buzz Russell	Results	Dana Pierce	Dana Pierce	Dana Pierce	Results
Date	1/10/08	3/24/08	4/4/08		1/9/08	3/24/08	4/4/08
Height	69.00	69.00	69.00	69.00	61.25	61.25	61.25	61.25
Weight	231	233	230	-1.0 lbs	156.50	134	130	-26.5 lbs
Fat lbs	75.08	61.51	57.73	- 16.3	56.50	38.46	36.01	-20.5
Lean Mass Lbs	155.93	171.49	172.27	+16.3	100.00	95.54	93.99	-6.0
Body Fat %	32.5%	26.4%	25.1%	-7.4%	36.1%	28.7	27.7%	-8.4%