My undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Arts; I majored in Library Science and Drama.  Which means [drumroll please] I have a B.A. in L.S.D.!  Honest!  I’m not kidding.  Neat huh? 🙂

One nice thing about getting a liberal arts degree was that only one semester of the lowest level of algebra was required. Yay! Yippee! Woo Hoo!

So, who knew that years later I would actually *need* some of that math to become fit!  The other thing that college taught me is how to do research.  Which is a good thing, I guess, since I’m a Librarian.  A big chunk of my job is finding information.  But who knew that I’d be using that skill set to get healthy?

After writing Setting Goals: You gotta do the math! Ugh!,  it occurred to me that I’ve been using some fitness formulas, terms and guidelines without really defining or explaining them.  This post will elaborate on the following points:

• How I arrived at a goal of 194 lbs and 12% Body Fat
• The maximum safe amount you should plan on losing per week is 1% of your total body mass.
• When losing weight the goal is to lose body fat, not muscle; in other words your “lean body mass” should remain fairly constant.
• The “Healthy at Every Size” Movement.  It is important to “listen” to your body; weight and body fat are only two indicators of health, they should not be relied upon to the exclusion of other factors.

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