The Bod Pod is another very accurate way to have your body fat measured and it’s much easier and comfortable when compared to hydrostatic weighing. The way the Bod Pod works is by using Air Displacement Plethysmograph (ADP) which uses whole-body densitometry to determine body composition (fat mass vs. lean mass). You basically sit inside a comfortable pod for two 50 second increments of air measurement and that’s it. There are some big name gyms around the country that offer this service inside their facilities, so call around your local area to see if it’s available. Pricing for the Bod Pod ranges from $50-100 per session.
If you had your body fat measured by someone in the gym, they most likely used skinfold calipers to do the testing. This type of body fat testing is notoriously inaccurate because there are many factors that can affect the results. It will completely depend on the experience of the person administering the test. I have seen a wide degree of fat percentage readings from different instructors and trainers doing calipers on the exact same person, so there is a chance for error. When in doubt, simply avoid using this type of body fat testing and opt for a more accurate method.
In terms of muscle mass, it’s simply impossible for you to have gained 7 pounds of lean muscle tissue in 2 months, especially since you’re a woman. Females just don’t have the levels of testosterone (muscle building hormone) needed to gain this amount of muscle tissue in such a short period of time. Even for guys, gaining 7 pounds of rock solid muscle in two months is very rare unless the guy is in his growth years (16-25) and is eating a ton of food along with super high intensity weight training workouts. Most guys would be happy to gain 7 pounds of lean muscle in 6-12 months.
Protein shakes are a good thing and you should focus on whey protein ideally, especially post-workout since whey is a fast acting protein that will be absorbed and used very quickly to repair your muscles after a hard workout. The key to getting lean is by eating a clean diet. A great tip is to cut back on starchy carbs later in the day. Starchy carbs consist of things like rice, pasta, bread, oatmeal and most other grains. After about 6pm, focus on eating mainly lean protein and veggies. Being a vegetarian, just cook up a stir fry with a bunch of veggies and have a protein shake along with it.
Another great tip for losing extra body fat and getting lean is to implement smart cardio. Try doing at least 30-45 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This will tap right into your fat stores and start burning adipose tissue immediately. If you eat any carbs before your cardio workout, your body will use these carbs for energy before tapping into fat. It will take anywhere from 20-40 minutes to burn through the carbs before you get to start burning fat, so it’s very important to prime your body to focus on fat burning by doing your cardio workouts in the morning in a carb fasted state. Feel free to have 1 scoop of protein powder in water or a BCAA supplement drink (branched chain amino acids) before your cardio workout to insure you preserve your muscle tissue.
These tips described above should help you drop the extra body fat you’re looking for. Just remember to stay consistent and be disciplined with your overall fitness plan. It didn’t take a few weeks to gain the excess body fat so don’t think it will only take a few weeks to get back to your lean and ripped physique. Stay focused and determined because you will eventually reach your ultimate physique goals!