The Data Doesn't Lie
Analysis of my InBody Data Across 2024
Introduction
I just published a blog on my end of year reflections on learning and growth across 2024. But I wanted to do a second part that uses the data I have available to underscore some of my learnings from 2024. I never would have imagined that I would be the type of person doing this sort of analysis and reflection, but I think that doing this step is an important part of my learning and is helping shape what I want to improve and focus on in 2025, so I thought it was valuable to share.
There is obviously a degree of vulnerability attached to sharing this data in this way, but as part of my growth, I think it helps me be accountable and not just hide in words and narratives. But also, if someone else takes something away and learns something from reading this, then it will have achieved another purpose I’m passionate about: helping others learn.
For each of the data points, I have tried to include a basic definition of what they are, and then included the data and some of my thoughts on each. I hope you find it helpful.
InBody Score
Definition: A single number representing overall body composition health. Higher scores generally indicate better muscle-to-fat balance and overall fitness.
Numbers:
Start: 65
End of Year: 75 (an increase of 10 points).
Comment: A steady improvement that likely reflects my F45 training consistency.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Definition: The number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain basic functions. Higher BMR typically correlates with increased muscle mass.
Numbers:
Start: 1833 kcal/day
End of Year: 1945 kcal/day (an increase of 112 kcal/day).
Comment: The increase in BMR is likely linked to my increase in skeletal muscle mass. This is expected when people do strength training. While I am happy enough with the increase, as it wasn’t something I was tracking as a number, by having more consistency in my nutrition and considering more heavier strength-based exercises, improving this might be something I can try to focus on in 2025.
Weight (kg)
Definition: Total body weight, including muscle, fat, water, and bone.
Numbers:
Start: 99.9 kg
Lowest: 94.6 kg (after the first challenge)
End of Year: 101.5 kg.
Comment: no one ever starts going to the gym wanting to end the year heavier than when they first walked in. While my weight initially dropped, it has increased again by year-end. Some of this can be attributed to gains in skeletal muscle mass (+3.5 kg overall) and some is just sad, old fat regain.
While muscle gain is positive, the fat increase warrants reflection on my dietary habits. I know in the second half of the year with lots of travel overseas and events and celebrations, I was not consistent with nutrition.
Compared to other New Year’s Resolution years where the goal was purely losing weight and reducing this number (which I never did), this year was actually focused on learning and building better habits and consistency. This number going up isn’t great to reflect on, but as a learning, I can acknowledge I need to improve things outside of the gym to see this number improve to where I want it to be.
Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM)
Definition: The weight of your muscles, excluding fat, water, and other tissues.
Numbers:
Start: 38.0 kg
End of Year: 41.5 kg (a gain of 3.5 kg).
Comment: This increase aligns with me doing any sort of training for the first time, and is a good indicator of improvements in my fitness. The steady gain shows that regularly attending F45 was effective in building some muscle over the year.
Body Fat Mass (BFM)
Definition: The total amount of fat in your body.
Numbers:
Start: 32.2 kg
End of Year: 28.6 kg (a decrease of 3.6 kg).
Comment: Fat loss early in the year was partially regained by year-end. This points to room for improvement in managing my diet and consistency away from the gym.
BMI (kg/m²)
Definition: A simple weight-to-height ratio often criticized for ignoring body composition.
Numbers:
Start: 29.8
End of Year: 30.3 (a slight increase).
Comment: All year everyone has told me to ignore BMI, as it is far from a perfect measure. That said, it is one of those numbers that I don’t think anyone goes to the gym wanting to see it increase. It could be the result of a mix of both muscle and fat increases, but for me, the numbers show that I do need to focus on reducing body fat. I feel that being more consistent with the food I eat and my drinking is what I need to do to change this number and see it head toward the healthy range.
Percent Body Fat (PBF)
Definition: The percentage of total weight that is fat.
Numbers:
Start: 32.2%
End of Year: 28.2% (a decrease of 4%).
Comment: this is an overall improvement, so I am happy, but in the later half of the year it increased again from the lowest point (26.6%). This number again reveals inconsistency in my nutrition and how this has impacted my ability to maintain fat loss. I’m happy it is lower than it was, and excited about decreasing it more in 2025.
Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR)
Definition: The ratio of waist to hip circumference, an indicator of fat distribution and cardiovascular risk.
Numbers:
Start: 1.03
End of Year: 1.03 (no change).
Comment: this is another one of the numbers that it sucks to see. On the one hand, I put in a lot of effort and didn’t do it for this number to stay the same. From a health perspective, at my age, as a risk factor - you want this number to be lower than mine is. My hope is that this year I have built a good foundational base to target reducing this number in 2025 by continuing to exercise and improving my diet.
Visceral Fat Level
Definition: Fat around internal organs, with high levels posing health risks.
Numbers:
Start: 15
End of Year: 13 (a decrease of 2).
Comment: An overall reduction is positive, but the rebound from 11 earlier in the year shows consistency in my diet and exercise during the latter part of the year had an impact. It reminds me of how quickly hard won gains are lost, and how old habits die hard when it comes to eating poorly and drinking too much. As a health risk, it isn’t great for it to be 13, consistency away from the gym matters as much as inside - definitely a lot of room for improvement in 2025.
Total Body Water (TBW)
Definition: The total amount of water in your body. Higher TBW often correlates with increased muscle mass.
Numbers:
Start: 49.4 L
End of Year: 53.2 L.
Comment: the increase aligns with the muscle gains and the potential improvements to my overall hydration.
Protein and Mineral Content
Protein: Increased from 13.3 kg to 14.4 kg.
Minerals: Increased from 5.01 kg to 5.27 kg.
Comment: these incremental increases reflect muscle gains and bone health resulting from starting my training journey.
Bone Mineral Content (BMC)
Definition: The weight of bone minerals.
Numbers:
Start: 4.18 kg
End of Year: 4.41 kg.
Comment: a steady increase that reflects the impact of resistance training and eating better than I was.
Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI)
Definition: Muscle mass relative to height.
Numbers:
Start: 8.6
End of Year: 8.7.
Comment: a minimal improvement that suggests I have been doing more strength-based exercises, I assume if I do more next year this number will continue to uptick slowly in the new year.
Conclusion
As I wrote in my other blog, I am thinking of 2024 as a beginning. Improvements have been made in my muscle mass, reduced fat percentage, and overall fitness. However, the numbers clearly show that there are areas where progress has also plateaued or reversed, particularly around body fat regain and waist-hip ratio. This reiterates my other point that learning isn’t always linear or constant forward progress. What I have learned by looking at the data and reflecting is that I need to be more consistent with my nutrition, recovery, as well as maintaining consistency in the areas I have built this year. It’s not one year of consistent habits, it is many that will make the difference. What I need to be doing to achieve my health goals is staying true to my original intent: be consistent, keep learning and growing in the areas I want to improve in every day until it is this time again next year.
This would have been hard to share - bare numbers like this!! Good on you for being so transparent in your journey - and lots of incredible improvements in there