Bouyancy and Weight Loss

[TJcop]

I've been working out, dieting and losing lots of weight (fat). I'm wondering if anyone knows how much buoyancy fat has, in relation to the amount of weights I'll need while diving.
I know less fat = less lead...but is there a forumla? Does 5lbs of fat loss = X lbs of buoyancy?

I've got a some dives next week, and I'm trying to make an educated guess from my last dives, minus my ugly fat.

PS: I'm down to 225 from 239 in 3 weeks! Just a diet change and running 6 days a week 30mins(ish) or 3 miles as of right now.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Funny, I was just wondering how to ask this same question!

Not that I've lost weight, but rather trying to get motivated to.

Congrats on your success!

 

[hdtran]

Fat has a specific gravity around 0.9; that is, 1 lb of fat will be approx. 0.1 lb positively buoyant. These numbers are good to about 10%.

If your weight changes by 10 lb of fat, you would be able to reduce the lead you carry by 1 lb.

That said, there's a more interesting cascade: If you lose weight, you may be able to use a smaller wetsuit, therefore, you need less lead to sink that wetsuit...

Nevertheless, losing weight to reduce your BMI or %fat to a healthy level (assuming you had an overly large BMI or %fat to start with) is good for you.

At my worst, I've been 170+ lb. Ideally, I should be around 155 lb. I'm working my way thru 164, and going down (about 1 lb every 3 months or so. It's a long slog against the metabolism!).

Congratulations on the diet & regular exercise! It's a lifestyle change that you're after!
Keep it up!

 

[scubabrn]

wtg on the weight loss!!!! Keeep in mind that a 5lb lump of fat is close to the size of a football. I cant remember exact numbers from my health class, sorry. I do remeber that lean muscle tissue is mort dense than fat tissue, thus lmt is less bouyant. May I suggest that you head to your lds and do a bouyancy check before heading out on your next trip. They should be more than glad to see you.