21% to 10% tips

10UDFG

Hey guys, just on here asking for some tips on dropping from my current:

21% Bodyfat @ 238 and 5'10"

10% Bodyfat, approx. 208 is the goal
Recently got into some running and damn its a killer! Obviously that's my go to with the major impact to drop down but prior was max incline treadmill for 30+mins at 4.8 - 5.2 speed level (175+BPM HR) and lots of sweat!

Any tips would be great!

usmcmp

Cardio is great and all, but as you lose weight you lose muscle mass. If you want to lower your body fat percentage it's a really good idea to do some form of resistance training/weight lifting. Otherwise you have to lose a lot more weight to reach your body fat goal.

If you weren't morbidly obese or a lifter for most of your life I'm going to definitively state that your current body fat estimate is wrong.

jemhh

It looks like you picked your bodyweight goal with the assumption that you will lose no lean mass. Be aware that that doesn't happen. Even if you are lifting and eating sufficient protein in order to maintain muscle, you will lose lean mass (water, etc.)

In general, eat in a deficit, do resistance training, eat sufficient protein, and get some cardiovascular exercise and a well rounded diet and sufficient sleep in order to improve your overall health.

misnomer1

10UDFG wrote: »

Hey guys, just on here asking for some tips on dropping from my current:

21% Bodyfat @ 238 and 5'10"

10% Bodyfat, approx. 208 is the goal
Recently got into some running and damn its a killer! Obviously that's my go to with the major impact to drop down but prior was max incline treadmill for 30+mins at 4.8 - 5.2 speed level (175+BPM HR) and lots of sweat!

Any tips would be great!

10% body fat at 208 for 5'10 height sounds plain wrong unless you already have a huge amount of muscle. Pics would help.

TavistockToad

10UDFG wrote: »

Hey guys, just on here asking for some tips on dropping from my current:

21% Bodyfat @ 238 and 5'10"

10% Bodyfat, approx. 208 is the goal
Recently got into some running and damn its a killer! Obviously that's my go to with the major impact to drop down but prior was max incline treadmill for 30+mins at 4.8 - 5.2 speed level (175+BPM HR) and lots of sweat!

Any tips would be great!

you need to lift some heavy stuff. plus a proper running programme would be more beneficial to avoid injury if you're not a regular runner at the moment.

andysport1

Agree 208 and 10% don't match unless your a mega weightlifter

Hungry_Shopgirl

I would think that someone who's managed to be at 238lbs and have only 20% of that be fat would already know what to do to get to 10%. Because he'd already be pretty ripped. I could be wrong though.

sgt1372

OP: How did you measure your BF?

FWIW, I'm 5'8" and when I weighed 196, my BF had to be over WAY over 20% because when measured by DXA at 172 it was 20%. I weigh 160 now at 13% also measured by DXA (and 8.9% measured hydrostatically).

My BMI at 196 was 29.8 (borderline obese) and currently is at 24.3 (borderline normal). Your BMI at 238 is currently 34.1 (obese) and at 208 would be 29.8 (overweight but still borderline obese).

So, given our similar height and comparing your stats w/mine, I'd be very surprised if you only have 20% BF at 238.

As for how to get to 10% which is about where I am now, it's all about losing weight by eating at a caloric deficit and lifting heavy in order to try to minimize LBM & muscle loss.

It took me about 18 months to achieve it and my LBM remained relatively constant over the past 12 months at about 140 as I lost weight from 172 to 160 while my BF dropped from 20 down to 10%.

Good luck doing it yourself.

jjpptt2

Taking the numbers at face value, you're talking about -

21% BF @ 238lbs = 50lbs fat mass and 188lbs LBM
10% BF @ 208 = 21lbs fat mass and 187lbs LBM

That's goign to take some work. Certainly not impossible, but it ain't going to be easy. Or quick.

I'd start by eating at a pretty small deficit, certainly not more than 500 cals per day. I'd get on a good, progressive lifting program 3-4x week. You can run or stretch or whatever else you like to do on the other days, but that should support your lifting, not compete with it.

I'd do that for 6 months then re-evaluate.

10UDFG

ill try and upload photos lol not sure how to haha the BF was done by a DEXTA scan btw

jemhh

You know, it doesn't really matter if you are 16% or 21% or 26%. The answer to how to get to 10% will be the same. Eat in a deficit, lift, get sufficient protein. DEXA scans do have +/-5% variability at the individual level but that does not change how you lose fat. So don't worry about your exact bf. Your avi looks like you're lifting already so just keep that up and you will be fine.

10UDFG

I just seem to hit a point where im levelling out and scales + mirror viewing shows no changes, even dropped weight sessions out to see if throwing 100% energy into cardio would help

usmcmp

10UDFG wrote: »

I just seem to hit a point where im levelling out and scales + mirror viewing shows no changes, even dropped weight sessions out to see if throwing 100% energy into cardio would help

Getting a food scale and logging absolutely everything you eat or drink will help. Cutting out all cheat days or cheat meals (fitting them in your calories isn't cheating) will help. If the scale and mirror aren't changing you are eating too much.

jjpptt2

10UDFG wrote: »

I just seem to hit a point where im levelling out and scales + mirror viewing shows no changes, even dropped weight sessions out to see if throwing 100% energy into cardio would help

It won't. You're going the wrong direction. If you're stuck, put more focus/energy on diet and lifting, not on cardio. Cardio certainly won't hurt you, but it's the least impactful of the 3 factors, at least based on your scenario/posts. And don't underestimate how long progress can take - make sure you're being patient enough.

Also, with body comp goals, make sure your macros are reasonable.

misnomer1

10UDFG wrote: »

I just seem to hit a point where im levelling out and scales + mirror viewing shows no changes, even dropped weight sessions out to see if throwing 100% energy into cardio would help

Eat less calories than you burn. Set up mfp properly, buy food scale, weigh all foods and choose correct entries so you are sure you eat less than you burn.

The scale will show the loss eventually.

leggup

Did you use an online calculator like: https://www.fitwatch.com/calculator/ideal-body-fat-weight ? They got that number by doing (Weight X Current Body Fat %/100) to get how many pounds of you is actually just fat. In your case you are currently carrying ~50 pounds of fat. To get the goal body weight, they divided lean body mass by one minus your goal body fat percentage. (Lean Body Mass / (1 - Goal Body Fat %/100). To reach that goal, you would have to maintain ALL lean body mass (188 lbs).

My husband does bulk/cut phases. During a cut, his goal is to cut as much fat while maintaining muscle/lean mass. He ALWAYS loses some strength and lean mass, but the BF% still drops substantially. To get down to 10%.. my guess is you'll have to be in the 180-190 lb range. MAYBE 195 lbs if you put on epic muscle before cutting.

jemhh

10UDFG wrote: »

I just seem to hit a point where im levelling out and scales + mirror viewing shows no changes, even dropped weight sessions out to see if throwing 100% energy into cardio would help

Could you describe what you mean by "leveling out"? In general, it is common for scale progress to slow as you get leaner. You could increase your deficit (cut calories) in order to keep it up but for many people, accepting the slower rate of loss makes continue weight loss more sustainable from a hunger/energy standpoint. At the same time, the psychological aspect--good grief, will this process never end?!?--is something that needs to be managed when you get to this point.

Also, for many people there is a point where you don't see progress in the mirror for what seems like ages and then suddenly, nearly overnight, *bam* it shows up. I don't know if that is a factor right now (I'm terrible at judging bf) but it is something to consider.

TavistockToad

10UDFG wrote: »

I just seem to hit a point where im levelling out and scales + mirror viewing shows no changes, even dropped weight sessions out to see if throwing 100% energy into cardio would help

Are you weighing your food?

10UDFG

Yeah all foods are scaled and haven't had a cheat meal in quite some time, My usual weight sessions vary depending but usually 1-1.5hrs
So far i've downed 110 (50kg) on the scales alone, so who knows how much fat loss ive really lost if I didn't add muscle mass to the scales ontop haha but ive got a decent proportion going with upper body and lower body
20" arms and 20" Calves (thank god no calf gain jokes get thrown at me) but thanks guys! really helps to start nailing the issue im having, I do use Duromine to help so calories weren't a main issue that I pressumed

10UDFG

leggup wrote: »

Did you use an online calculator like: https://www.fitwatch.com/calculator/ideal-body-fat-weight ? They got that number by doing (Weight X Current Body Fat %/100) to get how many pounds of you is actually just fat. In your case you are currently carrying ~50 pounds of fat. To get the goal body weight, they divided lean body mass by one minus your goal body fat percentage. (Lean Body Mass / (1 - Goal Body Fat %/100). To reach that goal, you would have to maintain ALL lean body mass (188 lbs).

My husband does bulk/cut phases. During a cut, his goal is to cut as much fat while maintaining muscle/lean mass. He ALWAYS loses some strength and lean mass, but the BF% still drops substantially. To get down to 10%.. my guess is you'll have to be in the 180-190 lb range. MAYBE 195 lbs if you put on epic muscle before cutting.

that calculator was soo much easier haha I did it the old fashion way that you suggested a few days ago
Yeah the main fat is stored on my inner thighs and stomach (muffin top) have got the veins showing everywhere else which is odd to see lol

PAV8888

First of all congratulations. You're looking good. And you've achieved a very good loss and by the sounds of it you now want to continue working out like you've been while at the same time continuing to control your diet.

However moving from "I am no longer obese" to "I am perfect" takes time. A lot of time. And you've introduced a bit of a curve ball with your comment above.

By the looks of it Duromine is a version of Phentermine intended for short term use by people who are obese and are facing a bigger health risks by remaining obese than by taking a drug with several side effects in order to help them achieve weight loss.

As an amphetamine type drug, Phentermine has the potential to become habit forming with extended use and it gives the user a sense of euphoria and loads of energy.

And you've admirably directed this boost at losing weight and improving strength just as you were supposed to!

However, my contention is that your most important task right now is not trying to perfect your body.

From the point of view of your long term health getting off the amphetamines that you cannot continue to take for the rest of your life while maintaining your 130lb loss and the corresponding reduction of body fat from your initial level to where you are today is a much bigger win than any incremental benefits you would get by losing another 40 to 50lbs and reducing your body fat % even more.

Once you've managed to wean yourself from the drug then you will be better able to evaluate how to proceed with your long term plans.

Hopefully you will be able to continue losing and strength training and will reach those additional goals in time.