Need to understand body fat %!

katiejanecollins

Hi everyone

So I've gone form 134lbs to 121lbs, which is great, but I'm not sure how much lower it'll go now ( I always hit a wall at 121lbs!).

I've been focussing more on body fat % recently as that's the main thing I'm concerned about keeping down, it's currently 22.4%.

At present, I do 30 minutes of interval training on the cross trainer 4-5 days a week (with occasional strength work too). Is this the right sort of thing to be doing to get my body fat % down? And if so, what % should I be aiming for?

My stomach is fine, it's my legs that are the problem. I know you can't spot reduce, but I'm hoping my legs will shrink a little between now and my holiday in November.

Please advise!

Thank you

TavistockToad

firstly a bodyfat % of 22.4 is nothing to be concerned with. It sperfectly healthy.

However i would look at doing regular strength/resistance training, ensuring you eat enough protein and dont have too large a deficit.

katiejanecollins

I know, but I'm not happy with my legs at all (I look weirdly proportioned in comparison to my top half). Is the amount of cardio I'm doing ok? I eat chicken and veg often, so hoping that helps. Carbs are my issue!!! What do you mean by deficit?

AllanMisner

Eating at a deficit means you’re taking in fewer calories than you’re using. The the calories in/calories out theory of weight loss, you have to burn fat (and potentially muscle) to keep going. However, eventually your body adjusts to the new calorie intake and slows your metabolism. So it is important to eat at a very small deficit (500 calories or less) to make the weight loss sustainable.

Part of the issue, especially if you only do cardio, is that you’ll also be losing muscle while your losing fat. To keep this from happening, it is recommended you lift weights and ensure your protein intake is sufficient. If you take the time to train hard (lift heavy) and eat well (good macros), you can maintain muscle, lose fat and your bf % will go down.

Since you’re already in the healthy bf% range, going below that (to get to athletic ranges) is going to be challenging. It is also likely going to take a paradigm shift. Can you take having your legs actually get slightly bigger (as you add muscle) and/or see the scale go up (as you add muscle)? Most scale watchers can’t. They panic, and they quit.

To get where you want to go, you’re likely going to have to cycle between bulking (adding muscle) and cutting (strict dieting to lose fat). That takes commitment.

katiejanecollins

I eat 1600 calories a day and don't want to go below that, last time I did I ended up at the doctors feeling dizzy and lethargic all the time. I definitely DO NOT want bulky legs, I just want to lose about 1inch of fat on each, surely cardio and a bit of weight training will help this? I burn around 200 calories in a workout, I must be misunderstanding what you're saying as there's no way I can eat less that 200 calories a day?!

TavistockToad

katiejanecollins wrote: »

I eat 1600 calories a day and don't want to go below that, last time I did I ended up at the doctors feeling dizzy and lethargic all the time. I definitely DO NOT want bulky legs, I just want to lose about 1inch of fat on each, surely cardio and a bit of weight training will help this? I burn around 200 calories in a workout, I must be misunderstanding what you're saying as there's no way I can eat less that 200 calories a day?!

where do you get anyone saying eat 200 cals a day?

katiejanecollins

"So it is important to eat at a very small deficit (500 calories or less) to make the weight loss sustainable." I know it can't be right - but I don't know what Allan is actually meaning.

katiejanecollins

Also, everyone says to 'eat less than you burn', which doesn't make sense

sloseph

i think you've got confused by the deficit explanation

you have you BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is how many calories you can eat a day, if you eat exactly this about then you will neither lose or gain weight

if you want to lose weight you need to eat at a deficit to your BMR, so for example my BMR is about 2200, so to lose weight i eat 1700 calories a day which is 500 less than my BMR

BeTheChange352

go here to learn some information about how weight loss works and figure out your TDEE.

TavistockToad

katiejanecollins wrote: »

Also, everyone says to 'eat less than you burn', which doesn't make sense

it makes perfect sense... you burn calories just by being alive, breathing, brain function etc etc, then you add in your daily movement, and then you add in any meaningful exercise, all of which is part of your TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

You need to eat at a deficit from your TDEE to lose weight.

TavistockToad

sloseph wrote: »

i think you've got confused by the deficit explanation

you have you BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is how many calories you can eat a day, if you eat exactly this about then you will neither lose or gain weight

if you want to lose weight you need to eat at a deficit to your BMR, so for example my BMR is about 2200, so to lose weight i eat 1700 calories a day which is 500 less than my BMR

no, you're confusing BMR with TDEE

DragonLadyLiz

Remember, when you exercise and put out more than you eat, you WILL lose the fat. You will also start to build muscle. Before you complain about how your legs look, look at the kind of exercises you are doing, and where the "problem areas" are on your legs. You might be seeing a build up of muscle. Check it out with a trainer if you go to a gym - you might get a free session there 1 time.
Also, one thing that females forget is that if their body fat falls too far below a certain percentage (I think it is about 20%) you can find problems with your menstrual cycle.

katiejanecollins

Thanks everyone - I'll just stick to my 1600 a day as I'm not really looking to lose more than 5lbs in total now. 1600 works well for me as it allows me to lose 0.5-1lbs a week. It's what MFP suggests, so I'll go with it!

TavistockToad

DragonLadyLiz wrote: »

Remember, when you exercise and put out more than you eat, you WILL lose the fat. You will also start to build muscle. Before you complain about how your legs look, look at the kind of exercises you are doing, and where the "problem areas" are on your legs. You might be seeing a build up of muscle. Check it out with a trainer if you go to a gym - you might get a free session there 1 time.
Also, one thing that females forget is that if their body fat falls too far below a certain percentage (I think it is about 20%) you can find problems with your menstrual cycle.

OP isnt building muscle in a calorie deficit.

Women tend to lose their period if they are below 14% bodyfat.

sloseph

TavistockToad wrote: »

sloseph wrote: »

i think you've got confused by the deficit explanation

you have you BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is how many calories you can eat a day, if you eat exactly this about then you will neither lose or gain weight

if you want to lose weight you need to eat at a deficit to your BMR, so for example my BMR is about 2200, so to lose weight i eat 1700 calories a day which is 500 less than my BMR

no, you're confusing BMR with TDEE

oh balls, that's what happens when i try to be useful before i've had my morning coffee

katiejanecollins

Lol - if it's any consolation sloseph I don't even know what BMR and TDEE are... and I'm currently drinking my morning coffee

TavistockToad

katiejanecollins wrote: »

Lol - if it's any consolation sloseph I don't even know what BMR and TDEE are... and I'm currently drinking my morning coffee

you havent read any of the responses on here then?

katiejanecollins

Yep, but it's going to take a bit more than a few answers to help me understand unfortunately!

TavistockToad

katiejanecollins wrote: »

Yep, but it's going to take a bit more than a few answers to help me understand unfortunately!

what do you still not understand?

katiejanecollins

So my BMR is 1297, and my TDEE is 1896. I eat 1600 calories a day and burn 200-300 calories 4-5 days a week. Basically, I'm just confused to 'if I'm doing it right' or not.

cbhubbybubble

Strength training your legs won't make them look bulky, but it will help you maintain the muscle you have and your legs will look more shapely. Just losing weight (muscle mass will come off as part of that weight) will not get you shapely legs...it will get you skinny legs, There's a difference, imo

TavistockToad

katiejanecollins wrote: »

So my BMR is 1297, and my TDEE is 1896. I eat 1600 calories a day and burn 200-300 calories 4-5 days a week. Basically, I'm just confused to 'if I'm doing it right' or not.

if you're losing weight then yes, you're doing it right.

for fat loss to reduce your bodyfat % you need to give some thought to your workout routine and protein intake.

katiejanecollins

My plan was to go for skinny legs, and then build the muscle. As last year, I went for muscle gain as well as fat loss, and I just built muscle on the fat... haha.

TavistockToad

katiejanecollins wrote: »

My plan was to go for skinny legs, and then build the muscle. As last year, I went for muscle gain as well as fat loss, and I just built muscle on the fat... haha.

you cant build muscle and lose fat at the same time (other than a bit of newbie gains) its VERY hard for a woman to gain muscle so deliberately trying to lose muscle isnt recommended.

katiejanecollins

I'm not trying to lose it, I lost it by stopping working out for months on end. I'm trying to lose the fat, not muscle. I still do ab work/leg work, just not as much as cardio.

cbhubbybubble

It's hard to convince anyone who has a perception about their body, that it isn't so as far as others looking, but fwiw, your legs are not out of proportion at all from what I see. Continued weight loss without strength training will result in more muscle loss....maybe not much with only a 5lb goal, but there will be some if your bf is only 22% now....some of that 5lbs will have to be muscle....and as Tavistock says, it's hard to build back. You can maintain what you have easier than get it back once it's gone.

katiejanecollins

Ok thanks for the advice, I'll try and incorporate more strength workouts into my week alongside the cardio I really want to get into swimming, is that classed as cardio or strength also?

AllanMisner

I’m looking at your profile picture and you do not have big legs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder

katiejanecollins

From a side view they're pretty wide and covered in cellulite. I can pinch like several inches of fat on each one haha. Thanks for the concern but I don't have Body dysmorphic disorder!

Timorous_Beastie

AllanMisner wrote: »

I’m looking at your profile picture and you do not have big legs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder

This. You have thin legs. You even have that coveted-by-some thigh gap. If you want legs like a Victoria's Secrets model, strap on some sky high heels and use photoshop like they do.