how to get rid of soft fat

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Replies

  • Tsoggo
    Tsoggo Posts: 114 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    During my weight loss, as my weight decreased, my remaining fat got softer. It doesn't seem to drop off neatly in discrete layers, but kind of like certain fat cells deplete throughout the fat mass, so it gets squishier. But, as I kept losing, major areas of fat appear to have gone away altogether (I'm close to goal now, BTW). I still have a couple areas where there's some small amount of fat . . . and it's very, very soft. So, I'd say, stay the course with calorie deficit, and see if it gets softer & softer until it goes away, then there's just (maybe) loose skin that will shrink over time.

    I'm no scientician, but I suspect your description is exactly what happens. Your fat isn't just a mass of a substance, like a thick layer of butter. It's made up of cells, just like every other part of your body. These cells are little sacs packed with lipids (fats). As you eat at a deficit, your body says "hey guys, squirt out some fat for me to use as energy, we appear to be in some kind of famine state.." and each cell starts excreting lipids. This would make the whole mass softer as the cells are now more like partially deflated beachballs rather than fully inflated.

    Stay the course, OP. Your soft fat means you're losing it. It'll keep getting softer until it deflates to the point at which you're happy.

    Thanks. The last sentences motivated me xD
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    mkakids wrote: »
    Might I also suggest the lifting.

    Lifting smaller weights in more repetitions can definitely lead to "soft fats" toning up!

    Good luck!!

    Lifting light weights for high reps is mainly cardio.

    Lift as heavy as you can safely manage to see improvement. You still need to lose the fat on top of the muscle though.

    Do cardio sucks? Just a noob question

    Cardio is good for heart health, and you will burn more calories than sitting around. However, you will burn just as many calories, if not more, during a heavy lifting session, and many people enjoy a good lifting session more than pounding out a 5k run every few days. Also, lifting heavy will minimize the muscle loss one can experience when you spend a long time on a calorie deficit diet (such as most of us are). Excessive cardio can actually accelerate that muscle loss.

    Is there a way to lift without going to gym? Aside from i got no money, i dont have much time xD

    You should look into body weight resistance training. I do all my resistance training with my body weight only, in my living room.
  • weightsnbakes
    weightsnbakes Posts: 34 Member
    Fat is soft, as you lose weight you will get smaller as the fat is lost. If parts of you that you don't consider "fatty" feel soft then I would look at your exercise routine. Are you lifting weights? If not, you might want to think about it. Strength training will build muscle and help you burn fat at rest.

    You can't tone fat either. You lose fat as you burn energy at a calorie deficit and build muscle by eating lots of protein and strength training.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,175 Member
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    During my weight loss, as my weight decreased, my remaining fat got softer. It doesn't seem to drop off neatly in discrete layers, but kind of like certain fat cells deplete throughout the fat mass, so it gets squishier. But, as I kept losing, major areas of fat appear to have gone away altogether (I'm close to goal now, BTW). I still have a couple areas where there's some small amount of fat . . . and it's very, very soft. So, I'd say, stay the course with calorie deficit, and see if it gets softer & softer until it goes away, then there's just (maybe) loose skin that will shrink over time.

    Did you lift weights?

    During the weight loss so far, not much. I did do reps to boredom (with weights that are far too light for me) for a couple of weeks in June, because I was recovering from laparoscopic gall bladder surgery, and was only allowed to walk for a month, and to lift 5 pound weights for the final 2 weeks, but not allowed my normal active pursuits.

    However, I usually do a more muscle-intensive form of routine activity: I row, on water in summer, 4-6 times/week - which is when most of my weight loss happened - which involves moving the boat weight plus your own weight through the water. I have pretty strong legs from that, especially. But I've rowed for a dozen years, and stayed fat. (I use a rowing machine in winter, but don't row as much as in summer - just not as much fun.)

    I've weight-trained regularly in past years (while staying fat, too, BTW) for up to a couple of years at a time, but hadn't for multiple years. I'm starting in again (slowly) now that it's rowing's off-season - I'd tentatively restarted earlier, and was finding it too much on top of rowing and spinning (both of which I've done for many years) while in any substantial calorie deficit. (I got undesirably fatigued, and developed some back issues. But I'm old, and haven't had the same stamina since chemotherapy 15 years back.)

    As context, I've lost 54 pounds since April, all down to calorie deficit (started at 2lbs/week, then progressed through 1lb, and now 0.5lb/week targets as my weight progressed downward & I had less left to lose).
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    Are you losing weight?

    Yeah im losing weight slowly. Like a pound and a half every week

    That's not especially slowly. (It only sounds slow when your comparison standard is things like stupid reality TV -"Biggest Loser" sort of thing.) You probably don't want to be losing more than 2 pounds a week, and should cut that back as you get closer to goal. You want to keep your muscles - losing too fast risks them, but weight training *would* help with that. Eat enough protein, too.
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    Is there a way to lift without going to gym? Aside from i got no money, i dont have much time xD

    Someone else mentioned bodyweight training - that's a good option (ask in the fitness forum for links; I don't do it so I don't know any). Or lift anything around the house that's heavy to you, following the form you'd use for weights (example: gallon milk jugs full of water). Or buy weights at a garage sale/tag sale (usually very cheap). You don't necessarily need a huge block of time, just take a 5 minute break every hour or two and do some bodyweight exercise. Anything is better than nothing.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    jadebuniel wrote: »

    But im counting calories. Im always below my calorie limit on myfitnesspal. I rarely go beyond that.

    Are you losing weight?

    Yeah im losing weight slowly. Like a pound and a half every week

    That's not slow, that's great!

    Given that, I'd just keep on what you are doing; you will lose it as you drop fat. Weight training is a nice addition, and if you can't make a gym body weight programs can be good -- something like convict conditioning or you are your own gym (I think one or both have websites). Or check out nerdfitness.
  • Tsoggo
    Tsoggo Posts: 114 Member
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    mkakids wrote: »
    Might I also suggest the lifting.

    Lifting smaller weights in more repetitions can definitely lead to "soft fats" toning up!

    Good luck!!

    Lifting light weights for high reps is mainly cardio.

    Lift as heavy as you can safely manage to see improvement. You still need to lose the fat on top of the muscle though.

    Do cardio sucks? Just a noob question

    Cardio is good for heart health, and you will burn more calories than sitting around. However, you will burn just as many calories, if not more, during a heavy lifting session, and many people enjoy a good lifting session more than pounding out a 5k run every few days. Also, lifting heavy will minimize the muscle loss one can experience when you spend a long time on a calorie deficit diet (such as most of us are). Excessive cardio can actually accelerate that muscle loss.

    Is there a way to lift without going to gym? Aside from i got no money, i dont have much time xD

    You should look into body weight resistance training. I do all my resistance training with my body weight only, in my living room.

    Can you suggest a plan for me? I really don't have an idea about lifting bcos i hate lifting xD