Loose Body Fat Urgently

amzcars

I am a 24 year old female, 5ft 2 at 29% BF. I would like to drop BF% to around 15% before I set myself to enter a contest. I have been eating clean and training hard and heavy for around two months but do not seem to get much progress... I am pretty active, and although I have a high BF, I find myself to be quite fit (not looks wise, health wise!) I carry a lot of weight on my arms, hips and thighs... Waist is 28" and hips 43"..

Workouts consist of the following.

Monday 6:30am
Bicep, Tricep 6 exercises for 12-15reps & 3/4 sets & Ab workout

Monday 4:30pm
HIIT body weight for around 45 mins

Tuesday 6:30am
Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Calves & Glutes 12 exercises for 12reps & 3/4 sets & Ab workout

Tuesday 4:30pm
HIIT body weight for around 45 mins.

Wednesday 6:30am
Chest, Back & Shoulders 8 exercises for 12-15reps & 3/4 sets

Wednesday 4:30pm
HIIT body weight for around 45 mins.

Thursday 6:30am
Shoulders & Arms 8 exercises SUPERSETS for 12 reps * 2sets & Ab workout

Thursday 4:30pm
Stretching exercises for around 35mins.

Friday 6:30am
Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Calves & Glutes 10 exercises for 12reps & 3/4 sets & Ab workout

Friday 4:30pm
HIIT body weight for around 45 mins.

Saturday midday
HIIT body weight for around 45mins.

HIIT sessions are pretty tough, with around 180secs work and 30 secs rest and include a lot of plyos.

Diet is pretty clean, I tend to have a cheat meal every 2-3 weeks, depending on how I feel, but even then it tends to be home made, healthy etc...

Meal 1 (post workout)
Protein Shake made with almond milk (sometimes add a banana)

Meal 2
Bacon Medallions, Mushroom & Poached eggs (no oil)

Meal 3
1 cup of melon and 25g nuts

Meal 4
Chicken/Turkey/Tuna/Avocado & Tuna/ Salad (made with lemon juice for dressing)

Meal 5 (post workout)
Protein Shake made with water.

Meal 6
Chicken with 5 different veg (small poritons) and 50g of brown rice

Meal 7
Rice cake with organic peanut/almond butter

I don't always have the same thing, but its pretty much the same nutrient value... I cook everything fresh and if I ever cook anything in oil its always a touch of avocado oil... I usually have an intake of around 1200-1300kcal and have 45% protein, 35% carbs and 20% fat (all healthy fats)...

Also, important to mention that I always have a black coffee preworkout - I use fishoils, multi vitamins and bcaa's and drink around 3 litres of water per day.

Can you please help!

rainbowbow

I suggest hiring a coach with experience prepping girls for competition.

jemhh

You need a calorie deficit. You can do that by eating less, moving more (all physical activity burns calories), or a combination. In order to ensure that you have a calorie deficit, I suggest the following:

• Measure all solids with a digital kitchen scale
• Measure all liquids with a measuring cup
• When it is necessary to measure solids with a measuring cup (i.e., the batter in your scale has died) don’t jam as much possible into the cup. Instead, I suggest filling it to just below the top. You may end up overestimating calories for that food item but doing that once or twice in the time period before you get your new battery will not cause you to starve.
• When using a scale or measuring cup isn’t feasible (e.g., you are out at a restaurant) use your estimating skills. To get a good idea of how to do this, Google “serving size chart” and look at the image results. You may want to print out a chart and put it in your wallet to refer to until a time when you become comfortable with doing this on your own.
• Log all of your food and drink using solid nutrition information. Such info can be found on food labels (you may be able to scan the UPC code on the packaging to find this) and can often be found by searching the MFP database for USDA entries. I prefer to enter searches in this manner “usda [food]”. For example, if I were to look up cucumbers I would search “usda cucumber.” You can also search the USDA’s online nutrition database for this info. Finally, Googling the food on a computer (this may not work on a phone browser) will give you a results screen that shows the USDA’s full nutrition info.

amzcars

Thank you for this! I have already created a calorie defecit of 500kcal as well as not eating the calories I burn, which is around 800kcal per day... I have lost 2%BF but feel as though this isnt enough considering all the hard work I am putting in...

T0M_K

jemhh wrote: »

You need a calorie deficit. You can do that by eating less, moving more (all physical activity burns calories), or a combination. In order to ensure that you have a calorie deficit, I suggest the following:

• Measure all solids with a digital kitchen scale
• Measure all liquids with a measuring cup
• When it is necessary to measure solids with a measuring cup (i.e., the batter in your scale has died) don’t jam as much possible into the cup. Instead, I suggest filling it to just below the top. You may end up overestimating calories for that food item but doing that once or twice in the time period before you get your new battery will not cause you to starve.
• When using a scale or measuring cup isn’t feasible (e.g., you are out at a restaurant) use your estimating skills. To get a good idea of how to do this, Google “serving size chart” and look at the image results. You may want to print out a chart and put it in your wallet to refer to until a time when you become comfortable with doing this on your own.
• Log all of your food and drink using solid nutrition information. Such info can be found on food labels (you may be able to scan the UPC code on the packaging to find this) and can often be found by searching the MFP database for USDA entries. I prefer to enter searches in this manner “usda [food]”. For example, if I were to look up cucumbers I would search “usda cucumber.” You can also search the USDA’s online nutrition database for this info. Finally, Googling the food on a computer (this may not work on a phone browser) will give you a results screen that shows the USDA’s full nutrition info.

With that workout...she has to be in a calorie deficit. she already shown she knows how many calories shes consuming. without knowing the numbers..looks like she may need more calories. body is hanging on to the fat perhaps but i'm no expert.

Let the flaming begin!

amzcars

Do I take the risk of eating more calories? Can the body really not shred fat if I'm not eating enough?! You'd think that it would use it for energy! Aghhh

jemhh

Tomk652015 wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

You need a calorie deficit. You can do that by eating less, moving more (all physical activity burns calories), or a combination. In order to ensure that you have a calorie deficit, I suggest the following:

• Measure all solids with a digital kitchen scale
• Measure all liquids with a measuring cup
• When it is necessary to measure solids with a measuring cup (i.e., the batter in your scale has died) don’t jam as much possible into the cup. Instead, I suggest filling it to just below the top. You may end up overestimating calories for that food item but doing that once or twice in the time period before you get your new battery will not cause you to starve.
• When using a scale or measuring cup isn’t feasible (e.g., you are out at a restaurant) use your estimating skills. To get a good idea of how to do this, Google “serving size chart” and look at the image results. You may want to print out a chart and put it in your wallet to refer to until a time when you become comfortable with doing this on your own.
• Log all of your food and drink using solid nutrition information. Such info can be found on food labels (you may be able to scan the UPC code on the packaging to find this) and can often be found by searching the MFP database for USDA entries. I prefer to enter searches in this manner “usda [food]”. For example, if I were to look up cucumbers I would search “usda cucumber.” You can also search the USDA’s online nutrition database for this info. Finally, Googling the food on a computer (this may not work on a phone browser) will give you a results screen that shows the USDA’s full nutrition info.

With that workout...she has to be in a calorie deficit. she already shown she knows how many calories shes consuming. without knowing the numbers..looks like she may need more calories. body is hanging on to the fat perhaps but i'm no expert.

Let the flaming begin!

She's shown how much she thinks she's consuming.

OP, what was your starting weight? What is your current weight? How did you determine that you lost 2% body fat? You've provided very little actual data.

rainbowbow

amzcars wrote: »

Do I take the risk of eating more calories? Can the body really not shred fat if I'm not eating enough?! You'd think that it would use it for energy! Aghhh

No, don't be confused. this is wrong.


if you aren't losing, you are eating too much.

You stated you are eating back exercise calories, this is where the issue is stemming from i bet. It's damn near impossible to count calories burned with resistance training, so i imagine you are undoing your calorie deficit here.

amzcars

Yeah ofcourse.... My starting weight was 68kg 2 months ago exactly today... Now weighing at 66kg. I have measured BF on scales and also with callipers and have only lost 2% whilst these may not be accurate methods it is the only way... Also, I feel as though I am much fitter and everyone keeps telling me how much weight I have lost, but it really does not feel like it, especially on my lower body.

amzcars

No... i am NOT eating exercise calories.. I never do... The most calories I eat per day is 1300, and never over. I have used the Harris Benedict Equation...

rainbowbow

So you've lost about a half pound of weight per week. This means you've been eating in a 250/day calorie deficit.

And what is your goal weight? How did you measure your body fat percentage?

amzcars

I don't understand how I've only had a deficit of 250? I'm pretty serious about how I weight foods etc... and also as mentioned I burn around 800kcal per day which I dont eat...

my goal is more focused on BF% and would like to reach around 15% - I measure it on the scales as well as using callipers..

DonaldBlinks

I'd guess you're probably eating more than you think and your expectations are not realistic. Clean eating won't necessarily create the defect you're looking for and weight is lost in the kitchen, not the gym.

That being said, it looks like you're losing about .5 lb/week which is actually pretty reasonable for someone your size.

Body fat % probably isn't a great metric for you since you don't have a reliable way of tracking it.

T0M_K

how many calories do you think you burn in your exercise? two sides of the equation. I'd see a professional for advice on how to get super lean. at 1200 or 1300 MAX calories...feels like there is no room to cut calories...but i could be wrong.

emdeesea

How do you know for sure what your calorie intake is? Are you measuring and weighing everything on a food scale?

LKArgh

What kind of competition are you entering? Who came up with thsi exercise schedule, and what are the goals? Who told you that a few months of exercise and diet will result in a 10% or more body fat loss?

LKArgh

Also I hope you are not seriously logging these 45 minutes of whatever it is you are doing as HIIT. No one does 45 minutes of HIIT and no one does 180 secs with 30 secs rest in between as HIIT. Not even if you are an olympics gold medalist.

Maxematics

Yeah, this makes zero sense. You seem to be working out often and with a calorie deficit you should be seeing progress. You do not have to eat "clean" to lose body fat. Based on the imformation you've provided, I'd say you're eating more than you think for your goal. The body does not hold onto fat or calories if you eat too little. If you want to see faster results you need to burn more, eat less, or some combo of the two.

amzcars

Yes I weight everything on the scales and record on here... I'm very careful with my intake as I am pretty serious about this. I eat very clean too, and spike my metabolism with a cheatmeal per 2-3 weeks.

In terms of BF% I guess it could be lower than 29% however, I have used the same method each time, so either way the % lost is still 2%...

amzcars

I actually HIIT using insanity workout by Shaun T, so its pretty darn intense...

LKArgh

Metabolisms do not spike.

amzcars

Also, my polar ft7 is what I use to calculate calories...

rainbowbow

amzcars wrote: »

I don't understand how I've only had a deficit of 250? I'm pretty serious about how I weight foods etc... and also as mentioned I burn around 800kcal per day which I dont eat...

my goal is more focused on BF% and would like to reach around 15% - I measure it on the scales as well as using callipers..

Yes, unfortunately the scale doesn't lie. There's some discrepancy somewhere as i stated earlier. You're either eating more than you think you are, or you think you're burning more calories than you actually are.

If the scale you are using to track body fat percentage is using BIA (electrical current sent through your body) be advised these are highly inaccurate. In addition, the calipers are only as accurate as the person using them on you. I have seen some people screw this method up pretty well.

I think the body fat percentage you think you are may be a little high, but it's hard to say without a picture of where you are currently.

I just think at your weight you must have a pretty low amount of lean body mass to have that much body fat. If your numbers are correct it means that you have 39.5 pounds of fat and 95lbs lean body mass. To reach your desired body fat percentage you would need to be 109 pounds (assuming you don't lose any more lean body mass).

Does that seem accurate to you? You need to lose 25 pounds of fat?

LKArgh

What kind of contest is this? What is the deadline? Where did this program come from? What is your height and goal weight?

DonaldBlinks

So you weigh everything you eat on a scale in grams and log it using accurate entries? Because when you wrote out your meals in your OP you said things like "1 cup of melon" and "5 veggies (small portions)". Those are not accurate measurements so if that's what your food log looks like, you need to tighten it up

rainbowbow

amzcars wrote: »

Yes I weight everything on the scales and record on here... I'm very careful with my intake as I am pretty serious about this. I eat very clean too, and spike my metabolism with a cheatmeal per 2-3 weeks.

In terms of BF% I guess it could be lower than 29% however, I have used the same method each time, so either way the % lost is still 2%...

AHA! Here is just one of the places you could be causing yourself problems

FYI- you may be very well undoing all of your hard work during the week by eating those cheat meals. There is no way to "spike" your metabolism. Your body loses weight based on how you eat over a long period of time.

Let's say you are eating a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day. That's 3,500 per week or 1 pound per week of weight loss. Let's say you eat an extra 1,000 calories or even 1,500 calories on that cheat day. Guess what? You just undid half a pound of work a week you've been working on in just one day.

amzcars

I would actually like to increase muscle, which I naturally have no problem with, its just getting rid of the fat. My thighs, hips and glutes are where I store all my fat. Also, I think its important to include that my intake goals are:
Protein: 154g
carbs: 119g
fat:31g

and I seem to be hitting it quite well daily...

rainbowbow

amzcars wrote: »

Also, my polar ft7 is what I use to calculate calories...

FYI- These are only accurate for steady state cardio.

Tedebearduff

amzcars wrote: »

I am a 24 year old female, 5ft 2 at 29% BF. I would like to drop BF% to around 15% before I set myself to enter a contest. I have been eating clean and training hard and heavy for around two months but do not seem to get much progress... I am pretty active, and although I have a high BF, I find myself to be quite fit (not looks wise, health wise!) I carry a lot of weight on my arms, hips and thighs... Waist is 28" and hips 43"..

Workouts consist of the following.

Monday 6:30am
Bicep, Tricep 6 exercises for 12-15reps & 3/4 sets & Ab workout

Monday 4:30pm
HIIT body weight for around 45 mins

Tuesday 6:30am
Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Calves & Glutes 12 exercises for 12reps & 3/4 sets & Ab workout

Tuesday 4:30pm
HIIT body weight for around 45 mins.

Wednesday 6:30am
Chest, Back & Shoulders 8 exercises for 12-15reps & 3/4 sets

Wednesday 4:30pm
HIIT body weight for around 45 mins.

Thursday 6:30am
Shoulders & Arms 8 exercises SUPERSETS for 12 reps * 2sets & Ab workout

Thursday 4:30pm
Stretching exercises for around 35mins.

Friday 6:30am
Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Calves & Glutes 10 exercises for 12reps & 3/4 sets & Ab workout

Friday 4:30pm
HIIT body weight for around 45 mins.

Saturday midday
HIIT body weight for around 45mins.

HIIT sessions are pretty tough, with around 180secs work and 30 secs rest and include a lot of plyos.

Diet is pretty clean, I tend to have a cheat meal every 2-3 weeks, depending on how I feel, but even then it tends to be home made, healthy etc...

Meal 1 (post workout)
Protein Shake made with almond milk (sometimes add a banana)

Meal 2
Bacon Medallions, Mushroom & Poached eggs (no oil)

Meal 3
1 cup of melon and 25g nuts

Meal 4
Chicken/Turkey/Tuna/Avocado & Tuna/ Salad (made with lemon juice for dressing)

Meal 5 (post workout)
Protein Shake made with water.

Meal 6
Chicken with 5 different veg (small poritons) and 50g of brown rice

Meal 7
Rice cake with organic peanut/almond butter

I don't always have the same thing, but its pretty much the same nutrient value... I cook everything fresh and if I ever cook anything in oil its always a touch of avocado oil... I usually have an intake of around 1200-1300kcal and have 45% protein, 35% carbs and 20% fat (all healthy fats)...

Also, important to mention that I always have a black coffee preworkout - I use fishoils, multi vitamins and bcaa's and drink around 3 litres of water per day.

Can you please help!

The issue is that you are in a rush and you are expecting constant progress. Slow and steady wins the race!

Try taking pictures weekly on your weigh in day, you wont notice a difference until you look back. I don't change anything in my plan until I plateau for 4 weeks straight ... that's a plateau not 1 week not even 2 weeks...

rainbowbow

So, as stated that's probably your issue. You are eating more than you think (maybe a little here and there daily but also those cheat meals) and you are burning less than you think (because the HRM is not accurate for the activity you are performing, only steady state cardio like running or jogging).

amzcars

Again, I control my cheat meal and it is usualy still home-made and around 700kcal, but I usually don't eat as much during the day if I know I'm going to be cheating... Also, in terms of "hard work" it is quite hard, my HR reached around 180 and I'm dying after each workout!