Getting Body Fat % down

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What are some ideas to get my body fat % down I've done great with my weight and BMI just need to get my body fat to start dropping as well I've been working real hard since April 4 tho and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I have great support at home as my husband had Weight Loss surgery at the end of June and is already down 50 pounds himself so he's doing awesome himself. Please feel free to send me advice or a friend request
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  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Strength training, while continuing to maintain a calorie deficit.
  • buffgrl
    buffgrl Posts: 32 Member
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    Ditto on the strength training. Always, ALWAYS strength train when you're in a caloric deficit, otherwise at some point your body is going to start eating up muscle. You need to tell your body "we need these muscles, so don't burn 'em up!" because muscle tissue is metabolically more costly than fat tissue. It's a case of "use it or lose it" with muscle mass and calorie deficits. People that lose overall body weight but don't exercise end up "skinny fat" or a smaller size but still with a high body fat percentage. What you need to do is improve LEAN body mass, which includes muscle and bone. Strength training not only does this, but assists in burning off the fat as well.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    If you exercise regularly including resistance exercises and lose weight your body fat % will drop.
  • JenObRN
    JenObRN Posts: 102 Member
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    JenObRN wrote: »
    JenObRN wrote: »
    Cut back on carbohydrates and eliminate any unhealthy fats, mix up both aerobic and strength exercise, try out interval training. Where you do near max exertion for a period of time followed by a lesser intensity (like running up a flight of stairs as quick as you can then slowly walking back down , repeat etc..)

    Cut out all alcohol and drink more water.

    These are some different suggestions that I have heard for lowering body fat.

    Get ready to have a string of people that tell you everything you just said is totally wrong. They're going to say it doesn't matter where you get your calories from, just that you have a deficit. I, in the other hand believe you've made some helpful suggestions though. :wink:

    I improved mine without giving up alcohol or cutting back on carbohydrates, but I doubt anyone is going to say it doesn't matter where you get your calories from for body composition. It matters very much.

    I agree, it does matter. Maybe you have never had anybody jump all over a post you wrote before. I've see literally 50-60 posts in the last week that claim it doesn't matter what you eat, just as long as there is a deficit. This is something I have never heard before coming to this community. First off, there are quite a few things I can't eat as it screws with my autoimmune disorder. (Will cause upset stomach, fatigue and joint pain).

    This is often said when someone asks about weight loss because it's true. If all you want is to lose weight you can achieve that eating anything you want as long as there is a calorie deficit. It should go without saying that this is barring medical needs for specific diets.

    But the OP asked about improving her body composition, not just about losing weight. That a different subject and rarely gets the "eat anything you want" responses.

    Gotcha
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,882 Member
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    If you're approaching maintenance weight, this thread has a great deal of useful information:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest

    If you're not yet near maintenance weight yet, then I'd second the advice to continue losing weight, do progressive strength training to preserve existing muscle and get stronger, and eat adequate protein (IMO a bare minimum of 0.6g daily per pound of a healthy goal weight, anywhere on up to 1.0-1.2g, if you like it, can fit it in, and have no medical contraindications . . . and yes, I do mean "pound" not "kg", and " healthy goal weight" not "lean body mass" - it's my opinion ;) !).
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited September 2017
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    To the OP, lift heavy (for you) and continue to eat in deficit, making sure to get enough protein. Use a proven weight lifting program, don't try to wing it. There are lots of options in this thread.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    What are some ideas to get my body fat % down I've done great with my weight and BMI just need to get my body fat to start dropping as well I've been working real hard since April 4 tho and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I have great support at home as my husband had Weight Loss surgery at the end of June and is already down 50 pounds himself so he's doing awesome himself. Please feel free to send me advice or a friend request

    Stay at a small deficit (including cardio if you need it to be in a deficit) and focus on strength training. Once you hit your goal weight, eat at maintenance and get on a progressive strength program to build muscle. Make sure you are getting enough protein to help you hang onto muscle while you're losing and gain muscle once you start eating more. And I disagree on cutting back carbs universally, you have to find what works for you here. I find I am able to progress better in my workouts when I'm eating a decent amount of carbs (I'm usually around 50% carbs/200g).

    Just keep at it! Changing your BF% is slow work, we're talking about months and years here :)
  • JenObRN
    JenObRN Posts: 102 Member
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    JenObRN wrote: »
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    JenObRN wrote: »
    Cut back on carbohydrates and eliminate any unhealthy fats, mix up both aerobic and strength exercise, try out interval training. Where you do near max exertion for a period of time followed by a lesser intensity (like running up a flight of stairs as quick as you can then slowly walking back down , repeat etc..)

    Cut out all alcohol and drink more water.

    These are some different suggestions that I have heard for lowering body fat.

    Get ready to have a string of people that tell you everything you just said is totally wrong. They're going to say it doesn't matter where you get your calories from, just that you have a deficit. I, in the other hand believe you've made some helpful suggestions though. :wink:

    I also got a lot of rubbish responses like all calories are equal! Do broccoli and Oreos look the same to them?! Ffs some people of MFP must have some really bad health. There's also a new scientific study published recently about TOFI aka thin on the outside fat inside. It's all these skinny people who eat junk food who have clogged arteries. And yes, they count calories. I believe you should count calories as well as eating good food to lose weight.

    I see and hear the same things. Maybe we should start a group of people that do not want to eat processed foods, that can understand different things are going to happen to your body if you eat vegetables instead of cookies.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/119686-the-filthy-eaters-of-mfp



    Oh. Wrong group, I guess. I'm sure there's one out there for "clean" eaters, if you look.

    Lol, I'm sure there is
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
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    Because I like to offer different advice...
    https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/fat-loss-blunders-8-reasons-youre-not-losing-body-fat.html
    https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/brewster26.htm
    https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/6-ways-to-reduce-body-fat-while-increasing-muscle
    https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson175.htm (I kinda like where this one is going, as it discusses the diff between OBESE - OVERWEIGHT - SMOOTH - IN-SHAPE -- keep in mind the last 2 are from the perspective of bodybuilders, so under 12% bf for men, 15% for women)