Body fat

spraytanninghelens

I’m a 43 year old female, body fat 32%, weigh 132 lbs I’m 5’2. I try my best to keep calories at around 1,400 a day, I usually lose 2 lbs in week but at weekends it just goes back on. I seem to just stay at this weight.

I do spin twice a week, pump once a week & inbetween I sometimes go for a run, yoga & lift. I follow thinner leaner stronger micheal Matthews plan for lifting.

I would really like to change my shape to become leaner and toned, I feel I don’t carry weight very well as I’m short. I tend to put muscle on pretty easily, but would love some help on how I go about just looking more svelte and toned overall.
I hear lots of stories and see pics on ladies lifting that have gone down dress sizes and really changed shape but I seem to have plateaud.

TavistockToad

Are you sticking to your calories at the weekend? Is it fluctuations you're looking at or actual fat gain?

How much of a deficit is 1400 cals? Do you weigh your food?

spraytanninghelens

I guess my question is at what percentage body fat should I be aiming for to loose inches.
I’m doing cardio to keep in my deficit but my end goal would just be to lift most days to maintain the toned look.

I weigh out my food ( not at weekends, but do make sure I’m mindful) my bmr is 1382

I don’t feel I need to loose too much weight but I feel I carry it mid section

spraytanninghelens

I’ve inserted a pic.(cringe) Would really like some advice on what kind of body fat I should be at.

TavistockToad

spraytanninghelens wrote: »

I guess my question is at what percentage body fat should I be aiming for to loose inches.
I’m doing cardio to keep in my deficit but my end goal would just be to lift most days to maintain the toned look.

I weigh out my food ( not at weekends, but do make sure I’m mindful) my bmr is 1382

I don’t feel I need to loose too much weight but I feel I carry it mid section

if your BMR is 1382 then why are you only eating 1400? is it at least net 1400?

if you don't think you need to lose much weight, maybe look into recomp?

spraytanninghelens

I’m so confused with what I should be doing, I think I take in too much information at a time then confuse myself 🙈. Should I be eating more.. to lose ?

TavistockToad

spraytanninghelens wrote: »

I’m so confused with what I should be doing, I think I take in too much information at a time then confuse myself 🙈. Should I be eating more.. to lose ?

opening your diary would help.

weighing your food at the weekend would help - and understand that if you eat out you will probably see a fluctuation from sodium.

are you eating 1400 net or gross? is that what MFP gave you to lose 1lb per week?

IMO, you could easily stand to lose more weight, a full body lifting routine and adequate protein will help you retain muscle as you lose weight.

spraytanninghelens

MFP gave me 1,399 calories to lose 1lb per week. This is what I have been sticking to plus exercising. I seem to be loosing 2lbs a week but at weekends I don’t eat as clean therefore put the weight back on.
I know the answer would be to go more careful at weekends, as I type this I guess I’ve given myself the answer.
The weights just not coming off as easy as it used too. Somewhere along the lines since giving up smoking I put weight on and I struggle to get it off. I feel I’m the fittest I’ve ever been and enjoy exercise and maybe I’m expecting too much by my weight staying the same whilst being very active.

I will make a conscious effort to stick to calories over weekends as I guess this is where I’m going wrong. Thank you so much for replies, I appreciate any input.

I have smart scales that say I’m at 32% bf, would you say this looks about correct from pic or would you say I’m more? I also use body trax at the gym. Thanks again 😄

TavistockToad

spraytanninghelens wrote: »

MFP gave me 1,399 calories to lose 1lb per week. This is what I have been sticking to plus exercising. I seem to be loosing 2lbs a week but at weekends I don’t eat as clean therefore put the weight back on.
I know the answer would be to go more careful at weekends, as I type this I guess I’ve given myself the answer.
The weights just not coming off as easy as it used too. Somewhere along the lines since giving up smoking I put weight on and I struggle to get it off. I feel I’m the fittest I’ve ever been and enjoy exercise and maybe I’m expecting too much by my weight staying the same whilst being very active.

I will make a conscious effort to stick to calories over weekends as I guess this is where I’m going wrong. Thank you so much for replies, I appreciate any input.

I have smart scales that say I’m at 32% bf, would you say this looks about correct from pic or would you say I’m more? I also use body trax at the gym. Thanks again 😄

are you losing or maintaining because of your weekends?

scales are useless for bodyfat. i would worry less about the actual number, and just go with if you're not happy with your bodyfat as it is, then work on it until you are.

spraytanninghelens

These are my boditrax stats

shaf238

If weekends are problematic, first step is to try and manage that. You can try and "bank" some calories during the week to help.

cathipa

If What you are doing on the weekends is detailing your progress then it's time to change your weekend habits.

spraytanninghelens

Thanks everyone. Yes I’m actually maintaining at weekends or putting back on the couple of pounds I’ve lost through the week.
I guess I need to be more strict over the weekends or bank some calories like someone said.

PAV8888

Plug your numbers in a trending weight app such as libra for android, happy scale for iphone, or trendweight.com (connected to a free even without a device fitbit.com account) or even weightgrapher.com.

Watch the trend.

How fast is it going down or up? Adjust based on your 4 to 6 week trend....

Reason: some of the weekend gain could well be water weight. Watching the scale from "ground level" where you see the 2lbs upward swings makes you forget that last week you were down 2.5lbs and that next week you are down 2.4lbs. And that your upward swing was 1.9lbs instead of 2.4

Just saying that the weekends might be derailing... but not as much as is believed.

If your general trend is between 0.5lbs and 1lb while aiming to lose 1lb a week... then I wouldn't change a thing.

If your general trend is actually between 0 and 0.5lbs when aiming for 1lb then yes, I might look into slightly optimizing my weekends.

RoxieDawn

spraytanninghelens wrote: »

Thanks everyone. Yes I’m actually maintaining at weekends or putting back on the couple of pounds I’ve lost through the week.
I guess I need to be more strict over the weekends or bank some calories like someone said.

If you are going over significantly in your calorie intake on weekends then this will erase any deficit you created during the week to lose. If you are eating reasonably (I understand you aren't logging those) and closer to maintenance, then the weight you see on the scale come Monday-Tuesday after the weekends is not fat gain, its water weight/retention from the weekends.

If it works for you, being flexible on weekends is fine, but if its causing you to derail all your weekly progress, it would be time to track the weekends. As you reach goal weight start thinking about how you will handle maintenance, weekend eating etc.

spraytanninghelens

Ooh I’m gonna check that app out right away 👍😄 thanks so much for all advice everyone.

Lears2016

Plateaus can be a real pain in the backside! The main thing is to continue sticking to a strict (and healthy) diet regime. Eating a little more at the weekends works for many people as it stops your metabolism from going into a 'survival' function, however a 2lb swing sounds quite alarming. On top of the already good advice given, consider the time of day you weigh yourself, WHERE you weigh yourself and what you are (or are not) wearing when weighing yourself. Be as consistent as possible (eg. morning time first thing). Quantifying your weekend intake may surprise you. All the best.

TavistockToad

Lears2016 wrote: »

Plateaus can be a real pain in the backside! The main thing is to continue sticking to a strict (and healthy) diet regime. Eating a little more at the weekends works for many people as it stops your metabolism from going into a 'survival' function, however a 2lb swing sounds quite alarming. On top of the already good advice given, consider the time of day you way yourself, WHERE you weigh yourself and what you are (or are not) wearing when weighing yourself. Be as consistent as possible (eg. morning time first thing). Quantifying your weekend intake may surprise you. All the best.

so much no.

deputy_randolph

I'm 38, 5'3, 136 (just over 20% bf). I've been maintaining at 2000 calories. I train for powerlifting (so intense lifting 4-5 days a week; also have pretty active job).

In my experience, cardio and dieting aren't going to do much to change your body composition when you are already at a normal weight/size. Heavy lifting and patience paid off.

I also didn't make a big impact on body comp until I tightened up on "cheat days" and tightened up on logging/weighing food. I had to drop my cheat day down to a cheat meal...then had to drop to a beer a week as a treat for a short period of time.

spraytanninghelens

Thank you so much deputy_randolph. This is very insightful to me. I have gone from slimming world diet to logging food & macros & I’m just getting so confused.
I have info overload sometimes, some say eat less and go crazy with cardio, others say lift, & I just don’t know from my stats in which direction to go & stick with.

I used to be around 119lbs (after hysterectomy and giving up smoking ) I’m now at 132 pounds.

I love all exercise & love food but have been making a conscious effort logging and eating healthy but I can’t seem to shift more than two pounds.

I lift 8kg Dumbells this is the most I can manage so far. I see the great transformation pics from lots of people on here and would just love some advice on the lifting programs and foods people are eating. Everyone is so inspiring but I feel I’m not heading in the right direction. I must be doing something wrong as I’ve been sticking to this for over 6 months and I see no real change.

I do think I need to be tightening up on cheat meals and eating over weekends for sure, though as I’m not going massively off track I still feel I’m going wrong somewhere.

LivingtheLeanDream

shaf238 wrote: »

If weekends are problematic, first step is to try and manage that. You can try and "bank" some calories during the week to help.

^ This

Your weekends are undoing your week days effort, so you've been basically eating in maintenance rather than at deficit. Tighten up your weekend logging, even if you were eating those two days at maintenance and then at calorie deficit during the week you would lose.

Weekends used to be my downfall, always undid all my weeks deficit - once I got a handle on that, weight loss followed.

All the best.

spraytanninghelens

Livingtheleandream thank you 👍.
I think you’re right, it seems to be weekends that maybe holding me back from losing.

born_of_fire74

You’re already at a healthy body weight. You should not be trying to lose 2lbs/week. That is too big of a deficit and likely why you have a hard time on the weekends: you’re undereating during the week which leads to overeating on the weekends.

Check this thread out to learn about recomposition, which is changing your BF% while maintaining your healthy weight. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest

If you do want to lose some weight before recomping or decide recomp is not for you, realize that you have very little to lose. Set your goal to lose 0.5lbs/week rather than 2lbs/week for a much more manageable deficit.

spraytanninghelens

Thank so much born_of_fire74, this is something i shall sit and have a good read through. Any suggestions for best lifts to focus on tummy area welcome. Thank you

born_of_fire74

I am currently on the mend from a knee injury. When I'm not injured, I do CrossFit and yoga at a gym and Convict Conditioning (Paul Wade's book) on my own time. I don't specifically lift so I can't really recommend a program for that. I have a friend who swears by Strong Curves though and I see it recommended here for women quite often so it might be worth looking into.

One thing to note is that you can't really spot train to lose fat in any specific area of the body. The fat will come off in the opposite order it was put on i.e. if you gained on your thighs, then butt, then stomach, it will come off of the stomach, then butt, then thighs. Of course it's not quite as isolated as that; you will gradually lose a little bit all over but you'll likely notice the big changes something along those lines.

Remember this is a marathon not a sprint. I've been recomping for coming on two years now. Patience and consistency are the keys to success. Good luck to you.

tcunbeliever

Wait a minute...the math on that doesn't work for me.

if you are 47.5 kg lean body mass (isn't that what fat-free mass is?) and 59.2 kg total, then your body fat is 19.8% not 32%

right?

1 - 47.5/59.2 = % fat

if you scale has a separate measurement for "athletic" then try that and see if it changes to something more realistic

As for changing body composition, I really had my best results doing a low carb leangains. I used the calculator below, took off about 500 cal a day (because it's rigged for guys) and cut the carbs in half (because I'm not into carby foods, but you may be fine with a high carb diet, that's totally personal preference)...and it worked really well, I lost about 5% body fat in 12 weeks (from 25% down to about 20%)...that was a couple years ago...it took me most of a year to lose from 20% down to about 18%...and then I switched it up to keto for migraine control a year ago and I'm currently sitting around 17.5 according to my scale. It seems consistent and seems to match visual versions, plus, no migraines is an enormous bonus.

https://rippedbody.com/how-to-calculate-leangains-macros/

My mother lost 5 inches off her waist in 12 weeks and then quit because it was "too hard to eat so much food all the time"...I don't have that problem...at all...must not be genetic...

born_of_fire74

Not to be nasty to you, tcunbeliever, or spraytanninghelens, but you guys should ditch those scales or at least stop listening to what they have to say about your BF%. There is just no way that spraytanninghelens is under 20% BF based on her photo and I daresay there is almost no way you are 18% BF based on your profile pictures (presuming your photos are recent tcunbeliever). I'm leaner than both of you and put myself at no better than 22% BF, prolly more like 23%.

Again, my intent is not to be mean to you or discourage you guys in any way, it's just that a scale simply can't measure what you're asking it to measure.

For reference, this person prolly started out at something like 21 or 22% BF and is now prolly something like 17 or 18% BF

spraytanninghelens

Hey tcunbeliever, I'm glad you noticed this... i just don't understand, and this is whats been confusing me also.
I have smart scales which say i have 32% body fat, Yet the boditrax machine at the gym tells me otherwise.
I inserted a pic somewhere earlier in this thread in the hope that someone could maybe estimate which is correct.

I do feel i need to lose a few pounds, but after more brilliant advice and info from you guys on here I'm wondering if recomp is the way forward for me.

I had started to feel from following my lifting program that my body has been feeling a little more tighter in places shall we say, my muscles on arms felt a little more tight.
Then i start weighing myself on scales again and read more, and it suggests to see definition of any kind i should be at about 20% body fat. Then i start rethinking everything again and start more cardio rather than lifting. Im in a viscous circle and i think I'm probably not being patient enough. I struggle to get my head round the fact that i can eat more calories in recomp. Im wondering if i should now ditch the scale and focus on lifting and eating healthy but I'm one of these women that have always weighed so like to keep an eye on things.

thanks so much for your advice and i will look at lean gains:)

spraytanninghelens

Thanks born_of_fire74, i have heard lots of good things from strong curves i shall have a look on amazon now and order it. I do think i have been impatient after today i feel much more educated. Thank you so much and hope you are soon on the mend from your knee injury

TavistockToad

born_of_fire74 wrote: »

Not to be nasty to you, tcunbeliever, or spraytanninghelens, but you guys should ditch those scales or at least stop listening to what they have to say about your BF%. There is just no way that spraytanninghelens is under 20% BF based on her photo and I daresay there is almost no way you are 18% BF based on your profile pictures (presuming your photos are recent tcunbeliever). I'm leaner than both of you and put myself at no better than 22% BF, prolly more like 23%.

Again, my intent is not to be mean to you or discourage you guys in any way, it's just that a scale simply can't measure what you're asking it to measure.

For reference, this person prolly started out at something like 21 or 22% BF and is now prolly something like 17 or 18% BF

Does @mom23mangoes know you're using her picture?

born_of_fire74

TavistockToad wrote: »

born_of_fire74 wrote: »

Not to be nasty to you, tcunbeliever, or spraytanninghelens, but you guys should ditch those scales or at least stop listening to what they have to say about your BF%. There is just no way that spraytanninghelens is under 20% BF based on her photo and I daresay there is almost no way you are 18% BF based on your profile pictures (presuming your photos are recent tcunbeliever). I'm leaner than both of you and put myself at no better than 22% BF, prolly more like 23%.

Again, my intent is not to be mean to you or discourage you guys in any way, it's just that a scale simply can't measure what you're asking it to measure.

For reference, this person prolly started out at something like 21 or 22% BF and is now prolly something like 17 or 18% BF

Does @mom23mangoes know you're using her picture?

No. Is that a problem? I didn't think it would be because they are posted in another thread on these boards. I could link to the thread in which they are posted instead if so but that seems like six of one/half dozen of the other to me. Definitely want to be helpful. Definitely don't want to cause problems. I can only edit my post for about 20 more minutes so lemme know if I should change it.