realistic rate for losing body fat

kelleybean1

I have a 37% body fat. What would be a realistic goal for losing BF? Also, does having big boobs (34DD) skew the percentage by much?

HappyStack

Depends on how you've measured your body fat.

Calliper method, yes, because one of the skin-fold sites is in the "pec" area.

BodPod method, yes.

Scales, no, it's probably wildly inaccurate anyway.

It won't make a huge percentage difference, maybe 1-3%

Lose 1lb a week. A percentage of that would be lean mass, a percentage of that would be body fat... no-one can tell you what percentage, it's dictated by a multitude of things.

In an ideal world you'd eat enough to lose 1lb per week, on average, with around 1g of protein per lb of body weight and around 0.5g of fat per lb of body weight. The rest of your calorie allowance can be carbs.
Your ideal workouts would be strength training, heavy weights, working the full body a maximum of 3x a week, LISS-type cardio on off-days (such as swimming, hiking, light jogging) for recovery and cardiovascular health, if you want to.

Oh, and lots of sleep.

But that's in an ideal world.

ngyoung

1-2 lbs a week is about average. I took it 1 lb at a time. Every Friday my goal was to be at least 1lb less then the week before.

kelleybean1

I'm trying to shift my focus from lbs lost to BF% instead. I would ultimately like to get to 25-30% BF from my current 37%. I'm working with a trainer lifting weights 3x per week, and I run 2 mi 3x a week. I'm following the TDEE-20% with protein at 35%, carbs 40%, fat 25%. Do you think I can get to 30% in 3 months? Just wondering, no deadlines or anything, just want to know what to expect.

-"a smaller marshmallow is still a marshmallow"

HappyStack

Possibly. I would aim for more like 5-6 months, to be wholly honest. Weight & fat loss is not linear and only with a strict diet & workout plan can you achieve around 1% loss per MONTH, allowing time for "refeeds" or breaks. You may find that running 6mi per week will hinder your progress... perhaps not now, at a higher body fat percentage, but maybe later down the line.

I would also reassess using a percentage value for my macros, 35% of protein may not be enough to land at approx. 1g per lb of bodyweight, and your fat intake might be too low to prevent various hormone tanking effects of weight loss.

ETA: You could also do HIIT vs LISS.

Also edited to correct week to month. Ha.

Acg67

I have a 37% body fat. What would be a realistic goal for losing BF? Also, does having big boobs (34DD) skew the percentage by much?

1-2% a month is realistic