Lose 5 percent body fat

getfitwith_aish

I’m at 131 pounds and 26% body fat. I feel like I’ve felt comfortable at around 123 pounds. I used to be 23% body fat. But with the whole wfh situation my habits changed and I’m at 26% now. I’m ready to put in efforts to take care of myself. How long will it take me to get to 21% body fat and how do I get there. Any help is appreciated

FitAgainBy55

I'll start with the theoretical numbers:

At 26% body fat and 131 pounds you have 34.06 lbs of fat and 96.94 lbs of lean mass. If you were to lose only fat mass you need to lose 8 lbs to get to 21% body fat.

Most people would suggest you pick a slower rate of weight loss given you are likely at a healthy weight already. So at .5 lbs per week you would lose 8 lbs in 16 weeks. Obviously you could pick a faster rate and get there in 8 weeks at 1 lb per week.

Those theoretical numbers are based on A LOT of assumptions. The first assumption is your body fat measurement is accurate. The second assumption is that you only lose fat mass during weight loss. If you pick a higher rate of weight loss you are likely to lose more than just fat. If you pick a slower rate of weight loss and include strength training to mitigate lean mass loss you might be closer to your goal.

LtHammerhead

Lift weights regularly. Lots of squats and deadlifts. Your weight might not change but your body fat will and you’ll look goood.

springlering62

It took me a year to lose 5%. Granted, I’m presumably twice (dear God, maybe three times) your age, but I work out quite a bit via lifting, Pilates, powerwalking, walking and a lotta lot of yoga, typically several hours a day.

That is, btw, via two DEXA scans. Electronic scales are laughable at measuring pretty much anything outside of weight.