How do you lower your body fat %

Belay4Beer

How do you lower your body fat %? Not the scale weight your actual body fat how do you target that?

cmriverside

Lose weight.

cmriverside

How are you calculating your body fat percentage? If it's one of those retail bio-impedence scales, I wouldn't put a lot of confidence in them. You are getting an electrical reading that doesn't actually measure (only) body fat.

Losing weight, building muscle. The only way to actually affect body fat percentages. When you are losing scale weight a portion of that is fat, some is lean mass (muscle,) that's why it's recommended to do resistance (weights) training while losing body fat; to mitigate loss of muscle.

neanderthin

Sounds like you want to build muscle. That can be done but you're going to have to contend with adding body fat initially, then later you can work on losing body fat. Yes it's possible to do both, lose body fat and build muscle on paper and/or you're a novice to weight training, it will turn out to be a very frustrating journey. Both of these will require a diet a little higher in protein, and if you research this, you'll find it makes a difference which type of proteins/amino acids would be more beneficial and of course lots of weight resistance. Short story. Cheers.

yirara

There's only just two options: lose weight. The bodyfat % will come down. Or build muscle. The amount of fat might remain the same but as you gain a bit of weight as you gain muscle your % will also go down, relatively.

But seriously, apart from noob gains, building muscle without being in a calorie surplus will be difficult. Thus you'd probably also gain bodyfat if you were to build muscles properly, then cut and lose the fat again.

cwolfman13

Belay4Beer wrote: »

How do you lower your body fat %? Not the scale weight your actual body fat how do you target that?

You lose weight when you lose body fat. Even if you were building muscle mass, that would not outpace the scale loss from BF% reduction. You could recomp which is basically eating right around maintenance and build muscle and lose some BF at the same time, but it's slow...and it would depend on where you are starting BF% wise and where you want to be. I know people (myself included) who have done well with recomp, but I've never seen it result in "elite" leanness.

AnnPT77

Too many people are confused by percentages. Be sure you have them in perspective. That will give you your answer, or at least help you make better sense of the good comments above. Often, it seems like people posting here are confused about that math part - maybe not you, but I'm going to belabor it just in case.

If I weigh 125 pounds and have 25% body fat, I have 31.25 pounds of body fat, and 93.75 pounds of "lean mass". "Lean mass" isn't just muscle, it's everything not fat: In most people, the majority of "lean tissue" is water (in blood and cells, etc.), some is skeleton, some is muscle and related connective tissue, some is other organ/cell stuff.

Let's say I want to have a lower body fat percent.

If I could lose 5 pounds of pure fat (and nothing else), I'd weigh 120 pounds, still have 93.75 pounds of lean mass, but with 26.25 pounds body fat, so have about 22% body fat.

If I could gain 5 pounds of pure muscle (from that original starting weight of 125), I'd weigh 130, but have 98.75 pounds of lean mass, still have 31.25 pounds of body fat, be at about 24% body fat.

Either way, I have a lower body fat percent. Which of those is "better"? Unclear. It matters what my actual goal was - what was the reason for wanting lower body fat percent?

Obviously, this part is just my opinion: Honestly, I don't think it makes sense to target a very specific body fat percent as a primary goal. Why?

If the real goal is health, then there's a healthy range. You'd want a balance of body fat and muscularity for best health. Extremes of either one (without the other in a reasonable absolute range) are suboptimal for health.

If the goal is sports performance, the mix of total mass and muscularity that's needed varies by sport: It makes more sense to train for strength/performance and manage nutrition/calories if needed to gain or lose total mass, to reach the needed strength and body weight. (Example: Cyclists or runners generically need relatively strong, muscular legs, but lighter body weight. American football defensive linemen need a bunch of mass, plus specific types of strength - they would often have more body fat. Etc.) Pure percent of muscle or fat is kind of meaningless in itself, in this scenario.

If the goal is a physique (appearance) thing, then it matters what physique you're targeting. If you're going for any kind of muscular look, or what women sometimes call a "toned" look, you need a certain level of muscularity, and enough fat that that muscularity shows. In this instance, getting to the bodybuilder level of body fat percent without the muscle will just make a person super skinny/skeletal. The body fat percent number itself isn't the key point. It's about having enough muscle, and being able to see it. (Yes, at the bodybuilder level, that will require low bodyfat percent of at competition time . . . but what specific number is going to vary a little by person.)

So, you want a lower body fat percent? Gain muscle, or lose fat, like they said. And yes, those goals are not optimally compatible to do both at once . . . but it's also not very possible to gain muscle with zero fat gain, or lose fat with zero muscle loss. (Close, maybe.)

What do you really want? Health, sports performance, a certain appearance, something else? Pursue that more specifically.

Belay4Beer

@AnnPT77

You left me overwhelmed here but feel like you understand. I want to lower my body fat % so it is easier to climb multi pitch walls. Hoping to lose (any amount I’d be happy) by spring in time for big wall tip. I also don’t want bulky muscles they would make it harder to pull myself up the wall. What should I do to drop some body fat? Thxs

Belay4Beer

@cmriverside

It is a scale says I am 34% body fat. I don’t really care if it’s not super accurate. Just use the numbers see if I can move it in the right direction.
That would work yes? Maybe idk why I’m here

Thanks for ur help

AnnPT77

Belay4Beer wrote: »

@AnnPT77

You left me overwhelmed here but feel like you understand. I want to lower my body fat % so it is easier to climb multi pitch walls. Hoping to lose (any amount I’d be happy) by spring in time for big wall tip. I also don’t want bulky muscles they would make it harder to pull myself up the wall. What should I do to drop some body fat? Thxs

I'd say:

Do whatever exercise(s) you want and need to do to stay strong enough for climbing.

If you want to maintain strength, but lose weight, you'd want to lose fat, and do that slowly. (You can lose fat faster if you're significantly overweight, but IMO the only reason to go super fast - which is a health risk to do - is if you're so overweight that your weight in itself is creating health risk. Your profile photo suggests that's not where you are right now. For a person at a healthy weight, as you appear to be, half a pound a week of fat loss on average is pretty perfect, and that would leave you quite a few pounds lighter by a Spring trip.)

To lose fat slowly, manage your eating so that you eat somewhat fewer calories than you burn. You can count calories to do that, or if you've been generally weight stable for a while before this, you could do it - if you prefer - just by cutting back a bit on what you eat habitually. You can also choose to eat about the same amount that keeps you weight stable, and be more active, either via increased daily-life activity or with added exercise. Or, you can do a combination of those things to get calorie burn above calorie intake - your choice.

It probably goes without saying that for performance in anything, overall good nutrition is a good idea. Adequate protein is especially important to maintain existing strength/muscle, but it's not the only important part of nutrition.

Unless you're genetically very unusual, you won't gain big bulky muscle mass very fast under any conditions (even ideal ones), and muscle mass gain will be even slower if you're losing weight at the time. If you don't strength train now, but would like to be stronger to improve your climbing or at least retain current muscle/strength, you can reasonably do strength training alongside your slow fat loss, without much worry about gaining massive muscle weight in a few months.

Does that make sense?

Belay4Beer

@AnnPT77

Yes that was helpfull feeling like I’m getting it. I am 10lbs more then pic not that you could tell in person.The body fat went up 4% on scale tho and I for sure feel it on the wall. I am extremely active already. I will change my goals to 1/2lb a week and track calories…do I eat back my exercise calories? Climbers Marcos are 65 carb 15 protein and 20fat would this be fine to remain while trying to lower the body fat? Or up protein as u mentioned…is there a better macro I need to aim for to lower body weight then go back to macros for climbing?

Ur very helpful and I really appreciate this help💟

AnnPT77

Belay4Beer wrote: »

@AnnPT77

Yes that was helpfull feeling like I’m getting it. I am 10lbs more then pic not that you could tell in person.The body fat went up 4% on scale tho and I for sure feel it on the wall. I am extremely active already. I will change my goals to 1/2lb a week and track calories…do I eat back my exercise calories? Climbers Marcos are 65 carb 15 protein and 20fat would this be fine to remain while trying to lower the body fat? Or up protein as u mentioned…is there a better macro I need to aim for to lower body weight then go back to macros for climbing?

Ur very helpful and I really appreciate this help💟

The home scale measurements of body fat aren't very accurate, typically. But if you've gained a few pounds, would like to be lighter for better climbing performance on your trip, that's fine. The scale's bodyfat numbers probably can be used to watch a trend (i.e, the direction) as long you ignore random outlier days. The absolute number? MMmmm, not that reliable, probably.

If you use MFP to get your initial calorie goal estimates, and follow its instructions (set your activity level based on what you do excluding exercise), then yes - estimate exercise carefully, and eat those calories, too. After 4-6 weeks (whole menstrual cycle if relevant), you can adjust if needed based on your actual experiential results averages. (It's all estimates, but the experiential estimate tends to be most useful.)

I know nothing about climbing (I'm a rower), but those macro percents would be low on protein for most athletes, seems like . . . but what matters is the gram level for your size, more than the percentage. I'm 5'5", preferred weight 125ish, currently more like upper 120s (holidays! ) like to get around 1g per pound of lean body mass minimum daily (roughly equivalent to 0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight for most people), so shoot for 100g minimum daily.

With so little to lose, half a pound a week seems like a good plan. Be aware that half a pound a week loss can play peek-a-boo on the scale with routine daily water weight fluctuations for a surprisingly long time (weeks!), so don't freak out until you've given a new routine those multiple weeks to play out.

It should work out fine.

P.S. Macros don't directly matter for fat loss, though they can have an indirect effect if they affect your energy level (so calorie output) or appetite (so compliance with calorie goal). They matter more for athletic performance, general health, and body composition (i.e, muscularity), though. Calories are the direct influence on fat gain or loss.

Retroguy2000

Try the Navy method to calculate your body fat. Scales are generally very bad. Waist measurement should be taken while relaxed, not breathing fully out or tensing to pull it in.

https://www.calculator.net/body-fat-calculator.html

Sounds like you want to increase strength, not muscle mass. And lower fat, so a calorie deficit. Do you have a pullup bar/tower?

kshama2001

Belay4Beer wrote: »

@AnnPT77

Yes that was helpfull feeling like I’m getting it. I am 10lbs more then pic not that you could tell in person.The body fat went up 4% on scale tho and I for sure feel it on the wall. I am extremely active already. I will change my goals to 1/2lb a week and track calories…do I eat back my exercise calories? Climbers Marcos are 65 carb 15 protein and 20fat would this be fine to remain while trying to lower the body fat? Or up protein as u mentioned…is there a better macro I need to aim for to lower body weight then go back to macros for climbing?

Ur very helpful and I really appreciate this help💟

So you want to lose 10 pounds (with as much of that loss being from fat as possible) and increase strength.

What's your current strength training regimen?

Like Ann said, your protein seems low. Perhaps that is a good macro mix for climbing days, but not so much for every day.

Here's a reputable protein calculator:

https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/

I shoot for 400 - 500 calories of exercise per day, and when I achieve that, using the MFP default of 20% protein aligns with the protein recommendation from examine. If I were completely sedentary, I'd need to bump it up to 30%.

(I do like percentages )

Belay4Beer

@AnnPT77

Amazing thank you again I have now change settings to..

1/2lb weight loss a week

Increase macros to more protein / focus more on calories being less and not the macros

Use scale to see direction of body fat not as an accurate percentage

Eat some of exercise calories back but not all incase I don’t burn as much as I think.

Yess ur the best feel like I got a plan! Thank youuuu✋

Belay4Beer

@Retroguy2000

I have and use pull up bar very often in training. It was just the body fat I wasn’t sure how to target it. Person above hooked me up with the info

Thanks for your help and the link. If I ever want an accurate body fat % number I’ll be sure to try out the navy method

Belay4Beer

@kshama2001

Thank you for info. I have increased the protein macros!

It’s off season so my strength training right now till Feb is 4x4s (bouldering) and a body weight routine which is 3x a week
3sets / MAX reps
Pull-ups
Push-ups
Dips
Side lunge
Hip thrusts
Forearm Plank
Crunches

I_AM_ISRAEL

Eat at a slight caloric deficit over a long period of time. Also, lift weights with intensity to preserve/build muscle during the process. Fasted cardio along with fat burners can assist the stubborn areas

Belay4Beer

@ I_AM_ISRAEL

What is fasted cardio and fat burners? What does it mean? Fasted as in dont eat food? Fat burners like a workout or supplement or something?

AnnPT77

Belay4Beer wrote: »

@ I_AM_ISRAEL

What is fasted cardio and fat burners? What does it mean? Fasted as in dont eat food? Fat burners like a workout or supplement or something?

Fasted cardio = do cardio without eating beforehand, preferably when you haven't eaten in hours, like first thing in the morning. Fasted cardio is a matter of personal preference/performance - not required for fat loss with reasonable muscle maintenance/gain. Fat burners are a supplement. They're also not required for fat loss.

My advice would be not to worry about either of those things, with your goals especially. But heck, that's just one li'l ol' lady's opinion, y'know?

ETA: I_AM_ISRAEL looks like he's getting some body comp results, which is great - no diss intended. I read you - Belay4Beer - as not especially focused on muscle mass gain or physique per se, but being lighter, plus strong for performance in your sport, which is a slightly different goal set.

Belay4Beer

@AnnPT77

Ohhh okay thats for clearing that up and I want to perform well at basketball/other sports so I’ll skip that but glad it’s working for I_AM_ISRAEL.

Okay I feel all set ready to eat little less with more protein I can handle that for sure. Thanks 😊