Is there some magic way to lower body fat??

Holly_Roman_Empire

Eating less = weight loss.

Strength training and generous protein = maintaining muscle during fat loss.

That's the only formula I know. It really is a waiting game, if you're still eating in a deficit.

Yep, eating at a deficit - not as drastic as when I started, but still aim for a 200-300 calorie deficit per day :-)

Well, doing cardio will give you a bigger calorie deficit, which will lead to weight loss. If you are happy with your weight, I would just eat at maintenance or a slight calorie deficit and focus more on strength training. That will give you the body composition you're probably looking for. It doesn't have to be weight lifting either, although that's how strength training is most commonly done. Bodyweight exercises are pretty good too.

Danny_Boy13

Eat at a deficit and train, but eating will get you further Some say cardio and others are full blown lifters. IMO I believe that it is best to have a nice balance of both. Just my $0.02.

k8blujay2

It seems like people do well at losing body fat, when they lift heavy and have a well balanced diet with good protein sources in it.

13suzie

Eat shrimp for dinner.

(Magic shrimp.)

Eat tilapia for lunch.

Fish = magic food

Phaedra2014

I think the problem for many of us is figuring out what the deficit needs to be.

chezjuan

Use the guidance in this thread (and the threads it links to) as a guide to set your calorie and macros to meet your fitness goals, and be patient.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

erickirb

Small deficit (depending on how much you have to lose 200-500 cals/day), this can be diet alone, or a combo of diet and cardio, plenty of protein (to retain lean muscle as you lose weight), Progressive strength training program (again to retain muscle so you lose mostly fat)

Mustang_Susie

Liposuction

Whyareyoumad

Keep doing what you are doing and dont exceed your sugars and carbs in your Macros. Nothing magic about it and it takes time. I was stuck even thought I stayed under my calories, but didnt realize I was exceeding my Macros in certain areas. Once I got that figured out my BF% starting dropping.

PersonalTrainerAndy

Strength training first, cardio second. Also look into hiit training.

Jess830409

Are you getting plenty of protein to preserve LBM? If not, you may be losing weight by wasting muscle. Get your macros in check to lose "fat" efficiently.

Have macros at 40/30/30 right now - should protein be higher percentage maybe?
Thanks :-)

Jess830409

I think the problem for many of us is figuring out what the deficit needs to be.

Yes - agreed!

MB_Positif

Yeah. There is actually.

Its called 'Eating Less Fat'.

Does not compute. I go over on fat every day and I have been losing body fat like champ lately. I haven't lost a pound in almost a year, but I have gone down 2 sizes. Heavy lifting does it for me!

erickirb

Are you getting plenty of protein to preserve LBM? If not, you may be losing weight by wasting muscle. Get your macros in check to lose "fat" efficiently.

Have macros at 40/30/30 right now - should protein be higher percentage maybe?
Thanks :-)

depending on your caloric intake 30% should be high enough, provided you are eating enough total cals. A rule of thumb is 1 gram per lb of lean body mass, if you don't know your BF% aim for 0.8 grams per lb of goal weight, as a minimum.

so if you only eat 1000 cals/day that would only be 75 grams of protein, in that case 30% isn't enough, though if you eat 1600 cals that would be 120 grams and would probably be enough.

Jess830409

Eating less = weight loss.

Strength training and generous protein = maintaining muscle during fat loss.

That's the only formula I know. It really is a waiting game, if you're still eating in a deficit.

Yep, eating at a deficit - not as drastic as when I started, but still aim for a 200-300 calorie deficit per day :-)

Well, doing cardio will give you a bigger calorie deficit, which will lead to weight loss. If you are happy with your weight, I would just eat at maintenance or a slight calorie deficit and focus more on strength training. That will give you the body composition you're probably looking for. It doesn't have to be weight lifting either, although that's how strength training is most commonly done. Bodyweight exercises are pretty good too.

Thank you - appreciate the feedback :-)

Sarauk2sf

Eating less = weight loss.

Strength training and generous protein = maintaining muscle during fat loss.

That's the only formula I know. It really is a waiting game, if you're still eating in a deficit.

^^basically this.

SLLRunner

Yeah. There is actually.

Its called 'Eating Less Fat'.

Fat in food does not create body fat.

wheird

Yeah. There is actually.

Its called 'Eating Less Fat'.

More like eating less wheat or sweets. Fat doesn't get stored as fat.

Two completely incorrect posts in a row. How embarrassing. The Magical Misinformation Bunny must have hopped through and left advice-pellets.

SLLRunner

Yeah. There is actually.

Its called 'Eating Less Fat'.

Actually it's just "Eating Less." Fat is good for you.

Misleading and wrongly interpreted. The question was how to reduce body fat, not whether fat is unhealthy.

No, i don't think so. You're essentially saying eating more fat makes a person fat, and that eating less fat makes a person's body fat less. This is not true at all.

Look at people who work out and eat high fat foods and have low body fat. There's plenty here at the forums.

cwolfman13

I think the problem for many of us is figuring out what the deficit needs to be.

I think the bigger problem(s) are:

1 - lack of patience...everyone want all of the weight gone right this minute...never mind the fact that it took years and even decades to put on.

2 - inaccurate estimations of intake and output.

3 - Inconsistency with dietary adherence

4- A complete lack of understanding of essential and proper nutrition

5 - A complete lack of understanding and refusal to make any effort to understand how these various calculators work with their applicable methods.

For the most part, unless you have a medical condition or something else going on that makes you a statistical outlier, any of these calculators are going to give you a fair estimation of how many calories you should be eating to lose, maintain, or gain depending on what you put in for your goals. You may have to make some minor tweaks here and there, but ultimately, it is generally user error due to those things I mentioned above that are more the issue...if you're truly doing everything right then it is advisable to see a doctor because it is likely that something else is going on.

Really though, much of this comes down to patience pure and simple....especially once you get to a healthy BF% but you still want to trim some excess fat. Your body just isn't going to shed those little fat stores quickly and really, at that point it's largely about body re-comp/comp work which is detail work...and as with any detail work, it takes a looooonnnnnngggggg time. I know people who are nice and trim everywhere and look great...but they've been working on their last little bit of belly for YEARS (not days or weeks or months)....that's where people really go wrong....they have to understand that this is a life long endeavor, not something that just stops at some point.