Will I ever lose body fat??

dorie577

Okay so I started low carb in January of 2014 at 212.6 and about 42% body fat. In June and July I had my body fat tested=- 40%. I had lost almost 50 lbs, but only 2% body fat. Had been doing lots of cardio - treadmill and elliptical, and going at it hard I might add.

So I said ##$%%

I signed up for a kettlebell gym and went there for 6 months, pressing the bells, swinging the bells, doing burpees, lunges squats, mt climbers and on and on - I needed to build muscle, that must be my problem. So I lost 10 lbs, and 3 percent body fat - bmi of 26, but 37% body fat.

So then I continued on kettlebells and then went back to another gym for the past 2 months. Getting close to another 10 lbs lost, not official but looks like I might lost another 2% body fat. that would be a bmi of 24 and 35% body fat.

Even obesity.com claims - it is body fat not bmi that matters and 30% body fat is obese. If I could get my bmi down to 20, I might still be obese, if I can finally get down to 30% body fat. I kind of am lost with this= I have done the weights, the cardio and intensely and diligently I might add. Not just 30 mins a day. 4 mph, 10.5 incline - 60 mins, elliptical 30 mins.

I kind of feel doomed. What am I missing?

MadWidow98

I am new to this myself, but how "low carb" are you? I started at the end of May - I lost almost all body fat right away. My carb limit is 20g per day.

Dragonwolf

In your first set of weight loss, it makes sense that your body fat didn't move much compared to your total body weight lost. If you were only doing cardio, odds are you lost a fair bit of muscle, too. Since body fat percentage is a percentage of your total body weight, when your weight goes down, your body fat percentage can stay the same or go up, depending on how much lean mass you lose.

Also, you've been steadily losing a fair bit of body fat since you started kettlebells. You had a larger drop in body fat percentage in 10lbs lost than you did in the initial 50lb. That means that you've lost mostly fat weight. This is a very good thing.

If you get down to what the BMI says is a "healthy" weight (the issues with the BMI for individuals notwithstanding) and you still have too much body fat, then just tweak your routine and diet a little and look into ways of doing body recomposition. Perhaps add in weight lifting and do a good progressive routine. Such a program will build muscle, which will in turn help burn off the excess fat.

You'll get there, you just have to be patient. It's really basically the same as losing weight, but you've now realized that weight is only half of the equation.

GiGiBeans

Read this twice:
http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=162

And look at this as far as BF goes:

http://www.leighpeele.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/15-percent-body-fat-female1.jpg

My point is not to get caught up chasing a #.

Take progress pics every 30 days apart, same clothing, same time of day. Do you like what's happening? Are you feeling good? If yes, that's success & keep up the good work!

Leonidas_meets_Spartacus

How are you testing your body fat? Cardio is not goof for fat burning, resistance training is very good irrespective of the diet. Your diary is closed but if you are doing everything right, you will lose fat. Just be patient.

dorie577

Dragonwolf, I actually knew weight was only the half of it all along but I had hoped that the body fat would come off at a speedier rate. My bmi this AM is actually 24.3 but I do know I should have a lower bmi, also. it is just now I am wondering if the fat might just not go....I actually googled and found a ton of stuff on normal weight obesity. I thought I was an oddball. Knowing i am not alone does not seem to please me though.

Leonidas - My original body fat test was with a handheld Omron though a weight loss class at work, and then when it was done and I was told me I had only lost 2% body fat, I sought out a better number. The inbody 570 - they had it at the Physical Education Dept at the University and unfortunately it gave me the same info as the hand held omron. When I went to the health fair 6 months later they had the same machine there, that is how I got the 3% loss. I went to a temporary gym for 2 months and they had some sort of different machine and that said my body fat was like 35. I will go to the University again at the end of July to check again, that will be 6 months since the Health Fair with the same machine. The Inbody 570 is measured by BIA but gives you information for each arm and leg and the trunk of your body - fat, lean body mass, intracellular and extra cellullar water.

Gigi Beans, thanks for the links I will read those

MadWidow, I am probably between 30 and 50 net carbs a day - but I am doing my own thing - I am not a strict Atkins, or South Beach or whatever, and also bear in mind I am a year and a half into this. i have not had bread or starchy veggies or sugar in all of this time. My only dalliances are the nuts or nut butters - if I buy a jar I lose control. Also I am thinking the cheese and I probably should not be using those sugar free water flavorings.

Can I ask what percentage fat you lost in a month that it was all the fat you needed to lose, and how you measured it?

Dragonwolf

But you are losing body fat. A 10lb loss with a 3% drop in body fat percentage is quite large, actually. No, the numbers aren't huge, but you can thank "reality" TV and stupid magazines for the unrealistic expectations. Small numbers don't mean no progress, so please stop saying that "the fat might just not go" and "will I ever lose body fat?" You are losing body fat.

Also, bioelectrical impedance devices are notoriously easily thrown off by the presence or absence of water, inside and outside the body, and tend to overestimate body fat in people who are active. Start measuring yourself with measuring tape -- check, waist, hips, thigh, upper arm, and calf, at least. See where the measurements change. Even if the scale doesn't move at all, if the tape measure moves, you're making progress.

Finally, meet Staci -- http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
And before your say "I'm twice her age, that doesn't apply to me," think again -- http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/schultz33.htm

From the bodybuilding.com article:

I have personally seen several women over 50 start bodybuilding and make outstanding progress. Age is a matter of mind, and if you don't mind, it doesn't matter! The body has an enormous capacity for change. Your own personal levels of definition, flexibility, shape, strength, and muscle can undergo dramatic changes within weeks of getting into powerlifting or bodybuilding.