reduce body fat percentage

tinareet

Hiya,

I am currently trying to lose weight to get to the middle of my BMI, however one thing that really concerns me is my body fat percentage, at the moment according to my scales(which i know is not 100% accurate) it consistantly says my body fat percentage is 29.2%. My scales send a small electronic current through my body, but it only goes up my legs and upto my waist and down the other leg according to the box and leaflet, however my bottom half is where most of my body fat/weight is(true pear shape). so is this 29.2% only my bottom half and is not taking into consideration how skinny i am up top(collar bones, ribs,etc, show)? Also if it is true that 29.2% is my total body fat percentage, how do i reduce this, I would like to a body fat ercentage of 23-25%.

Xxx

VegGrrl

You might take a skin caliper test and/or use a calculator on the 'net (you put in your measurements and it does the rest) and average it all out.

To lower bodyfat it basically comes down to two things - build muscle (lean weight) and lose fat.

There are as many theories out there about how to do that as there are stars in the sky. Lots of cardio, no weights. All weights, no cardio. High reps, light weight, low reps, heavy weight. Eat a lot, eat a little. No carbs, lots of carbs. High protein, Well rounded diet. You get the idea. Personally, I read a lot of books and magazines about weight loss, getting fit, and bodybuilding, and took the theories that seemed most sensible and science based and started trying 'em out.

I'm on my second test program now. The jury is still out.

Everyone's body is different, so even if a certain way of training and eating works like gangbusters for me, it might not work for you.

Wish I could have told you the magic bodyfat melting method - but there isn't a one-size-fits-all way.

Be persistent and you will find the method that works for you!

tinareet

i might try a few different calculators on the net, and average out my results as i don't have any access to a skin caliper test(i believe its the most accurate way to test body fat).
Thanks hunni I keep reading loads and have found the same, loads of different methods by lots of different people. So i think I will just try to keep losing weight using cardio and a balanced diet and then when im closer to my goal weight I could combine weights and cardio to build muscle and lose fat and try and up my protein and lower my carbs. I supose more research and trial and error is needed.
damn it the magic body fat melting method sounds excellent (shame it doesnt exsist, im a sucker for these 'magic' things LOL)
Xx

TLC1975

You can lose body fat % by eating the right foods, in the right combinations...it may take some experimentation as to what works best for you...if you want to know more inbox me.

AlwaysWanderer

Try to do some weights with your cardio. It will slow down muscle loss while you are trying to lose weight, so you'll lose more body fat.

TrainingWithTonya

Yes, you are correct. It is just estimating based on your lower body, which means it can be estimating slightly high. That being said, calipers and online sites that use measurements to estimate are much more inaccurate then bio-electrical impedance, so I would just stick to the scale as it is the most accurate you have available. If you are ever at a gym that does bio-electrical impedance with a hand and foot electrode, that is more accurate then the scales or handheld BEI machines. There are also more accurate things in a clinical setting like the BodPod, hydrostatic weighing, and DEXA scan, but they all have their drawbacks too (IE: $), so I tell my clients to just pick a method they are comfortable with and work toward changes.

As for how to reduce body fat percentage, it takes time and lots of hard work. Changing your food intake won't burn more body fat then what you are currently burning from sitting still. Technically, you burn a higher percentage of fat for fuel while you are sitting still doing nothing, but you aren't burning many calories so even at 80% of the calorie burn coming from fat, you aren't burning much. When you start to exercise, you will burn primarily creatine phosphate for high intensity exercises lasting less then 15 seconds (Think jumping up to grab the baby before they pull a pot off the stove, or a 40 yard dash if you like to do track). Exercises lasting up to 2 minutes use primarily glycogen for fuel (like weight training with rest between sets), but you also burn glycogen at lower intensities and longer duration (like cardio). The reason you burn glycogen so easily is that you have to have a by-product of the breakdown of glycogen in order to start the fat burning process. So, right now while you are sitting still and using mostly fat for fuel, you are also burning glycogen to produce the pyruvate to start the fat burning process. My Clinical Exercise Physiology professor put it best when he told us "Fat burns in a Carbohydrate flame" because you have to burn both in order to burn fat. That being said, the people who are doing low carb diets are still burning glycogen. Unfortunately, they are breaking down their muscles or the protein they are consuming to produce that glycogen so that they can burn fat. The breakdown of muscle or other protein can be rough on the kidneys and liver, though, which is why the number one cause of End Stage (as in people dying from it) Renal (kidney) Disease is diabetes and the subsequent low carb/high protein eating plans.

The secret to fat burning is really to find the balance of exercise that works for you to get you into the right zone for burning the most calories from fat stores. Like I said earlier, at low intensities you are burning up to 80% fat. At super high intensities you are burning up to 80% carbs. So, ideally, if you are somewhere in the middle you will burn about 50% of your calories as fat. Here's a little math to help make it more clear.

At rest you are burning 1 MET, which is 1 kcal per hour per kilogram of body weight. So, someone who is 220 pounds divides their weight by 2.2 to get 100 kilograms. 100 kg x 1 MET = 100 calories per hour. Now since they are basically at rest, they are burning mostly fat, so we'll use the high end of the range and say 80%. 100 calories x 80% = 80 calories from fat.

Same person (220 pounds, 100 kg) steps up their exercise to 4 METs (low intensity weights, longer duration walks, etc.). 100 kg x 4 METs = 400 calories. Since they are middle of the road, they are burning about 50% fat. So, 400 x 50% = 200 calories from fat.

Same person (220 pounds, 100 kg) steps it up even more and does a high intensity workout that is 8 METs (high intensity cardio, HIIT, etc.) The difference is that at this intensity, they can only do their workout for 20-30 minutes. 100 kg x 8 METs = 800 calories burned per hour. Divide that in half since they can only do 30 minutes of exercise at that intensity. So, 800 / 2 = 400 calories burned in the half hour workout. Because they are at such a high intensity, though, they are burning 80% carbs and 10-20% fat. Even at the high end they are only burning 400 x 20% = 80 calories from fat. Even if they were to be able to keep it up for the full hour, they would only be burning 800 x 20% = 160 calories from fat.

So, yes, the high intensity workouts are burning more calories per hour, but if they can't keep it up for as long as the lower intensity exercise, then they aren't technically burning more from fat. So, my recommendation to my clients is to focus on weights first so they have the by-products available for fat burning and then long duration, moderate intensity cardio to get the most fat burning from your calorie burns.