BF % and weight loss

DoubleE615312

Ok I am not sure where to put this, hopefully somebody will tell me or share a link. I have lost 56 lbs and 12% body fat. My question is....Is this a good ratio, should my BF% be more or less with the weight I have lost?

neanderthin

Hard to say without knowing what weight and body fat % you started with. People that are very overweight or obese will lose more fat, and conversly someone witha fairly low body fat % will lose more lean mass, generally speaking. Keep in mind that a loss of water weight will translate into a los of lean mass. Your diet and exercise routine will also influence how you lose weight and whether your new to weight resistance training.

DoubleE615312

started at 245 lbs and 47% BF, currently at 188.8 lbs and 35% BF.

RonSwanson66

Sh!tstorm in 3, 2, 1, ......

RonSwanson66

If your estimates are correct, then you've lost 49lbs of fat.

That's just about perfect.

DoubleE615312

great to know thanks.

erickirb

started at 245 lbs and 47% BF, currently at 188.8 lbs and 35% BF.

so if this is the case you lost 49 (115-66) lbs of fat, so of your total loss of 56 lbs 49 was fat, that is a great result, this also means that you lost 7 lbs of lean mass. So for every 7lbs you lost you only lost 1 lb of lean mass, some of which would be muscle.

There was a woman on MFP that did HCG and shed ended up losing almost as much lean mass as fat.

therealangd

If your estimates are correct, then you've lost 49lbs of fat.

That's just about perfect.

But doesn't that mean there is also a 12 lb loss of lean mass?

Is that ok? Did I do the math right?

ETA: Nevermind, we posted at the same time.

BobbyClerici

You need to correlate your b fat % with the mirror eye test - how do you look?
Further, you can measure your specific body parts to gauge progress as well.

HOW TO: Test Body Fat
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

Give that a try. Good luck; you are doing GREAT!

erickirb

If your estimates are correct, then you've lost 49lbs of fat.

That's just about perfect.

But doesn't that mean there is also a 12 lb loss of lean mass?

Is that ok? Did I do the math right?

only 7 lbs of lean mass 245-189-49 = 7. that is a 7:1 ratio which is very good, usually you will see it range from 3:1 to 10:1, depending on how much weight someone has to lose, their diet, and their workouts. The smaller your deficit, the heavier weight you lift, and the more protein you eat (within reason (30-40% of total calories is enough) the better your ratio of fat loss to lean mass loss will be.

it is even possible in obese individuals new to weight lifting that they gain a little lean mass while losing fat, not very common though.

afigueroa_pr

I started at 205.5 pounds with a 27% body fat.
Happy to say I am 153.5 pounds and a 14% body fat. As far as I know, the normal range is between 8%-20%.

therealangd

@erickirb Thanks for the explanation.

erickirb

I started at 205.5 pounds with a 27% body fat.
Happy to say I am 153.5 pounds and a 14% body fat. As far as I know, the normal range is between 8%-20%.

This shows of the total weight you lost 52 lbs, 34lbs (55.5-21.5) were from fat and 18 from lean mass, which is about a 3:1 ratio (29:9). Keep in mind that the less you have to lose the more difficult it is to have a high fat loss to lean mass loss ratio.

roncovert

We started at a very similar point. I went from 231 and 47% bf to 193 and 23% bf in the past 4 months. That includes a very dedicated workout program including cardio and resistance training.

My thoughts. (since you asked) First, great job dropping weight. You have lost 57 total pounds of fat and a total of 50 actual pounds. I think if you worked to add more lean muscle that you will see a more drastic change in yourself. You will even feel better than you do now.

If you compare to my journey WITH an effort on lean muscle and same body fat starting point, I have dropped 64 pounds of fat and only 38 pounds of actual scale weight. I am not bulked up by any means, but I have definitely added a ton of muscle and feel great. Also, as you try and maintain, that lean muscle takes more calories to maintain and you will be able to keep the fat off easier.

Hope this helps!

vmclach

depends on your starting weight.
for example.
I started out at 158 pounds and I was 30% body fat... that means i had 158x.3 pounds of FAT, so 47.4 pounds of my weight was fat.... that means my lean body mass was 158-47.4= 110.6 pounds...

currently, I weight 135 pounds and have 18% body fat, so I have 24.3 pounds of fat, and my lean body mass is 110.7 pounds...

there are a few ways you could analyze that...

1st.. i've lost 158-135 pounds, so 23 pounds total... then I compare that to how many pounds of FAT I lost sooo 47.4-24.3= 23.1 pounds of fat. I lost 23.1 pounds of fat but I lost 23 pounds total... this means I converted that extra .1 pounds into muscle...

IF the weight you have lost (# on the scale) is LARGER than the total body fat you lost, then that means you lost muscle or maybe your starting weight was elevated from water weight... but if it is muscle loss that is bad...

the other way you can look at it is looking at the lean body mass before and after.. so we would be comparing the 110.6 in the beginning to 110.7 now. Again .1 gain in lean muscle mass...

DoubleE615312

Thanks everyone for the comments. My trainer would like to have me around 24% which is mid-range for my height of 5'5". He tells me to stay off the scale, don't worry about my weight and focus on the BF%.

erickirb

We started at a very similar point. I went from 231 and 47% bf to 193 and 23% bf in the past 4 months. That includes a very dedicated workout program including cardio and resistance training.

My thoughts. (since you asked) First, great job dropping weight. You have lost 57 total pounds of fat and a total of 50 actual pounds. I think if you worked to add more lean muscle that you will see a more drastic change in yourself. You will even feel better than you do now.

If you compare to my journey WITH an effort on lean muscle and same body fat starting point, I have dropped 64 pounds of fat and only 38 pounds of actual scale weight. I am not bulked up by any means, but I have definitely added a ton of muscle and feel great. Also, as you try and maintain, that lean muscle takes more calories to maintain and you will be able to keep the fat off easier.

Hope this helps!

FYI: It is much easier for a man to maintain and/or add lean muscle than a woman due to testosterone levels

erickirb

depends on your starting weight.
for example.
I started out at 158 pounds and I was 30% body fat... that means i had 158x.3 pounds of FAT, so 47.4 pounds of my weight was fat.... that means my lean body mass was 158-47.4= 110.6 pounds...

currently, I weight 135 pounds and have 18% body fat, so I have 24.3 pounds of fat, and my lean body mass is 110.7 pounds...

there are a few ways you could analyze that...

1st.. i've lost 158-135 pounds, so 23 pounds total... then I compare that to how many pounds of FAT I lost sooo 47.4-24.3= 23.1 pounds of fat. I lost 23.1 pounds of fat but I lost 23 pounds total... this means I converted that extra .1 pounds into muscle...

IF the weight you have lost (# on the scale) is LARGER than the total body fat you lost, then that means you lost muscle or maybe your starting weight was elevated from water weight... but if it is muscle loss that is bad...

the other way you can look at it is looking at the lean body mass before and after.. so we would be comparing the 110.6 in the beginning to 110.7 now. Again .1 gain in lean muscle mass...

95% of dieters will lose lean mass as they lose weight, it is very hard not to, if you managed to that is great, but it is not the norm. Some lean mass and muscle should be expected to lose. When body builders cut for shows they drop dozens of lbs of lean mass, and pretty much all the fat they have on their body's.

vmclach

started at 245 lbs and 47% BF, currently at 188.8 lbs and 35% BF.

245 x .47 = 115.15 pounds of fat and 129.85 pounds of lean body mass

188.8 x .35 = 66 pounds of fat and 122.72 pounds of lean body mass

you have lost a total of 56.2 pounds but only 49.5 pounds of fat.

so you did lose muscle mass. but you were on a calorie deficit, so that's not really a big deal. You're fine.

CONGRATS ON THE LOSS

roncovert

i understand it may be more difficult for women, but the idea is still the same and the advice is the same. also, it is important to make sure that you are getting plenty of protein (man or woman) while building lean muscle. again, i am not advocating bulking up, just improving lean muscle mass through resistance training.

vmclach

started at 245 lbs and 47% BF, currently at 188.8 lbs and 35% BF.

245 x .47 = 115.15 pounds of fat and 129.85 pounds of lean body mass

188.8 x .35 = 66 pounds of fat and 122.72 pounds of lean body mass

you have lost a total of 56.2 pounds but only 49.5 pounds of fat.

so you did lose muscle mass. but you were on a calorie deficit, so that's not really a big deal. You're fine.

CONGRATS ON THE LOSS

lol and WOW.
you are 5'5"?! and a female with 122.72 pounds of lean body mass?! MEGA JEALOUS LOL I'm 5'8.5" and only 110 =[ hahaha you are doing great

DoubleE615312

started at 245 lbs and 47% BF, currently at 188.8 lbs and 35% BF.

245 x .47 = 115.15 pounds of fat and 129.85 pounds of lean body mass

188.8 x .35 = 66 pounds of fat and 122.72 pounds of lean body mass

you have lost a total of 56.2 pounds but only 49.5 pounds of fat.

so you did lose muscle mass. but you were on a calorie deficit, so that's not really a big deal. You're fine.

CONGRATS ON THE LOSS

lol and WOW.
you are 5'5"?! and a female with 122.72 pounds of lean body mass?! MEGA JEALOUS LOL I'm 5'8.5" and only 110 =[ hahaha you are doing great

Thanks. When I started with my PT I was down 27 lbs and 5% BF from diet and cardio (for the first 4 month). My first weigh in after starting with him (about 5-6 weeks later) I was down about 9 lbs and 6% BF. My last weigh in I was down 9 lbs and a little over 1% BF. My next weigh in will be around the first of the year. Hoping to be down to 185 (or more). Hopefully my BF% will be slide on down too.

RonSwanson66

Don't forget that water counts as lean mass as well, and since most new dieters can expect to lose 5-10lbs of water, then you may have not lost any muscle at all (or a very small amount, which is to be expected).

DoubleE615312

Hi everyone,

I am back and thanks for the comments. I have a new trainer now after not doing weight training for 2 months (long story with other trainer). She measured my BF% with calipers this time (other times done with handheld device).

Here are my current measurements from her:

Height 5'5"
weight 174 lbs
BF% 24

So my ultimate goal now is to get to 150 lbs and have about 15-20% BF. I know I am never going to have the body of a fitness model. I know I will have loose skin and will have a stomach.

She has me working on dropping my sodium and sugar levels....

Just thought I would post an update.