Body fat again (sorry)

LorinaLynn

Climbing and digging most certainly is closer to strength training than it is cardio. Climbing is body weight exercise. Digging is applying pressure to the ground, then hoisting the weight of the soil. Fighting might be, too, depending on what point in history you were fighting. Ever lift a cannon ball?! :laugh:

To the OP, while also not terribly accurate, you might get a better gauge of your BF% using an online calculator like http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html Plug in your starting stats and your current stats. Bodpod and Dexa scans are most accurate, but you can't exactly go back in time to get your starting point. Ditto for calipers.

I have no problems getting over 100g protein, but I also have larger than normal portions when I have meat, ie 6-8oz instead of 4oz. A protein shake helps fill in the gaps if I do fall short.

Tigermad

Thanks for the replies. I still have about 49lbs to loose to get to my ultimate goal. Surely eatIng more thus only losing half a pound to a pound could take another 1-2 years! Can I not lose as I am and when I am nearer my goal increase the calories to lose less per week then?

erickirb

Thanks for the replies. I still have about 49lbs to loose to get to my goal. Surely eatIng more thus only losing half a pound to a pound could take another 1-2 years! Can I not lose as I am and when I am nearer my goal increase the calories to lose less per week then?

Here is a guide to safe caloric deficit (in each case you should also be eating back your exercise calories):
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

So I would suggest a goal of 1.5lbs/week at most, then switch to 1 lb once you get down to the last 40 or so. Slow and steady wins the race, and you will be a lower BF% at your goal weight with smaller caloric deficits.

UsedToBeHusky

bump

AZackery

When I started this process second week in August I weighed 231 lbs and 48% body fat.

I am now 179lbs but still around the 42% fat mark. That's a lot! I have lost inches and gone from a uk size 24 to a 16 but cannot understand why my fat percentage is so high.

I do cardio with strength training at least 3 times a week, is there anything else that could help shift this fat?

Thanks

It takes time to lose fat. The healthy weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds a week, 4 to 8 pounds a month. It takes time to lose body fat percentage as well. A person can drop a huge amount of scale weight and a little body fat percentage. In four months, you have lost 52 pounds of scale weight. You've lost 17 pounds of lean body mass and that's not good.

Your lean body mass is the requirement for your body. You want to maintain that number or raise it. Keep using your scale to track your process. Nothing is 100% accurate, except for an autopsy, which a person can't get their body fat percentage then. You can get a Bodpod test or dunk test. They might have you a couple of percentage higher than your scale. If you get a dexa scan, it will have you with a higher number, because it counts every fat in your body and that includes the fat in your brain, bones, etc.

I have a body fat scale and Omron handheld monitor. I trust both of them. They give me the same reading. Scale weight is broken down into two categories: Pounds of fat and pounds of lean body mass. I'm speaking for myself. If I can't trust my body fat scale to give me my body fat percentage, then I shouldn't trust it for my weight. I can step on different scales and get different readings. Which one should I trust?

Please try to go the slow route. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, 4 to 8 pounds a month. Make sure you are getting enough protein. Drink water too. It helps with losing fat.

b0t23

there are body fat calculators out there that use measurements.

here is one with loads of different formulas.

http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

b0t23

exercising and eating better worked for me.

I did not only do cardio.

I also did tons of pushups, crunches, and other exercises.

I do not believe you have to lift weights to lose body fat.


For people who have a high percentage of body fat, most of this will go away through loads of cardio or simply eating a good calorie deficit.

I am only saying this because that is what i have done.

when you get down closer to your goal, this will become really hard or impossible using only those methods.

At that point you have to do less of a calorie deficit in order to start strengthening your body.

For me I chose to drop weight before focusing on body fat and muscles.

That was my choice.

AZackery

exercising and eating better worked for me.

I did not only do cardio.

I also did tons of pushups, crunches, and other exercises.

I do not believe you have to lift weights to lose body fat.


For people who have a high percentage of body fat, most of this will go away through loads of cardio or simply eating a good calorie deficit.

I am only saying this because that is what i have done.

when you get down closer to your goal, this will become really hard or impossible using only those methods.

At that point you have to do less of a calorie deficit in order to start strengthening your body.

For me I chose to drop weight before focusing on body fat and muscles.

That was my choice.

I strength train, but I prefer doing cardio strength than just solo strength. You are right, a person doesn't have to lift weights to lose body fat. I love doing cardio. Body weight workouts are good too.

I'm focus on losing pounds of fat and maintaining or raising my lean body mass a little.

psuLemon

exercising and eating better worked for me.

I did not only do cardio.

I also did tons of pushups, crunches, and other exercises.

I do not believe you have to lift weights to lose body fat.


For people who have a high percentage of body fat, most of this will go away through loads of cardio or simply eating a good calorie deficit.

I am only saying this because that is what i have done.

when you get down closer to your goal, this will become really hard or impossible using only those methods.

At that point you have to do less of a calorie deficit in order to start strengthening your body.

For me I chose to drop weight before focusing on body fat and muscles.

That was my choice.

I would say there are multiple ways to skin a cat. Heck, the whole premise of insanity is using your own body weight. You can body recomp without lifting, but it's more effective if you are, since muscle burns fat. When people do cardio, they tend to have large caloric deficits which lead to reduction in lean muscle mass. Some of us (like myself), who do programs like p90x, have managed to lose weight, inches and body fat without losing lean muscle mass. Most people can't say that. The biggest benefit to this, is maintenance of my metabolism which is key.