Guide: Properly lose BODY FAT % (For Women)!

Lukazetta

Why do you address this to women in the headline, and justify what you say based almost entirely on it being "what worked for you?" If you think gender is important in this regard, wouldn't you want to address it to men?

You're right, I used myself as an example and I'm a guy.

However, I added most of what I wrote from research I did from articles/forum stickies on BodyBuilding.com that were addressed toward women. Ultimately, it's the same for both men and women...there are a few differences since women need a higher BF % in order to be healthy then men as well as some diet differences.

Jillk1023

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melbot24

I've recently plateaued on my body fat percentage.
I can't seem to move it AT ALL even though I do cardio for an hour fives times a week.
And not moderate cardio, my shirt is soaking by the time I'm done.
In addition to 30-45 minutes of weight training by myself and with a trainer.

I calculated my TDEE and BMR.
TDEE: 2899
BMR: 1685

Should I not stay at consuming 1200 cals a day?
Should I bump it up to maybe 1500? 1600?

Definitely increase your calories to at least 1400 for a few weeks, and make sure you're doing intervals, not just steady-state cardio. You may be soaked when you're done, but intervals is where it's at. Good luck plateauing when you're hauling @$$ as fast as you can on a stairstepper or treadmill.

^^^They are right, increase your calories closer to your BMR. Another thing, make sure you pick the right amount of carbs during your plateau, they are typically what stands between your way when it comes to body% loss. This is a great post on the type of carbs you should choose:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/532247-let

My current carb source right now comes in the morning from oatmeal (I workout right after), and then veggies/beans the rest of the day. I RARELY even touch brown rice, wheat bread,potato...etc I do lose some energy at the gym, but it have to sacrifice that in order to get through my plateau.

Thanks! I'm definitely going to try both your suggestions.
I don't eat rice or potatoes. The carbs I get throughout the day are mostly through dark rye @ lunch, nuts I snack on throughout the day and of course veggies at night.
But I'm still willing to continue to limit my carbs even further and see what happens!

tigersword

Sigh...

An "overdose of carbs" that would "readily be stored as fat" would typically have to be around 800 grams a day. The only thing cutting carbs does is shift water weight around by reducing glycogen stores. It has absolutely nothing to do with fat loss.

You might want to spend more time researching medical journals, and less time researching a bodybuilding forum.

Lukazetta

Sigh...

An "overdose of carbs" that would "readily be stored as fat" would typically have to be around 800 grams a day. The only thing cutting carbs does is shift water weight around by reducing glycogen stores. It has absolutely nothing to do with fat loss.

You might want to spend more time researching medical journals, and less time researching a bodybuilding forum.

So what are your suggestions? Help us out.

TLC1975

Even though this website already has a system of calculating how many calories you really need daily (depending on how long you want to lose weight/your goal). I still think it's important to calculate your BMR (Body Metabolic Rate) and TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).

Doing that is reassurance on your part and most importantly it's a good way to figure out how many calories you need to consume to lose body fat % and not lose much lean muscle % you already started with.

I'll use me as an example:
My TDEE is around 2700, and if I fell under that calorie range - I will surely lose more body fat.
However, my BMR is around 1800, meaning if I fell under the 1800 calorie range- I'm likely to lose more lean muscle than fat.

So losing body fat (w/out muscle mass) is all about finding your sweet spot between your TDEE and BMR where you don't lose too much strength at the gym (muscle mass) but still lose weight. You can actually go under your BMR by a safe amount because not everyone has the same metabolism rate. Right now, I'm keeping my calories around 2000 when I'm cutting body fat, less on the days I don't go to the gym because my body needs a bit more energy to function/recover when I work out.

This is interesting, so here's something to throw at you.....according to above...my BMR is 1828 and my TDEE is 2344, so technically I should be between, lets say approx. 2000 calories per day.... unfortunately if I did that I would be putting weight on(which I was when eating 1800 a day)...I currently am taking(not net after exercise, TOTAL intake) in a whopping 1300-1440 a day..that is at least 400 below my BMR.....but I am losing a pound of FAT per week...and yes I chk my BF% ...so although this is a good general guide it definitely (as u did say) does not fit everyone..thanks for the post!

Blessedmommy_2x

Thank you for taking the time to post this

hpsnickers1

That's just way too complicated.

I eat when I'm hungry. I exercise when I feel like it. I eat real, whole foods with real ingredients - most food I eat doesn't come with a nutrition label. I eat junk food occasionally but not like I used to. I don't log, count calories, worry about portions. (I track my carbs because I have blood sugar/insulin issues caused by my high refined carb diet I ate my whole life that I wasn't able to reverse).

I don't touch grains because giving them up was the best thing I did for my health and my digestive system. Funny how every doctor told me to get plenty of whole grains to help my IBS (get plenty of fiber!!) but when I dropped the fiber and the whole grains my IBS (and hiatal hernia and indigestion and constipation and all day flatulence) went away and MY BELLY WENT FLAT. 6 Months of calorie restriction and lots of cardio didn't do this. 2 months of P90X did not do this. Experimenting with Primal Blueprint took all of 6 weeks to get rid of my belly. With less exercise, too.

I lift heavy, I sprint every once in a while, I stay active but will be lazy if I feel like it.

Maintaining a healthy weight and health just should not be this complicated. There is some good information in there, though. Good for people who just want to follow.

People - be your own scientist. Do your own research and figure out what applies to you personally. Learn a little bit about biochemistry and biology and the metabolic pathways of carbs, protein, and fat. And then see how it can work for you.

ECA67

Thank you ! Wish I had read this information years ago.

Acg67

While cutting body fat, you'll be eating the least amount of calories your body needs. So it's important that you properly portion out your meals throughout the day so you don't starve yourself.
The reason:
Our bodies actually panic when we get into a starving mode and it ends up storing more fat later which you obviously don't want to happen. The more consistent your meals are, the more body fat you will actually lose since your body will "think" you don't need to keep it. So that's another reason why you shouldn't jump down to a real low calorie diet to start, gradually progress down and by keeping it close to your BMR.

Lol que? Lower meal frequency would not make your body think it's "starving"

I don't recommend really low carb diets (like Atkin's) however, cutting the right amount of carbs out will get you the most results. This is because overdose of carbs is readily stored as fat and in times of deprivation, fat-storage increases. Picking the right carbs also helps, low digestive carbs help you not feel hungry unlike less complex carbs.

How high of an overdose are we talking? I think you need to do a little reading on DNL in humans and when it occurs

Lower frequency meals are fine, it's just that we are having less calories throughout the day, our bodies aren't used to it. I suggest to have more frequent meals but with smaller portions (maybe 2-3 hours apart) so you never get into a catabolic mode.

My other point was carbs, they are ultimately the main obstacle in our body % goal. If you have any suggestions/things you find will help, feel free to add or let everyone know.

Spacing out meals every 2-3 hrs to not go catabolic is straight broscience.

As for carbs they are not the main obstacle in losing bodyfat. Create a caloric deficit and you will lose bodyfat, optimize macros and use resistance training to retain as much lbm as possible. Prob something like a min of 1g of pro per lb of lbm, .35ish g of fat per lb of bw and then fill in the rest of your cals however you please. If you are super lean already maybe cutting carbs would be beneficial

maryj2367

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jillybean9881

Anyone know a good way of estimating TDEE?

engineman312

Anyone know a good way of estimating TDEE?

See on the top of this page where it says tools? Go there.

tigersword

Sigh...

An "overdose of carbs" that would "readily be stored as fat" would typically have to be around 800 grams a day. The only thing cutting carbs does is shift water weight around by reducing glycogen stores. It has absolutely nothing to do with fat loss.

You might want to spend more time researching medical journals, and less time researching a bodybuilding forum.

So what are your suggestions? Help us out.

It's simple. Eat somewhere between your BMR and TDEE. Get enough healthy fat in your diet (0.35g per pound of body weight,) an appropriate amount of protein for your age and activity level (0.5-1g per pound lbm,) and fill in the rest of your calories however you feel like, as Acg said.

tyra47

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_Christine_

I confuse easily. <sigh>

LoggingForLife

I don't see where to calculate TDEE on this site. I only see the BMR and BMI.

BigDaddyBRC

I love how MFP is full of "I know what's best for everyone" individuals. Every body is different. They to losing FAT is moving your *kitten* and eating better.

TinkrBelz

Sigh...

An "overdose of carbs" that would "readily be stored as fat" would typically have to be around 800 grams a day. The only thing cutting carbs does is shift water weight around by reducing glycogen stores. It has absolutely nothing to do with fat loss.

You might want to spend more time researching medical journals, and less time researching a bodybuilding forum.

I do want to say that I think cutting back on carbs can help. I know with me, just cutting calories back does not help with the weight loss. It used to work when I was in my 20s and 30s, but now in my 40s, I am having to eat differently.

I was eating around 1500 calories and exercising. No results. Then I increased my protein and decreased my carbs (120-150 protien/day and 100-120 carbs/day my fat is around 70-80/day) And I started losing fat. Not a tons of weight, but I am getting leaner. So, I am not sure if it is the increased protein, the decrease in carbs, or both...but this combination has worked. And my calories have stayed the same...in fact, I just increased my calories these past 2 weeks.

It is not water shifting or water weight....I lost some body fat. I will change my profile pic to show my in a bathing suit. But this has worked for me. So, I can only give advice on what has worked for me. Also, I am 42 (next Saturday) and I have 6 kids...so losing body fat is a little more difficult than when I was 22.

kcragg

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