Goals for body fat percentage

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UsedToBeHusky
UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,227 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Is expecting to lose 2% body fat each month a realistic goal?

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  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,227 Member
    bump
  • kaitlynnrogers
    kaitlynnrogers Posts: 142 Member
    bump!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,227 Member
    um.... bump?
  • k2quiere
    k2quiere Posts: 4,151 Member
    Just punching some numbers into the BMI calculator on here, a person weighing 250lbs would need to lost 15lbs in a month to lower their BF 2%. I don't there's anything wrong with going for BF as a goal rather than scale weight, but I think that the need to put a specific date on it is going to backfire.

    And, of course, there is also the fact that most BF calculators take scale weight into consideration.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,227 Member
    Just punching some numbers into the BMI calculator on here, a person weighing 250lbs would need to lost 15lbs in a month to lower their BF 2%. I don't there's anything wrong with going for BF as a goal rather than scale weight, but I think that the need to put a specific date on it is going to backfire.

    I do have a specific date. Check my profile. My goals are set up by inches then percentage. But it comes out to 2% body fat each month. Your calculations aren't set up for someone of my height either. Remember... I'm almost 6 feet tall with a large frame.
  • _HeathBar_
    _HeathBar_ Posts: 902 Member
    I think it depends. If you are 200lbs a 2% weight loss is 4lbs which is a reasonable goal. Right now I weigh 145lbs so a 2% body fat decrease would be 2.9lbs of fat, which seems like a lot of lose in one month at that weight range. So the closer you get to your goal, the more unrealistic 2% a month is in my opinion.

    edit: because I suck at math, sorry if my figures are wrong :blushing:
  • k2quiere
    k2quiere Posts: 4,151 Member
    Oh, I just put in random numbers, not my own, just to see what it would come up to be. I just know that whenever I started saying I wanted to lose XX much by such and such a date, I slowed down tremendously as compared to when I just let it happen by following MFPs suggestions and working out.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,227 Member
    Oh, I just put in random numbers, not my own, just to see what it would come up to be. I just know that whenever I started saying I wanted to lose XX much by such and such a date, I slowed down tremendously as compared to when I just let it happen by following MFPs suggestions and working out.

    I'm changing my program. I'm not following MFP's guidelines. I changed to maintenance and eating back 80% of my daily expenditure based on the FitBit's activity estimations.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Is expecting to lose 2% body fat each month a realistic goal?
    It depends on your current body fat levels. If you're at 35%, it's very realistic, if you're at 15%, it isn't. How close you are to either end of that spectrum will determine how realistic it is.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,227 Member
    Is expecting to lose 2% body fat each month a realistic goal?
    It depends on your current body fat levels. If you're at 35%, it's very realistic, if you're at 15%, it isn't. How close you are to either end of that spectrum will determine how realistic it is.

    Well I was looking at a reduction of 18% over the next 9 months, but I'm thinking now that I need to stretch that out to a year as someone else said the same thing. That it will get harder to lose it the lower that percentage gets.

    Thanks everyone! You guys are great! :flowerforyou:
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