BF down from 30.1% to 26%

nagniho

I had my body fat tested today and it is down to 26%, it was 30.1% in May. My target is 24% and am hoping I will make it. I have been working out for so long but never paid any particular attention to food. I was never overweight but did not feel I was making any gains, either:-( When I got my body fat tested in May I was shocked to find that it was 30.1%:-( I am 4'11 and in May weighed in at 101.8lbs. I was very disappointed and started seeing a nutritionist who introduced me to MFP. It was such an eye opener to see how little or bad I was eating, though in my mind I was always eating good! Even after this it was struggle to eat what my nutritionist recommended (1500cal). I am finally eating in a range of 1350 to 1400 cals, some days I still fall back to 1250+.My TDEE is 1620 at moderately active. BMR is 1057 (Katch McArdle). I have to continuously tell myself that I need to properly fuel my body though at times I get lost when I read that girls my height can do with 1200 cals or less. Is that true?

michellekicks

At 101 lbs you don't have much weight to lose... I would just want to focus on body composition changes. So a very small deficit is a good thing. Focus on strength training and I'm sure you'll see the results you want to see.

heybales

I had my body fat tested today and it is down to 26%, it was 30.1% in May. My target is 24% and am hoping I will make it. I have been working out for so long but never paid any particular attention to food. I was never overweight but did not feel I was making any gains, either:-( When I got my body fat tested in May I was shocked to find that it was 30.1%:-( I am 4'11 and in May weighed in at 101.8lbs. I was very disappointed and started seeing a nutritionist who introduced me to MFP. It was such an eye opener to see how little or bad I was eating, though in my mind I was always eating good! Even after this it was struggle to eat what my nutritionist recommended (1500cal). I am finally eating in a range of 1350 to 1400 cals, some days I still fall back to 1250+.My TDEE is 1620 at moderately active. BMR is 1057 (Katch McArdle). I have to continuously tell myself that I need to properly fuel my body though at times I get lost when I read that girls my height can do with 1200 cals or less. Is that true?

Only if trying to have too big a deficit for the amount to lose. And you want to take the bottom safety recommendation to not eat below as instead a goal to eat up to. And that 1200 was intended for sedentary, which you aren't.

If your exercise is weight lifting, and it should be for your purpose, at least 3 x a week and heavy as you can stand it, you could get by on 1430 daily goal.

The MFP method of 1/2 lb is too much now. Besides which, they don't have your better Katch BMR to use, only Mifflin, which is about 100 cal less.

So that means you've got more LBM than avg gal your age, weight, height - congrats.

Now try to hold on to it all by taking a reasonable deficit. To big, and your final weight drop could be mostly muscle very easily.

If you go for the 1430 daily goal and lifting 3x week heavy, don't log and eat back your exercise calories, because it's already in there. Or log them last thing at night after you have met your goal.

nagniho

Thank you mrsbigmac and heybales! I was targeting a 15% cut from my TDEE, however based on your recommendation heybales it should be more like 11.7% cut indicating a smaller deficit. Is a 40/30/30 macro setting OK? BTW I have very low blood pressure so on doctors advise cardio helps and that is the reason for Insanity.

heybales

Thank you mrsbigmac and heybales! I was targeting a 15% cut from my TDEE, however based on your recommendation heybales it should be more like 11.7% cut indicating a smaller deficit. Is a 40/30/30 macro setting OK? BTW I have very low blood pressure so on doctors advise cardio helps and that is the reason for Insanity.

Those macros are just fine normally, but if doing Insanity, that is huge carb burning at that intense effort. You can easily be not replenishing your carb stores daily.
Go low on those, and muscle will be dipped into for glucose conversion. I'd go for 50/30/20.

Cardio is going to actually help lower blood pressure more than lifting, strange comment from Dr. Might do some research on that.

And since mainly cardio not weight lifting heavy, then goal should be 1460, 10% deficit. Lifting heavy helps maintain muscle during deficits, and while the Insanity will help, you are mainly wanting to recompose while dropping fat.

nagniho

Thank you mrsbigmac and heybales! I was targeting a 15% cut from my TDEE, however based on your recommendation heybales it should be more like 11.7% cut indicating a smaller deficit. Is a 40/30/30 macro setting OK? BTW I have very low blood pressure so on doctors advise cardio helps and that is the reason for Insanity.

Those macros are just fine normally, but if doing Insanity, that is huge carb burning at that intense effort. You can easily be not replenishing your carb stores daily.
Go low on those, and muscle will be dipped into for glucose conversion. I'd go for 50/30/20.

Cardio is going to actually help lower blood pressure more than lifting, strange comment from Dr. Might do some research on that.

And since mainly cardio not weight lifting heavy, then goal should be 1460, 10% deficit. Lifting heavy helps maintain muscle during deficits, and while the Insanity will help, you are mainly wanting to recompose while dropping fat.

Heybales, all research does indicate that cardiovascular exercise lowers BP so I was confused as well. However, perversely I have noticed that maintaining adequate cardio on every other day keeps my BP at a respectable level, go figure....

I will take your recommendations above and report back in a few weeks. Oh and thank you for the your workout spreadsheet calculator. I have been using that for all my calculations.!!!

michellekicks

Heybales IS the numbers guy... :bigsmile:

nagniho

Heybales IS the numbers guy... :bigsmile:

I do have to confess that I read all Heybales posts, and also posts from helloitsdan, determinednoob and geekyjock76. Keeps me on track when I waver......:-)

heybales

Heybales IS the numbers guy... :bigsmile:

I do have to confess that I read all Heybales posts, and also posts from helloitsdan, determinednoob and geekyjock76. Keeps me on track when I waver......:-)

Uh oh, I have a stalker?!

And hey, I think I was just called a geek!
By a friend at that! Ohhhhh, heard from me more often, understandable then.

nagniho

Heybales IS the numbers guy... :bigsmile:

I do have to confess that I read all Heybales posts, and also posts from helloitsdan, determinednoob and geekyjock76. Keeps me on track when I waver......:-)

Uh oh, I have a stalker?!

And hey, I think I was just called a geek!
By a friend at that! Ohhhhh, heard from me more often, understandable then.

There you go...I read another of your posts:-) ha! ha! Really....thanks for so many no-nonsense, data driven posts!