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Hard numbers: body fat, weight, a realistic goal ... Ack!

happyheathen927
happyheathen927 Posts: 167 Member
in Social Groups
I need to bounce this off of somebody, to make sure I'm thinking this through right.

Current weight: 229#
Current bf%: approx. 36%
LBM: 147#
BF: 82#

I had my goal weight set to 150, but I just went back and refigured stuff. If I can hold onto all 147# of LBM and can get my BF to 20%, my weight would be between180-185#. That's a huge difference. :/ The least I've ever weighed as an adult was about 195-200#. I was exercising anywhere from 5-8x/week and eating low-carb and was about a size 16.

So am I missing something? Is it unrealistic to expect to maintain ALL of my LBM? I got a lot of muscle under this fat and I wanna KEEP it!

Replies

  • digitalalchemy
    digitalalchemy Posts: 56 Member
    I don't think it is unrealistic, but you have to go about it the right way. Low-carb, proper weight training, and eating enough calories can prevent you from losing LBM. I suggest checking out stuff by Martin Berkhan @ http://www.leangains.com/, anything from Andreas Eenfeldt www.dietdoctor.com, and Kiefer at www.dangerouslyhardcore.com. These people are focused on fat loss rather than weightloss.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    Another idea is to take the following measurements:

    Circumference of each bicep
    Stomach around the belly button
    Hips
    Circumference of each thigh

    Follow up every week or two. Even if you are on your plan and the scale isn't moving, those numbers should. It helps you not focus so much on weight and more on changing how you look and feel. Do that and the weight will come off.
  • MikeFlyMike
    MikeFlyMike Posts: 639 Member
    Remember that LBM includes things that are not muscle. basically everything that isn't water & fat (as I understand it). Yes you will lose some LBM, but not necessarily muscle. Get good protein and do resistance training while loosing weight and you should be fine.
    Don't beat yourself up if your next bf test comes up with less lbm unless it is significant.
  • happyheathen927
    happyheathen927 Posts: 167 Member
    Thanks, y'all. I talked with my trainer last night and we're going to work together to get my goals where they need to be. She's got me heavy on cardio on my non-crossfit days, which I don't love. I'd rather be lifting, but she's concerned about getting my form right first and we don't get a lot of time together to focus on that yet. Patience, I guess.

    I'm kicking myself for not writing down measurements of my thighs, biceps, etc., the day I started working out. I can SEE that my legs are smaller, which is motivating.

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