Can I lose 10% body fat in 3 months?
JAT74
Posts: 1,081 Member
I am currently 30-31% body fat and am looking to get down to 20% or below ideally before the summer. I'm doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution which will finish in mid-April but I don't expect to see huge changes by the time I have finished, although I expect to lose at least a few more pounds and maybe a little body fat.
The program I'm doing now combines cardio (HIIT) training twice per week with weight training four times per week. On top of that I've been doing a little extra cardio some days such as walking or using the treadmill/eliptical machine.
What will be the best way for me to lose fat quickly after that? I would ideally like a 6-8 week program which will give me results at home and I have a fully equipped home gym so I can use barbells, dumbells, resistence bands, kettle bells and my multigym machine as well as body weight exercises. I like th idea of cardio based DVD programmes like Insanity, Turbo Fire or Les Mills Combat but would only do one of those if I could also do weights alongside it.
The total workout time per day can't really exceed 1 hour 30 minutes split into 2 sessions, what would you all recommend and what can I expect in terms of results?
The program I'm doing now combines cardio (HIIT) training twice per week with weight training four times per week. On top of that I've been doing a little extra cardio some days such as walking or using the treadmill/eliptical machine.
What will be the best way for me to lose fat quickly after that? I would ideally like a 6-8 week program which will give me results at home and I have a fully equipped home gym so I can use barbells, dumbells, resistence bands, kettle bells and my multigym machine as well as body weight exercises. I like th idea of cardio based DVD programmes like Insanity, Turbo Fire or Les Mills Combat but would only do one of those if I could also do weights alongside it.
The total workout time per day can't really exceed 1 hour 30 minutes split into 2 sessions, what would you all recommend and what can I expect in terms of results?
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Don't see why not, I have lost 8% since New Years Day and I don't do much in the way of specific strength/lifting. I probably do one or two sessions a week of machine weights, mid-weight, mid-reps.
Mine has come from doing weight-bearing cardio, so hiking on hilly, uneven terrain, cycling and spinning on high resistance ratios. Plus some step aerobics. That uses my big muscle groups and so they are getting more muscly! Nothing particularly scientific, just using them lots in a variety of ways to keep them guessing!0 -
Hello!
I'm no expert but I think it's doable. If not 10% I think you can lose a lot of body fat in 3 months.
I think you should focus on HIIT and weight lifting. The people I've read about who managed to lose body fat quickly lifted a lot of weights. So that's my advice to you.0 -
After you've calculated your intake and TDEE, the rest, well...
This one come down to your macronutrients: Protein, Carbs, Fats.
What is often called a Fat Shredder ratio is:
50/30/20
Combine this with a strenuous, advanced exercise regiment... and well.. why not?
MFP on your smartphone does nice pie charts. You eat five six times a day, 2 or 3 of those meals being high protein shakes with fat free milk, 50% protein daily should be attainable. I get 45% with just two.0 -
do insanity!
if you push yourself you wont need to do any weights as well, as it includes a lot of bodyweight stuff.0 -
Yep - do Insanity @ 50/30/20 macros and one gallon of water a day. Try to increase to Doubles last 20 days. You should be able to lose 10% no problem.0
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Your plan sounds great, but nutrition is also huge in that equation. Keeping your metabolism up, get plenty of protein, fiber and water, and keeping the sodium and sugar in check can also help in terms of seeing results on the scale. The sugar thing for keeping the blood sugar level balanced to help minimize cravings. I also found that for me (unlike many here) I had to keep caffeine to minimum because it would result in crazy cravings.
Finding healthy things to eat that you enjoy will also go a long way towards sustainability, so you can maintain the changes.
Rest days are also important because your body needs a chance to process the changes you are making to it.
With weights I'm sure Jillian is great - progressive increase is really important - so at some point when you are good with one weight - then increase the weight incrementally - I am assuming her program incorporates that.
For the body fat percentage test the caliper test I have found to be more accurate than the electronic handheld machine which can vary by a 4% range. Get a professional (nutritionist, some type of health center, or trainer) to measure it now and then have a plan to have it measured again in 3 months.
You also might set some goals for yourself in terms of where you want to be every month to keep yourself on track... For instance I had a recent beach vacation so I had wanted to be fit for the beach and that helped keep me motivated. Many people also like to take pictures every week.
If you do all the above I'm pretty sure you will find yourself in a great place in 3 months, whether or not it's the specific number you are looking for.
Good luck!0 -
How long is the Insanity program and how long are each of the workouts? I've also heard it does your knees in and I have a slight weakness in my right knee although it's been better since I started training again. Is this a good idea with bad knees?!
Luckily I live in the sun at the moment and the beach is 10 minutes drive so I have a real incentive to get there as until now I have always avoided the beach and spent most of the summer covered up. I also have a pool where I live (communal) so I can swim daily in summer but again I always avoided doing that too much because I didn't want to be seen in my swimwear.
I will do whatever it takes but I'm on a budget so it's hard to get enough lean protein in and find I'm eating a little too much fat a lot of the time although I can easily stick to 25% carbs.0 -
I started with a really bad knee - actually "knees"; even now I have challenges - but just before I finished my first round combined with P90x I did 3 routines of Insanity back2back... so u will be fine. Remember, most of it is in the mind and most cases mind over matter... longest workout is 1hr tops - most about 40 mins - is very intense though.How long is the Insanity program and how long are each of the workouts? I've also heard it does your knees in and I have a slight weakness in my right knee although it's been better since I started training again. Is this a good idea with bad knees?!
Luckily I live in the sun at the moment and the beach is 10 minutes drive so I have a real incentive to get there as until now I have always avoided the beach and spent most of the summer covered up. I also have a pool where I live (communal) so I can swim daily in summer but again I always avoided doing that too much because I didn't want to be seen in my swimwear.
I will do whatever it takes but I'm on a budget so it's hard to get enough lean protein in and find I'm eating a little too much fat a lot of the time although I can easily stick to 25% carbs.0 -
It does sound doable but I guess it is mostly lower body work, am I right? I haven't actually seen it I suppose if that's the case I could do some upper body weight training at the same time in short sessions twice per week, for example chest/triceps one day then back/biceps/shoulders another day.
Either that or combine it with some of the shorter P90X workouts, could someone devise a hybrid program for that, keeping it at around 45 minutes per day?0 -
Insanity has enough of Core and Upper body pushups etc built into it.It does sound doable but I guess it is mostly lower body work, am I right? I haven't actually seen it I suppose if that's the case I could do some upper body weight training at the same time in short sessions twice per week, for example chest/triceps one day then back/biceps/shoulders another day.
Either that or combine it with some of the shorter P90X workouts, could someone devise a hybrid program for that, keeping it at around 45 minutes per day?0 -
After you've calculated your intake and TDEE, the rest, well...
This one come down to your macronutrients: Protein, Carbs, Fats.
What is often called a Fat Shredder ratio is:
50/30/20
Combine this with a strenuous, advanced exercise regiment... and well.. why not?
MFP on your smartphone does nice pie charts. You eat five six times a day, 2 or 3 of those meals being high protein shakes with fat free milk, 50% protein daily should be attainable. I get 45% with just two.
Just to clarify, is this the distribution you are talking about?
50% Protein, 30% Carbs, 20% Fat?0 -
That would be impossible for me, I currently have my macros set to 25% carbs, 35% protein and 40% fat and I struggle to meet my protein percentage.0
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That would be impossible for me, I currently have my macros set to 25% carbs, 35% protein and 40% fat and I struggle to meet my protein percentage.
try harder!0 -
Money is one of my main problems because I can't really afford to buy more protein in my weekly shop as food here is very expensive and I can't afford to have more than 1 protein shake per day either as I just haven't got the cash for it.
I am also a little worried about having too much protein as I have a history of kidney disease in my family although I haven't had any symptoms of it so far and I'm 38. I am therefore conscious of not eating too much protein and a friend of mine who is training for body building told me that she is currently eating 300g protein per day right now and was recently eating 200g per day for several months and now she has high blood pressure so it does worry me a little. I need to be a little careful about my own blood pressure so don't want to go too high.0 -
Whether you lose 10%, 15%, 5%, or any other number, the method you use to get there will be the same. So I say just get started and see where you are in three months. Set yourself at 20% below TDEE. Do cardio two or three times a week, and resistance training two or three times a week. Up your protein, but pay attention to any limit placed on you by your doctor regarding you kidney issues - that should take precedence.
There are limits to the average human body, and it's not smart to push them by setting overly aggressive goals in unsupervised situations. It can have negative side effects.0 -
I did it using MFP.0
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Money is one of my main problems because I can't really afford to buy more protein in my weekly shop as food here is very expensive and I can't afford to have more than 1 protein shake per day either as I just haven't got the cash for it.
Three things:
First, I think 10% is totally doable!
Second, eggs are cheap protein
Third, I've found that eating a lot of fat has helped me lose fat %. I eat apprx. 65% of my calories from fat and lost 2.9% in 26 days! Not just any fat though. I eat a lot of animal fat (organic grassfed), avocado, olive oil, coconut oil and butter. I steer clear of vegetable oils and "spreads".0 -
10% body fat in 4 months? I am shocked at how many people are saying this is no problem. She isn't droping from 40% to 30%, she is droping from 30% to 20%, I dont see that being as east as 4 months. I can see you getting close...maybe 23-24, but 10%? wow.0
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Money is one of my main problems because I can't really afford to buy more protein in my weekly shop as food here is very expensive and I can't afford to have more than 1 protein shake per day either as I just haven't got the cash for it.
Three things:
First, I think 10% is totally doable!
Second, eggs are cheap protein
Third, I've found that eating a lot of fat has helped me lose fat %. I eat apprx. 65% of my calories from fat and lost 2.9% in 26 days! Not just any fat though. I eat a lot of animal fat (organic grassfed), avocado, olive oil, coconut oil and butter. I steer clear of vegetable oils and "spreads".
I should add that my protein is generally around 20% and my carb 15%0 -
10% body fat in 4 months? I am shocked at how many people are saying this is no problem. She isn't droping from 40% to 30%, she is droping from 30% to 20%, I dont see that being as east as 4 months. I can see you getting close...maybe 23-24, but 10%? wow.
It's doable. She needs good training and 100% commitment on nutrition.0 -
I dropped 1 % of fat within 2 months. i had lost inches and some weight but I was very disappointed to see the fat barely coming off... I was working out about 4 times a week doing machines and some cardio. I was also eating much better but not perfectly. I haven't checked my fat percentage since Mid January. I'm curious to see if it has gone down more but I doubt it will be a big drop.0
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I am conscious of the fact that since 2nd January when I joined MFP I have been trying to lose body fat but so far it's only budged around 1-2% so I need to change something. I have been trying to follow the rules you set below but for at least 3-4 weeks I think I was eating at maintenance by eating back my exercise calories so I didn't see much movement in the scale, inch loss or fat loss.
Now I'm eating less and I am seeing movement on the scale and a little inch loss so I am more hopeful than I was before!0 -
I dropped 8% BF (from 37% to 29%) in five months. My goal is to get to 20% by the end of the summer. My starting weight was 127 and I am currently 111 pounds. I don't want to go lower body weight if I can help it but I do not like how heavy my legs still are, so on we go.
Diet is a big part. I aim for 80-100 grams protein, 150 grams or less carbs, and ideally less than 60 grams of fat but I don't let the fat percent freak me if it is high. I eat 1400-1700 calories a day.
Workouts are 3-4 mornings doing a bootcamp type workout class, 2 weight lifting nights a week, 2 yoga nights a week, and 2-3 miles of cardio 3-5 times a week.
If you would like a friend drop me a request and let's compare best practices.0 -
Yes you can lose/drop 10% body fat. You won't enjoy the 2-4 weeks diet but if you stick to it and don't cheat yourself you will accomplish it. You'll have to start with cutting all the bad carbohydrates: Sugar, bread, potatoes,rice anything with refined carbs/white carbs, Alcohol (that is if you drink beer or such).
If you wanna see results real quick in conjunction with your 1:30min workout a day in 2-4 weeks depending on where your stats are now, you should limit your carbohydrates to no more than 50g/day. It's gonna suck at 1st but you'll get used to it if you haven't done this already.
Stay on fat free foods/fat free milk. Milk also has sugar and carbs in it so be sure to keep it at a minimum. if you are only adding a little to your coffee then that's fine.
Add Protein to your diet, no more than 40-50grams at each meal 3 times a day. For example separate 10 large egg whites from the eggs and that will give you 40g of pure protein. Make an egg white omelet for breakfast. it has zero carbs and less than 300 calories all of which come from the protein which are utilized better. Stick to tuna fish in light water as it contains zero carbs and it has omega 3 fish oils which help break down the bad oils/fat. Also grilled chicken is an option. Look at your nutrition facts/charts/labels on each product. There are many options out there for you and if you study the labels you'll get used to the food options you have and you'll have a better sense of the portions you eat.
I would highly suggest you just do the Elliptical Trainer at your gym for cardio during that 1:30min you say you have available. You'll burn 1500 calories in that time if you have the resistance set to max. You can get better results and burn even more fat if you know your target working heart rate. If you have a heart rate monitor or one of those watches that you just touch with your finger and it tells you, wear it. When you wake up in the morning don't move or get up from bed, try to move the least by only using your arm and finger to touch the heart rate monitor and see what your resting heart rate is. It should be anywhere between 42-62 depending on your age. Once you have this you can use the Karvonen Heart Rate Method to figure out your target working heart rate, which then you can monitor on the elliptical every 5 minutes or so and keep your heart rate bpm in that range and you will be burning only body fat during your workout. I just gave you a rough point out on things here. I can get really detailed but would type pages here. My current body fat % is at 16% down from 28% last month. If I did it, anyone can do it. it's all will power and thinking positive always no matter how hard.
Hope this helps you.
You can have green carbs which are complex and utilized/burned better for energy by your body such as Kale, Spinach for example.0 -
I will give my opinion that it is doable, but will be difficult. Even more so since you are trying to get down into the athletic range for a female. I dropped from 37.6% to 27.8% over 3 months last spring/summer. Over the 3 following months I only dropped 5% down to 22.7%. This was working out for an 30-60 min 4-6 times a week and really watching what I ate. Once you are getting into the lower half of the 20's for a female it will become difficult.
But as to what I did, I mainly did cardio at first, with body weight exercise. Towards the end I added in weight training. I slacked off over the winter and am just now starting to get back into it because I gained ~6 lbs over the months of Nov-Feb, so need to get back on track to get back a beach worthy body for the summer.0 -
No expert here but its not likely. If you were in the high 30s or 40s id say yes. It's just like weight loss in that the more you have to lose the faster it will come off. As you approach goal, the loss slows. I have been working on my bf % a year next week. I haven't lost 10% yet. And I train harder than most people dream of.
Don't mean to rain on your parade. You can def make lots of progress in 3 months. You may be surprised at how different you look at 28%. I know I was.... Good luck.0 -
I'm going to rain on your parade, it's not healthy for a woman to be under 20% BF. Women naturally carry more fat because of our ability to have children. If you go below 21% you are considered Under Fat and that's not healthy:
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/library/blbodyfatcharts.htm
Aim for 25%. Lift heavy & eat clean. And set a more reasonable time frame.0 -
You will be doing good to lose 5% in that amount of time. Best of luck!0
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