High BF% Women.... & Men

Fiesty1006

Polling the rest of the high BF% women out there..... And the high BF% men can respond too - if you want.

- Are you following TDEE - 20? TDEE - 30%?
- Are you eating below BMR? Yes, yes... I know the MFP forum rants that eating below BMR isn't safe... It's supposedly safer for those with higher BF% and a lot to lose than for those that don't. I'm not advocating it or bashing it. I'm just polling the audience, so to speak.
- Or are you eating at some arbitrary number that MFP provided? Or some other number?

Just curious what the majority are doing.

If you used to be high BF% but aren't anymore, feel free to share your insight too.

hookilau

I'd consider myself high @ 36%

I'm eating at TDEE < 20% but I've only just started this week at that level. I also only just got a scale that measures BF, sooooo, yeah. :ohwell:

Gracerrr

I'm definitely going to be following this.....whatever I'm doing right now isn't working, so looking for some success stories!

stephdeeable

My body fat was 56% when I started. Jealous?

I have mine set to a pound and a half a week, which is pretty close to my TDEE - 30%.

It is not below my BMR. No thanks.

skuehn48

Last time I had BF% measured it was 47%, way high. That was done at work. I am currently following a constant carb diet that my dietician recommended but have not been doing it very long. It works out to about 1400-1500 calories per day. Be well.

spirit05

TDEE - 20% works best for me.

spirit05

Uhhhlexxxis

I'm still tinkering, but I decided to set my calories to lose 1.5lb/week, and work out 30 mins a day everyday, and I'm just trying to not eat back my exercise calories. So far I haven't been hungry enough to eat them back...but I'm not about to starve myself if I'm hungry and haven't made the deficit I want...
I'll let you know how it goes a few weeks from now lol.

darkguardian419

I'm about 30% and.... just to see how many people freak the F out... I'm eating about 900 calories a day.

ETA: eating THAT low without having some sort of professional control is a horrible idea. You also get very hangry all the time.

stephdeeable

I'm about 30% and.... just to see how many people freak the F out... I'm eating about 900 calories a day.

I won''t freak out. You're not destroying MY body so it's cool.

SpecialSundae

According to the scales, I'm about 38.6% (although I don't believe them). I eat at around TDEE-20% (just over 1900 calories per day) and I'm losing at 1-1.5lb a week.

likitisplit

I was at 33%. Did the Couch to 5k program and am down 1.06% in four and a half weeks. I eat according to my macros and eat back exercise calories also, I added another 100 calories so that I wasn't hungry all the time - that decision was supported by a hydrostatic measurement I did. I have MFP set to lose .5 pounds a week but have been losing a lot more than that.

lilacinfinity

I'm around 33%, 185lb and 5'4"

I'm doing the fat2fit radio method where I'm eating at maintenence for my goal weight - which is around 1750 calories at the moment because I selected sedentary but I think I probably should have picked lightly active so I might change it.
Either way, it's still above my BMR.

Pinkkfrost

ETA: eating THAT low without having some sort of professional control is a horrible idea. You also get very hangry all the time.

Is hangry when youre so hungry that youre violently angry at all those around you? Because that happens to me and my kid a lot.

Athena98501

Polling the rest of the high BF% women out there..... And the high BF% men can respond too - if you want.

- Are you following TDEE - 20? TDEE - 30%?
- Are you eating below BMR? Yes, yes... I know the MFP forum rants that eating below BMR isn't safe... It's supposedly safer for those with higher BF% and a lot to lose than for those that don't. I'm not advocating it or bashing it. I'm just polling the audience, so to speak.
- Or are you eating at some arbitrary number that MFP provided? Or some other number?

Just curious what the majority are doing.

If you used to be high BF% but aren't anymore, feel free to share your insight too.

I'm forty-something%. I don't eat below my BMR anymore, except for occasional days when it's unavoidable. I started out lower, but wasn't seeing anywhere near the progress I should've. Since upping my calories, I've made much steadier progress, and I don't find it difficult to stick with anymore. I do eat approximately TDEE-20%, with my macros at 25/30/45 (carb/protein/fat).

ETA: My progress thus far is 28 pounds gone forever.

auddii

I'm 40ish%, and I'm at TDEE-25% right now. I was previously at TDEE-30%, but I've dropped weight since then. I actually use Heybale's spreadsheet because I'm too lazy to figure it all out on my own. It limits you at your BMR (when I was eating TDEE-30% it had me at BMR), so I don't eat below mine.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm

Josh_H

I was prob 25% or higher when I started.. got down to high12 low 13% right now I am around 16 to 17%... but I will drop back down this summer..

fefifoefum

I worked mine out to be 45%-ish. which horrified me!
I worked out my BMR to be 1900-ish and i follow what MFP says and am currently eating about 1600 cals, well most days i go under and eat on average 1400, im not hungry and im eating really well. however at the moment im not really exercising, i do long 13hr shifts at work on my feet (nurse) but no formal excercise.
I am consistantly loosing, when kick up the exercise when my life calms down a tad i will try and work out my TDEE etc, it just seems like SO MUCH FOOD!

however. im new to this nutrition lark, so not gospel at all!

Pimpmonkey

around 36% right now, haven't checked lately. Started that in place of a road map thing last week (search in place of a road map in the forum search) and I feel a lot better and have been losing pretty consistently these last two weeks.

Liftnlove

One year and 3 months ago, I was 37.9% bodyfat. Now I am 16.4%.

I ate about 2000+ cals a day to lose all my weight. I didn't specifically use the TDEE calculation...I just used common sense. I worked out hard, and I knew I needed to fuel my body properly in order to lose fat and maintain muscle.

Otterluv

My body fat was 56% when I started. Jealous?

I have mine set to a pound and a half a week, which is pretty close to my TDEE - 30%.

It is not below my BMR. No thanks.

We are totally BF% TWINSIES!!!

Mine is around 45% at this point. I eat at somewhere between TDEE - 20% or 30%. Currently, I'm tinkering with the numbers a bit. I never ever eat below my BMR. I train way too hard to mess around with that.

omma_to_3

Not sure what I was when I started - probably around 48% or more. I had it tested last July at 39.2% via bod Pod. I had it tested again last week at 34%. I lose approximately 11% from LBM and 89% from fat when I lose weight. Continuing on this path, when I reach my goal weight I should be 25% BF which is right where I'd like to be as its realistic for my age and build.

I have always followed MFP guidelines and eaten back all of my exercise calories. I tried eating more for 3 months but my weight loss greatly reduced. I am currently aiming to net 1200 a day and MFP predicts I'll lose 1.1 lbs per week. In reality I'm netting about 1300 a day and losing about .75 lbs per week.

I had my RMR tested last July after netting below my BMR for about 14 months. It was 1662 - 10% higher than expected. Netting below my BMR was certainly not affecting my metabolism. I will have it tested again when I reach my goal.

I need to eat more protein though. I only get about 15% of calories from protein. I'm pretty happy with my results, which go against the claims on MFP that state eating below your BMR will kill your metabolism. I've asked many times for scientific evidence for this claim and have never been given any. I certainly agree that eating too low of calories is bad, but with the idea of net calories, it's a bit different IMO. When I net 1200, I'm generally eating 1500 to 2200 calories gross per day.

I probably average TDEE - 45%

Ascolti_la_musica

I track my actual calories burned for the day and eat 1000 less than that. Say I burn 2400 calories- I get to eat 1400.

I do not go under 1200, though. There's too much yummy food in my house for that, and I can always burn a little extra the next day if I am under 2200 burned. :-)

eowynmn

I'm 50% fat, on the dot (yay...), and I'm following about a 30% deficit. I actually have a bodymedia fit, and I'm eating a 1500 cal deficit which is a little above my 30 since I exercise a lot and average a 4000 burn.

stephdeeable

My body fat was 56% when I started. Jealous?

I have mine set to a pound and a half a week, which is pretty close to my TDEE - 30%.

It is not below my BMR. No thanks.

We are totally BF% TWINSIES!!!

Mine is around 45% at this point. I eat at somewhere between TDEE - 20% or 30%. Currently, I'm tinkering with the numbers a bit. I never ever eat below my BMR. I train way too hard to mess around with that.

YAY TWINSIES!! :flowerforyou:

jessbbaker

I think many people miscalculate their BFP.

I weigh 150# at 64.5 inches tall(5'4.5"). I have 96 lbs lean mass and a BFP of 34.5%. I wear a 6-8 bottom & medium top. Btw my numbers are via dexa scan. I just got off vacation but just got back in plan, eating 1400-1600 cal per day. My RMR is 1350 or so. I am only looking to lower my BFP. Scale not a concern at this point. I am starting a heavy lifting program next Monday (new rules of lifting for women) and may increase to 1500-1700 depending on how I feel. I will be getting another dexa scan if / when I lose 10# or when I complete the NROLW.

wikitbikit

My scale tells me my body fat is about 52% Sometimes it goes under 50 and I get excited! Until I step on it again and I'm up to 54% or something.

Yeah, I know it's inaccurate. But I do got me some chubs, so I don't quibble. (I'm 5'5, 230ish)

I also have a BodyMedia toy, so I can tell that over the past 28 days I have consumed an average of 1844 calories/day, and my TDEE is 2512, which means I'm effectively doing TDEE - 26%. Huh! How about that, I hadn't done the math before.

I set my log on here to give me 1670 calories/day (It was 1600, but I was fiddling with something and it changed to 1670 and I said WHATEVER and left it) and I try to stay under/around there if I don't exercise. If I do exercise (or am particularly active), I try to stay under 2000 no matter what I end up for the day.

phildawson75

I was prob 25% or higher when I started.. got down to high12 low 13% right now I am around 16 to 17%... but I will drop back down this summer..

Same story here, used to be ~27% when i started end of last year, lost 30+ lbs and now almost into the 12% range. Its probably the most fit I've ever been and was determined not to hit the big 30 with a beer belly.

I'm going for 10% as a goal, should hit that just in time for summer.

kae_blah

My BF% is currently 34%. That is pretty much as low as I have seen it.

I am only 3.6kgs from my goal weight but I know my focus needs to shift to my bf%. The only reason it has not been my focus until now is because it is so damn scary! Weight comes off with exercise and watching calories. I have know idea how it really focus on bf%.

I am sticking to the MFP calculation for losing 1 pound a week and eat back most of my exercise calories.

Interested in seeing suggestions on this thread.

jst1986

I'm about 40% dependant on the calculation as a 6ft man weighing about 340lb. Currently eaten around or slightly below my BMR.

bunbunzee44

my bf is 34% abut I'm not trying to lose anymore weight. I'm going to just exercise to burn the fat off and gain muscle.
I upped my calories to 1500 something and I'm trying to increase the amount of foods that I eat, slowly.