How can i lose body fat???

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  • JustMichelleB
    JustMichelleB Posts: 290
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    Less cardio, more weight training.
  • lynz4589
    lynz4589 Posts: 389 Member
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    although I weigh ALOT more than you I exercise the exact same amount of time as you per week. My basic cal intake sits at 1350 (yes MFP has me at 1200 but you can self adjust to whatever number you want) and the extra 150 cals which is basically an extra snack makes all the difference!

    I've only just started the new gym routine of going 5 times a week as of 2 weeks ago and on Monday I had officially lost 7lbs! Again as I said I have ALOT more weight to lose than you so the first week of a new routine I always drop a good amount but it certainly works anyway. Im not one to purposely eat back my exercise cals but they are there if I need them, I work on the idea now of eating when Im hungry rather than eating at a set time, it works for me.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    Creating too large of a deficit through calorie restriction and insane amounts of cardio will yield very discouraging results and won't get the physique you desire. Try a more moderate deficit instead (15% to 25% below maintenance) and focus on resistance training rather than cardio.
  • georgeaj2000
    georgeaj2000 Posts: 9 Member
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    Personally if you're trying to lose weight, then don't eat the calories you've earned, there will be a greater deficit that way. Also unless you have some pretty accurate equipment at measuring your exersion levels you may be over estimating how hard you're working - it's human nature to under-estimate what we eat and over-estimate how hard we exercise and that can be the difference between losing weight or not.

    If you are accurately tracking all your food and you are eating the number of calories that MFP has set you to lose weight at a steady rate then you should lose. If after three weeks you haven't get yourself checked out by a doctor as there may be an underlying reason why you're not losing.
  • WillBeSlimSarah
    WillBeSlimSarah Posts: 15
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    I'm loving all the advice and feedback! Definitely taking it all on board. Thank you so much xxx
  • kalynn06
    kalynn06 Posts: 368 Member
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    We're the same height, and I started at 142. I probably work out 4-6 days per week and eat over 1200 calories, probably 1400-1800 and have cheat days. I'm down 13 total lbs so far (to 129). I'd definitely think you's need to more, so I hope upping your calories eventually works for you. I lost the most scale lbs by doing cardio and light strength and cutting calories. I've seen the most visual changes when lifting heavier weights. Best of Luck!
  • WillBeSlimSarah
    WillBeSlimSarah Posts: 15
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    We're the same height, and I started at 142. I probably work out 4-6 days per week and eat over 1200 calories, probably 1400-1800 and have cheat days. I'm down 13 total lbs so far (to 129). I'd definitely think you's need to more, so I hope upping your calories eventually works for you. I lost the most scale lbs by doing cardio and light strength and cutting calories. I've seen the most visual changes when lifting heavier weights. Best of Luck!

    Thank you its good to see someone in my position has lost weight! I have put my calories up to 1500 but generally have up to 1700 when ive exercised. on my scales at home they said i had lost 2lbs this morning but im going to wait a few days and get weighed on the scales at the gym to make sure :-) x
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    you are probably eating too little and your body is holding on to the body fat.

    http://www.quickbmr.com/what-is-tdee.html

    go here to find out your tdee (total daily energy expenditure) and that'll help you find your BMR (basal metobolic rate). BMR is what you would need to consume, at MINIMUM, if your body were just laying in bed all day.

    you should be eating in between you TDEE and BMR. unfortunatly some people get confused and eat below their BMR, which causes their weight lose to suffer.

    also, read this for a good article on body fat percentage. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/
  • mlegosz
    mlegosz Posts: 74 Member
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    I recommend taking measurements of yourself rather than focusing on weight alone. If you're working out hard, you'll be building muscle which will look on the scales like you're not losing [much] weight, when in truth you're burning fat and adding muscle.
  • paulsmisses
    paulsmisses Posts: 178
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    Do you think i should put my calories up? Its MFP that has set me at 1200.

    i am 27 and have been experiencing pains in my chest, been at 1200 calories for 3 months now. went to doc and told him about diet etc and he was horrified at me eating 1200 cals said i should never go below 1600 and ideally be at my bmr which is 1710, said by eating 1200 cals your body doesnt have enough to function and can be causing all sorts of problems internally with muscle that protects organs etc. so as of monday i am strictly 1710 cals a day. chest pains was acid reflux but still got a fright!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Do you think i should put my calories up? Its MFP that has set me at 1200.

    make sure you NET 1200. this still may not be enough so you might want to change your setting to lose 1/2lb which will give u a few more cals.
  • rashmirao74
    rashmirao74 Posts: 14 Member
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    reading all the posts on this topic. My story is somewhat similar. I have a hypothyroid condition. People around me have said I look thinner but the scale has hardly budged. I work out nearly 5 days a week, 60 minutes of cardio. I'm a vegetarian (Indian) so our food is mainly carbs. However I have taken to avoiding carbs at night and just eat soup for dinner. Its frustrating not to see much progress on the scale. But I don't want to give up. My skin looks fresh, I feel fitter and full of energy...... if only the scale gods agreed, it would be icing on the cake :-) Any tips are welcome.... look forward to other MFP users comments. Success stories of people with hypo thyroid would be a gr8 motivation for me....
  • wwoelbel
    wwoelbel Posts: 23
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    I was extremely overweight in February (BMI - Morbid Obese). I started MFP and going to the gym every other day and doing 40-60 minutes of various cardio machines. My initial calorie goal was just a bit over 1200 which I, of course, adjusted down to 1200 as I wanted more faster. Initially I lost a good chunk in a short time then I just stopped losing anything even after increasing my cardio time to 6 days/week. My turning point was when I read a bit about BMR and the suggestion that you should not eat less than your BMR. My current BMR is just shy of 2000 calories. I swim with a masters team 6 days per week for 1.5-2 hours and lift weight 2 nights per week. While I have never done the heart meter test to see what I actually burn while swimming, I figure that I burn between 500 and 1000 calories. I make sure that I eat atleast 2000 cals/day and stay under 2500. I continue to lose weight at a consistent but not astonishing rate. If you are interested you can calculate your BMR (Basil Metabolic Rate or how many cals you burn to just stay alive) at the following website:

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    This is working for me. It may or may not work for you. I really dont have any hard science to back up my story.

    Best of luck.

    Bill
  • WillBeSlimSarah
    WillBeSlimSarah Posts: 15
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    Thank you so much everyone for advising me to put my calories up. Since I did this 3 days ago, I got weighed today and have lost 1lb! It's doubly great for me because I've always had body/food issues. I lots 2.5 stone 2 years ago by practically starving myself living off a bag of crisps a day because I thought it was the only way I could lose weight. So that is why I'm so amazed and happy that I can lose weight through eating as much as I am now. Thanks again, really appreciate all the replys. Fingers crossed the weight comes of at a good but healthy pace from now on. And yes I will go on net and calculate my bmr.

    Thanks a lot xxx
  • rashmirao74
    rashmirao74 Posts: 14 Member
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    Thanks Bill for your advice. I did check my BMR as suggested, and notice that for a few days this month I have consumed less than my BMR requirement. Shall stick to the minimum requirement and see how it works. Shall keep you posted on the results:-) thanks!!
  • rhondagraymond
    rhondagraymond Posts: 43
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    It might help to consider weight loss coaching (http://www.dukandiet.com/Dukan-Coaching) to lose weight. It will educate you about the right kinds of foods to eat and help you eat better. I would also advise you to get your thyroid tested, just to be sure.

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