Lose Fat not Weight?

Ripgirl
Ripgirl Posts: 172 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello All!

I have recently made it down to what I thought was my goal weight - the weight I was 5 years ago before gaining 10 - 15lbs that I never lost before getting pregnant with twins, who are now two. Yay! But.....

My body is carrying the weight very differently than it did back then.

I realize that my body at 40 will be different than it was at 35, and also different following pregnancy.
When I was this weight before I had no concerns around excess fat. At this weight now, I still have a muffin top - front, sides and back and thighs that could use some definite trimming. And back fat.
In summary, I think my body fat % is considerably higher now that it was at this same weight before.

Is it possible to reduce body fat % without losing more weight? Is it as simple as burn fat/build muscle, or is there anything else I should be considering? Anyone else been in this place?


Input appreciated, and thank you!

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    It is possible but just barely, and your genetics, abiltiy to gain muscle, will play a role in that. That being said, most likely you will have to loose weight to loose the body fat. Maybe set you goal for an additional 5 pounds, and set up for a 1/2 pound loss per week, as the slower the weight loss the better the chance you won't also loose muscle.
  • Pygolampida
    Pygolampida Posts: 2
    It is a wise thing to suggest fat reduction, but not necessarily weight loss.
    There is a way to achieve that and that is EXERCISE!! Yeap, plain old good exercise. And to be more precise, the trend now claims (I say trend because nutritional and fitness guidance has changed over the years, sometimes to opposite sides. Anyway..) they claim that the way to burn fat is to add muscle to your body. Which is true. Do not misinterpret for heavy weight lifting, or bulky bodies. You can add muscle to your body - normal muscle, as we all should have, if we didn't have to sit on a chair 10 hours a day - by any kind of resistance exercise. Add dumbells, resistance bands, or the weight of your own body to exercise and you will get muscle, sooner or later. And according to biology, muscle does need more energy to retain itself. Which in plain words means, when you are more toned, you burn more. Which means, either you are allowed to eat a bit more (with extreme exercise like Insanity you'll find that you have to adjust your nutrition, because the body cannot handle the workout otherwise), or by eating the same you will burn more.
    Now, there is no scientifically established way to lose only fat. But statistically (and you can do your own poll in here) only with a better physical condition and exercise, more or less intense, you can aim to lose fat in the long run. And that doesn't mean you will lose weight. You will definetely lose inches though.
    There are many articles you can read about this. Knowledge is not the privilege of college graduates or established practitioners but attainable by anyone who seeks it.
    If you have questions about my answer please do ask again.

    please forgive my writing, as I am not from the us
  • savvystephy
    savvystephy Posts: 4,151 Member
    Are you doing strength training? If not, that should be added into your program. Gaining muscle will help burn fat. Congrats on getting down to your goal weight though. :flowerforyou: This journey is all about tweaking as we go along. :smile:
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
    It is a wise thing to suggest fat reduction, but not necessarily weight loss.
    There is a way to achieve that and that is EXERCISE!! Yeap, plain old good exercise. And to be more precise, the trend now claims (I say trend because nutritional and fitness guidance has changed over the years, sometimes to opposite sides. Anyway..) they claim that the way to burn fat is to add muscle to your body. Which is true. Do not misinterpret for heavy weight lifting, or bulky bodies. You can add muscle to your body - normal muscle, as we all should have, if we didn't have to sit on a chair 10 hours a day - by any kind of resistance exercise. Add dumbells, resistance bands, or the weight of your own body to exercise and you will get muscle, sooner or later. And according to biology, muscle does need more energy to retain itself. Which in plain words means, when you are more toned, you burn more. Which means, either you are allowed to eat a bit more (with extreme exercise like Insanity you'll find that you have to adjust your nutrition, because the body cannot handle the workout otherwise), or by eating the same you will burn more.
    Now, there is no scientifically established way to lose only fat. But statistically (and you can do your own poll in here) only with a better physical condition and exercise, more or less intense, you can aim to lose fat in the long run. And that doesn't mean you will lose weight. You will definetely lose inches though.
    There are many articles you can read about this. Knowledge is not the privilege of college graduates or established practitioners but attainable by anyone who seeks it.
    If you have questions about my answer please do ask again.

    please forgive my writing, as I am not from the us
    Well said. If you're looking for ideas to help you burn fat and build muscle, might I suggest Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones (40 min workout). Light weights, high reps designed to burn fat and tone muscles. I love it and has definitely helped! I got it at Walmart for $9 plus the cost of hand weights so it's not expensive at all.
  • Ripgirl
    Ripgirl Posts: 172 Member
    Thank you all for your input. I had been focused more on cardio in recent months but will add back in some strength training. I could use some toning up!

    The Micheals workout is a great suggestion as well.

    Thanks again - wishing you all continued success and a great weekend!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Just keep working out to tone up and lose the fat. You will probably lose pounds but your body will know when to stop if you're doing it the healthy way. :happy:
  • TOYGRRRL
    TOYGRRRL Posts: 251 Member
    Funny that you chose this topic at the very same time I had the exact discussion with three friends not on MFP. I had recently adjusted my goals because I am still battling the muffin top even at the lightest I've been in a decade. And what I'm hearing and finding online is that I should be adding more core strengthening to my work outs. This will possibly effect my weight but it should mainly flatten and tone that tummy area. I just got a pilates tape that i am hoping will tone me in the right places to put things back the way they were. I believe we do change tremendously in our 40's and hold our weight much differently than in our younger years. It has been very true for me. Good luck and hang in there. Everyone goes through a lot of the same battles. The hardest being ourselves as our worse critics.
  • Ripgirl
    Ripgirl Posts: 172 Member
    That is funny!

    Thanks for the input. I had been doing a fair bit of strength training along with the cardio back in the summer/fall, and in the last while have somehow gotten away from the strength stuff. Back at it!

    I like the comment from arielle about your body knowing when to stop. Makes sense!

    I'll just keep at it and see what happens. It's all about health anyway and in our *ahem* 40's maintaining muscle mass and staying strong is even more critical.
    And Toy.... for us with RA, even more so.

    We'll get there!
  • Happyoceangirl
    Happyoceangirl Posts: 1,993 Member
    Ripgirl, thank you so much for posting this! I'm in a similar boat as you are and the answers are helpful.

    I'm at a reasonable, healthy weight but still have mushy spots that I DON'T love. I thought losing more weight was the answer, but I'm not sure it is... I'm doing 30 Day Slimdown (a combination of Jillian's DVD's) and my weight seems to be going up a bit, but my body is getting in better shape, looking and feeling better. If I could just melt the layer that's covering my fierce six pack :wink: , I'd be happy!

    It gets confusing...
  • Ripgirl
    Ripgirl Posts: 172 Member
    It does get confusing Smiles, doesn't it? I honestly thought that when I got to this weight I'd be transitioning to maintenance but now I'm not so sure. I will just try to stick with healthy eating and exercise and see what my body does.

    It has certainly showed me how my body composition has changed from age 35 (when I last weighed this number) to 40. I've also read that women often lose muscle mass during pregnancy. Then there's the actual pregnancy - maybe my abdominal muscles will never be/look the same?

    If nothing else it's an education, and it keeps us on a healthy path even if not a with a 6-pack :)

    After doing cardio only for so long, I'm actually looking forward to re-introducing the strength training - it will be a nice change. And of course, hopeful it will lead to the desired results!
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