Losing weight but still fat

Hi I'm looking for some advice.

I've been working out most days (dancing, 30 day shred) and watching what I eat (no more eating huge bars of chocolate every night and lots of veg and salad) and I've lost 22lbs since the end of October.

I'm now 10 1/2lbs away from my goal of 135lbs but although I feel healthier, stronger and have lost quite a few inches I'm still fat. In fact my scales tell me I'm nearly 33% fat which is down by 2% since I began this journey but still an unhealthy percentage.

Obviously what I've been doing is working on some level as I'm losing weight, gaining muscle so do I just keep on doing what I'm doing or is there something specific I should be doing to bust through the fat? How can I significantly lower that percentage and improve my health and body?

Cheers

Replies

  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Obviously what I've been doing is working on some level as I'm losing weight, gaining muscle so do I just keep on doing what I'm doing or is there something specific I should be doing to bust through the fat? How can I significantly lower that percentage and improve my health and body?

    be patient. If what you're doing is working, why change now? The last bit of weight to lose is typically the hardest... there's no "bust through the fat" changes.

    I WOULD recommend heavy lifting, but that's up to you.
  • I would agree with trogalicious that you should keep doing what you are doing and be patient! The last 10 pounds is exactly where I am at and is definately the hardest. I think it requires a bit of physical work that includes strengths in addition to cardio to really "shred the fat".
    I would recommend any strength workouts and/or strength/cardio videos. I personally love Jillian Michaels. She incorporates cardio and strength so you not only lose weight, you also get firm and toned up!!!

    Hang in there. Sounds like you have been working very hard!
  • madamecj82
    madamecj82 Posts: 207 Member

    I WOULD recommend heavy lifting, but that's up to you.

    I agree; if you're looking to tone, consider strength training.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    So you went from 157 lbs, 35% bf - 55 lbs fat, 102 lbs lean
    to
    133 lbs, 33% bf - 44 lbs fat, 89 lbs lean

    If those numbers are accurate, you've lost 13 lbs of lean mass and 11 pounds of fat.

    This is why it's so important to lift weights when you lose weight. If you had, and 90% of the weight loss was fat, you would now be:

    133 lbs, 26% bf - 35 lbs fat, 98 lbs lean.

    133 lbs 33% bf and 133 26% body fat is a huge difference. 9 lbs of muscle is a huge difference.

    Start lifting.
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
    pick up the weights
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    I WOULD recommend heavy lifting, but that's up to you.

    ^^^ This.
  • i believe what shes trying to say pertains to her fat % and health wise not loosing pounds... mabey her BMI.... shes lost tons of weight but health wise it still says shes fat.. how can she get her BMI lowered?
  • Angie_Fritts
    Angie_Fritts Posts: 263 Member
    I don't trust those scales. Go to your local gym and have them measure your body fat %. Or you can purchase a cheap set of calipers from your local sporting goods department and figure it yourself.

    But, I agree with the rest. Start lifting weights. What are your measurements from before and after?
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    i believe what shes trying to say pertains to her fat % and health wise not loosing pounds... mabey her BMI.... shes lost tons of weight but health wise it still says shes fat.. how can she get her BMI lowered?

    BMI is height and weight, period. That's it. Since our height doesn't change much our BMI is a product of our weight and nothing else.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Obviously what I've been doing is working on some level as I'm losing weight, gaining muscle so do I just keep on doing what I'm doing or is there something specific I should be doing to bust through the fat? How can I significantly lower that percentage and improve my health and body?

    be patient. If what you're doing is working, why change now? The last bit of weight to lose is typically the hardest... there's no "bust through the fat" changes.

    I WOULD recommend heavy lifting, but that's up to you.

    All of this.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    So you went from 157 lbs, 35% bf - 55 lbs fat, 102 lbs lean
    to
    133 lbs, 33% bf - 44 lbs fat, 89 lbs lean

    If those numbers are accurate, you've lost 13 lbs of lean mass and 11 pounds of fat.

    This is why it's so important to lift weights when you lose weight. If you had, and 90% of the weight loss was fat, you would now be:

    133 lbs, 26% bf - 35 lbs fat, 98 lbs lean.

    133 lbs 33% bf and 133 26% body fat is a huge difference. 9 lbs of muscle is a huge difference.

    Start lifting.

    This, also huge deficits in your TDEE to what your eating also can speed up this process as well as not getting enough protein during your weight loss.. Numbers on a scale can not always be the best thing.
  • janeite1990
    janeite1990 Posts: 671 Member
    I don't trust those scales. Go to your local gym and have them measure your body fat %. Or you can purchase a cheap set of calipers from your local sporting goods department and figure it yourself.

    But, I agree with the rest. Start lifting weights. What are your measurements from before and after?

    perfect reply: get a better measure. Lift weights.
  • lizzardsm
    lizzardsm Posts: 271 Member
    how have you lost this weight? i.e. what are your calorie and macronutrient goals?

    also, at what rate have you been losing - how many lbs/ week have you been losing?
  • kimimila86
    kimimila86 Posts: 399 Member
    So you went from 157 lbs, 35% bf - 55 lbs fat, 102 lbs lean
    to
    133 lbs, 33% bf - 44 lbs fat, 89 lbs lean

    If those numbers are accurate, you've lost 13 lbs of lean mass and 11 pounds of fat.

    This is why it's so important to lift weights when you lose weight. If you had, and 90% of the weight loss was fat, you would now be:

    133 lbs, 26% bf - 35 lbs fat, 98 lbs lean.

    133 lbs 33% bf and 133 26% body fat is a huge difference. 9 lbs of muscle is a huge difference.

    Start lifting.

    Lift, lift, lift! Try looking into New Rules of Lifting for Women or maybe venture into Strong Lifts!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I agree that you need to add some strength training, whether weights, resistance bands, body weight or other. You need resistance work to strength your muscles.

    Also, you might consider asking a professional to measure your body fat. Home measuring usually isn't very accurate. You might not be as far from the healthy range as you think.

    And congrats on your loss so far!

    Edit: typo
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    i would go ahead and start lifting heavy. That will help with your body composition. New Rules of Lifting for Women is something that i've heard is great, but i haven't done it myself. I used Stronglifts 5x5. I loved it.
  • RhodRhod
    RhodRhod Posts: 109
    I was and am in the same boat. After reading all the tips on here and researching on the net, what seems to be working for me as fat as the body fat is weight lifting and interval cardio. Been doing it for 3 wks now which is no where long enough but my belly is finally starting to shrink and my body fat is down to 29% from 31%. Not a lot but it gives me hope that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Good luck!
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    Weight training is a beautiful thing.

    I wouldn't trust the scales for the body fat reading. I can step on mine 3 different times in a row and get different readings each time.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I don't trust those scales. Go to your local gym and have them measure your body fat %. Or you can purchase a cheap set of calipers from your local sporting goods department and figure it yourself.

    But, I agree with the rest. Start lifting weights. What are your measurements from before and after?

    perfect reply: get a better measure. Lift weights.

    ^^^ This! BI scales are useless. They have a very high margin of error. Strength train to preserve lean mass.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Incorporate a good progressive loading strength training routine.
  • Lt_Starbuck
    Lt_Starbuck Posts: 576 Member
    Youre definitely lessening your gravitational pull, but that doesnt have anything to do with getting the body you want. Just high intensity cardio and light weights will help you lose weight, but if you want to look good in a swimsuit too - youre going to have to lift heavy. Heavy for YOU not like - go squat 200# tomorrow.

    Slowly and smartly beat your personal records by adding a little weigh each week for three weeks and then have a light week and go back to progressing.

    THIS is how you make your body. With deadlifts, bench press, overhead press and squats and adding little accessory moves at the end of each one. One Day each. It worked for me.

    I lost 80 pounds and got to my original goal weight and I didnt look anything like I thought I would.

    Then I started lifting heavy consistently for three months and now Im like HOLY SH-- IS THAT MY BODY??????

    -throws scale upon the mountainside-
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I don't trust those scales. Go to your local gym and have them measure your body fat %. Or you can purchase a cheap set of calipers from your local sporting goods department and figure it yourself.

    But, I agree with the rest. Start lifting weights. What are your measurements from before and after?

    Unless you have been trained in how to use calipers, don't waste money buying your own. It's unlikely the reading would be any more accurate than your scale. If you have a gym membership, they may have someone trained in them. If not, your doctor should be able to measure your BF.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Weight training is a beautiful thing.

    I wouldn't trust the scales for the body fat reading. I can step on mine 3 different times in a row and get different readings each time.

    As inaccurate as they might be, they show progress. If you've lost that much weight and your body fat on the scale hasn't changed much then your body fat hasn't changed much.

    If the OP was losing weight without strength training, that's exactly what I'd expect as wel.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    As others have mentioned, start strength training. As you lose weight by eating at a deficit you will lose muscle along the way if you have a deficit too large and are not doing proper weight lifting. You need to start lifting heavy with a smaller deficit so you can retain your muscle.

    Depending on how close to your goal you are, you should switch to muscle building mode. Eat at a slight surplus and lift heavy weights. More muscle will burn more fat. More muscle will mean a lower body fat % and therefore a smaller body even if the scale doesn't show losses.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Have you tried Slim in 6 from beachbody? It's mostly strength training. It could help you build up more muscles.
  • karenhray7
    karenhray7 Posts: 219 Member
    i believe what shes trying to say pertains to her fat % and health wise not loosing pounds... mabey her BMI.... shes lost tons of weight but health wise it still says shes fat.. how can she get her BMI lowered?

    BMI is height and weight, period. That's it. Since our height doesn't change much our BMI is a product of our weight and nothing else.

    Exactly. This is why BMI is not a great indicator for all people. Those of us who are muscular still end up with a high BMI regardless of how healthy we are.
  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member
    Incorporate a good progressive loading strength training routine.
    ^^^
    Good advice. Especially if you are new to lifting or have been out of it for a while. Don't just try to jump in and start lifting heavy until you learn good form. A progressive loading program will give you time to do that. But everyone else is right. If you want to change your body composition for the better (and I think that is what you were asking rather than "how do I lose the last 10 pounds), then start lifting.
    You don't have to totally forget about the scale, but it shouldn't be your main source of progress. You should measure and track your body fat%.
    Hell, your idea weight may be 10 pounds heavier than what you are right now. You will just have to see as you start getting closer to your desired bf%.
    How much you weigh really doesn't matter in the big picture as much as how healthy you feel and how you look. Don't get hung up on a scale number.
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
    Thanks for your responses, I’ve been reading with interest and will try to answer thoughts and queries :o)
    My weight and BMI are ok for my height now and it is my body fat % that I’m interested in losing as from what I gather it’s more of an indicator of health than BMI and I don’t want to be skinny fat. I haven’t used callipers or anything but I’ve used online calculators where you input measurements and they tend to agree with my scales.

    I wouldn’t say it’s impossible that I’ve lost a lot of muscle as well as fat but I find it quite difficult to believe I’ve lost a huge amounts of muscle as I went from sitting on my bum all day doing nothing to exercising and eating good food so I probably didn’t have much muscle to begin with but, who knows? I can definitely feel muscles now that I never knew existed lol

    Protein could be part of the issue as I’m a veggie and getting enough is something I’ve recently realised I need to address through further improving my diet.

    I’m losing an average of 1.3lbs per week and at the beginning of the year I increased my calories to 1400 a day, carbs - 150, fat - 40, protein - as much as I can get!

    I do pretty well with everything apart from protein and fat usually ends up more around 30g a day.

    It’s taken me a little while to respond to you all because to be honest I feel a little bit deflated by the news that I need to lift, lift, lift! As although I would love to weight train as I did when I was younger but I’m now not mean’t to lift anything heavier than a kettle full of water due to health problems :o(

    I think for now I will keep on with Jillian Michaels as I do think it is helping build some muscle which hopefully will help burn some of the fat but maybe I need to see some sort of medical professional/physio who can advise me as to what strength training I am able to do safely these days.

    I now have a plan so thank you again!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I wouldn’t say it’s impossible that I’ve lost a lot of muscle as well as fat but I find it quite difficult to believe

    The only alternative is that the body fat reading you're getting now is reading way, way too high.

    It's one or the other.

    I lost ~40 pounds one summer. Something like 15 lbs of that was lean mass. It was extremely stupid. My "strength training" consisted of occasional pushups, lunges, and situps to failure and that's it.

    I still haven't regained all that lean mass. It's ridiculous.

    If you lost >20 lbs without serious weight training, I would expect that half or more of that loss was lean mass.