Low weight (92 lbs) but too much fat

Lilaselise
Lilaselise Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone ! Here's my story : I was overweight as a child, not obese but at a unhealthy BMI. As a teen I certainly looked better (i did not weigh) but still remained chubby, I guess because of my poor diet : unhealthy things, huge portions, eating when not hungry/bored... It wasn't until the summer of 2011 that I decided to try to lose weight. I was 107 lbs (not my highest weight, i use to weigh more at a younger age) for 4 feet 10 inches. I guess 107 looks big on me because of my height and small frame, for instance my mother is asian with a very small frame and weighed between 82 lbs and 92 lbs in her 20's (she's 4 feet 11). I did not have a goal weight but i thought I would look good around 90-92. Now that I'm at 92 lbs i definitely can see the difference, I look and feel much better in clothes, but I'm confused at how much fat there's left of my body for such a low weight and BMI. I realize it isn't that surprising since I did not worked out AT ALL to go from 107 to 92, and everything was kind of all over the place, losing weight, putting weight back on and so on. Since the beginning of April I've decided to do things right, I shoot for 30-45 min of exercise 5 days a week, I usually do workout videos like Jillian Michael's, and I own a pair of 2lbs dumbells which have worked wonders on my arms. I improved my diet, I think itt's fairly clean : eggs, fish, whole grain bread, vegetables and fruits, plain yogurt, quinoa... No added salt, sugar, no candy, no sugary drinks (only water and tea with no sugar), no butter, etc...
Now I know that I hasn't been a long time since I made those changes and that I takes a longer time to see results but I have trouble knowing where I should stand calorie and exercise-wise. I can't lose tons of weight obviously, will it be enough to get rid of the fat ? I carry it most of it on my stomach, the pooch is driving me crazy. Should i focus on cardio ? Other than those workouts, I have a sedentary lifestyle, school is over and I'm preparing for a big exam so I'm staying home studying all day. I'm really confused about how to balance all those facts, in terms of diet and exercise.

I hope these pictures give you a better idea of what I'm talking about, sorry that they're not top quality though :
nqs2dl.jpg
52e88x.jpg

Here are my stats :
Height : 4 feet 10 inches
Weight : 92 lbs
Age : 18
BMI : 19.2

It would be extremely nice if anyone could give me their opinion my case. Thanks a lot:flowerforyou:

PS : I hope everything's understable and that there aren't too many spelling mistakes, I'm french.:smile:

Replies

  • katedevall
    katedevall Posts: 240 Member
    Hi everyone ! Here's my story : I was overweight as a child, not obese but at a unhealthy BMI. As a teen I certainly looked better (i did not weigh) but still remained chubby, I guess because of my poor diet : unhealthy things, huge portions, eating when not hungry/bored... It wasn't until the summer of 2011 that I decided to try to lose weight. I was 107 lbs (not my highest weight, i use to weigh more at a younger age) for 4 feet 10 inches. I guess 107 looks big on me because of my height and small frame, for instance my mother is asian with a very small frame and weighed between 82 lbs and 92 lbs in her 20's (she's 4 feet 11). I did not have a goal weight but i thought I would look good around 90-92. Now that I'm at 92 lbs i definitely can see the difference, I look and feel much better in clothes, but I'm confused at how much fat there's left of my body for such a low weight and BMI. I realize it isn't that surprising since I did not worked out AT ALL to go from 107 to 92, and everything was kind of all over the place, losing weight, putting weight back on and so on. Since the beginning of April I've decided to do things right, I shoot for 30-45 min of exercise 5 days a week, I usually do workout videos like Jillian Michael's, and I own a pair of 2lbs dumbells which have worked wonders on my arms. I improved my diet, I think itt's fairly clean : eggs, fish, whole grain bread, vegetables and fruits, plain yogurt, quinoa... No added salt, sugar, no candy, no sugary drinks (only water and tea with no sugar), no butter, etc...
    Now I know that I hasn't been a long time since I made those changes and that I takes a longer time to see results but I have trouble knowing where I should stand calorie and exercise-wise. I can't lose tons of weight obviously, will it be enough to get rid of the fat ? I carry it most of it on my stomach, the pooch is driving me crazy. Should i focus on cardio ? Other than those workouts, I have a sedentary lifestyle, school is over and I'm preparing for a big exam so I'm staying home studying all day. I'm really confused about how to balance all those facts, in terms of diet and exercise.

    I hope these pictures give you a better idea of what I'm talking about, sorry that they're not top quality though :
    nqs2dl.jpg


    52e88x.jpg[img]Here are my stats : Height : 4 feet 10 inches Weight : 92 lbs Age : 18 BMI : 19.2 It would be extremely nice if anyone could give me their opinion my case. Thanks a lot:flowerforyou: PS : I hope everything's understable and that there aren't too many spelling mistakes, I'm french.:smile:[/img]


    I would suggest some heavier weights. Continue what you are doing the fat will start to come off it just takes time. Or if you have the resources available start heavy lifting
  • agggie550
    agggie550 Posts: 281 Member
    Lift Lift Lift and when you get tired of that Lift some more .. weights are everyone's best friend... that's just science :D
  • runlilyrun
    runlilyrun Posts: 140
    My instinct is to say to eat more and start heavy lifting.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    My instinct is to say to eat more and start heavy lifting.


    ^^^^^
  • FitMrsR
    FitMrsR Posts: 226 Member
    It sounds to me like you want to lower your BF% and to do that start lifting heavier weights. As in, weights you can only do 8-10 reps max. 2lb dumbells won't do anything to be honest. Personally I love p90x it's such a good program that combines cardio and weights. I've been doing it for a year (took a 3 month break so technically 9 months) and haven't gotten bored. I did the lean program to start then the classic. I'm doing classic again with heavier weights then I'll do doubles after this. I'd suggest doing classic to start (these are just different program options explained in the book). I've also heard good things about the new rules of weightlifting for women but have no experience with it myself. You won't get bulky, just replace fat with muscle. Make sure you eat enough protein and I'd suggest eating at maintenance.
  • GrabacrPD
    GrabacrPD Posts: 94 Member
    My instinct is to say to eat more and start heavy lifting.

    ^^ This
  • LydiaShackelford
    LydiaShackelford Posts: 93 Member
    Never rely on BMI! Seriously, it's such a stupid number. It's only based on your weight and height ratio! It doesn't factor in your body fat percentage at ALL! A woman at 5'5", 144, 12% body fat is considered overweight!!! You answered your own question, almost, by saying how can you be so little but still have so much fat. That's the problem. And the best way to decrease your body fat is by transforming your fat into muscle. So pick up some weights. Heavy ones. And keep getting stronger and stronger until your body fat melts away and is replaced by tight, gorgeous, toned muscles!

    GOOD LUCK! :smile:
  • LydiaShackelford
    LydiaShackelford Posts: 93 Member
    And just one last thing - if you're looking for a good weight training program, look at either Jamie Eason's program online (it's free!), http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html

    or The New Rules of Lifting for Women: http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583333398

    Both of those programs are awesome!
  • beckyinma
    beckyinma Posts: 1,433 Member
    My instinct is to say to eat more and start heavy lifting.

    ^^ This

    this this this this!!!!!!
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    don't want to sound preachy as i'm not too sure what's a healthy weight for your height but i'm with everyone else - forget about losing, eat more and lift heavy!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I know it's semantics but can we please stop saying "change fat to muscle" and "transform fat to muscle"?? It's so wrong...

    OP, what you want is to change your body composition. That is, increase muscle mass and lower body fat. Now, let's be clear, as a woman, you won't get big and bulky as many think you can. You either have to be some sort of genetic anomoly or train ultra hard and eat exactly right in order to do that. However, you can build up a little more lean body mass (LBM) which will increase your metabolism and change your shape. I also want to be clear about another point on this...you can not gain muscle on a calorie deficit. I'm hoping since you've hit your goal weight that you've already changed up your calorie goal to maintenance. If not, do that first. You may see an upswing on the scale for a month or two while your body starts adapting to the change but don't let this freak you out or stop you. Also, don't let the scale be your only guide. You've already taken pictures which is a great step. Also, take measurements - or even better, have someone else take them as this tends to be a more accurate method.

    As far as you diet goes, sound like you do pretty well but I'm concerned about the no butter thing. Don't fall into the other health myth that fats are bad for you...some are but a lot aren't. You can and should include healthy fats in your diet as they're good for your body in many ways - vitamin absorption, skin condition, cell repair, etc. If you avoid fats due to a family history of heart disease, then talk to your doctor or a dietician/nutritionist about finding the right balance.

    Best of luck!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Changing your body composition requires resistance training. You should eat more and hit the weight room. Slowly but surely, you will replace fat mass with lean body mass. Just keep in mind that body composition work takes a lot of time and patience. Look into the "New Rules of Lifting for Women." That would be an excellent starting point for you.
  • xxTracey
    xxTracey Posts: 85 Member
    This sounds similar to me, i'm only 5ft tend to be around 110lbs, my heaviest being 121lbs which is obviously not heavy at all but on my tiny frame, its very noticable. At my lightest i was 100lbs and although i could not get into a size 6 rather than 8-10 i didnt look THAT different. I just always have a belly fat. even as a child i had skinny arms and legs and just this belly, even now i still have skinny arms and legs and i just can never seem to get a flat stomach. I know lifting heavy is everyones suggestion on here and i have been going to body pump but the problem is im so small and before now have never used weights so im just SO WEAK! like i have no upper body strength at all! I've only in the last 2 weeks moved up my weights in body pump and even then i change between 4lbs and 7lbs.

    What do weak people do to tone up, i'm obviously doing my best to keep up the weights and progressivel hopefully i'll be able to do heavier weights but im just so weak i feel its going to take forever. I've been doing the weights for 8 weeks now and i still cant do a whole body pump class with only 7lbs (3.5lbs each side) haha. The first time i used weights i did the 30 day shred level 1 with a 0.5lb weight and i literally coodnt move my arms for like 3 days lolol.

    Any advice would be much appreciated! :) xx
  • Lilaselise
    Lilaselise Posts: 10
    Wow, thank you so much for all your encouraging and quick answers !! This is so reassuring.
    If I may ask : what do you mean exactly by heavy lifting ? Should I be replacing my dumbells by heavier ones (In France we have 1kg, 2kg, 3kg, 4kg and my boyfriend owns 5kg ones I could borrow), or are we talking heavier ? I started off as the weakest person on earth and those little 2lbs (1kg) dumbells were actually challenging. I have two gyms near my house that I could go to, what kinds of things could I do there ? Could I carry on with just workout videos at home, and if yes what kind ? I'm very new to all of this, sorry :smile:
    I will certainly look into everything you mentionned, p90x, The New Rules of Lifting for Women...etc :smile:

    MinnieInMaine, what I had in mind is that here in France we over-use butter (and heavy cream) to season everything, vegetables etc... I also cook with olive or coconut oil. This just came to my mind because I tend to compare myself to my not-so-healthy family.
    But as you all guessed, it's true that I've been eating on a big deficit. I guess the lazy way on which I lost weight has left me with a fear or eating too much. I figured that since my body looks this way I should still be losing. By the way, should i forget about cardio ? Also, to calculate how much I should eat for maintenance, should I enter "sedentary - no exercise" ?

    That's enough questions for now, again thank you SO MUCH for all your kind words and precious advice :flowerforyou:
  • FitMrsR
    FitMrsR Posts: 226 Member
    Wow, thank you so much for all your encouraging and quick answers !! This is so reassuring.
    If I may ask : what do you mean exactly by heavy lifting ? Should I be replacing my dumbells by heavier ones (In France we have 1kg, 2kg, 3kg, 4kg and my boyfriend owns 5kg ones I could borrow), or are we talking heavier ? I started off as the weakest person on earth and those little 2lbs (1kg) dumbells were actually challenging. I have two gyms near my house that I could go to, what kinds of things could I do there ? Could I carry on with just workout videos at home, and if yes what kind ? I'm very new to all of this, sorry :smile:
    I will certainly look into everything you mentionned, p90x, The New Rules of Lifting for Women...etc :smile:

    ....... By the way, should i forget about cardio ? Also, to calculate how much I should eat for maintenance, should I enter "sedentary - no exercise" ?


    When people say heavy weights they mean heavy for YOU. It's whatever weight you can only do 8-10 reps max. For me, that's about 5kg. For you, it may be more or less. I would suggest trying your boyfriend's weights and seeing how you get on. If they are far too heavy (as in you can barely lift them), get a lighter set. I have varying weights because 5kg is almost too light for curls but I have weak little triceps so I can barely do 2 tricep kickbacks with that weight. If you want to go the gym, get the new rules of weightlifting for women. It's a book and a step by step guide. P90X is an at home video. There are lots of them but its my favorite as I said before. You don't need to cut out cardio if you like doing it. Just eat accordingly. To that point, go to this website:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/#projectedweightloss

    Fill in the fields and factor in your exercise. I'll use myself as an example. I'm 5'6" 134lbs (I'm 5.5 months pregnant so I've gained some weight) I do p90x and insanity 5 days a week but i take it a bit easy and don't go all out like I used to so I put my activity level at 3-5hrs week/moderate exercise. My goal is set to gain muscle, lose fat. So my TDEE is 2389. This is the amount of calories I'd eat to maintain my current weight. You should eat at your TDEE since your goal is to reduce body fat and develop lean muscle. With this method you don't eat back your exercise calories. What I do is log all of my exercises as burning 1 calorie.

    Go to your goals and change them manually using this info and set your macros at the values it gives you. (I set my calorie goal as 1 calorie less than my goal so when I log my exercise its exactly my calorie goal instead of 1 calorie over. If that makes sense)

    I hope that helps clear up your questions. :smile:

    ETA: if you're eating at a large deficit, I'd slowly increase your calories by 200 or so every 1.5 weeks just to help your body get used to eating more until, you get to your TDEE. You might gain some weight initially but don't panic. Take your measurements and give it at least 6 weeks. Stick to your plan even if you have doubts and I think you'll be very happy. Take progress pics as well because sometimes it's very hard to see changes in yourself over time.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    One that people vaguely touched on was about lifting heavy. The issue that you will probably face (as very common with those who are low weight), you have very little lean body mass (muscle, bone density, tissue.. everything not fat). Realistically, you will probably need to do a few bulk phases to get enough lean body mass to allow the muscles to protrude through the skin. At 92 lbs, you probably only have 70lbs of lean body mass, which isn't a lot. So yea, it may be scary that you might need to gain 10-15 lbs to get a good tight body. The problem you probably had at 107 was you had too high of a body fat to get the definition. The fact is, gaining 20 lbs of muscle can be very beneficial in terms of how tight your body is. But if you go through a slow bulk, add 10 lbs of muscle, then do a cut, then follow by a second bulk and second cut, you can get there (see below link of what I mean). So I would suggest that you may think less than a 100 lbs is ideal, but if you gain 10 lbs of muscle, you will probably have a better body and more ideal body than you do now.



    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

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