Tips for women
egayle0721
Posts: 11 Member
If any women out there have any advise on the subject of decreasing body fat% I would be grateful if you would share!
I weigh about 138, 5'7", and I have a 26% body fat. I lift weights 3 times a week(circuit training), Pilates 2 days a week and 30 min of additional abs 2 days a week. I guess you could say I am pretty active but no matter what I do I don't really see a dramatic difference in my body( like definition..especially in ab area). I also eat pretty healthy..lots of green hardy veggies and lean meat like chicken and turkey. I try to stick to non processed carbs like potatoes and brown rice. I am also pretty thin to begin with but I'd like to pursue a personal goal and get down to maybe 130 and see some more definition all over.
Thank you guys:happy:
I weigh about 138, 5'7", and I have a 26% body fat. I lift weights 3 times a week(circuit training), Pilates 2 days a week and 30 min of additional abs 2 days a week. I guess you could say I am pretty active but no matter what I do I don't really see a dramatic difference in my body( like definition..especially in ab area). I also eat pretty healthy..lots of green hardy veggies and lean meat like chicken and turkey. I try to stick to non processed carbs like potatoes and brown rice. I am also pretty thin to begin with but I'd like to pursue a personal goal and get down to maybe 130 and see some more definition all over.
Thank you guys:happy:
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Replies
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I'd be better if your food diary was open but I'd say eliminate those potatoes, rice, bread exc... there's not much of a nutritional value and they're totally unnecessary, try and keep your carbs under 100g, and eat more protein, around 120 - 150grams (more on days you work out) Eat healthy fats and stay away from trans fats.
I found that when I eliminated cardio from my workout routine and lifted weights 4/5 times a week I started seeing the best results. But you have to lift heavy, no 10lbs dumbells, if you want results you have to challenge yourself. Believe it or not but for cardio walking burns the most fat, steady state cardio burns carbs and muscle so it does more bad than good. You don't need an ab routine.. if you're doing compound exercises you don't need that. Try and get yourself in a good routine and you'll see results eventually.0 -
How did you arrive at a 26% BF for a 5'7" woman at 138 lbs?
If you use a calculator, that puts you at a BMI of 21.6%. Did you have an immersion or BodPod-type test done that gave you that number...or how did you calculate the body fat percentage?
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(edit for number fail)0 -
You're right! I have a BMI of 20.6 but I have a scale from GNC that calculates it when you step on the scale..I've also had a personal trainer do the test. It really doesn't make sense to me how its that high though because I'm pretty religious when it comes to working out and I have quite a bit of muscle.0
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I've been curious to just stick to lifting..do you take days off?
Also what carbs would you suggest?
Ive upped my dumbells to 20/25 and hope to get it higher...when you say steady state cardio do you mean like 30 min run? What about HIIT? Circuit training?
Thank you:)0 -
Assuming your Circuit-style lifting is high reps, quick paced, lighter weights, I would suggest switching to heavier weights, lower reps, and progressive overload. You can still do exercises in between sets (maybe) to keep you HR up if you want, but I find my sets are so exhausting I really need the rest to be rest, YMMV.0
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You don't have to give up carbs at all. Losing fat is about calorie deficit, not what kind of carbs you eat.
Be as accurate as you can with weighing, measuring, and logging your food. Eat enough protein (at least 1 g per lb of lean body mass), and do heavy strength training to maintain the lean body mass you currently have. As you lose fat, you will see definition.
I don't know what kind of ab work you're doing, but it's probably mostly a waste of time if your primary goal is fat loss. If you're deadlifting and squatting heavy enough, you're getting plenty of core work with that. You can do planks or ab wheel work or hanging leg raises if you want, but there's really no need to spend an hour a week on crunches or anything of that sort. It's not going to give you visible abs.0 -
Thank you! The ab work out is actually a class at my local gym and its more core stuff.. push ups, planks, leg raises not a whole lot of crunches. But the circuit training is quick paced and heavy weighted intervals. So basically start out with a comfortable weight and by the 4th set your struggling with a more challenging weight on the last rep. But in between the heavy lifting there is stuff like bur pees and calisthenics.0
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If any women out there have any advise on the subject of decreasing body fat% I would be grateful if you would share!
Calorie reduction. You need a deficit of calories. That's all. Do some strength training 3-4 times a week and 30 minutes of cardio wouldn't hurt a few times a week. Mostly it's the food.0 -
You're probably doing okay training-wise, although I would advocate a serious lifting program, as in squats, deadlift, bench press, and do the circuits or HIIT as cardio.
Diet is probably going to be the most critical thing for you, and again, that's about calorie deficit and not so much what kind of food you are eating. I would recommend 1 g/lb of lean body mass for protein, .35 to .4 g/lb of body weight for fat, and then you can get the rest of your calories from whatever you want (carbs, more protein, more fat, whatever). So you're looking at around 400 calories from protein (minimum, that's 100 g), 450 calories from fat (50 g, also minimum), and the rest from whatever you want.0 -
You're probably doing okay training-wise, although I would advocate a serious lifting program, as in squats, deadlift, bench press, and do the circuits or HIIT as cardio.
Diet is probably going to be the most critical thing for you, and again, that's about calorie deficit and not so much what kind of food you are eating. I would recommend 1 g/lb of lean body mass for protein, .35 to .4 g/lb of body weight for fat, and then you can get the rest of your calories from whatever you want (carbs, more protein, more fat, whatever). So you're looking at around 400 calories from protein (minimum, that's 100 g), 450 calories from fat (50 g, also minimum), and the rest from whatever you want.
I stick to around 1700 calories a day and 5 to 6 small meals through out the day all including a good 3/4 ounce of some protein usually chicken or turkey...should I still decrease my calories?0 -
How did you arrive at a 26% BF for a 5'7" woman at 138 lbs?
If you use a calculator, that puts you at a BMI of 21.6%. Did you have an immersion or BodPod-type test done that gave you that number...or how did you calculate the body fat percentage?
________________________________________
(edit for number fail)
Not sure what BMI has to do with body fat percentage. BMI is not a percentage. Her BMI is just 21.6. Her body fat percentage could be 18%, 25%, 30%, or anything else at a BMI of 21.6.
Anyway, do what Casey said. Run a reasonable calorie deficit, eat lots of protein, a moderate amount of fat, and lift heavy things. That's how you win.0 -
You're probably doing okay training-wise, although I would advocate a serious lifting program, as in squats, deadlift, bench press, and do the circuits or HIIT as cardio.
Diet is probably going to be the most critical thing for you, and again, that's about calorie deficit and not so much what kind of food you are eating. I would recommend 1 g/lb of lean body mass for protein, .35 to .4 g/lb of body weight for fat, and then you can get the rest of your calories from whatever you want (carbs, more protein, more fat, whatever). So you're looking at around 400 calories from protein (minimum, that's 100 g), 450 calories from fat (50 g, also minimum), and the rest from whatever you want.
I stick to around 1700 calories a day and 5 to 6 small meals through out the day all including a good 3/4 ounce of some protein usually chicken or turkey...should I still decrease my calories?
That's probably a reasonable calorie goal. Are you losing weight? How long have you been averaging around 1700 calories a day? How much weight have you lost in that time period?
A 3-4 ounce serving of chicken only has like 25-30 grams of protein. You should realistically be getting at least 100 grams a day.0 -
You're probably doing okay training-wise, although I would advocate a serious lifting program, as in squats, deadlift, bench press, and do the circuits or HIIT as cardio.
Diet is probably going to be the most critical thing for you, and again, that's about calorie deficit and not so much what kind of food you are eating. I would recommend 1 g/lb of lean body mass for protein, .35 to .4 g/lb of body weight for fat, and then you can get the rest of your calories from whatever you want (carbs, more protein, more fat, whatever). So you're looking at around 400 calories from protein (minimum, that's 100 g), 450 calories from fat (50 g, also minimum), and the rest from whatever you want.
I stick to around 1700 calories a day and 5 to 6 small meals through out the day all including a good 3/4 ounce of some protein usually chicken or turkey...should I still decrease my calories?
That's probably a reasonable calorie goal. Are you losing weight? How long have you been averaging around 1700 calories a day? How much weight have you lost in that time period?
A 3-4 ounce serving of chicken only has like 25-30 grams of protein. You should realistically be getting at least 100 grams a day.
I've been at 1700 for a good 4 months..and to be honest haven't lost anything maybe a pound or two but nothing significant. So if I eat a 3/4 ounce piece of chicken/turkey 6 times a day that would be around 125 grams a day no?0 -
You're probably doing okay training-wise, although I would advocate a serious lifting program, as in squats, deadlift, bench press, and do the circuits or HIIT as cardio.
Diet is probably going to be the most critical thing for you, and again, that's about calorie deficit and not so much what kind of food you are eating. I would recommend 1 g/lb of lean body mass for protein, .35 to .4 g/lb of body weight for fat, and then you can get the rest of your calories from whatever you want (carbs, more protein, more fat, whatever). So you're looking at around 400 calories from protein (minimum, that's 100 g), 450 calories from fat (50 g, also minimum), and the rest from whatever you want.
I stick to around 1700 calories a day and 5 to 6 small meals through out the day all including a good 3/4 ounce of some protein usually chicken or turkey...should I still decrease my calories?
That's probably a reasonable calorie goal. Are you losing weight? How long have you been averaging around 1700 calories a day? How much weight have you lost in that time period?
A 3-4 ounce serving of chicken only has like 25-30 grams of protein. You should realistically be getting at least 100 grams a day.
I've been at 1700 for a good 4 months..and to be honest haven't lost anything maybe a pound or two but nothing significant. So if I eat a 3/4 ounce piece of chicken/turkey 6 times a day that would be around 125 grams a day no?
If you're consistently hitting 1700 calories and not losing weight then you need to drop the calorie goal.
However, I suspect you're eating more than you think you are, or you're inconsistent with your logging. A few drinks on Saturday night can quickly erase a lot of calorie deficit. Your diary is closed though so we don't really have any better way to help you.0 -
How did you arrive at a 26% BF for a 5'7" woman at 138 lbs?
If you use a calculator, that puts you at a BMI of 21.6%. Did you have an immersion or BodPod-type test done that gave you that number...or how did you calculate the body fat percentage?
________________________________________
(edit for number fail)
Not sure what BMI has to do with body fat percentage. BMI is not a percentage. Her BMI is just 21.6. Her body fat percentage could be 18%, 25%, 30%, or anything else at a BMI of 21.6.
Anyway, do what Casey said. Run a reasonable calorie deficit, eat lots of protein, a moderate amount of fat, and lift heavy things. That's how you win.
I just find it hard to believe that someone has told her she has a body fat percentage at 26% with all the physical work she is doing. Possible, just wanted to know how she arrived at that number.0 -
How did you arrive at a 26% BF for a 5'7" woman at 138 lbs?
If you use a calculator, that puts you at a BMI of 21.6%. Did you have an immersion or BodPod-type test done that gave you that number...or how did you calculate the body fat percentage?
________________________________________
(edit for number fail)
Not sure what BMI has to do with body fat percentage. BMI is not a percentage. Her BMI is just 21.6. Her body fat percentage could be 18%, 25%, 30%, or anything else at a BMI of 21.6.
Anyway, do what Casey said. Run a reasonable calorie deficit, eat lots of protein, a moderate amount of fat, and lift heavy things. That's how you win.
I just find it hard to believe that someone has told her she has a body fat percentage at 26% with all the physical work she is doing. Possible, just wanted to know how she arrived at that number.
Huh? It was her scale. While scales aren't overly accurate, it sounds like it would be about right.0
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