Reducing Body Fat Percentage - advice needed

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rtjenny
rtjenny Posts: 51
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi folks,

I am looking for some advice on reducing my body fat percentage which is 30%. I am 5' 1" and 103 lbs. My BMI is 19.11, waist is 25", hips - 35".

I currently go to the gym at least 5 times per week with 40-45 mins cardio and 20 mins resistance training. . I am currently trying to log my food (using MFP) and been advised by MFP to aim for 1300kcal per day. (Due to my allergies and intolerances most of my foods consist of fruits (dried & fresh), veg, nuts, fish and chicken.

Any advice on reducing my BF % would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    How are you measuring your body fat %?

    Your weight is already fairly low. You'd probably do better by increasing your intake closer to your TDEE (total daily energy intake), perhaps cutting down on the cardio a bit, and increasing the resistance training. What kind of resistance training is it? You can get good body re-composition results with lifting as heavy as you can, for lower reps.

    Or, consider doing a bulk by eating a surplus of calories and lifting heavy, then cutting down on any excess fat gained afterwards.

    Highly recommend this group for advice: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    i'd swap your exercise over to 20 mins cardio 45 - 50 resistance (and change up your macros for this if you need to).
  • rtjenny
    rtjenny Posts: 51
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    I use the resistance machines which allows me to work arms and on those I can lift approx. 20kg. When I use the chest press its lower approx. 15kg. Leg machines are approx. 20kgs.

    I'll try increasing the resistance training.

    My BF % was measured using a hand held device which sends a charge through the body - where I work they have this company come in to do these fitness tests if folk fancy signing up for it.

    Thanks for the advice guys!
  • heis4u2004
    heis4u2004 Posts: 176 Member
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    What are you using to measure body fat?
    I am 5'2 ,166 pounds and 35.3% fat.
    Are you sure of 30% body fat?
    My suggestion is to get a second opinion on the body fat % especially if you are 103 pounds and feel comfortable there.
    If I was 103 pounds I would be a skeleton.
  • heis4u2004
    heis4u2004 Posts: 176 Member
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    Just saw how you are measuring. I have a similar device. When you use it, try to do it first thing in the morning after using the bathroom and before you eat or drink anything. Otherwise you may be getting an inaccurate reading. Also your hands and hair must not be wet and stand with your feet apart and hands held straight out.

    It would also be wise to get a professional to do the actual skin-fold measurement.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/
    I got this link from another MFPer and put in your stats. It gave me 15% body fat and gives you 18%. Of course, you can't always go by online calculators, it is better to use calipers or submersion. Have you looked at the body fat % pictures online? You can compare what your body looks like to the pictures, to get an idea of where you are.
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/
  • PunkinSpice79
    PunkinSpice79 Posts: 309 Member
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    When I checked my measurements 15 days into Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, I had already lost 1.15% body fat. I started at 26.25 and went down to 25.10%. I'm on day 24 now and hoping to drop another percent by the end. Maybe try that?
  • beckywilliams1967
    beckywilliams1967 Posts: 58 Member
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    Bump - this is something I'm trying to do!
  • rtjenny
    rtjenny Posts: 51
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    At my office they hired an external company with fitness advisers and dieticians to come in and give us the health checks. They checked by BF % using this hand held device which I think sends and electrical impulse through your body to do the measurement - I assumed it would be quite accurate. I was unsure of the 30% BF as I thought its quite high - but there are so many different scales to do these measurements.
  • rtjenny
    rtjenny Posts: 51
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    http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/
    I got this link from another MFPer and put in your stats. It gave me 15% body fat and gives you 18%. Of course, you can't always go by online calculators, it is better to use calipers or submersion. Have you looked at the body fat % pictures online? You can compare what your body looks like to the pictures, to get an idea of where you are.
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/

    18% - amazing!!! Took me 5 years to lose the weight I am so happy for it. Additionally my asthma has improved greatly!!!
    Thank you for your advice!

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