How can I lose most (if not all) body fat)

SaulZambrano
SaulZambrano Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I go swimming every morning (from monday to friday) before having breakfast, I try to eat 1200 calories per day. Would this be enough to lose most body fat? Any help will be appreciated!

Replies

  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    Body fat is lost when you maintain a caloric deficit. Muscle is lost in the process, it's normal. To minimize the amount of muscle lost it's important to net as close to your BMR as possible. I'm guessing 1200 calories isn't close to your BMR. It is also not recommend that males take in less than 1500 calories.

    Please remember that if you're exercising, you need to add that to your calorie goal to eat since you don't want to have too high of a deficit.

    You need to find out what calories are right for you, if you change your settings on MFP to lose 0lbs a week you can see how many calories you'd maintain your weight on with no exercise. I think perhaps 1lb a week would be better than the 2lbs you probably have it set for.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    If you do a lot of cardio with an extreme calorie deficit, you are likely to lose both fat AND lean muscle. That's no good. Plus, you don't want to lose ALL body fat or you will die. The body needs some fat to function. Personally, I would focus on a more modest calorie deficit and add strength training to your swimming routine to prevent muscle loss while you burn fat. :drinker:
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    At 1200 calories you will be losing muscle along the way. To try and minimize how much muscle loss you have along the way, eat at a small deficit and lift heavy weights.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    If you do a lot of cardio with an extreme calorie deficit, you are likely to lose both fat AND lean muscle. That's no good. Plus, you don't want to lose ALL body fat or you will die. The body needs some fat to function. Personally, I would focus on a more modest calorie deficit and add strength training to your swimming routine to prevent muscle loss while you burn fat. :drinker:

    this
  • rkirk1954
    rkirk1954 Posts: 8 Member
    Since joining a gym and working out, what has been working for me is to make sure you are getting a sufficient amount of protein so that the calorie deficit is being made up by using body fat. If not, then you will burn both fat and muscle. Recently,I went from 17.5% to 13.5% body fat in six weeks with a 4 lb. weight loss. I do eat very clean and have had to up my caloric intake to slow the weight loss as I have lost 5 more lbs. in the past 2 weeks and I don't want to lose lean muscle mass. Being nigh on 60 does present certain metabolic challenges though. I use MFP as a guide and not a rule set in stone. Everybody is different and how your body uses what you feed it will determine what is the best course of action for you.
  • grace42d
    grace42d Posts: 156 Member
    You might want to read up on what a normal body fat is. If you drop too low, you won't have to worry about eating anything but worms.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    There's an unusual approach to losing weight here www.1bigweightloss.com and you don't have to worry about counting calories.

    7 posts and all link to this web site. Spammer.

Categories