Lowering body fat percentage?

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brookeebuchanan
brookeebuchanan Posts: 12
in Fitness and Exercise
I am trying to work on my body composition and lowering my body fat percentage. I have finally landed at a healthy overall weight, and haven't budged much in the past year or so.

I'm 5'5", 144 lbs., 26-28% bodyfat depending on what method you use (yikes!) and a vegetarian.

I was eating at around 1200 calories (for at least the past year or more) and weighed 137 lbs. My exercise primarily involved cardio with some light strength training, but I always struggled to make it through my workouts (likely because I was not properly fueling my body). My body composition was definitely not what I wanted; I was just a smaller, skinny-fat version of myself with all of the same problem areas.

I recently (mid February) increased my calories to 1645, and I've gained a few pounds, taking me up to 144. I've also started a new fitness program, dropping the long cardio sessions for more challenging strength training and HIIT. I'm becoming more consistent with my workout program (I started about three weeks ago. It is significantly harder for me, which is good, but it makes forcing myself not to quit midway through a workout more challenging.)

I just want to know, am I doing the right things? When can I expect to begin losing fat again? Should I be factoring in my macros? I try to hit the recommended guidelines as much as I can every day, (50% carbs: 30% fat, 20% protein) and I'm just not sure on protein because I've read so many different opinions on the pros/cons of a high protein diet. Being a vegetarian also makes it difficult.

I would say my biggest flaw at this point would definitely be allowing myself too many "binges" on sweets several times a week. I'm working on trying to get that under control primarily, because otherwise I eat relatively healthy and try to work out consistently. I just want to make sure I'm doing all the right things so that I can finally stop sabotaging myself and enjoy this summer fit and healthy.

Advice would be great!

Replies

  • dylan1965
    dylan1965 Posts: 10
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    calculate your TDEE, subtract 500 calories, and eat that daily

    you should be eating more than 20% protein in your macros

    as a vegetarian you have:

    lentils, beans, soy or wheat glutten, veggies, quinoa, flax seeds

    eggs, pb, cottage cheese,
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    calculate your TDEE, subtract 500 calories, and eat that daily

    This would be if OP wanted to lose 1lb per week - OP is happy with her weight and wants to recomp.


    OP, for recomping, you need to eat at or near TDEE. You're on the right track in terms of decreasing cardio and increasing heavy lifting.

    In terms of your macros, 20% seems a bit low. Recommendations are often to have minimum goals for protein 1g per lb of lean body mass and 0.35g fat per lb of total body weight. If you hit your minimums then the rest of your calories can essentially come from whatever you like - some people prefer higher fat, some prefer higher carb, etc.

    Recomping is however a very slow process. Many people will therefore enter into bulk/cut cycles as bulking will speed up muscle growth (which will still be very slow for a female).


    ETA: This is great example of someone with a relatively low body weight who has decreased body fat: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
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    26%-28% isn't really "yikes" territory for a female. At 22 y.o. if you are 26% you are basically right on the cusp of ideal and average BF%...just wanted to throw that out there for starters.

    Being at an already healthy weight and BF% I would not personally opt for anything more aggressive than about 1/2 Lb per week weight loss deficit...around 250 calories less your TDEE. You could also eat maintenance and do a re-comp but BF% reduction is going to be extremely slow so just be aware of that and don't expect any overnight miracles.

    I would also recommend a lifting program that emphasizes compound lifts (i.e. squats, dead lifts, bench press, overhead press, and power cleans or rows) and progressive overload. Get plenty of protein...as dylan pointed out, lentils, beans, soy, etc...you may also want to supplement with a vegetarian protein powder.
  • brookeebuchanan
    brookeebuchanan Posts: 12
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    So, should I be concerned that I've gained some weight? And, if I start pushing myself to eat closer to 80-90% clean (I probably eat around 65-70% clean most days now) and continue to push myself in challenging workouts (I typically alternate advanced Pilates and HIIT for an hour a day 5-6 days a week), when should I expect to see some results?

    It's very disheartening to have gone up in weight by trying to be more healthy! But I'm sure the results will come. I'm just looking forward to seeing the fat melt away.
  • timeasterday
    timeasterday Posts: 1,368 Member
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    For me, it took reducing carbs and increasing protein/fat to see BF drop while trying to maintain weight. I started with carbs at 30% and stayed there for a while and started seeing a slow drop in BF (I was originally at 50-60% carbs). Later I started half-marathon training and needed to bump up carbs to 40% to keep up my energy. After the HM the holidays were here and my BF increased due to overeating and less running & strength training. Earlier this year I dropped my carbs back down to 30% and saw the BF drop again.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
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    So, should I be concerned that I've gained some weight? And, if I start pushing myself to eat closer to 80-90% clean (I probably eat around 65-70% clean most days now) and continue to push myself in challenging workouts (I typically alternate advanced Pilates and HIIT for an hour a day 5-6 days a week), when should I expect to see some results?

    It's very disheartening to have gone up in weight by trying to be more healthy! But I'm sure the results will come. I'm just looking forward to seeing the fat melt away.

    I pay far more attention to the way my clothes feel and BF% than I do scale weight. Particularly if you're doing resistance training, you are going to retain more water. That said, you should not see a general trend up...you should stabalize...if you keep going up then something is off on your calorie intake. Eating "clean" makes no difference...I've always had a pretty nutritious and "cleanish" diet, but I still packed on 50 Lbs. I can easily eat beyond my TDEE with whole, nutritious foods.
  • Sarahliquid
    Sarahliquid Posts: 201 Member
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    Give it a few months. Lifting and more protein will get you there. Eat at maintenance calories and dont eat back your exercise calories.

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