Setting a BF% goal instead of weight

Options
JagerLewis
JagerLewis Posts: 427 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am close to my goal weight, but I would really like to focus on my body fat percentage. I'm 5'2.78":wink: and weigh 133, body fat percentage is 23% as of this morning, with a goal weight of 125(not needed if I hit my BF% goal). I would really like to lower my body fat percentage to maybe 17%. I don't like going to the gym, but I love to do resistance and circut training at home. Currently I lose inches faster than pounds, which it good by me, but I can typically assume how many pounds I can lose in a month. Is there a way I can kind of figure how long it takes to lose 1% body fat? What percentage of fat loss a month? What other exercises can I do (at home) to help this process along? I'm already seeing results with muscle, but I want more :happy: . Any advice would be great, thanks in advance!!
«1

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,535 Member
    Options
    If 17% is your target, then just keep doing what you're doing. You will still have to be in calorie deficit and need to make sure you lift with challenging resistance to retain what muscle you already have. Also remember that as your weight reduces your calorie allowance will decrease.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Options
    A healthy body fat percentage for women is no lower than 20%.

    Your goal of 17% is unhealthy.

    Sources:
    https://www.edb.utexas.edu/fit/bfstandards.php
    http://gapsa.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Body-Composition-Fact-Sheet.pdf
  • hoyalawya2003
    hoyalawya2003 Posts: 631 Member
    Options
    A healthy body fat percentage for women is no lower than 20%.

    Your goal of 17% is unhealthy.

    Sources:
    https://www.edb.utexas.edu/fit/bfstandards.php
    http://gapsa.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Body-Composition-Fact-Sheet.pdf

    According to your second source, 17% for a woman is just fine, unless the OP is over 50, which I seriously doubt.
  • spsanderson
    spsanderson Posts: 39 Member
    Options
    A healthy body fat percentage for women is no lower than 20%.

    Your goal of 17% is unhealthy.

    Sources:
    https://www.edb.utexas.edu/fit/bfstandards.php
    http://gapsa.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Body-Composition-Fact-Sheet.pdf

    editorgrrl is correct, women by way of biology have a higher bf% typically from 20 - 25% so your already in the money.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Options
    Make sure your protein intake is high enough. Your body weight x .8 = grams of protein per day.
  • JagerLewis
    JagerLewis Posts: 427 Member
    Options
    Thank you all! I know that my body fat right now is "healthy", but I see fat on my body that still needs to go. I would like to be more muscular which would give me a lower body fat %. I don't want to look like a body builder or anything...I just want to see most of my muscles when they are at rest.
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
    Options
    Keep doing the exercises that you are doing at home - keep upping your resistance too!
    Diet is really important too. You can't exercise off a bad diet!
  • JagerLewis
    JagerLewis Posts: 427 Member
    Options
    Make sure your protein intake is high enough. Your body weight x .8 = grams of protein per day.
    Thanks, I do have a hard time getting in 106 grams...But I try to get close everyday.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
    Options
    Hi I'm Rachel. I have a similar goal. I'm hoping to get down to around there as well, with most of muscles showing, basically shredded....I talked to my doctor and showed him pictures of what body I'm going for and the percentages, and he "that's fine. You may not be able to sustain that low all year, but with understanding bulking and cutting, you could safely do it" so I am working towards that goal as well. I don't care about the number on the scale, but I'm 135 and 5"8 tall. I'm working towards seeing abs :-)
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Options
    17% is not necessarily unhealthy - OP when your body fat percentage gets that low, then keep an eye on things like your general health and especially whether you're still menstruating regularly. Below 18% bf some women do have health problems, others don't... definitely keep an eye on these things, in particular menstraution, as cessation of menstration due to too low body fat goes along with hormonal changes in the body that put you at risk of health problems e.g. osteoporosis. If you are experiencing menstrual issues then raise your body fat percentage a little. Or you can do what female bodybuilders do and lower your body fat percentage some of the time (they do it for contests you can do that e.g. for the summer if you want to have visible abs when you wear a bikini) and then let it go a bit higher at other times (e.g. in the winter when it's too cold to wear the kind of clothing that shows off your abs).
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    Options
    16-20% puts a women in the athletic range.

    I see no issue with 17%

    http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/ibw/ is a good calculator to get what your goal weight will be based on BF%...ninerbuff has a calculation as well which works out to almost the same as this one.

    17% puts you at 123lbs...
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
    Options
    Just keep doing what you're doing but make sure you can make the exercises you're doing progressively harder.

    Like others have said, 17% can be healthy for some, just listen to your body - losing your period would be a warning to go a couple % higher.
  • JagerLewis
    JagerLewis Posts: 427 Member
    Options
    Thank you again! Maybe I should bump it up to 18%? I only picked 17% because I see all the fat I still have, and I know 17 is in the athletic range. I would like to reach my goal, and stay there.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Options
    Thank you again! Maybe I should bump it up to 18%? I only picked 17% because I see all the fat I still have, and I know 17 is in the athletic range. I would like to reach my goal, and stay there.

    I wouldn't fuss to much about the number... the difference between 17% and 18% is within the inaccuracy range of most ways of measuring bf%............ best advice is to look in the mirror and stop when you have the look that you want. (or stop if you start having menstrual issues or other health issues)

    bear in mind when using the mirror, is that no-one looks like models in magazines do, not even the models themselves, because the images are photoshopped. So don't fall into the trap of only stopping when you think you look perfect... accept a degree of imperfection and stop when you get the overall look that you want.
  • JagerLewis
    JagerLewis Posts: 427 Member
    Options
    Thank you again! Maybe I should bump it up to 18%? I only picked 17% because I see all the fat I still have, and I know 17 is in the athletic range. I would like to reach my goal, and stay there.

    I wouldn't fuss to much about the number... the difference between 17% and 18% is within the inaccuracy range of most ways of measuring bf%............ best advice is to look in the mirror and stop when you have the look that you want. (or stop if you start having menstrual issues or other health issues)

    bear in mind when using the mirror, is that no-one looks like models in magazines do, not even the models themselves, because the images are photoshopped. So don't fall into the trap of only stopping when you think you look perfect... accept a degree of imperfection and stop when you get the overall look that you want.
    Perfectly stated. Made me smile. :)
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Options
    Also remember that 20% body fat laid over a muscular frame looks very, very different than 20% over skinny.

    The look you want might very well be bodybuilder + 20% body fat.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,535 Member
    Options
    A healthy body fat percentage for women is no lower than 20%.

    Your goal of 17% is unhealthy.

    Sources:
    https://www.edb.utexas.edu/fit/bfstandards.php
    http://gapsa.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Body-Composition-Fact-Sheet.pdf
    Untrue if she wants to be in the fitness/athletic range.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Options
    Yes! I have sworn off the scales and the tape measure and only go by my body fat % now. I find it much less stressful, because body fat stays quite stable whereas the scales are subject to those pesky water weight ups and downs. I also find my measurements change by an inch or two depending on whether I worked out extra hard or not. Body fat tells the true story.
  • allopathicJ
    allopathicJ Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    I personally don't think going down to 17% BF is a bad thing or unhealthy, unless your nutrition is not balanced. In terms of how to determine how long to drop the BF, there's no way to pin point the amount of time to drop a certain percentage. The best way to drop your bodyfat % is by either increasing muscle mass and keeping the fat same, or by maintaining your muscle mass and losing fat. Either ways, the only way to really know you're losing body fat is by the scale. My advice is to keep doing what you're doing and focus on getting to your goal weight first and once you're there, start re-adjusting your diet, so you can eat maintenance calories and just end up adjusting macros to meet your body fat percentage needs. If you don't want to do that, you can carb cycle, but i personally don't like it. Good luck!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    Options
    Yes! I have sworn off the scales and the tape measure and only go by my body fat % now. I find it much less stressful, because body fat stays quite stable whereas the scales are subject to those pesky water weight ups and downs. I also find my measurements change by an inch or two depending on whether I worked out extra hard or not. Body fat tells the true story.

    How do you measure your bf? I have a scale, which doesn't seem very accurate and a caliper that I don't believe.

Categories