HELP!! Im Confused...

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Hello,

So I am 5ft 5in. 20 yrs old and currently 247.1lbs. I have 102.5lbs of Fat in my body and my goal weight is 145. If you do the math, thats exactly 102.1lbs difference which is almost exactly the same as the amount of fat I have in my body... Does this mean I will never be able to go down to 145? Because its impossible to get rid of all your fat and for me my goal weight is exactly the same amount of fat I have now... Please help me and I hope you guys can tell me that it is possible to get to that weight but still have a small fat percentage in my body but I just dont understand how.....

Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    first off, how did you find out that you have exactly 102.5 lbs of fat?
    second, whats so important about hitting a goal weight of 145? if you look better, feel better, and have a low bf% at even 160, whats the big deal really? it just means that you have high muscle mass, which is a good thing! people should set goal weights with the realization that you may be happy with your body composition before that weight, or conversely (like myself) you might reach that weight and feel you still could afford to lose some
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    No. It just means that you'll have to lose some muscle along the way, too. That's going to happen anyway (we all lose some muscle along with the fat) so I wouldn't worry about it until you're closer to goal and can make more informed decisions about what you want your body to look like.
  • thegreatcanook
    thegreatcanook Posts: 2,419 Member
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    Slow and steady will get you there. So many have done it and you can too!
  • xxval21xx
    xxval21xx Posts: 74 Member
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    Different calculations with measurements and different scales that calculate weight, bone mass, water weight bf% bmi etc... all were relatively around the same number. I know that I might be satisfied even before i reach 145 i just want to understand how it would be possible to get down to that weight.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    Different calculations with measurements and different scales that calculate weight, bone mass, water weight bf% bmi etc... all were relatively around the same number. I know that I might be satisfied even before i reach 145 i just want to understand how it would be possible to get down to that weight.
    fair enough, keep in mind that these numbers could still be off, but based on your response it seems you already know that.

    as diannethegeek said, youre going to lose some muscle mass during this process, also as you lose fat the amount of water held in your body will decrease as well. you more than likely will be able to get down to that weight, its just a matter of how much muscle mass you are willing to lose to do so
  • xxval21xx
    xxval21xx Posts: 74 Member
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    Thanks for your help, it helps to have more information considering im just at the beginning
  • dontweightup
    dontweightup Posts: 8 Member
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    To figure out how much I could (and needed to) lose in terms of body fat, I used the equations on this site: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/body-fat-chart.php Seemed to work out pretty well in my particular case.

    The actual calculator is here: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/

    From the site:

    "For example, let's say you are a 130 pound woman with 23% body fat, and your goal is to lose 20 pounds.

    Initial body fat 130 pounds x 0.23 body fat = 30 pounds body fat
    Lean body mass 130 pounds total - 30 pounds fat = 100 pounds lean body mass (bones, organs,...)
    Goal 130 pounds - 20 pounds = 110 pounds

    As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or healthy. At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100 pounds of lean body mass, but would only be carrying 10 pounds, or only 9% body fat. From the body fat chart above, you can see that this is a dangerously low percentage.

    A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat from 23% to 18%. In this case:

    130 pounds x 0.18 = 23 pounds body fat
    100 pounds lean body mass + 23 pounds body fat = 123 pounds goal weight.

    So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from her current 130 pounds to 123 pounds. Losing more than 7 pounds means losing lean body mass (usually metabolically-active muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable.

    Hope it helps! Good luck to you!
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    You've gotten some really great advice on the logistics of body fat %, so I won't touch that.

    In the long run though, you really don't need to worry about body fat % until you've dropped some weight. You know that you're percentage is high, so the exact number doesn't really matter right now. Its when you get down and are trying to decide whether you should lose more body fat or bulk and gain muscle that it matters more.
  • Water_Gal
    Water_Gal Posts: 52 Member
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    Dear Val, I know how hard it is to feel confident that I was doing everything the best way so I could get the fastest results!! I think you are trying to do the same and I know how hard I worked to control and ACCOUNT for everything in my weight loss plan. Deficits, carb ratio, calorie expenditures etc.I weighed, measured and logged everything in MFP and balanced the numbers like an accountant. I bought a scale that measures(estimate) weight, BMI body fat% and water%. It was $20 at Walgreens. I also had my trainer use a regular BMI tester to measure my BMI and body fat % every month. (They are close but not exact)

    So what I can say is this,

    I managed the calories in and out and that is where my success came from. I exercised, I portion controlled, I shopped healthy and I made sure I almost always had a caloric deficit at the end of the day of around 1000 calories. BAM! 2 lbs a week lost. I feel great. You can do it as long as you control what you can and don't get hung up on the numbers. :happy:
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Don't panic! Yes, you can weigh 145 lbs. if you're 5'5". Stop getting ahead of yourself! Learn to log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. Take "before" photos & measurements.

    And read the Sexypants post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • xxval21xx
    xxval21xx Posts: 74 Member
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    Thank you everyone! You all really help to make my goal a reality :)
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
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    I agree with everything except those saying not to worry about body fat% until after you lose weight. This is a very common and very costly mistake. It is SO much easier to retain muscle during weight loss than it is to gain it once you've lost a large amount of weight. This means losing a little slower, but it is absolutely worth it in the long run.

    I would highly encourage you to make sure you get lots of protein in your diet and incorporate progressive strength training into your workouts starting right now.