Female body fat

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jdt242
jdt242 Posts: 106 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi

Jamie Eason had a pre pregnancy body fat percentage of 13%. IMO she has an amazing body and is total motivation for me.

I, on the other hand have a body fat percentage of 25%.

Is it just through calorie control and exercise that this will change or should I be eating specific foods I.e. Low fat/high protein etc.

Sorry if the question is really basic. The topic is new to me and I'm open to education!

Replies

  • Steph_135
    Steph_135 Posts: 3,280 Member
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    My basic understanding is that you should eat HEALTHY. To me, this means REAL foods. No low-fat garbage. Look for the best quality fruits and veggies (less pesticides the better), and free-range / farm raised meats. I limit my carbs right now (on a paleo eating plan), but choose whole grains (REAL food) versus processed and white (rice, bread, pasta) foods.

    Exercise will give you the rest!! I am firmly against extreme calorie control. Lift some weights, get good sleep, remember your water, and raise that metabolism with a great workout. Don't starve. Good luck!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Jamie Eason's body fat is only that low for photo shoots and competitions. Thirteen percent, for a woman, is not sustainable for extended periods of time. She has even stated that her bf is above 20% normally.
    https://m.facebook.com/OfficialJamieEason/posts/10152263987505574
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    Lowering your body fat % comes from having a slight calorie reduction. Getting nice arms, legs, midsection, and butt comes from lifting weights. She controls her food intake and uses a lot of weights. That's the secret. If you're in the weight room 3-4 times a week you're going to eventually increase your calorie demand so it makes even easier to follow your diet plan.

    Jamie-Eason-Lifting-Dumbbell-Mirror.jpg
  • SergeantNarwhal
    SergeantNarwhal Posts: 116 Member
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    Jamie Eason's body fat is only that low for photo shoots and competitions. Thirteen percent, for a woman, is not sustainable for extended periods of time. She has even stated that her bf is above 20% normally.
    https://m.facebook.com/OfficialJamieEason/posts/10152263987505574

    And genetics has a bit to do with it as well. I have 12% body fat. I am training for a marathon and I rock climb and lift weights and do yoga. So I have a good selection of cardio and resistance in my routine and of course I use MFP to track my macros. But I'm not maniacal about any of it for sure, yet I have been under 15% for over a year and under 13% since April and I am very healthy.

    So yes, dialing in on diet and exercise is really important but I think different % are healthier/achievable/maintainable for different people too.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    My basic understanding is that you should eat HEALTHY. To me, this means REAL foods. No low-fat garbage. Look for the best quality fruits and veggies (less pesticides the better), and free-range / farm raised meats. I limit my carbs right now (on a paleo eating plan), but choose whole grains (REAL food) versus processed and white (rice, bread, pasta) foods.

    Exercise will give you the rest!! I am firmly against extreme calorie control. Lift some weights, get good sleep, remember your water, and raise that metabolism with a great workout. Don't starve. Good luck!

    Healthy is a very loose term. Eating whole grains, organic fruits/veggies and free-range meats have no impacts on lowering body fat; its not to say it's a bad idea, but you can still eat rice/bread/etc... and achieve the same thing. In reality, it's about the overall context of your diet. I generally recommend a diet that is 80-90% of your foods from nutrient dense sources (fruits, veggies, meats) and the other 10-20% from foods you love.

    To lower body fat you need to have a calorie deficit. To maintain muscle mass, so the majority of your weight loss is fat, having a moderate deficit, adequate levels of protein (.8-1g per lb of lean body mass) and resistance training is ideal. Also, I can almost assure you that Jamie Eason has worked for years to get that type of body and you can almost be assured she has done at least one bulk/cut phase.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Jamie Eason's body fat is only that low for photo shoots and competitions. Thirteen percent, for a woman, is not sustainable for extended periods of time. She has even stated that her bf is above 20% normally.
    https://m.facebook.com/OfficialJamieEason/posts/10152263987505574

    And genetics has a bit to do with it as well. I have 12% body fat. I am training for a marathon and I rock climb and lift weights and do yoga. So I have a good selection of cardio and resistance in my routine and of course I use MFP to track my macros. But I'm not maniacal about any of it for sure, yet I have been under 15% for over a year and under 13% since April and I am very healthy.

    So yes, dialing in on diet and exercise is really important but I think different % are healthier/achievable/maintainable for different people too.

    Fair point. I should qualify my statement to say that for most women, 13% is not easily (maybe comfortably) sustainable for long. I knew that while I was typing but was literally typing while blow drying my hair with my head upside down so I got lazy :p

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