confused about losing body fat. kind of.

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beckmoir
beckmoir Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hi guys. if anyone has a couple minutes and wants to share their opinion/advice i would be very grateful.
i'm 24 years old, 5'6 and my weight for the past couple months fluctuates between 149-152 pounds. according to my fitbit aria scale, my body fat % is about 32%. i don't know how accurate they are for body fat, but when i first got the scale i was 180 pounds with 39% body fat so it has been dropping.
ideally i'd like to lose around 8-10% body fat. i don't really care how much i weigh but if i could lose another 10-15 pounds that would be awesome.
i haven't been working out consistently for about a month, but i was doing strength training for about 20-30 minutes, and then finishing with 20-30 minutes of cardio. (i was on a plan an online personal trainer made) anyways, i didn't finish the plan but i was thinking of starting it over. does this sound like what i should be doing to lose fat? i've read everywhere on the internet that you can't really lose fat and build muscle at the same time, so i don't want to be building muscle under fat, without losing the fat. if i were to focus entirely on cardio, i would be losing this muscle, no? i have a tendency to over complicate the whole weight loss process so maybe this doesn't even make sense lol. anyways, thanks for reading :)

Replies

  • coolanujster
    coolanujster Posts: 1
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    Go for power sets in weight training .Plus hit cardio with fast runs at 12 mph at 2 main intervals.
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
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    To lose fat, you need a calorie deficit. Set your goals to lose .5lb/week. Stick to that goal, and use a food scale to weigh all solid food.

    You are correct, you won't gain significant muscle while losing fat. To gain muscle you need to be lifting heavy weights while eating MORE calories than your maintenance. Lifting weights while eating at a deficit will help to preserve the muscle you already have while losing fat.

  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    To make it simple, go back and do the plan the trainer gave you. No use to reinvent the wheel. At this point I would suggest you need to do something, Do the program for 8-12 weeks religiously. Sounds like he gave you a decent noobie plan. In the meantime you can read and learn a bit more so you can decide what way to go.

    In any case, doing the plan you have means doing something, which is more than you are doing now.

    Good luck.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    This is easy. Eat at a calorie deficit to lose fat. Progressive resistance training ( weight lifting, heavy ) to retain muscle. I recommend the book/program "New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women". Now go and become fabulous!!
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    edited February 2015
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    ETA, I do some cardio, cuz, like the heart is a muscle too. Also, I like to eat, so I'll run me up some ice cream calories.
  • keithw2013
    keithw2013 Posts: 77 Member
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    Your problem is the same that most of us have. We want to decrease body fat percentage and either maintain or build muscle.

    First off understand that it is not easy for a women to build muscle. Hormones are different and it takes a lot of work, nutrition....and time. As others have said fat loss needs a deficit in calories. But it isn't just that simple. Wouldn't everyone be able to lose weight

    My recommendation: Low carb. Limit carbs except just prior and just after a workout. WHen it comes to your workouts lift heavy weights. Cardio a few times a week is fine but limit it to 30 minutes or so. Heavy weight lifting will cause your body to respond and adapt - by building muscle.

    When you are eating low carb you should be getting plenty of protein. This is important for keeping and building muscle.

    If you want any specifics send me a message. I don't know what you normally do for workouts or what you have for access to equipment - or what kind of diet you normally follow.

    Good luck.
  • AFitJamie
    AFitJamie Posts: 172 Member
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    keithw2013 wrote: »
    First off understand that it is not easy for a women to build muscle. Hormones are different and it takes a lot of work, nutrition....and time.

    True - If you do resistance training it is very very unlikely you will add *much* bulk even if you were in a calorie surplus - and you are correct in understanding that you are not going to build muscle mass and lose fat at the same time
    keithw2013 wrote: »
    As others have said fat loss needs a deficit in calories. But it isn't just that simple. Wouldn't everyone be able to lose weight

    Not correct at all.... It is that simple.

    Not easy, but simple.

    There is no need for your to go "Low Carb" or "Paleo" or... whatever. Eat what you like within your calorie targets and try to get a balance of macros... but don't stress any given day.


    Resistance training does indeed help you retain your muscle mass as you are losing weight. so it is highly advisable to include it in your routine... and you are... good for you! Also, Just an FYI, you are doing them in the correct order... continue to do resistance training first (although a gentle warm up can help to reduce injuries) you will get good energy from glycogen to power your lifting and resistance work and then when you hit your cardio your body can fuel it from slower processes namely fat burning... Reversed and you burn the glycogen in your cardio and resistance training isn't so good as your muscles need readily accessible energy and you've burned that off and not yet had time to replace it...

    Get back to that routine and get yourself moving - pick up some heavy stuff carefully and put it back down - watch your calories and it really will happen for you.

    Best of Luck!

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