Body fat is high, lost motivation

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So, last year I had put on a lot of weight due to stress and it took a year to lose all of it, now due to exam stress I've gained some of the weight back again. I had my body fat measured today at the gym and it came in at 27%. Now I know that isn't a huge amount but due to the fact I'm only 5ft1 it is on the bigger side of average and it is just getting me down, I feel like all of my hard work was for nothing! Can anyone give me motivation tips or tricks that have worked for them in order to lose a few pounds?

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  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Sounds like you need a way other than eating to deal with stress. Maybe focus on the hard work it was to lose the weight and ask yourself if the stress-eating is really worth it.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    No tricks to losing weight - eat less than you burn, simples!

    Get yourself a food scale. Accurately weigh, measure and log everything that goes in to your mouth, and stick to your calorie goal.

    It's easy to fall in to the stress eating trap - I started studying again this year, and it took a lot of willpower to not dive in to bags of chocolate/cookies etc when I was stressed and doing assignments or studying.

    Make time for food prep. Make time for exercise - it's a great stress buster, without the potential to put on fat like you will by mindlessly overeating.
  • palmettoadventurer
    palmettoadventurer Posts: 51 Member
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    Hey, 27% is in the "moderately lean" range, so don't get discouraged. (Though I feel you. I just got a Bod Pod done, and my body fat percentage turned out to be rather higher than I thought. Kind of a blow to the ego.)
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Get things in perspective.

    1. Stop beating yourself up/ geting stressed, especially over a few lbs, deal with it after your exams as they should have priority.
    2. As tex said work on some stress coping techniques for after.

    Perspective will help you realise you have it out of proportion and its not really a big thing.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    Think about it this way. You are now aware that you lost control a bit and made backward progress and at this moment you have the knowledge and ability to get your control back. You don't have to let the backward progress continue any longer. Allow yourself to feel empowered by the fact that you know what needs done, know how to do it and have done it before.
  • Sher0712
    Sher0712 Posts: 18 Member
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    Am 5'3 and weight 123 and my personal trainer check my body fat and am also 27% and he told me I need to do strength workout
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
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    I'm 5'1 and I've managed to get mine down from 36 to 27. In 4 months. If I can do it so can you! Lets work together and make our fat cells cry!!!!
  • pinklipstick13
    pinklipstick13 Posts: 9 Member
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    mrsfitzyv8 wrote: »
    I'm 5'1 and I've managed to get mine down from 36 to 27. In 4 months. If I can do it so can you! Lets work together and make our fat cells cry!!!!

    What are some of your tips to bringing that percentage down?
  • cparsons_60
    cparsons_60 Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm not usually a stress eater, but sometimes I find myself eating more than I want to/mean to of snacks, especially corn chips and Oreos or good chocolate chip cookies. When I catch myself eating five or six cookies instead of one or two, I often realize that I'm actually still hungry, that I haven't had enough real food. I'll eat a quarter cup of fat-free yogurt, or a couple of carrots, and that usually halts the cookie craving.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    So, last year I had put on a lot of weight due to stress and it took a year to lose all of it, now due to exam stress I've gained some of the weight back again. I had my body fat measured today at the gym and it came in at 27%. Now I know that isn't a huge amount but due to the fact I'm only 5ft1 it is on the bigger side of average and it is just getting me down, I feel like all of my hard work was for nothing! Can anyone give me motivation tips or tricks that have worked for them in order to lose a few pounds?

    Height does not come into it, it is a percentage. For a woman 27% is not high, definitely not above average.