Reducing Body Fat

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flrancho
flrancho Posts: 271 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have lost a little over 100 pounds now and have about 30 left to loose before I reach my goal weight.

That being said I still feel I'm extremely fatty. I have a lot of fat on my belly, underarms and neck area. I'm wearing size 14 pants now, which are a little big, so I'm guessing I'm probably a 12 at 159 pounds with a goal of 135. A body fat percentage calculator online (which I know is not the most accurate, but claimed to be within 3% of your actual body fat), said my total body fat was 33.77%. In any case, I know I'm going to end up skinny fat.

I've been trying to make it to the gym 2-3 times a week, which sometimes happens and sometimes doesn't depending on my work schedule. Depending on the machine, I lift anywhere from 15 to 90 pounds. My arms and upper body seem to be the weakest, below my waist the strongest, and my core area somewhere in the middle (in terms of how much weight I'm able to lift), which is confusing as I carry most of my weight in my middle.

Anyway, from what I've heard there's nothing I can do to loose this body fat except keep going to the gym. Am I not going enough, or am I going too much? Am I not lifting heavy enough weights?

Once I get to my goal weight, how do I work on loosing body fat without loosing more weight?

I've also heard that working out over 30 minutes in duration is not beneficial - it doesn't help you loose weight or gain muscle. Is this true? Also, when it comes to weighted machines at the gym, do I need to focus on problem areas (do machines for my arms and belly area), or since your body chooses where it looses fat from, could I feasibly not touch the oblique or crunch/sit up machine for months and still loose belly fat / inches by exercising other parts of my body? Or do I need to make sure I use the ab machine every time I go?

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    You lose body fat by eating at a defecit

    You preserve LBM by following a progressive lifting programme whilst in a defecit

    I'd advise you to ditch the machines and start a progressive free weights programme

    For books see Strong Curves or New Rules of Lifting for Womem
    For programmes on sites with videos see Strong Lifts 5x5 or ice cream fitness

    Compound lifts ..

    Most of these are only 3 times a week but I think more like 45 minutes ..
  • Ironmaiden4life
    Ironmaiden4life Posts: 422 Member
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    Body composition is all about diet period. The number on the scale will always be determined by calories in/calories out but how heavy you look is impacted by macro nutrient breakdown of your diet.

    The 30 minute window of exercise thing is rubbish. The effectiveness of your work comes down to how the program is set up not time frame.

    Full body work outs with compound exercises would be far more effective in achieving your goals and as rabbitjb said 3 times a week is great.

    Yes you would still decrease belly fat if your diet is in deficit without every touching an ab machine again but once that fat is gone you need have some muscle there for it to be visible. No you do not need to work abs everytime you step foot in a gym, they are like any other muscle in your body, they need rest.
  • flrancho
    flrancho Posts: 271 Member
    edited August 2015
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    So in order to loose the body fat, I will have to continue eating at a deficit even after I reach my goal weight and no longer need to loose actual weight?

    It seems that if I continued to eat at a deficit, I will continue to drop weight - which if I'm already at my ideal weight wouldn't be a good thing.

    I was also under the assumption that doing machines at the gym was "doing weights", building muscle, and lowering body fat percentage. Why should it be ditched? I really don't even know what your talking about with compound lifts, and a progressive free weights program, etc.

    I guess I've been exercising all wrong.
  • dianahaynes925
    dianahaynes925 Posts: 22 Member
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    The weight machines are just fine if that's what you like to do. Make sure your progressing though. Add some cardio, try some interval training. Free weights will add amazing curves to your body but don't do things unless you really enjoy it. People stay committed when they find and practice the activities they love
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
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    Ultimately the most efficient way to lose body fat is to eat at a caloric deficit. If you are at an "ideal" weight range but would like to reduce body fat you would eat at maintenance and use one of the lifting programs recommended above; this process is called recomposition (recomp). During recomp you lose body fat but maintain weight, but it is a very slow process.

    With regards to weights, free weights (barbells/dumbbells) are more efficient than weight machines because they engage more stabilizer muscles when you lift. If you don't feel comfortable with free weight, machines or body-weight are good options.

    Look at the programs suggested. Compound movements are movements that engage several muscles at the same time versus isolation movements that only work one muscle.
  • Pinnacle_IAO
    Pinnacle_IAO Posts: 608 Member
    edited August 2015
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    flrancho wrote: »
    So in order to loose the body fat, I will have to continue eating at a deficit even after I reach my goal weight and no longer need to loose actual weight?
    No, once you're at a solid, healthy weight deficits can come in a more narrow range as opposed to a whole day as your unit of measurement.
    Google Body Recomposition and just read up.
    I have been engaged in weight maintenance for almost 3 years while losing body fat on a body recomposition program
    My body fat dropped from 23% down to 15% over 30 months.
    Meal and exercise timing along with weekly calorie cycling produce results, but it comes very, very slowly.

    This has been my experience, and others will say the opposite. They key is to read up, learn and consider trying some things out for yourself.
    Best of luck to you!
    :)

  • wilmnoca
    wilmnoca Posts: 416 Member
    edited August 2015
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    You need to lift weighst! Stop doing machines at the gym and learn 4 basic compound lifts to start. Squat, deadlift, bench press, military press. Scott Herman has a YouTube channel that shows you how to perform these lifts with proper form. Don't over complicate it. Learn these basic lifts to start and intensify your cardio with intervals. Ditch the machines and use a weight that that allows you to get 10-12 repetitions on those lifts. Try sets of 3 to start. Educate then dominate and keep it simple and intense!

    -CPT
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    flrancho wrote: »
    So in order to loose the body fat, I will have to continue eating at a deficit even after I reach my goal weight and no longer need to loose actual weight?

    It seems that if I continued to eat at a deficit, I will continue to drop weight - which if I'm already at my ideal weight wouldn't be a good thing.

    I was also under the assumption that doing machines at the gym was "doing weights", building muscle, and lowering body fat percentage. Why should it be ditched? I really don't even know what your talking about with compound lifts, and a progressive free weights program, etc.

    I guess I've been exercising all wrong.

    I think you said that you had 30 pounds to go? If so, being in the deficit to lose body fast might not make sense now. However, thats exactly what I did. I didn't modify my exercise routine much. I just lost the body fat within the last 5 pounds.
  • barryplumber
    barryplumber Posts: 401 Member
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    Do your full body work out with compound excersises using weights are best but if your happy with machines stick with them. Then run run run.....the best for loosing the access skin it worked for me. It just takes time so try not to get discouraged just hang in there. The 30 lbs to go is probably a lot of the loose skin you refer to. Good luck and remember good things come to those who are patient.
  • barryplumber
    barryplumber Posts: 401 Member
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    barryplumber wrote: »
    Do your full body work out with compound excersises using weights are best but if your happy with machines stick with them. Then run run run.....the best for loosing the access skin it worked for me. It just takes time so try not to get discouraged just hang in there. The 30 lbs to go is probably a lot of the loose skin you refer to. Good luck and remember good things come to those who are patient.

    Oh and congrats on that first 100 lbs you know what work is
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited August 2015
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    flrancho wrote: »
    So in order to loose the body fat, I will have to continue eating at a deficit even after I reach my goal weight and no longer need to loose actual weight?

    It seems that if I continued to eat at a deficit, I will continue to drop weight - which if I'm already at my ideal weight wouldn't be a good thing.

    I was also under the assumption that doing machines at the gym was "doing weights", building muscle, and lowering body fat percentage. Why should it be ditched? I really don't even know what your talking about with compound lifts, and a progressive free weights program, etc.

    I guess I've been exercising all wrong.

    Once you are at goal weight you can recomp...similar lifting programme but eating at or just below maintenance...but it's slow and you don't get instant gratification of scale weight changing

    Free weights are more effective but if you can't stand the thought then machines are adequate ...

    I gave you the programmes in my first post re compound lifts and progressive free weights ...just look at those

    http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

    https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-novice-workout
  • erimethia_fekre
    erimethia_fekre Posts: 317 Member
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    Cardio.. Up your cardio. High interval training works the best. I agree with everyone else otherwise
  • louise13dunstan
    louise13dunstan Posts: 74 Member
    edited August 2015
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    go for 3 30mins max Hiit/intense strength training per week.
    Up ur fat intake, cut ur carbs and have adequate protein. Carbs are bodies preffered choice for energy as its easy. Burning fat instead cuts body weight fast but u need to really be eating real natural foods. And have enough protein for muscle repair apprpx 60g. More than 20g protein in one go is useless ur body cant use it so stores surplus as bad fat. If u do this u will enter ketosis and lose the body fat.

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