4lbs away from my goal and still 25% body fat?!

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vichick20
vichick20 Posts: 96 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a 20 year old, 5.5" tall, 124lbs, I would say medium/small framed. I calculated my body fat % and it said I am still at 25.5%.... should my goal be lower than 120lbs? Or should I just continue to do strength training along with cardio to get that % down. Help?
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  • larisadixon
    larisadixon Posts: 201 Member
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    lift heavy weights honey, it will come down!
  • Hernandezedw
    Hernandezedw Posts: 284
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    If you see definition, don't worry about the %. You're not really in it for the numbers are you? I assume just the look.
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
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    lift heavy weights honey, it will come down!

    I agree! Lift lift lift!
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    lift heavy weights honey, it will come down!

    this.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    In order to get you BF % down you should lose weight slowly. I would suggest changing your goal to 0.5lb/week. A large deficit will cause your body to burn more muscle while losing, this may be what is happening. I would keep your goal where it is now and increase the weight you are lifting and change your goal to 0.5/week and be sure to eat all of your exercise calories.

    See an example of losing fast vs losing slow doing heavier weighted strength training: Starting at 124 @ 25.5%, if you lose 4 lbs 90% from fat (slow loss) vs 50% from fat (fast loss) you would be:
    Slow loss you may lose 3.6 lbs of fat and be 120 with a BF% of 23.4%, if you lose fast you may end up 24.7% at 120 lbs (2lbs from fat) So this is the difference between losing fast 24.7% vs losing slow 23.4% both at 120lbs. Slow and steady wins the race.
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
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    Are you doing this online? Those are the average person. if you have more muscle or less then it is not accurate.
  • hollyb9871
    hollyb9871 Posts: 401 Member
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    You're weight is fine for your height, it's your body composition muscle to fat ratio that needs the work. You need to build up the muscle or at least keep what you have, reduce the body fat usually via cardio. What did you use to calculate your body fat? Most methods can be off by a few percent.
  • cha36jennings
    cha36jennings Posts: 99 Member
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    My sister is 5'7 and 110 pounds with 25% body fat
    I'm 5'6 and 143 pounds with 23% body fat.
    I do strength training and she doesn't. I feel that strength is the way to go.
  • Kwosti
    Kwosti Posts: 6 Member
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    Hiya - congratulations on almost reaching your goal!!! As for the 25% body fat - make sure you measure properly using callipers or other professional device, also it might be a good idea to book in with a (good/ experienced) trainer at your local gym. They should be able to provide some sound advice on the weigh:fat issue.
    Rachael
  • Msaip
    Msaip Posts: 482 Member
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    I am a 20 year old, 5.5" tall, 124lbs, I would say medium/small framed. I calculated my body fat % and it said I am still at 25.5%.... should my goal be lower than 120lbs? Or should I just continue to do strength training along with cardio to get that % down. Help?

    Man I sure hope not! im 5'6 and my goal is 135ish I would think wherever you are happiest though!
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    Strength training with heavy weights is the key. Light weight strength training does very little to help stiumulate muscle growth.
  • leighton1245
    leighton1245 Posts: 125
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    I am a 20 year old, 5.5" tall, 124lbs, I would say medium/small framed. I calculated my body fat % and it said I am still at 25.5%.... should my goal be lower than 120lbs? Or should I just continue to do strength training along with cardio to get that % down. Help?

    How did you calculate your BF%?

    The avg for female BF% is 20-24%
  • MariaAlexandra
    MariaAlexandra Posts: 126 Member
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    That can happen! Now it's just time for some toning! Weights and protein, i say ! :)
  • pftjill
    pftjill Posts: 488
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    How did you calculate your BF%? Even one of those bioelectrical impedance meters are off. You should be doing calipers or some colleges have a body pod that you can get measured for a reasonable price. That being said-25% is not bad. Are you doing a lot of aerobic cardio, because that tends to hold on to fat. Most endurance athletes-though you can't tell-have more fat on them. They need it for the sport they are in. However yes, as some stated, lift weights. Building more muscle burns more fat and cut your aerobic cardio down some-don't get rid of it, but add more anaerobic stuff-weights, sprints.
  • vichick20
    vichick20 Posts: 96 Member
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    First of all, thank you guys for all the support and comments!! I did the calculation online, so I suppose it could be off. I will definitely try changing my goal to 0.5lb/week (it is set at 1lb/week now). I always eat my exercise calories back. I will also try upping my weights. What is a good weight to start with?
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
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    I would try adjusting the percentage of carbs/fat/protein you eat. The chemical process that burns fat for energy in your body uses three parts fat to one part protein. So if you don't eat enough protein, your body takes the protein from your muscles, and then your muscle mass decreases, which means your body fat percentage actually increases even though your weight is going down. Most people really eat too many carbs and not enough protein. I agree with the other posters, you need both cardio and weight training, but eating protein is an important element, too.

    I try to keep my carbs under 30g per day and my protein at least 300g per day, which is pretty extreme, but it's working for me. I've lost a steady 1.5 lbs a week since starting this, and it's all fat loss, not muscle loss.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    First of all, thank you guys for all the support and comments!! I did the calculation online, so I suppose it could be off. I will definitely try changing my goal to 0.5lb/week (it is set at 1lb/week now). I always eat my exercise calories back. I will also try upping my weights. What is a good weight to start with?

    You should talk to a trainer to find out what your ideal weights should be for each muscle group. Really, if you can't possibly lift it after 8-12 reps, that's a good weight. If you can do 15-20 reps, it's too little. Talking to a trainer can really help you isolate which muscle groups are weakest and what the appropriate form and workouts should be to bulk up those areas. Weight training with bad form can be very very bad for the joints and cause injury so make sure (especially with free weights) that you have some guidance here.
  • judijl
    judijl Posts: 13
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    How is that possible? Seems crazy to be so thin and yet so high in the body fat?? I am 5'6" and 133 lbs. Mine is 18% (which is also too high) What can we do about it?
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
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    First of all, thank you guys for all the support and comments!! I did the calculation online, so I suppose it could be off.
    An online calculator is probably the last place I would look to get a body fat calculation from. I would get a trainer at the gym to do the caliper test on you.
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,100 Member
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    I came here to post just like a lot of my fellow friends....

    LIFT WEIGHTS

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