Ack! help. 46% body fat.

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NotSoPerfectPam
NotSoPerfectPam Posts: 114 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I had a serious dexa body scan done yesterday as part of a bone density study, and it pegged my body fat at an average of 46%. (i'm at the 82nd percentile for my age. yikes)

I know I have to lose more weight (I'm 208), and I am working to do so, eating 1500-1600 calories a day, and burning about 600 calories a day through exercise (and not eating those cals back). I am incredibly healthy other than my weight, FWIW by any measure)

But, because my body fat percentage is so high, ie my muscle mass is relatively low, my daily BMR (using a body fat formula) is pretty crappy (1493).

So, my question is, should I focus on building some muscle through weight lifting to increase my calorie burn, or should I just solely focus on losing more weight first

If I should add weights to my workouts - how much should I do, what areas gain muscle mass most easily, and how long should it take to up my muscle mass?

Or am I completely off base here??

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or thoughts.
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Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Any reason you can't do both? Eat at a deficit to lose weight, and start strength training? While you will not likely gain muscle while in a deficit - you can work to preserve what you have.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Yes! Do both!
  • NotSoPerfectPam
    NotSoPerfectPam Posts: 114 Member
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    I am planning on keeping cutting calories and doing my cardio - I'm wondering whether and how much weight training I should add and if it would make a difference (full disclosure, not a big fan of the weights, it's soooo boring :)
  • xKoalaBearx
    xKoalaBearx Posts: 181 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Look at Stronglifts 5x5. Only 3 exercises two to three times a week. This is a very simple, yet effective beginner's weight lifting program. It might be a good fit for you.

    Good luck!

    http://stronglifts.com/5x5/
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
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    xKoalaBearx wrote: »
    Look at Stronglifts 5x5. Only 3 exercises two to three times a week. This is a very simple, yet effective beginner's weight lifting program. It might be a good fit for you.

    Good luck!

    http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

    I agree with this program. The fact that it's only 3 lifts is awesome. And even though it says start at such and such weight and increase every week, please go at your own pace. Start low enough that you don't cause injury.
  • xKoalaBearx
    xKoalaBearx Posts: 181 Member
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    RoseTheWarrior wrote: »
    xKoalaBearx wrote: »
    Look at Stronglifts 5x5. Only 3 exercises two to three times a week. This is a very simple, yet effective beginner's weight lifting program. It might be a good fit for you.

    Good luck!

    http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

    I agree with this program. The fact that it's only 3 lifts is awesome. And even though it says start at such and such weight and increase every week, please go at your own pace. Start low enough that you don't cause injury.

    Exactly right. I started with a similar program Ice Cream Fitness... my squats started at 20 lbs, and 9 months later, I currently squat 240 lbs. Nothing wrong with starting low when you're talking about doing this for years and years.
  • NotSoPerfectPam
    NotSoPerfectPam Posts: 114 Member
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    xKoalaBearx wrote: »
    Look at Stronglifts 5x5. Only 3 exercises two to three times a week. This is a very simple, yet effective beginner's weight lifting program. It might be a good fit for you.

    Good luck!

    http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

    oooh. I think I can do this. thanks!
  • NotSoPerfectPam
    NotSoPerfectPam Posts: 114 Member
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    Any other thoughts or suggestions?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/getting-started
  • NotSoPerfectPam
    NotSoPerfectPam Posts: 114 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/getting-started

    Thanks, but I meant specifically about building muscle and whether it would impact calorie burn
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    How aboout this one

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

    or this one

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    I feel like you should eat more. I started at 169 and lost the majority of my weight eating 1800 calories a day. I would have never stuck to calorie counting if I had a goal as low as yours.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
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    I think you should continue with exactly what you're doing, and yes, get some weight training in.
    Stronglifts 5x5 is a great place to get started, and you can easily add it into your current exercise plan. :)
    (ignore the person who said to eat more- what works for them might not work for you- I started at 180, and my first week of logging without cutting anything, I was eating 1800-1900 and gaining. It took 1200+half exercise to lose my first few pounds.) Every body is different. Now if you start feeling tired or hungry, you should probably start eating back half your exercise calories, but other than that, do what's working for you.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    NotSoPerfectPam wrote: »
    I had a serious dexa body scan done yesterday as part of a bone density study, and it pegged my body fat at an average of 46%. (i'm at the 82nd percentile for my age. yikes)

    I know I have to lose more weight (I'm 208), and I am working to do so, eating 1500-1600 calories a day, and burning about 600 calories a day through exercise (and not eating those cals back). I am incredibly healthy other than my weight, FWIW by any measure)

    But, because my body fat percentage is so high, ie my muscle mass is relatively low, my daily BMR (using a body fat formula) is pretty crappy (1493).

    So, my question is, should I focus on building some muscle through weight lifting to increase my calorie burn, or should I just solely focus on losing more weight first

    If I should add weights to my workouts - how much should I do, what areas gain muscle mass most easily, and how long should it take to up my muscle mass?

    Or am I completely off base here??

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions or thoughts.

    Do some resistance training because it is good for your health, not because it will affect your BMR. You are not going to impact significantly yout body fat percentage by strength training, if this is what you are hoping for. This will happen by losing weight, you are not going to gain tons of muscle, not enough to really make a significant change in your BMR, which is not crappy BTW, considering you are a middle aged woman and not a 18 year old male athlete ;)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Yes, you can introduce resistance training now, to help preserve whatever muscle mass you still have left. Also, not eating back your exercise calories exposes your muscles to further shrinkage. At your BMR, your sedentary TDEE would be around 1800, so eating a total of 1800 calories and creating your deficit solely through exercise would be a good idea if you are consistent at burning 500-600 calories a day. The loss would be slower, and will likely dip under 1 pound per week because exercise burns less than you think if your muscle mass really is that small, but the end result would be preserving the maximum amount of muscle possible to where you reach your goal weight and be at an average body fat. You may also want to look at your protein intake and increase that as well to 100-140 grams.

    Don't look at it negatively. You have being overweight going for you, so you already have an average-good muscle base compared to the average woman of normal weight. All you need to do is preserve as much of it as possible.
  • itskazzsjourney
    itskazzsjourney Posts: 8 Member
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    I am 120 kilos/265 pounds and approx 52% BF and i currently do a body split weight program over 3 days, on top of that i try and do some yoga and some cardio (some cycle classes, boxing, walking etc) my body responds really well to it....and since starting this i feel much "tighter" and more compact then when i was just doing some light cardio.
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    My BMR is around 1130 because I'm short (5'2") and 47. So, rejoice! It's never too late to start lifting. It won't give you big calorie burns like cardio but it can change your body significantly. I started at probably 27-30% BF & 137-140lbs, now 21% BF and 115lbs. I lifted heavy, got my protein up to at least 1g/lb of lbm and kept my deficit. I had trouble staying on deficit until I started 16:8 IF and that made it easier. I definitely lost fat and preserved as much muscle as possible. The protein and lifting helps with the latter part. Plus, when the fat starts coming off you want to have some nice muscle development. Stronglifts is great and where I started. Good luck!
  • MelissaLimeKiwi
    MelissaLimeKiwi Posts: 121 Member
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    Sumiblue wrote: »
    My BMR is around 1130 because I'm short (5'2") and 47. So, rejoice! It's never too late to start lifting. It won't give you big calorie burns like cardio but it can change your body significantly. I started at probably 27-30% BF & 137-140lbs, now 21% BF and 115lbs. I lifted heavy, got my protein up to at least 1g/lb of lbm and kept my deficit. I had trouble staying on deficit until I started 16:8 IF and that made it easier. I definitely lost fat and preserved as much muscle as possible. The protein and lifting helps with the latter part. Plus, when the fat starts coming off you want to have some nice muscle development. Stronglifts is great and where I started. Good luck!

    @Sumiblue how long was your journey? Your starting stats are where I'm at and I want to get to 20% body fat.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
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    NotSoPerfectPam wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/getting-started

    Thanks, but I meant specifically about building muscle and whether it would impact calorie burn

    The benefits of weightlifting are not calorie burn. It will help you preserve the muscle mass you currently have, preserve/improve bone density, and give you a hot body. You might burn 100-200 calories for an hour of weightlifting but it is really difficult to calculate. You can try adding 100 calories for weightlifting workout and monitor your weight loss. Eat a little more if you are loosing to fast.

    Lyle McDonald has a lot of articles if you are interested: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/articles/
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    spcmartinm wrote: »
    Sumiblue wrote: »
    My BMR is around 1130 because I'm short (5'2") and 47. So, rejoice! It's never too late to start lifting. It won't give you big calorie burns like cardio but it can change your body significantly. I started at probably 27-30% BF & 137-140lbs, now 21% BF and 115lbs. I lifted heavy, got my protein up to at least 1g/lb of lbm and kept my deficit. I had trouble staying on deficit until I started 16:8 IF and that made it easier. I definitely lost fat and preserved as much muscle as possible. The protein and lifting helps with the latter part. Plus, when the fat starts coming off you want to have some nice muscle development. Stronglifts is great and where I started. Good luck!

    @Sumiblue how long was your journey? Your starting stats are where I'm at and I want to get to 20% body fat.

    I started lifting in Sept '14. I lost about 6-7 lbs but weight went up and down. I started IF October 1 2015 and lost the rest. Really leaned out. Maybe too much, I lost my chest

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