Fat Loss help

angelinhell
angelinhell Posts: 56 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost 55lbs so far just calorie counting but I have never taken any notice of macros and never done much in the way of exercise until recently. Even though I do eat tons of fruit and veg and lean meats, I do choose a lot of rubbish over "good fats" as I will choose chocolate over nuts because, well, I can when calorie counting!. I feel like I have lost weight but I don't feel any better about myself as I still have a belly and am wobbly and I don't think just losing "weight" is going to make me feel good. I bought some new scales that measure body fat/ muscle mass etc so I can start monitoring that instead of weight and my body fat is horrific (31%). So I really want to lose maybe 10% of body fat but honestly, I don't know what I'm doing. I've read a few articles but they're general i.e. do weight training, do HIIT but not too much cardio, eat protein and stuff but I don't know what weight training to do (any recommendations on home training?), will this help me lose body fat and retain/ gain muscle? I wanna be sexy!!

Replies

  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    IIRC those scales are notoriously unreliable for measuring body composition.

    There are some good threads around here - the "So You Want A Nice Stomach?" has some good tips. Check out the stickies :)
  • cecsav1
    cecsav1 Posts: 714 Member
    1. Good job on your progress so far! :)
    2. Good job on wanting to improve further!!
    3. Give yourself a pat on the back
    4. Increase your protein
    5. Start with full body workouts 3 times per week (Mon, Wed, Fri for example)
    6. Focus on compound exercises (squats, bench press, military press, rows, etc)
    7. Check out bodybuilding.com for proper form
    8. If you have access to a PT, ask them to critique your form. If not, a gym employee MAY be able to help you.

    :):):)
  • SUgirl06
    SUgirl06 Posts: 6 Member
    Hey! If you are looking for a particular routine, I would recommend poking around some fitness sites like Bodybuilding.com or JEfit.com. I am currently using a great program from BB that I love. It requires gym access though - do you have a membership or something? The program I am doing is called Dymatize Transformed. They have an app for it too so you can just look at your phone when you get to the gym. So easy to stay on track. Then you mark your workout complete at the end. I've used a very similar program in the past to drop body fat and inches. This one is FREE though and it will literally tell you exactly what to do every day. If you need help with the weight lifting, I would recommend getting a knowledgeable buddy or even hiring a trainer for the first few sessions to help you out with your form.

    Edit: Just saw you do home training. Definitely check out JEfit or BB. They both have great workouts (I especially love JEfit for their bodyweight workouts). You can find something that you can do at home!

    In the end though, the best fitness regime is one you will stick with. Love dancing? Take Zumba classes. Love to stretch it out and feel the burn of holding a pose? Do yoga. Love weight lifting? Hit the weight room and lift some heavy things. It's the combo of exercise and eating just natural clean foods that will help you burn the fat. I wouldn't worry about macros or anything like that until you are trying to lose the last few pounds. In general though, it is good to get increased protein. I do a low carb diet because it keeps me fuller longer but many people debate the carbs verses fat so I'm just gonna leave it at "more protein".

    Mostly anything you do that is generally healthy will help. Eat real food (veggies, fruits, meats, rice, etc) and exercise a few times a week and see how it goes. Good luck!

    Angela
  • Vegplotter
    Vegplotter Posts: 265 Member
    Well done so far. While you will probably never attain perfect beauty, you should remember that you already are a beautiful human being. Losing weight and taking exercise will make you feel healthy and look healthy. But nothing will make you feel different inside.
    Try to be a bit kinder and less self critical. Admire how far you've already come. Weight doesn't stop anyone being sexy!
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    Exercise is good for toning. Be wary of setting realistic goals though - 21% fat is right at the bottom end of the healthy range for women. 8 - 19 % is recommended for men and 21-33 % for women. I've seen 25 % recommended as a goal in many places.
  • bmayes2014
    bmayes2014 Posts: 232 Member
    Congrats on losing 55lbs!! way to go! sounds like you already have some knowledge on losing fat! I had a bod pod done Friday to accurately measure my body fat and it was 10% higher than two other methods by separate trainers performed on me. One did the fat calibers (pinch the skin fold) and the other used the machine that you hold out in front of you. Those inaccurately measured me in the 30 percentile fat range. I was so excited to see how much more fat I lost with the Bod Pod. To my disappointment, I was 10% higher in body fat! At least I have a accurate starting point. Best of luck and consider a bod pod if it is available to you.

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