Trying to lose body fat - Anyone else 5’2” and 148lbs?

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FitnessLover001
FitnessLover001 Posts: 188 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I workout with a personal trainer 2 times a week and I’ve never lifted weights or completed HIIT sessions like she puts me through, which is great, but I was wondering if anyone else is around my height and that weight range? I’m holding around 26.5% body fat and when I calculate it out to get to 22% body fat, it’s around 6 pounds of fat I have to lose. Does this mean I’m seeing a higher weight on the scale due to muscle? My eating has been off kilter a bit, and I’m working on bringing that back to normal. I meal prep and eat well for my meals but I’ve been snacking and nibbling lately. My main concern is that I want to see a lower body fat percentage and I’ve been struggling for a while to get there. Any tips?

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  • Ardael
    Ardael Posts: 244 Member
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    I'm the same, 5'1 and around 152 pounds. Did a lot of sports when I was a teenager and it bulked me up with muscle. With my clothes on I looked the same as the other girls but was 10-15lbs heavier.
    The good thing with that is that muscle burns calories so exercise is good as it will help you burn much faster than dieting alone.
    I used to eat whatever I wanted and maintain a weight of 125 just by walking. Then I had kids and that's why I put on the weight but yeah exercise is good
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited November 2017
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    Track your intake accurately - losing fat/weight comes down to your calorie intake. You admitted yourself that you have been snacking and nibbling on top of your prep - log and account for everything. "eating well" is great, but too much is still too much. Meet your calorie goal and you'll get results!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    How long have you been dieting. Did you take any diet breaks? How long have you been off kilter for your diet? What are your calories set at?
  • FitnessLover001
    FitnessLover001 Posts: 188 Member
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    I was around 137 back in July. My trainer said she thinks I’m holding on to a lot of water right now. I usually eat oatmeal + egg white, one pack of Justin’s pb, and a banana for breakfast. Lunch is ground turkey (93% lean), asparagus, broccoli and jasmine rice, dinner is a bell pepper with ground turkey quinoa and some cheese. Sometimes for dinner I’ll sautee kale with green peas and mushrooms, and add craisins and sunflower seeds. My drinking hasn’t changed -I either don’t drink at all on the weekends or I go for vodka sodas. I guess my snacking has gotten out of hand but my body fat percentage has always fluctuated from 24.5-26.5% since May of this year. I’ve probably started going off kilter since mid-October. I never crave the snacks I do until the holiday season gets here and then I decide I need to crave chocolate or ice cream.
  • FitnessLover001
    FitnessLover001 Posts: 188 Member
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    I was also around 120-125 three years ago and would like to get back to the 120 area but I’ve noticed I was able to maintain my weight around 135-140 a lot easier than in the 120-125 range. I guess my biggest question is body fat and does it increase on the scale as you increase more muscle? I always ask my trainer about my body shape and she tells me she sees definition coming into my arms but I’m holding onto water
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    FitnessLover001 wrote: »
    I was also around 120-125 three years ago and would like to get back to the 120 area but I’ve noticed I was able to maintain my weight around 135-140 a lot easier than in the 120-125 range. I guess my biggest question is body fat and does it increase on the scale as you increase more muscle? I always ask my trainer about my body shape and she tells me she sees definition coming into my arms but I’m holding onto water

    If you are eating in a surplus, for the most part, yes bodyfat % will usually increase as you gain muscle (I say for the most part because I know there are some exceptions). But if you are eating at maintenance and recomping, then no.. the goal is to be decreasing your bodyfat% while gaining muscle over time.

    Keep in mind, bodyfat readings on scales are fairly inaccurate so if you are using one, I wouldn't count on them too much (as a data point to keep track of, sure, but I wouldn't base any sort of success on it) use other ways to track progress... scale weight, photos, measurements, your clothing etc.

    If you want to lose weight and lower your bodyfat %, eat at a small deficit.. I would recommend you track your intake as accurately as possible (using a food scale)
  • TravisJHunt
    TravisJHunt Posts: 533 Member
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    Just my two cents but why not focus on how you feel and look rather than on hitting an exact body fat percentage? Unless you're going to compete or need to hit a number for a medical reason, I'd say trying to hit an exact number just seems like a good way to get frustrated and give up. By looking at your pic, it doesn't look like your carrying too much extra, you usually don't get ab definition like that at over 25% body fat so are you sure you're number is accurate?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
    edited November 2017
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    FitnessLover001 wrote: »
    I was around 137 back in July. My trainer said she thinks I’m holding on to a lot of water right now. I usually eat oatmeal + egg white, one pack of Justin’s pb, and a banana for breakfast. Lunch is ground turkey (93% lean), asparagus, broccoli and jasmine rice, dinner is a bell pepper with ground turkey quinoa and some cheese. Sometimes for dinner I’ll sautee kale with green peas and mushrooms, and add craisins and sunflower seeds. My drinking hasn’t changed -I either don’t drink at all on the weekends or I go for vodka sodas. I guess my snacking has gotten out of hand but my body fat percentage has always fluctuated from 24.5-26.5% since May of this year. I’ve probably started going off kilter since mid-October. I never crave the snacks I do until the holiday season gets here and then I decide I need to crave chocolate or ice cream.

    So this begs the question, how many calories is that? And do you use a food scale?

    And what do your off kilter days look like. Its very easy to have one bad day wipe out a deficit when you are already lean.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    i'm 5'3" and 153 - last time calculated i was about 24% BF (down from 27%) - its been a slow road for recomp but i'm getting there
  • nyRunning1
    nyRunning1 Posts: 2 Member
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    I’m 5’2 and my heaviest was 145 and in a few months I lost 30 pounds. Since this past June I hit 120 &now I’m around 113-115 pounds. You need to love fitness and really change your mindset to succeed. If anyone has questions I always love answering
  • FitnessLover001
    FitnessLover001 Posts: 188 Member
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    nyRunning1 wrote: »
    I’m 5’2 and my heaviest was 145 and in a few months I lost 30 pounds. Since this past June I hit 120 &now I’m around 113-115 pounds. You need to love fitness and really change your mindset to succeed. If anyone has questions I always love answering

    How’d you lose that much? What did your workouts and eating consist of? I know I hold onto a lot of muscle but I would like to be nearer to the 125-130 range, which I would have to lose some muscle and fat to get there.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    FitnessLover001 wrote: »
    nyRunning1 wrote: »
    I’m 5’2 and my heaviest was 145 and in a few months I lost 30 pounds. Since this past June I hit 120 &now I’m around 113-115 pounds. You need to love fitness and really change your mindset to succeed. If anyone has questions I always love answering

    How’d you lose that much? What did your workouts and eating consist of? I know I hold onto a lot of muscle but I would like to be nearer to the 125-130 range, which I would have to lose some muscle and fat to get there.

    Muscle is what makes you lean. So why would you want to lose it just to hit a number? Besides when you maintain muscle and lost just fat, tham your body fat drops quicker.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    psuLemon wrote: »
    FitnessLover001 wrote: »
    nyRunning1 wrote: »
    I’m 5’2 and my heaviest was 145 and in a few months I lost 30 pounds. Since this past June I hit 120 &now I’m around 113-115 pounds. You need to love fitness and really change your mindset to succeed. If anyone has questions I always love answering

    How’d you lose that much? What did your workouts and eating consist of? I know I hold onto a lot of muscle but I would like to be nearer to the 125-130 range, which I would have to lose some muscle and fat to get there.

    Muscle is what makes you lean. So why would you want to lose it just to hit a number? Besides when you maintain muscle and lost just fat, tham your body fat drops quicker.

    So much this. Forget the number (scale and even bodyfat%) go for how you look and feel.

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