Losing Body Fat

toinel
toinel Posts: 28
edited October 2 in Fitness and Exercise
With pretty much diet alone (I started 5 weeks ago), I have lost 19.4lbs. 10 more to go.

My body fat percentage (as far as my scale tells me), has stayed pretty much the same. Which type of excercise (strength or cardio) will help me bring my body fat down the most?

T

Replies

  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    To lose fat you want to be eating at a calorie deficit, try to eat at least 1gram of protein per pound of bodyweight to protect your muscles, and maybe try to eat most of your carbs for the day around weight training sessions. Weight training 2-3 times a week should be enough as you are trying to maintain your muscle rather than build. To build muscle you'd want to be eating at a calorie surplus and training 4-5 times a week. Also you want to be eating as clean as you can :) Cardio will help burn calories, and generally is just so beneficial to health I'd keep that up at least 3 times a week for 30-45 minute sessions. That's just my advice, hopefully others can add to that, I'm about to head out.

    Good luck

    Wanted to add: Congrats on your weight loss!!
  • lynheff
    lynheff Posts: 393 Member
    Yes. Both types of exercise will help with the fat loss. Lots of wonderful benefits to exercise including building a more fit looking body. When you lose some of it is water and muscle. So exercise will help you keep --and even add to --your muscle mass. Good luck.
  • JohnnyStorm
    JohnnyStorm Posts: 43 Member
    Agree with what others have said. Yes, cardio and weight training combined are optimum. I think that perhaps more important than total protein intake is to key on regular, frequent intervals (every 2-3 hours) of high quality protein intake with lesser amounts of fat and carbs. But I will increase carb and fat intake in relation to increased cardio work.
  • auntmister
    auntmister Posts: 28
    I have heard that circuit training is very effective when trying to lose body fat. You would have to do some research to see what gyms may offer classes like that or private studios. But I was taking a bootcamp class that used circuit training and it was very effective. I was just starting to see some great results and school let out for summer and threw off my routine. Basically it is rotating different exercise, weights and cardio combined, and doing each exercise for a limited amount of time.......For example, my instructor would have me do 1 minute of jumping jacks, then the timer would ring and I would move to the next station and work with a kettle ball for a minute, then next station. It was really working for me and I'm excited to be going back next week. Hope this helps and sorry for rambling on.......have a great day and good luck!
  • CGSW4
    CGSW4 Posts: 12
    I think the main thing is calorie deficit every day and try to eat clean and maintain a sensible proportion of protein / fat/ carb
    Do people on the forum think its possible to reduce fat percentage and also slightly increase muscle ?
    I am using Tanita scales and I must admit by %fat is hovering around 20% ever though I have more strength, slightly more muscle and dropping overall weight by c 5kg in the last few weeks .....interested in your thoughts....trying to get to 15% fat by kick boxing 6 days a week, elliptical for 5km mkost days and 3 days a week weights
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
    Losing body fat is not so much a function of increased exercise as much as it is watching your diet, which is why you hear people say, "Abs are created in the kitchen." It's true.

    Before I cleaned up my diet, I was a slave to the gym - working out 2 hrs/day, doing all kinds of different activities, and I never could shake those last 10 lbs, nor get rid of the extra on me. Once I ate cleanly, and watched my macros, everything changed. I now exercise probably about 1/2 as much (or less) than I used to (time wise), but what I do is quality, and what I eat is quality. And that made all the difference.
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
    Losing body fat is not so much a function of increased exercise as much as it is watching your diet, which is why you hear people say, "Abs are created in the kitchen." It's true.

    Before I cleaned up my diet, I was a slave to the gym - working out 2 hrs/day, doing all kinds of different activities, and I never could shake those last 10 lbs, nor get rid of the extra on me. Once I ate cleanly, and watched my macros, everything changed. I now exercise probably about 1/2 as much (or less) than I used to (time wise), but what I do is quality, and what I eat is quality. And that made all the difference.

    Diana, I gotta start watching what you eat more closely!!
    And btw aren't those body fat scales inaccurate?
  • toinel
    toinel Posts: 28
    Thank you for all your replies.

    I use the Omron HBF-516C as a body measurement scale. Working pretty well. No idea how accurate it is,but it seems consistent, which I care most about :)

    T
  • ljbhill
    ljbhill Posts: 276 Member
    Losing body fat is not so much a function of increased exercise as much as it is watching your diet, which is why you hear people say, "Abs are created in the kitchen." It's true.

    Before I cleaned up my diet, I was a slave to the gym - working out 2 hrs/day, doing all kinds of different activities, and I never could shake those last 10 lbs, nor get rid of the extra on me. Once I ate cleanly, and watched my macros, everything changed. I now exercise probably about 1/2 as much (or less) than I used to (time wise), but what I do is quality, and what I eat is quality. And that made all the difference.

    Can I ask what you set your macro's at? Thanks!
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