Body fat, weight, ideal weight?

effieolsen
effieolsen Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I need some help figuring out what to do. Currently I'm 5'2" and 117 lbs. For whatever reason, 115 sounds like some good number in my head, but I know realistically 2 lbs won't make a huge difference in how I look. I don't have calipers or anything but according to body fat calculators online they estimate me between 14-16% bf, which I'm not sure how accurate that is because I feel like I'm more around 25% as there's no definition in my stomach unless I suck in really hard or if it's first thing in the morning.

According to bmi calculators I'm around 21.4 so I'm a healthy weight but I'm still unhappy with how my body looks. I tried two weeks of a 1500 calorie diet and gave it up because I was so hungry I wanted to vomit. I resistance train 4 days a week and have one hiit day a week, 2 days of rest. Ive gone back to my regular diet of around 1800-1900 calories because at least my weight was stable there, whereas during my 1500 calorie diet, I gained point 6 pounds.

Should I lose more weight? I've been tracking macros and am currently at 207g carbs, 45g fat, 140g protein. Do you think this is too much protein, also? I want to build muscle and lose fat but I've also heard that excess protein gets stored as fat.

Replies

  • Talan79
    Talan79 Posts: 782 Member
    I’m also 5”2, was maintaining a 118 and have dropped one pound this past week. I was chasing 115 for a long time but gave up on having a fixed number in my head. I have an athletic body and 115 isn’t really feasible for me. I’m now 40 and spent the majority of my adult life (since I was 16)
    in the 120’s.
    I got into lifting four years ago & it was the best thing I’ve done. It really changed my body composition & I’m starting to be ok with how I look. I have a long history of disordered eating & dysmorphic issues so I understand the focusing on numbers.
    Like the above poster mentioned, progressive lifting is going to help you change your body composition. I also agree that 140gm of protein is a tad bit too high for your weight. I’m keeping mine around 125gm.
  • MidlifeCrisisFitness
    MidlifeCrisisFitness Posts: 1,106 Member
    Agree on protien. There is a school of thought out there that to add muscle and weight you should eat your weight in grams of protien. To lose body fat and gain muscle at the same time you should eat equal parts protien and carb. I would aim for 50 to 70 grams.
  • WildlyCurly
    WildlyCurly Posts: 151 Member
    I have a similar BMI to you. I am 5'3 and 122.7, BMI is 21.7. I wish my BF% was 14%. Mine is pretty high, its at 23%. Not sure how accurate since it is a scale. I only got my body fat tested accurately once by a doctor and that was when I weighed around 150, and my BF% was 28%.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,142 Member
    WildlyCurly wrote: »
    I have a similar BMI to you. I am 5'3 and 122.7, BMI is 21.7. I wish my BF% was 14%. Mine is pretty high, its at 23%. Not sure how accurate since it is a scale. I only got my body fat tested accurately once by a doctor and that was when I weighed around 150, and my BF% was 28%.
    23 percent body fat is on the lean side for a woman.

    Incidentally unless the measurement is by a dexa scan it’s likely to be inaccurate so take it with a pinch of salt. Those body fat scales are only useful for monitoring trends over time.

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