Lost a lot of weight and still fat!

Hi
I have lost a lot of weight during the past 10 years (around 50kg ) !! I was 113 kg . In the last 5 years my weight have been fluctuating between 68 to 63 kg and my fat percentage still high around 36% ! I work out 5 times a week ( weight lifting with cardio ) and no result . Is it because the extra skin caused of the weight loss ? How to reduce the fat percentage. My diet around 1500 to 1800 calories a day . I tried everything from interment fasting to low carb to high protein literally everything! Please help
154 cm hight 66 kg 30 years old

Replies

  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
    When you say "weight lifting with cardio" what are we specifically talking about?

    I ask because you just may not be lifting enough or incorporating progression in your current program.
  • foofofoofo
    foofofoofo Posts: 38 Member
    My workout regiment is
    12-10-8-6 reps for 45 to 1 hour 5 days a week- 2 separate days off .
    (Big muscles 6 to 7 exercises-smaller ones around 4 exercises )

    Saturday: 20 min bicycle-Chest- Triceps
    Sunday: 20 min bicycle-Back -biceps
    Monday: 35 min bicycle-Shoulders- abdominal
    Tuesday: Off
    Wednesday: 20 min bicycle- Biceps / triceps

    Thursday: 35min bicycle-🦵 legs / abdominal ( very light training ) I have leg disability. Hip injury.

    Friday: off
  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 498 Member
    How are you measuring your body fat? If it's at home with one of those scales that tell you lots of stats, they are SOOOOO inaccurate. Have you had it actually tested by a professional via calipers? Do you look like you are carrying a lot of fat? How your body actually looks is often a better measure than any of the tools that actually measure.
    That said - have you calculated your required calories since losing weight? You are may need to tighten up your logging and/or reduce your calories slightly more to lose more fat. At your stats, 1800 could easily be your maintenance calories.
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
    What I'm reading above, summarized, is drop sets with a lot of upper body focus (which may be due to your leg injury yet doesn't explain why biking is the only cardio). Correct me if I'm wrong.

    There are plenty of folks who can give you great insights on your workout protocol. Hopefully, they'll chime in here with more specific questions...and, ultimately, some direction you can follow or take to a physical trainer you trust.

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited January 2021
    Have you been lifting for 3-4 years with solid progression, for a program with only 1 body focus per week to be appropriate?

    There are many fads in the fitness world (stay in the fat-burn HR zone, HIIT), and 1 day per body group is such a fad.
    If an expert level of lifting after years of progression then fine, if you are beginner though not so great.

    Also, you are eating 1500 how often, while working out 5 days a week?

    Because 1500 is minimum for a sedentary male.

    You aren't sedentary though with exercise, and perhaps don't desire the minimum results to be gained by eating too little.

    Are you even sedentary in daily life outside the workout? - meaning no household responsibilities, no kids or pets or cleaning - pretty much get home from total desk job after a workout say and hit the couch until bedtime? Weekend is gaming except for workouts, total sitting?
    That's Sedentary. less than 4K steps if you have a tracker.

    If you are more active than that in daily life - and on workout days for sure, if not counting the workouts as extra burn - your body isn't going to desire growing something that is needing more energy, if it feels it's not getting enough already.

    You probably have no idea how powerful your workouts could be, because I'm sure they feel tough right now.
    Are the rests between sets like 1 min or less, so it's hard to lift heavy?

    Is your lifting part of an established program with progression built into it?

    Ditto's to comments about inaccurate BF% reading potential. And inaccurate food logging potential.

    As to the diet methods - none of that has a bearing except perhaps helping you sustain a certain eating level, and getting good strong workouts.
    Some could be better or worse for those purposes.
    But equating for calories they have no bearing on fat loss.

    Do you prefer eating a set amount daily, or fluctuating?
    MFP method would be base level 1500 when your daily activity level matches what you selected. (which may not be correct)
    And then you'd eat more when you did more - like the 5 days working out.

    Or eating a set amount daily?
    Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts from 1919 study.
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing
  • foofofoofo
    foofofoofo Posts: 38 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    FYI - skin is lean mass not fat mass.
    It might make you look "worse" for the same body fat percentage but it shouldn't be showing up as fat mass if estimated using suitable accurate/reasonable methods.

    If you are using home BIA scales be very, very wary of putting too much credence in the number they spit out - I had one set that resolutely stuck at 33% BF all the time even though I trimmed down from about 20% to 15%.

    But being only 154cm you are still firmly in the overweight category so losing weight is your best option to lose fat. It's a calorie deficit that causes weight loss and not intermittent fasting, low carb or high protein diets.

    Revisiting your food logging accuracy would be a good first step and if you made your diary public people could offer advice. As mentioned above if you aren't very active on top of your exercise routine you aren't going to have a big calorie allowance.


    Hey guys thx for your replies I really appreciate it . I used the Inbody machine in the gym . As you can see the progress form 2017 since I used the machine pij9lv379eoa.jpeg

  • foofofoofo
    foofofoofo Posts: 38 Member
    How are you measuring your body fat? If it's at home with one of those scales that tell you lots of stats, they are SOOOOO inaccurate. Have you had it actually tested by a professional via calipers? Do you look like you are carrying a lot of fat? How your body actually looks is often a better measure than any of the tools that actually measure.
    That said - have you calculated your required calories since losing weight? You are may need to tighten up your logging and/or reduce your calories slightly more to lose more fat. At your stats, 1800 could easily be your maintenance calories.

    I used the inbody machine
  • foofofoofo
    foofofoofo Posts: 38 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    Have you been lifting for 3-4 years with solid progression, for a program with only 1 body focus per week to be appropriate?

    There are many fads in the fitness world (stay in the fat-burn HR zone, HIIT), and 1 day per body group is such a fad.
    If an expert level of lifting after years of progression then fine, if you are beginner though not so great.

    Also, you are eating 1500 how often, while working out 5 days a week?

    Because 1500 is minimum for a sedentary male.

    You aren't sedentary though with exercise, and perhaps don't desire the minimum results to be gained by eating too little.

    Are you even sedentary in daily life outside the workout? - meaning no household responsibilities, no kids or pets or cleaning - pretty much get home from total desk job after a workout say and hit the couch until bedtime? Weekend is gaming except for workouts, total sitting?
    That's Sedentary. less than 4K steps if you have a tracker.

    If you are more active than that in daily life - and on workout days for sure, if not counting the workouts as extra burn - your body isn't going to desire growing something that is needing more energy, if it feels it's not getting enough already.

    You probably have no idea how powerful your workouts could be, because I'm sure they feel tough right now.
    Are the rests between sets like 1 min or less, so it's hard to lift heavy?

    Is your lifting part of an established program with progression built into it?

    Ditto's to comments about inaccurate BF% reading potential. And inaccurate food logging potential.

    As to the diet methods - none of that has a bearing except perhaps helping you sustain a certain eating level, and getting good strong workouts.
    Some could be better or worse for those purposes.
    But equating for calories they have no bearing on fat loss.

    Do you prefer eating a set amount daily, or fluctuating?
    MFP method would be base level 1500 when your daily activity level matches what you selected. (which may not be correct)
    And then you'd eat more when you did more - like the 5 days working out.

    Or eating a set amount daily?
    Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts from 1919 study.
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing


    I have been working out daily since 2010 !
  • foofofoofo
    foofofoofo Posts: 38 Member
    MaltedTea wrote: »
    What I'm reading above, summarized, is drop sets with a lot of upper body focus (which may be due to your leg injury yet doesn't explain why biking is the only cardio). Correct me if I'm wrong.

    There are plenty of folks who can give you great insights on your workout protocol. Hopefully, they'll chime in here with more specific questions...and, ultimately, some direction you can follow or take to a physical trainer you trust.

    I use the bicycle because It’s the most comfortable machine since doesn’t pressure my hip injury
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    foofofoofo wrote: »
    heybales wrote: »
    Have you been lifting for 3-4 years with solid progression, for a program with only 1 body focus per week to be appropriate?

    There are many fads in the fitness world (stay in the fat-burn HR zone, HIIT), and 1 day per body group is such a fad.
    If an expert level of lifting after years of progression then fine, if you are beginner though not so great.

    Also, you are eating 1500 how often, while working out 5 days a week?

    Because 1500 is minimum for a sedentary male.

    You aren't sedentary though with exercise, and perhaps don't desire the minimum results to be gained by eating too little.

    Are you even sedentary in daily life outside the workout? - meaning no household responsibilities, no kids or pets or cleaning - pretty much get home from total desk job after a workout say and hit the couch until bedtime? Weekend is gaming except for workouts, total sitting?
    That's Sedentary. less than 4K steps if you have a tracker.

    If you are more active than that in daily life - and on workout days for sure, if not counting the workouts as extra burn - your body isn't going to desire growing something that is needing more energy, if it feels it's not getting enough already.

    You probably have no idea how powerful your workouts could be, because I'm sure they feel tough right now.
    Are the rests between sets like 1 min or less, so it's hard to lift heavy?

    Is your lifting part of an established program with progression built into it?

    Ditto's to comments about inaccurate BF% reading potential. And inaccurate food logging potential.

    As to the diet methods - none of that has a bearing except perhaps helping you sustain a certain eating level, and getting good strong workouts.
    Some could be better or worse for those purposes.
    But equating for calories they have no bearing on fat loss.

    Do you prefer eating a set amount daily, or fluctuating?
    MFP method would be base level 1500 when your daily activity level matches what you selected. (which may not be correct)
    And then you'd eat more when you did more - like the 5 days working out.

    Or eating a set amount daily?
    Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts from 1919 study.
    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing


    I have been working out daily since 2010 !

    Ahhh - working out daily is not the same thing as "lifting for 3-4 years with solid progression".

    Your response pretty much says you are a beginner lifter - not in terms of experience or knowledge which is unknown at this point to me - but rather in progression.
    Or you are being super modest.

    I basically stop lifting every summer as biking and running and swimming take over, I start up again in the winter.
    I am a beginner because I am not continuing to make uninterrupted progress.
    I am far from a beginner in experience, knowledge, form, ect doing this for over 30 yrs.
    But the faddishly done 1 day per major body part would not be the best workout for me when I start up, nor by the end of winter.
    Again, that is years of progressive lifting continuously that makes that an appropriate program to follow.

    Just saying - your program is likely not the best for what sounds like your goal.
    As such your body would not be getting the stimulus it needs to feel the desire to really grow muscle as well as it could on a better program.

    So if you happen to be eating at maintenance, any muscle growth will be mighty slow, the idea of losing fat and gaining muscle will take a really long time, and that recomp process is lengthy anyway.
    Since you have some that could be lost, even harder.

    That 1800 daily is close to a decent diet if that TDEE sheet was correct for your daily activity.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Inbody should be pretty decent if used in a consistent way to minimise hydration variations.

    Looks like you are maintaining weight when you want to be losing weight so I'd revisit my points about food logging accuracy and how appropriate your calorie goal is.