Body Fat % Mean Im done losing ?

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kristinabb
kristinabb Posts: 18
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I started my weight loss journey in Dec at 205-210 47% body fat couldnt run over 4 min.
Now here I am October (10 months later) at 135 (about 70 pounds lighter) and noticed not just a plateau but a
REAL "im stuck ... forever ... long term ... not moving issue. (I am 5'6" by the way).
I have been going by the "weight chart" and I felt like I could maybe lose 5 more pounds or so but this 6-8 week
plateau.... I just no longer had hope.
I am in the shape of my life. I just went out and ran 12 miles on a trail at 7:40 pace so I decided to have my body fat
composition done at the gym.
I was told I am at
15.75 % I am female / 27/ 5'6" about 135 lbs. Should I give up on the actual scale moving hope at this % being a runner?
Should I hit weight more? I am afraid I will gain weight if I hit the weights already having a body fat % at 15. Any advice much appreciated. Thank you. I would like to lose 5 pounds but dont want to go for something I cant get to. I am just "stuck" and feeling "blah"
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Replies

  • MsKekeSoFocused
    MsKekeSoFocused Posts: 383 Member
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    Congrats on the loss... I just looked at your pics and you look amazing!!!
  • momma3sweetgirls
    momma3sweetgirls Posts: 743 Member
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    Sounds like you're in a good place physically, but not mentally. I think it is really hard to wrap your mind around maintaining your weight when all you've been doing for so long is losing. There does come a point where you need to just maintain your weight. Try setting goals that aren't weight related such as body fat %, running time, weight lifted, or try a new sport - something to give you a challenge.
  • JaimeBrown5
    JaimeBrown5 Posts: 324
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    I think you're letting a number get in the way of seeing your victories. From the sounds of it, you don't have much left to lose fat wise because you're in great shape muscle-wise.

    To put things in perspective - trainers for the NHL keep their players at 10% or less, and sports is their JOB. I think you're fine.
  • auticus
    auticus Posts: 1,051 Member
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    A body fat of 15% is phenomenal. I'm at 27.5%. Out of basic training I was at 20%. I would say at this point stick with how you look and not worry about the scale, so long as you are continuing your level of fitness.
  • lizsmith1976
    lizsmith1976 Posts: 497 Member
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    Sorry to be bearer of "bad" news but you have obviously built a TON of muscle :) Yes, give up the scale and be thrilled with your BF %. For a woman, going much lower would start to get into dangerous territory. these are estimates/averages, but for example, around 12-14% could mean that your immune system and endocrine systems (glands hormones) become compromised and could shut down. Around 10-12% could mean that organs become compromised and could shut down. Lower than 10% and you start losing eyesight, etc. Obviously that only happens after a long period of time, female body builders regularly get down to 7-10% for shows, but only when showing, they don't stay there.

    As a reference, for women, 25-30% is acceptable, 20-25% is healthy, 15-20% is athlete. You aer doing fantastic! now just maintain :)

    I am 5'4" and also getting to the point where it is difficult to lose weight, and I get my BF% measured at my gym and now I am at about 18.9. I am going to use that to evaluate when I have hit a good number on the scale and be happy with all of my muscles, no matter how much they weigh! Best of luck, feel free to add me as a friend!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Congrats on your progress.

    Don't worry about gaining weight if you hit the weights, it will not happen as you have to be in a caloric surplus to gain weight, not to mention as a woman you don't have enough testosterone to get bulky without taking drugs. So hit the weights and look better, feel better, and perform better.
  • rachel4
    rachel4 Posts: 95 Member
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    Your success is EXTREMELY inspiring!
    Congratulations on ALL your hard work.
    I have no real advice. I would not worry about the scale # and just keep working out to maintain. You must know by know that if you slow down in your efforts you lose muscle mass. And lifting weights won’t make you gain, unless you are lifting hundreds of pounds :) just keep the weight low
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Your success is EXTREMELY inspiring!
    Congratulations on ALL your hard work.
    I have no real advice. I would not worry about the scale # and just keep working out to maintain. You must know by know that if you slow down in your efforts you lose muscle mass. And lifting weights won’t make you gain, unless you are lifting hundreds of pounds :) just keep the weight low

    Nice Abs.

    Even lifting heavy heavy weights she would not gain without drugs on a maintenance or caloric deficit diet, so I would actually encourage you to lift heavy. check out the book New Rules of Lifting for Women, great read and advice.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    15% body fat is absolutely fantastic. I couldn't get lower than 22% when I was running competitively during high school and my first year of college (my best time at 1600m was 6:00 mins with an average around 6:12). I'm at 32% now (down from 39%) with a 15 minute mile. Long way to go for me.

    I think you ought to just maintain and try to continue working toward your running goals.

    Great work and congrats. You are a big inspiration for people like me looking to get back to running.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,709 Member
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    So, I started my weight loss journey in Dec at 205-210 47% body fat couldnt run over 4 min.
    Now here I am October (10 months later) at 135 (about 70 pounds lighter) and noticed not just a plateau but a
    REAL "im stuck ... forever ... long term ... not moving issue. (I am 5'6" by the way).
    I have been going by the "weight chart" and I felt like I could maybe lose 5 more pounds or so but this 6-8 week
    plateau.... I just no longer had hope.
    I am in the shape of my life. I just went out and ran 12 miles on a trail at 7:40 pace so I decided to have my body fat
    composition done at the gym.
    I was told I am at
    15.75 % I am female / 27/ 5'6" about 135 lbs. Should I give up on the actual scale moving hope at this % being a runner?
    Should I hit weight more? I am afraid I will gain weight if I hit the weights already having a body fat % at 15. Any advice much appreciated. Thank you. I would like to lose 5 pounds but dont want to go for something I cant get to. I am just "stuck" and feeling "blah"
    If you're 15% BF then you should have a 6 pack showing for a female. If not, then the percentage is probably off.
  • Bigtime078
    Bigtime078 Posts: 17
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    I can understand your dilema. My thinking is it may be time to listen to your body. As athletes we tend to try telling our bodies what to do at all times. You've dropped 70lbs, and your body may be saying it's comfotable here. Yes weight training will decrease your BF%, and at 15% you're already on the lower end.

    There are always things that can be done to alter weight, and bf%. I'm just not sure you need that. I'm with "momma3", try decreasing your run times...
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    First, GREAT job. You've come so far.

    15% is kind of a limit for me. I wouldn't want to go below it. I just am not a fan of that really low BF% look. Plus there are some health things that can come up. If you do go lower, make sure you keep getting your period.

    If you start lifting and gain a few pounds of muscle why is this a bad thing? The scales doesn't mean crap if we look good...
  • dnnmccloud
    dnnmccloud Posts: 124 Member
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    Health authorities worldwide mostly agree that:

    People with a BMI of less than 18.5 are underweight.
    A BMI of between 18.5 and 25 is ideal.
    Somebody with a BMI between 25 and 30 is classed as overweight.
    A person with a BMI over 30 is obese.
    In some countries health authorities say the lower limit for BMI is 20, anything below it is underweight.

    I got that from google.I think you look outstanding, your weight and BMI are outstanding...If anything focus on gttn some muscle. that may actually make the scale go up....don't worry about it...you are at a very healthy weight for your height!
  • kristinabb
    kristinabb Posts: 18
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    thanks. I will hit the weights :) and ..

    ninerbuff, I disagree somewhat. Then again, I dont know this is why I am asking.... I did go from 210 to 135 quickly so I have this "skin" that is playing catch up on my abdominal area. I can see my abs but there is still some excess skin preventing me from having that six pack look. this is one reason I had the test done. So I could know how much was fat before I go in to possibly have some type of skin removal. That being said, the test was arm, thigh, front abdominal, and hip skin fold combination. All were tested then calculated. I was told it was supposed to be pretty accurate but am only going on what I was told at the gym.

    Elizabeth, you can definitely get back into running. I dont know how low mine was when I was competing ten years ago in high school (and did run a 5:55 mile then) but I know about a year out of high shcool I was at 26 %. I am down to a PR of 5:54 now in the mile and am racing 5k , 10k , half marathons etc and putting in about 50 miles a week plus biking. I was definitely not able to run at all just last December so you can definitely do it again!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,709 Member
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    ninerbuff, I disagree somewhat. Then again, I dont know this is why I am asking.... I did go from 210 to 135 quickly so I have this "skin" that is playing catch up on my abdominal area. I can see my abs but there is still some excess skin preventing me from having that six pack look. this is one reason I had the test done. So I could know how much was fat before I go in to possibly have some type of skin removal. That being said, the test was arm, thigh, front abdominal, and hip skin fold combination. All were tested then calculated. I was told it was supposed to be pretty accurate but am only going on what I was told at the gym.
    If you have excess skin, then the "true pinch" from normal skin would be thinner indicating an even lower body fat percentage.
    If you look at Fitness and Figure competitors, their body fat levels are down to 15% (they usually can't go lower or they will be disqualified for being to defined). You should be able to see details of definition in the quads, shoulders, chest and abs. If you're not close to that, then you can be assured you're not at 15%.
    I'm pretty good at assessing body fat by looking at physiques and if I look at your running photo and base it off that, then you're probably around 22% there.
  • kristinabb
    kristinabb Posts: 18
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    The running photo is about 20 pounds ago I was around 155 pounds there so it very well could have been 22 % and I most certainly may not be 15% either but im definitely not 22 either but probably was at the time that picture was taken. I will put up a new picture and you can take your best guess. :)
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

    also how was your bf tested, calipers?
  • mark03264
    mark03264 Posts: 334 Member
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    15.75BF% is quite low for a female. Near the bottom of the "athletic" range and approaching the "essential fat" territory which you would want to leave alone. Maybe it is time to do a victory dance and work on maintaining.

    I looked at you food/exercise log to see if it had a hint as to why you plateaued but you apparently haven't been using the log. How do you keep track of your calorie intake and burn?
  • kristinabb
    kristinabb Posts: 18
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    acg, yes it was calipers on thigh, hip, stomach and back of arm then added up and calculated based on the 4 areas. Are calipers the most accurate ?
    I was using the food log religiously until I noticed that regardless of what I was eating (which is very healthy) I was still in caloric deficit. My example work outs for a week (probably not enough weights dont know )
    Sunday - 10-12 miles outside running around 7:30-7:45 pace (about 1000 burn)
    Monday - inside running 8 mph for an hour with intervals 8.5 for 5 min , 9.0 for 4, 9.5 for 3 10.0 for 1-2 repeat. end up getting in about 8.5 in here (800 burn)
    Tuesday - spin class one hour hard (maybe 600 calories) then some weights followed by a 10 min jog maybe (800 out)
    Wednesday - step aerobics class one hour / abdominal work / 15 min jog (800) ?
    Thursday - strength training class/ bar/ multi level hand weights/ resistance band type work (one hour) 4 miles of jogging (light 8 min pace) - (900)
    Friday / Sat (off days) though I usually do something one of these 2 days.
    I monitor what I eat but know roughly the calories I eat. I know they say monitor every single bite but when I am burning 800-1000 a day, and estimate I am eating 2000 a day, and have a basal metabolic rate of around 1400, I am putting out a 800-1000 + 1400 so burn is 2000-2200 and intake is 2000. So ultimately you have a great point! If I am wrong about some of the foods and off by 200-400 calories a day I may never lose! In addition to using more weights I will go back to logging food I think. I just feel SOOOOO hungry after my workouts/ runs. To be honest, I really am 20 pounds smaller than in the running picture but I honestly as well do not believe I am at 15.75%. I do believe it to be after research, closer to 18%. I would be perfectly happy if I maintained at this level but I think I just got so use to seeing the scale move, and depending on it, that it almost feels like ... what do I have left to work for? No more weight loss, no more running improvements in sight (my 5k is down to 19:55) I can definitely see why women resort to bodybuilding. Exercise is addictive, but not seeing any results is a pain! I do thank you all for your insight. I am not offended by any opinions. I think I need to target tone some areas, keep up the cardio as well, count calories a little more carefully and see if anything happens!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Congrats on the progress!

    At this point I would not even look at a scale your BF% & running times are incredible. That is some speed you have.

    Great job, no problem adding weights if you want, I would definitely not worry about an absolute weight number anymore.

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