How did you reduce your body fat %
Replies
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Okay... I'm obviously new here and still trying to learn. But can someone tel me what is meant by calorie deficit?
I immediately thought this meant to decrease your calorie intake; but I see where someone has mentioned that they have increased their intake. I'm confused.
It equals eating less calories than what you would burn in a day. So if your burn lets say 1800 a day between normal activity and exercise, but eat 1600 per day you will have a deficit. Ifyou lower what you are eating to 1400 you will have a bigger deficit (ie potential faster weight loss). But, lets say you lower to 1200 calories a day. You may either have too big a deficit and lose weight too fast, or you may not be getting enough nutrients and your body may hold on to the weight. That's why people do the trial and error thing and play around with their calories0 -
caloric deficit.
Personally I ate clean at a deficit and did a combination of cardio and wieght lifting. No special formula.0 -
High protein, lower carb and low fat clean diet plus working out 7 days per week.
Please don't work out 7 days a week. Its a sure road to injury. Most programs incorporate rest days to allow your body to recover, that's important too. Being active 7 days a week is a different story
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Training. Up your training level. Do it either with more intensity or a longer duration. Do cardio at least every weekday . Weights will def help but you ain't gonna see muscle without getting rid of the fat. Do cardio early, REV up your metabolism for the rest of the day,
Look at the times you eat, as a rule try not to eat large quantities of carbs after 6. Up your protein.
Calorie deficit, **** load of sweat... You can't go wrong.
You don't need cardio, you can have the caloric deficit from diet alone, cardio just allows you to eat more (when it comes to weight loss) cardio is good for other reasons but not for changing body composition, weights with a small caloric deficit will get you to a lower BF% at your goal weight.0 -
Okay... I'm obviously new here and still trying to learn. But can someone tel me what is meant by calorie deficit?
HA! Seriously?
she has 10 posts and signed up in February, so I think she might have been serious....
I'm sorry. Was this not a place where I should be asking questions? I apologize if that was a stupid question. I'll go look for the appropriate forum to ask my questions (i.e. - newbie board or something).
Also, thanks to anyone who answered. Makes sense but off bat I had no idea what you were talking about. I am very new to this (less than a week - signed up like the 23rd or something) so I'm trying to ensure I do what I'm supposed to do. Not just what others are doing. Now that I understand I can make sure I am planning workouts and caloric intake appropriately.0 -
Okay... I'm obviously new here and still trying to learn. But can someone tel me what is meant by calorie deficit?
HA! Seriously?
she has 10 posts and signed up in February, so I think she might have been serious....
I'm sorry. Was this not a place where I should be asking questions? I apologize if that was a stupid question. I'll go look for the appropriate forum to ask my questions (i.e. - newbie board or something).
Also, thanks to anyone who answered. Makes sense but off bat I had no idea what you were talking about. I am very new to this (less than a week - signed up like the 23rd or something) so I'm trying to ensure I do what I'm supposed to do. Not just what others are doing. Now that I understand I can make sure I am planning workouts and caloric intake appropriately.
no, sweetie. No apology! This IS the place to ask!! I hope the answers given were helpful.0 -
I lowered my body fat considerably over the last few years by eating cleaner, being very active, incorporating progressively heavier weights each month and at first cutting back on carbs but now I really try to not eat grains, legumes and processed foods. I try to keep my carb count around 75 but life often gets in the way so I try to eat really clean 80% of the time. I try to get 8 hours of sleep every night. I've gotten my BMI down to 20...my ultimate goal is 18....I was 70lbs heavier 3 years ago and my BMI was 30 or higher. This is what has worked for me.
Good Luck! 0 -
how do you know how many calories to eat? I have upped mine and still no loss...been the same for months (5 months)A small caloric deficit (too large and you will lose muscle), adequate protein, and a heavy weight lifting regimen.
oops here is the spreadsheet http://interzone.kicks-*kitten*.net/Calculating_calories.xls
I was going to suggest this, it has been a great help to me to find an average number to get my maintenance cals0 -
Training. Up your training level. Do it either with more intensity or a longer duration. Do cardio at least every weekday . Weights will def help but you ain't gonna see muscle without getting rid of the fat. Do cardio early, REV up your metabolism for the rest of the day,
Look at the times you eat, as a rule try not to eat large quantities of carbs after 6. Up your protein.
Calorie deficit, **** load of sweat... You can't go wrong.
You don't need cardio, you can have the caloric deficit from diet alone, cardio just allows you to eat more (when it comes to weight loss) cardio is good for other reasons but not for changing body composition, weights with a small caloric deficit will get you to a lower BF% at your goal weight.
Cardio raises metabolsim. This will would increase the overall effectiveness of what my suggestion of a plan would be. And cardio's a broad spectrum from getting off your *kitten* and walking round the park to rockin' a tread mill for an hour.
You don't *need* to do anything. But your opinion does not negate anothers. You can offer opinons without having to debate someone else's. And put a shirt on or get a tan ... but pick one will ya.0 -
Simply put, exercise more & eat less.
I've been able to reach and maintain a low body fat using opposite ends of the exercise spectrum. I've done it with lifting weights rather intensely & little to no cardio, and I've also done it with running a ton & very little strength training.
Lifting weights gave me more wiggle room on my diet, but they've both been able to get me to 10% BF range.0 -
As long as we are discussing body fat %, how do you figure it out? I have a body composition monitor/scale (water %, muscle %, etc) so I have a feeling I have all of the numbers. Is it as simple as subtracting water % and muscle % from 100?0
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Dude - you gotta break down what you are eatin' meal wise ... even a PM to the plan. I'd heard of 5/6 but the logistics of 13.5 seem ... challenging? I have this image of half a dozen tupperware boxes going with you to workI kicked my metabolic furnace into high gear by eating 13.5 meals per day.
I also ate less than I burned.
i have a little crush on all your sarcastic posts.:smooched:0 -
Eat good food, work out hard (HIIT workouts), average weekly macros around 40% carbs, 30% Fat, 30% Protein. Fat's been dropping like clockwork every week regardless of what the scale says.0
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I'd like to know what others have done to reduce their body fat.
The problem with this question and the subsequent answers is that everyone can lose BF% by many methods. In some cases people may think what they did led to the BF% reductions whereas it may just be correlated to something else that they did that caused the BF% reduction. Correlation =/= causation.0 -
Training. Up your training level. Do it either with more intensity or a longer duration. Do cardio at least every weekday . Weights will def help but you ain't gonna see muscle without getting rid of the fat. Do cardio early, REV up your metabolism for the rest of the day,
Look at the times you eat, as a rule try not to eat large quantities of carbs after 6. Up your protein.
Calorie deficit, **** load of sweat... You can't go wrong.
You don't need cardio, you can have the caloric deficit from diet alone, cardio just allows you to eat more (when it comes to weight loss) cardio is good for other reasons but not for changing body composition, weights with a small caloric deficit will get you to a lower BF% at your goal weight.
Cardio raises metabolsim. This will would increase the overall effectiveness of what my suggestion of a plan would be. And cardio's a broad spectrum from getting off your *kitten* and walking round the park to rockin' a tread mill for an hour.
You don't *need* to do anything. But your opinion does not negate anothers. You can offer opinons without having to debate someone else's. And put a shirt on or get a tan ... but pick one will ya.
Cardio only raises your metabolism as you do it which burns cals during (which allows you to eat more and still keep the same caloric deficit), once you are done your cardio your metabolism goes back to normal within minutes. The only way to increase metabolism is to gain weight, preferably muscle as that muscle burns more cals then fat.
FYI: Excessive cardio actually causes you to burn muscle, which lowers metabolism.
I don't do tanning beds and it is winter, but I think I will leave the shirt off anyway.0 -
As long as we are discussing body fat %, how do you figure it out? I have a body composition monitor/scale (water %, muscle %, etc) so I have a feeling I have all of the numbers. Is it as simple as subtracting water % and muscle % from 100?
^^This, except I do not have this scale.0 -
I'm currently 155 lbs (5' 3"). So I've got weight to lose (between 15-20 lbs ideally). I think I'm carb heavy,most the carbs I do eat are truly whole grain or are naturally occuring. I do get plenty vegetables, fruits, dairy, and lean protein on a regular basis. I was thinking of adding some protein shake/meal supplements in to increase my protein intake. MFP calorie allottment is 1200, although I exercise so I have more to eat.
I'm doing a 5k in 2 weeks, and contemplating doing a 10k 8 weeks after that. That is all cardio training. I have a treadmill at home, some light weights, resistance bands, exercise ball, etc. I have 30 shred, some other fitness videos.
I know by gaining some muscle mass, that I would be able to increase my calorie intake and metabolism. I'm I getting too ahead of the game here?0 -
Training. Up your training level. Do it either with more intensity or a longer duration. Do cardio at least every weekday . Weights will def help but you ain't gonna see muscle without getting rid of the fat. Do cardio early, REV up your metabolism for the rest of the day,
Look at the times you eat, as a rule try not to eat large quantities of carbs after 6. Up your protein.
Calorie deficit, **** load of sweat... You can't go wrong.
You don't need cardio, you can have the caloric deficit from diet alone, cardio just allows you to eat more (when it comes to weight loss) cardio is good for other reasons but not for changing body composition, weights with a small caloric deficit will get you to a lower BF% at your goal weight.
Cardio raises metabolsim. This will would increase the overall effectiveness of what my suggestion of a plan would be. And cardio's a broad spectrum from getting off your *kitten* and walking round the park to rockin' a tread mill for an hour.
You don't *need* to do anything. But your opinion does not negate anothers. You can offer opinons without having to debate someone else's. And put a shirt on or get a tan ... but pick one will ya.
Cardio only raises your metabolism as you do it which burns cals during (which allows you to eat more and still keep the same caloric deficit), once you are done your cardio your metabolism goes back to normal within minutes. The only way to increase metabolism is to gain weight, preferably muscle as that muscle burns more cals then fat.
FYI: Excessive cardio actually causes you to burn muscle, which lowers metabolism.
I don't do tanning beds and it is winter, but I think I will leave the shirt off anyway.
erickirb is right. Excessive cardio puts you in a catabolic state. That's not an opinion; it's science. If you're eating enough protein, I don't think a reasonable amount of cardio is going to hurt you, with regard to maintaining or increasing your lean body mass, but if you're neglecting weights in favor of doing intense cardio 7 days a week, you're taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back.
Anecdotally, I can say I spent a year doing nothing but cardio, and while I lost a lot of weight, I was just a smaller version of my previously flabby self. I started a heavy strength training program, and within 3 months, my body had completely changed. That made me a believer in using HEAVY weights to improve body composition. It's not just about calories burned; it's about the hormonal response to the training. Strength training does things to your body and your central nervous system that cardio just cannot do.
I also do intermittent fasting (24 hrs twice a week), but I realize some people freak out the mere mention of the word "fast," so I don't recommend it to everybody.0 -
Training. Up your training level. Do it either with more intensity or a longer duration. Do cardio at least every weekday . Weights will def help but you ain't gonna see muscle without getting rid of the fat. Do cardio early, REV up your metabolism for the rest of the day,
Look at the times you eat, as a rule try not to eat large quantities of carbs after 6. Up your protein.
Calorie deficit, **** load of sweat... You can't go wrong.
You don't need cardio, you can have the caloric deficit from diet alone, cardio just allows you to eat more (when it comes to weight loss) cardio is good for other reasons but not for changing body composition, weights with a small caloric deficit will get you to a lower BF% at your goal weight.
Cardio raises metabolsim. This will would increase the overall effectiveness of what my suggestion of a plan would be. And cardio's a broad spectrum from getting off your *kitten* and walking round the park to rockin' a tread mill for an hour.
You don't *need* to do anything. But your opinion does not negate anothers. You can offer opinons without having to debate someone else's. And put a shirt on or get a tan ... but pick one will ya.
Cardio only raises your metabolism as you do it which burns cals during (which allows you to eat more and still keep the same caloric deficit), once you are done your cardio your metabolism goes back to normal within minutes. The only way to increase metabolism is to gain weight, preferably muscle as that muscle burns more cals then fat.
FYI: Excessive cardio actually causes you to burn muscle, which lowers metabolism.
I don't do tanning beds and it is winter, but I think I will leave the shirt off anyway.
erickirb is right. Excessive cardio puts you in a catabolic state. That's not an opinion; it's science. If you're eating enough protein, I don't think a reasonable amount of cardio is going to hurt you, with regard to maintaining or increasing your lean body mass, but if you're neglecting weights in favor of doing intense cardio 7 days a week, you're taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back.
Anecdotally, I can say I spent a year doing nothing but cardio, and while I lost a lot of weight, I was just a smaller version of my previously flabby self. I started a heavy strength training program, and within 3 months, my body had completely changed. That made me a believer in using HEAVY weights to improve body composition. It's not just about calories burned; it's about the hormonal response to the training. Strength training does things to your body and your central nervous system that cardio just cannot do.
I also do intermittent fasting (24 hrs twice a week), but I realize some people freak out the mere mention of the word "fast," so I don't recommend it to everybody.
Can you explain intermittent fasting for me? How does this work for you? How do you to it?0 -
There are multiple versions of intermittent fasting (IF). Leangains and Eat-Stop-Eat are the most popular. Leangains advocates fasting for 16 hours every day and then eating all your daily calories during the remaining 8 hours. Eat-Stop-Eat calls for fasting for a longer period (21- to 36 hours) once or twice a week and then returning to your normal diet. The idea behind it is that fasting regulates your insulin sensitivity and increases your growth hormone production to help you burn fat more easily.
I've been doing it for almost 6 months, and I can't say how much of my improvement in body composition relates specifically to that because I also do intense strength training. I can say that, at very least, I am able to eat more of the things I like because of it. It is tough for some people when they first start because you are probably not used to going 16 to 24 hours without food, but your body will get used to it.0 -
A small caloric deficit (too large and you will lose muscle), adequate protein, and a heavy weight lifting regimen. check out the book " New Rules of Lifting for Women" or stronglifts 5x5 for an idea of the type of lifting.
You don't need any cardio to change body composition, cardio is great for increasing endurance, strengthening the heart. It also allows you to eat more calories, but it is not good for changing body composition.
This is how I went from 23% to 18% body fat, but I actually ate a tad more than my maintenance (approx 1800 a day) of good foods, and lifted heavy 3-4 times a week with little cardio.0 -
Remember, you can easily out-eat any exercise program. Diet is the key to losing body fat. At a minimum, focus on eating unprocessed foods (takes more energy to digest) such as fresh veggies, high protien/low fat (fish, chicken, turkey) and low sodium. Remove "liquid" calories from your diet such as anything with high fructose corn syrup, juices, etc. Every calorie you injest should be in a form that requires the most energy to digest. Remove "diet" drinks from your life, i.e. diet soda, flavored water, etc. Studies have shown that the artificial sweetners may trick your body into storing fat.
Reduce your daily calorie intact by no more than 30% (or risk losing excessive muscle mass).0 -
Training. Up your training level. Do it either with more intensity or a longer duration. Do cardio at least every weekday . Weights will def help but you ain't gonna see muscle without getting rid of the fat. Do cardio early, REV up your metabolism for the rest of the day,
Look at the times you eat, as a rule try not to eat large quantities of carbs after 6. Up your protein.
Calorie deficit, **** load of sweat... You can't go wrong.
You don't need cardio, you can have the caloric deficit from diet alone, cardio just allows you to eat more (when it comes to weight loss) cardio is good for other reasons but not for changing body composition, weights with a small caloric deficit will get you to a lower BF% at your goal weight.
Cardio raises metabolsim. This will would increase the overall effectiveness of what my suggestion of a plan would be. And cardio's a broad spectrum from getting off your *kitten* and walking round the park to rockin' a tread mill for an hour.
You don't *need* to do anything. But your opinion does not negate anothers. You can offer opinons without having to debate someone else's. And put a shirt on or get a tan ... but pick one will ya.
Cardio only raises your metabolism as you do it which burns cals during (which allows you to eat more and still keep the same caloric deficit), once you are done your cardio your metabolism goes back to normal within minutes. The only way to increase metabolism is to gain weight, preferably muscle as that muscle burns more cals then fat.
FYI: Excessive cardio actually causes you to burn muscle, which lowers metabolism.
I don't do tanning beds and it is winter, but I think I will leave the shirt off anyway.
^^this0
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