follow up on body fat issue :)

[midwestchick]

Ok, so I'm over it (my 27% body fat, that is)...well, I'm not upset about it anymore, but I do want to know how to lose fat and not muscle. I would like to see that number go down but I know that I don't have much weight to lose. I could lose another 3-4 pounds but I get a bit gaunt looking, and dh likes a little meat on my bones, lol.

Should I increase my weight lifting? I really do watch my fat intake, so I was wondering how I should change up my workouts to help. I run several times a week and do step aerobics once weekly and lift weight 1-2x/week (machines, not free weights).

Any advice would be appreciated, as always!

Thanks,
Heidi
Oh and btw, DH's body fat was 13%!!! He was rubbing that in...

 

[Boybert]

Hey, Heidi Let me start by saying, when I started lifting heavy weights in earnest, my body composition completely changed. I became much leaner and more defined. I think you need to up your lifting to 3-4/wk (I love splits) and keep the cardio to 3-4/wk (varying HIIT, intervals, etc). Also, the most important is to keep the diet fairly clean. That is the sticking point of the whole shebang.

I tell you, when I used to do cardio out the ying yang & didn't do a whole lot with weights, I still couldn't seem to get my body fat/weight down. Now that I embraced lifting for the past several years, I still can't believe how much it has changed me.


Debbie


A penny for your thoughts? Let me get you some change.

 

[janiejoey]

From what I understand, interval cardio 3 times a week is great. Weight lifting 3 times a week on the days you don't have cardio is also good. You can stretch, yoga or rest on the last day. Increase weight whenever you feel it starts to get easier. Keep watching your fat intake and eat clean.

Hope this helps.

Janie

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The idea is to die young as late as possible.

 

[plarsen]

I agree, start lifting more.

 

[plarsen]

Oh, I forgot one thing. Make sure you eat enough fat. The good kinds.

 

[tneah]

You know what? I wonder sometimes, Debbie what body type are you? People who are naturally more long limbed, leaner naturally, longer muscle bellies or "hard gainers" do better with heavier weights and less cardio in my experience.

Others like myself are more of an endomorph/mesomorph body type that does better with high intensity cardio/lower intensity longer sessions, plus moderate to heavy weights--and I have to keep my diet pristine, otherwise I think I just look "bulky" instead of more streamlined.

I do not know, am still trying to figure it out without having to spend my entire day working out to look the way I would like to. Right now I am doing Cathe's Bootcamp rotation, tomorrow will be one week. Its alot of high impact, and not alot of weights...I am curious to see how my body responds since I never do circuit/cardio type training.

 

[Boybert]

>You know what? I wonder sometimes, Debbie what body type are
>you? People who are naturally more long limbed, leaner
>naturally, longer muscle bellies or "hard gainers" do better
>with heavier weights and less cardio in my experience.
>
>Others like myself are more of an endomorph/mesomorph body
>type that does better with high intensity cardio/lower
>intensity longer sessions, plus moderate to heavy weights--and
>I have to keep my diet pristine, otherwise I think I just look
>"bulky" instead of more streamlined.
>
>I do not know, am still trying to figure it out without having
>to spend my entire day working out to look the way I would
>like to. Right now I am doing Cathe's Bootcamp rotation,
>tomorrow will be one week. Its alot of high impact, and not
>alot of weights...I am curious to see how my body responds
>since I never do circuit/cardio type training.

Longer limbed & leaner is not.me.at.all I am definitely the endomorph/mesomorph...and I still profess wholeheartedly that heavy lifting along with cardio 3-4 days a week did wonders for me. Now, I do switch up the hard/heavy with supersetting, pyramids, endurance, etc.


Debbie


A penny for your thoughts? Let me get you some change.

 

[snocone bella]

<<I could lose another 3-4 pounds but I get a bit gaunt looking>>

This doesn't sound like 27% body fat! If you don't have "jiggly" or or other visibly fat areas as well...it is possible that the number is wrong, even though the method you described may be more reliable than some others. The recommendations you are getting all sound like a great plan if you really do need to lose some fat, and if you do build muscle at the same time, maybe you can avoid actually losing weight (and looking gaunt). Just make sure that that NUMBER is not the only thing pushing you into this if there are clear other signs that question it!

In any case,if you do want to monitor progress (and get another number)...a home scale with a body fat analyzer AND a hydration reading can be useful. I have a Tanita InnerScan Body Composition Monitor (model BC-533). The fat value can vary 3-4% over the course of a day depending on the hydration level (and the manual explains this). So first thing in the morning (when a lot of people like to weigh themselves), the weight is lowest, and the hydration lowest (mine is typically 56 or 57%)- making the fat the highest. At the end of the day, especially if I drank a lot of water that day, the hydration can be 60 or 61%, and the fat percentage drops way down compared to the morning. I didn't know which of those values was correct, but just compared numbers from day to day taken at about the same time (or more accurately, same hydration level). BUT...then I had a dexascan (bone density scan) done, and a side product of that is a body fat percentage reading (and this is very highly regarded as an accurate method). The number I got from that correlated with what I get from the home scale at 59% hydration, which was about in the middle. So now I know that the "real" fat percentage can be obtained from my home scale when my hydration level(body water percentage)is 59%.

The analyzer scale is not necessary in any way, but if the fat numbers (or monitoring trends) concern or interest you a lot, it may be helpful.

 

[Fit_mommy]

I have to agree with Miss Debbie. Heavy lifting ROCKS!

I enjoy endurance lifting and still do change it up on occasion but I have to say that heavy lifting w/less cardio is the way to go for me as well.

Don't ask me what body type I am though cause I never knew!:7

 

[tneah]

Well crap! Debbie, maybe there is still hope for me! I recently went on a program that included moderate to heavy lifting and tons of cardio along with a very restrictive diet plan. I went from 18 percent bodyfat to 13.8 in 12 weeks...a very miserable 12 weeks I might add.

I never entertained the thought of doing less cardio...I agree on the weights though, the more challenging the better, but it seems I suppose the diet thing is the most important for me. I don't know, I am in that "after the program, now what do I do to maintain some of my hard earned results and still be a nice person" stage. Interesting, I do wish there was a one size fits all formula that worked for everyone, but then again, that might get a tad boring right? Its awesome you have your tried and true formula figured out, and you sound like a very nice person to boot, so its not making you miserable like my program made me.