BMI question

icefog34 · December 2012

My goal right now is to lose 2% body fat. I am at 22% BMI right now, weigh 132 up from 120, but the majority of that is from the muscle I've gained since I began weight training. Now I want to lose the 2% body fat so I can have more definition. Anyone have any experience with this that can tell me, if I'm diligent with my food intake and add cardio more, roughly how long will it take to start seeing results?

firsttimersluck · December 2012

Everyone is different. I went from 26ish to 16%bf in about 6 months and that was with being not so diligent.

As long as you know how many pounds of bf that is you need to lose, you can figure out how long it would take you to healthfully lose that (healthy weigtht loss is 1-2 pounds per week)

jennylee813 · December 2012

Clean eating will help you with your definition. Eliminating processed foods, sugar and white flours will give you the extra push. Also, you might switch up your workout routine as well, since the body will be shocked into changing.

My only caution is that you don't mention your height. Is 22% within the acceptable range for you? Your body might be comfortable at this weight/percentage.

Also, don't forget that the fitness models we see actually dehydrate themselves deliberately to show off their muscles. We all want more definition, but make sure that it's healthy for you.

icefog34 · December 2012

I believe it is within healthy range. I'm 5' 4" and I do understand that in order to gain "model" definition, I'd have to take drastic measures, lol. I'm not quite dedicated enough for that right now :. In Response to Re:BMI question:[QUOTE]Clean eating will help you with your definition. Eliminating processed foods, sugar and white flours will give you the extra push. Also, you might switch up your workout routine as well, since the body will be shocked into changing.My only caution is that you don't mention your height. Is 22 within the acceptable range for you? Your body might be comfortable at this weight/percentage.Also, don't forget that the fitness models we see actually dehydrate themselves deliberately to show off their muscles. We all want more definition, but make sure that it's healthy for you. Posted by jennylee813[/QUOTE]

jennylee813 · December 2012

lol - Fair enough. 22 sounds reasonable, although in the lower end for your height. I'm also 5'4, and am currently around 28%. I have a ways to go, but I know that I carry a fair bit of muscle and will never fit into the lower 'normal' weight/BMI for my height.

I also had no idea how extreme the fitness competition 'diets' were until my sister started doing them. I heard all about it, and am always hesitant to get on board when someone wants to look like that. Kudos to you for knowing how drastic it is!

Good luck!

unchatenfrance · December 2012

Are you at 22% body fat or do you score a 22 on the Body Mass Index (height to weight ratio) scale?

I'm in a similar situation. I'm at a healthy weight and body composition and want to get leaner, but my body doesn't. I've switched to Paleo, have counted calories, have done intermittent fasting, have gone ultra low-carb, and nothing. Right now I'm on the Paleo Potato Hack, which I am hoping will work. I second PP - your brain may want you to lose weight, but you may have reached homeostasis (like me!) and your body is happy where it is and is refusing to move. You can try a bunch of tricks but my suggestion would be to not go crazy if you don't succeed in dropping the additional 2%.

ALSO: More cardio is not the answer. It will only make you more hungry. Take the paleo approach to fitness (long walks, some weight lifting, interval training 1-2 a week) and other than that focus on what you're eating.

icefog34 · December 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_bmi-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:238Discussion:985893d7-e750-4725-9dd9-c9708f993e15Post:939bd3c6-db03-41ee-8e25-931b30e8b1e4">Re: BMI question</a>:
[QUOTE]Are you at 22% body fat or do you score a 22 on the Body Mass Index (height to weight ratio) scale? I'm in a similar situation. I'm at a healthy weight and body composition and want to get leaner, but my body doesn't. I've switched to Paleo, have counted calories, have done intermittent fasting, have gone ultra low-carb, and nothing. Right now I'm on the Paleo Potato Hack, which I am hoping will work. I second PP - your brain may want you to lose weight, but you may have reached homeostasis (like me!) and your body is happy where it is and is refusing to move. You can try a bunch of tricks but my suggestion would be to not go crazy if you don't succeed in dropping the additional 2%. ALSO: More cardio is not the answer. It will only make you more hungry. Take the paleo approach to fitness (long walks, some weight lifting, interval training 1-2 a week) and other than that focus on what you're eating.
Posted by unchatenfrance[/QUOTE]
Lol, maybe I should rephrase it from "more" cardio to just "start doing cardio"! I started my change in life style about 2 years ago when I got a wild hair up my nose to start runninng. I used to HATE running, but for some reason it just called to me. I started off slow, ran my first 5K year before last and was super proud of myself and loved running. It all went downhill when I met my FI! I asked him to strength train me for a Spartan race I had signed up for. He introduced me to weight lifting and I never looked back! So now I've fallen out of doing cardio almost completely. Anyway, thanks again for everyone's feedback! I'll try to be more diligent with my clean eating. I fall. Often. I guess that's one question I could ask everyone...How the heck do you fight the urges for bad for you food?!?!?!

unchatenfrance · December 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_bmi-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:985893d7-e750-4725-9dd9-c9708f993e15Post:c1b18c66-03c9-4398-b978-5e1f09cf364d">Re: BMI question</a>:
[QUOTE]How the heck do you fight the urges for bad for you food?!?!?!
Posted by icefog34[/QUOTE]

<div>It's not easy! For me, going Paleo/Primal and quitting grains, vegetable oils and sugars was key. It was hard at first, especially the first two weeks of no grains, but after that you stop craving those foods. There's a lot of research that supports the argument that wheat, just like sugar, is inflammatory AND addictive. It does take willpower to control yourself and to stop eating certain foods, but once you do quit, the urges do subside.</div><div>
</div><div>Also remember that our bodies send us hunger signals when they're lacking nutrients, not just calories. So you can eat 3000+ calories of junk a day and your body still tells you it's hungry because it needs nutrients. So if you eat lots of healthy, nutritious food, your body signals will adjust themselves and avoiding junk becomes easier.</div><div>
</div><div>Also, apparently, clenching your fists at the sight of something you know you shouldn't eat helps with the mental resolve. :-) I read that somewhere, don't remember where.</div><div>
</div><div>And if you enjoy running, by all means get back into it, but steady-state cardio is not necessary to good health, and in some cases it can be damaging too. Imagine my rejoicing when I read this - I HATE cardio!</div><div><a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/#axzz2FRM9029p" rel="nofollow">http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/#axzz2FRM9029p</a></div><div>
</div><div>Good luck!</div>

jennylee813 · December 2012

How about moderation? There's nothing wrong with that approach. The biggest supporters of clean eating will tell you it's an 80% clean, 20% off approach that makes it possible.

I have a friend who tells herself that she can't have cookies. she doesn''t - for about a month. Then, in desperation, will eat an entire bag.

If I want a cookie, I have a cookie. I've never eaten a bag of cookies in my life.

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