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2004/04/04, 02:44 PM
I started in January with 138lbs with 31% bf. I am 5'5", 27 yrs old female. My original goal was to be 118lbs with 18% bf. However, as of today morning, I am 129lbs with 16.9% bf. Now if I am going to be 118lbs, it seems that if I only just lose fat and not gain any muscle, I will end up with 9-10% bf. And with current routine, I have been gaining muscle steadily, and I think I will keep gaining if I keep my routine the same. I do two resistance training and six cardio a week. On average, I eat about 1400-1500cal per day divided through out 5-7 meals. I take in about protein: 160g, carb: 100g, fat: 40g roughly. Normal Supplements: Multivitamin, Magnesium, Flaxseed Oil, Glutamine (5g twice or 3 times depending on muscle soreness I feel), Apple cider vinegar. Last week I started taking Xenadrine EFX for 2 week trial run. I don't drink coffee or pop, so, I needed something to boost energy for my morning cardio.
My questions:
1) I measured my body fat using a caliper and entering the values on this site (http://www.rustyiron.net/bodyfat.htm). At the bottom of the page "Women's Bodyfat Calculator: Seven-Site Method." How accurate is this result?
2) Is 10% body fat too low? What is the ideal fit woman's body fat %? What should I be aiming for? What changes should I make?
Thank you!:love:
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2004/04/04, 04:04 PM
I heard the caliper can be quite inacurate, its the consistancy your looking for. They can be up to 5% off I "think". As for the online cal I think that is just pure estimate, that estimate seems to be pretty close to mine though, maybe a couple of % off.
As for 10%, Im not sure, for a woman I think it should be slightly higher. Heres the FT guidline for it:
Body Fat Standards for Health & Performance ..
Classification
Lean
Healthy
Moderately overweight
Obese Males
5-9%
10-20%
21-25%
over 25% Females
8-17%
18-25%
26-32%
over 32%
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2004/04/04, 04:07 PM
Sorry,above messed up paste:
Females
8-17% Lean
18-25% Healthy
26-32% Moderately Overweight
over 32% Obese
Male
5-9% Lean
10-20% Healthy
21-25% Moderately overweight
over 25% Obese
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2004/04/04, 06:05 PM
Konary - why the weight goal, why not a size or definition related goal.
Below 14% you can start having some problems hormonally.
I think you are probably getting slightly inaccurate readings, if you were at 16% you would probably be quite pleased with your physique - seeing some definition in shoulders, getting to 15% is usually a really happy place for women. Women compete around 8 or 9%, usually.
Readjust yopur weight goal to take into account your new muscle mass. You may need to accept that 118 is too low for your body with decent muscle on it.
Do you like how your body is shaping up?
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If you fall down seven times, get up eight.
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2004/04/04, 07:24 PM
I first set my goal with weight because I never thought about bf% before. When I was 16, I was at my current height and weighed 117lbs. So, I thought losing 20lbs seemed like a reasonable goal. I've never been to a gym before this year. When I went to the gym the person who did the evaluation gave me 18% bf as a goal when I told him I wanted to lose 20lbs.
I am seeing the difference in my body in terms of shape and also posture. I can see my bicep and shoulder muscles. My jeans are looser around hips and thighs. The size won't change though, no matter how thin I am since I have very wide hip bones and that's where I have to fit my jeans. I am happy with my changes except for loose skin around my belly, but I understand that it will go away with time.
I knew that under 20% bf was "fit" but didn't have any idea how much is too low. I am all new to this bf% concept. They are just numbers to me, I can't visualize them. So, I needed a little guidance in setting my goal. I guess I will aim for 15% regardless of the weight. :) Thanks Amy for your help. :love:
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2004/04/04, 07:30 PM
oh, and do you have any suggestion on my diet and/or exercise? :)
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2004/04/05, 08:50 AM
Did you post a daly diet somewhere? Write out what/when you eat and I will look at it.
Sometimes when you get leaner, especially if you gain muscle, you need to boost your calories a little to shed more fat (I know that sounds crazy, but it is true).
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If you fall down seven times, get up eight.
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2004/04/05, 09:31 AM
Thank you asimmer. :)
My daily diet goes something like this...
830am (skipped on weight training day)
15g protein powder (soy isolate) in water
10 almonds
- 30 min cardio workout
1000am
4 egg whites
1/4 cup mushrooms
5 pickled hot pepper rings
2 tbsp shredded light cheese
1 cup grapes
1/2 cup light plain yogurt
1030am
1 bar Atkins Advantage (or Leanbody on weight training day)
12pm
30 min weight workout
130pm (skipped on non weight train day)
4/5 cup soy milk
20 g protein
3 tsp 7-grain powder
1 tsp flaxseed oil
1 packet sweetner
230pm
6 oz fish tilapia
2 cups green beans
1 tbsp hot sauce
4pm
1/2 cup light cottage cheese
1 tomato
530pm
30 min cardio
8pm
1 can tuna
1 cup broccoli
1/2 cup mushrooms
1 cup zucchini
10 almonds
1 tbsp nayonnaise (soy based mayonnaise thing)
10pm
10 almonds
1/2 cup cottage cheese
in bed around 1 am.
I think maybe I should do the pro upgrade on this site. I am learning so much here, I feel guilty about it. :big_smile:
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2004/04/05, 09:33 AM
oh mistake weight workout is actually 60min, not 30 min.:dumbbell:
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2004/04/05, 09:29 PM
Are you doing cardio twice a day?
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2004/04/05, 09:47 PM
Is that too much? Should I combine them into one?
I used to do one cardio workout for 60 min before (in February). Then, I changed the machine to stairmaster and could only manage to do it 30 min. And that's what I did in the month of March, 30min cardio once a day.
In February, I lost about 8 lbs. In March, I stayed at the same weight, although bf% did keep changing.
So, I changed my cardio routine last week to do 60min a day. Unfortunately, I still can't do stairmaster for 60 min at high intensity. Only other option was to put 30min of crosstrainer in the morning to make it 60 min for the day.
FYI, I am taking Sundays off completely, no exercise whatsoever. I keep wanting to go still, but I feel more energized on Monday. :)
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2004/04/06, 09:40 AM
Cardio twice a day is a little excessive - competitors will sometimes do it right before a competition to lose the last bit of fat.
I would think that you are short changing yourself energywise for lifting - Don't do the am cardio on weightlifting days and try doing HIIT after you weight train (when you normally do the afternoon cardio).
Your diet is pretty clean, might switch from grapes to berries, but really it is pretty good.
It sound like it is working for you, but if you have stopped seeing progress i would guess it is because you are burning too many calories, with your new muscle mass and extra cardio you will need a few more calories.
I would add 1/2 c brown rice or oats or rice cereal at your 10am breakfast, and maybe 1/2 cup beans (black beans, adzuki beans, somekind of legume) at your post workout meal (the meal after the shake).
Try one thing at a time, so that you know what is working.
Keep us updated!
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If you fall down seven times, get up eight.
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2004/04/06, 12:39 PM
Thanks alot Amy for your advice. You're the best! :):love:
I'll make some changes based on your advice.
And you are absolutely right about doing am cardio on weight training day. I found that out last Friday. I couldn't keep up with what my trainer wanted me to do that day. And I hate failing with the weights, feels like a wimp. But I suspect also that might have been what my trainer wanted to see, my failure. :big_smile:
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2004/04/08, 08:26 AM
Weight lifting is one of the only times that failure means success:) Keep pushing those weights!
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If you fall down seven times, get up eight.
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2004/04/09, 08:06 PM
This week has been a struggle for me diet wise. I was craving sugar all week and I gave in (Nature Valley crunchy bars, sweet~). Turns out it was one of those pms thing. However, I am still going to watch my sugar intake closely now, as I have learned that once I have some in my system, my body wants me to maintain that sugar level. :(
Also, taking a tip from another thread, I am going to take a picture of myself periodically now to see any changes and ignore what I get from the scale in terms of lbs. And it will be a great use of 8 more picture space I got for upgrading to pro. :)
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