Reducing body fat

mrsberries

Hi

Not sure if I should post this here or on fitness...but here goes.

Ive been following a low-carb diet for the last 8 months as I feel better and lighter than other eating plans Ive tried. Now Ive went off piste a few times (hols n christmas) but mostly stick to it - its the Idiot Proof Diet (nerris and india) that Im following. Im keeping a diary of what I eat on a daily basis but not sure if Im missing out on something.. My stats are 5ft1, weigh 10stone (which means my bmi is 26) and according to my weight watchers scales my body fat% is 33. Im a size ten so not overly bothered about the weight..Ive always accepted that my body doesnt go below 9.5 stone despite my height, but Im very concerned about my body fat ratio.

Im sticking to the eating plan and exercise 4 times a week - am I missing something?

Any advice would be great

Transform

mrsberries wrote: »

Hi

Not sure if I should post this here or on fitness...but here goes.

Ive been following a low-carb diet for the last 8 months as I feel better and lighter than other eating plans Ive tried. Now Ive went off piste a few times (hols n christmas) but mostly stick to it - its the Idiot Proof Diet (nerris and india) that Im following. Im keeping a diary of what I eat on a daily basis but not sure if Im missing out on something.. My stats are 5ft1, weigh 10stone (which means my bmi is 26) and according to my weight watchers scales my body fat% is 33. Im a size ten so not overly bothered about the weight..Ive always accepted that my body doesnt go below 9.5 stone despite my height, but Im very concerned about my body fat ratio.

Im sticking to the eating plan and exercise 4 times a week - am I missing something?

Any advice would be great

lay out your current diet and exercise plan in detail

mrsberries

Typical day

breakfast - protein shake made with soya milk and dash of cream/ scrambled egg with smoked salmon
lunch - ham or turkey slices, olives, goats or mozzarella cheese, cucumber, spinach and rocket leaves
snack - babybel/ handful of cashew nuts
dinnner - meat (maybe half a fillet steak, chicken breast, home made burger) with grilled tomatoes and wilted spinach. Or a stew made with meat and veg..
2 litres of water.

I run 3 times a week and do two 1.25 hour yoga sessions plus I walk to work everyday - 20 mins each way.

El_Dangeroso

Would you consider adding in some weight training? In my own experience it helps show a difference on body-fat percentage monitor as well as being very good for you. But maybe I'm stepping too far into fitness territory which I admittedly know little about

mrsberries

Hi Temple Grandin.

Yes, its something I was toying with. Only thing is the gym I belong to is a cheap work gym with very little weights. I cant afford to rejoin the gym (well not until Trinity start giving public memberships again ). I was kinda hoping my yoga classes would help build my strenght, but im not sure how effective it is really.

Ciaran500

mrsberries wrote: »

Yes, its something I was toying with. Only thing is the gym I belong to is a cheap work gym with very little weights.

You don't need much, a barbell, dumbbells and a few plates and you can get a full body workout.

cnocbui

Eat as much saturated fats as you can get into your diet.

My wife's body fat was recently measured by university researchers at 16.5%. She gets 65% of her daily energy intake from fats.

mrsberries

Ciaran500 wrote: »

You don't need much, a barbell, dumbbells and a few plates and you can get a full body workout.

What are these plates you talk about?I have a couple of dumb bells at home alright.

mrsberries

cnocbui wrote: »

Eat as much saturated fats as you can get into your diet.

My wife's body fat was recently measured by university researchers at 16.5%. She gets 65% of her daily energy intake from fats.

Thats interesting What kind of eating plan is she following?

cnocbui

mrsberries wrote: »

Thats interesting What kind of eating plan is she following?

Basically she is following a Palaeolithic style diet, with extra fat thrown in. She knows a fair bit of biochemistry and has done a lot of research into the topic.

She believes people of European extraction are not biologically adapted to process gluten, and that consequently wheat is seriously bad news from what it does to our immune systems. So she eats almost nothing containig wheat products and as little sugar as possible.

She cooks with lard, dripping, and butter and consumes lots of full-fat dairy products like cream Greek yoghurt and creme fraiche. Lots of eggs too.

She uses saturated fats for cooking because polyunsaturated fats break down into very nasty by-products when heated even a little.

She basically consumes as few carbohydrates as possible and as much saturated fat as possible, with a bit of protein thrown in for fun.

Her body fat levels plummeted when she ditched carbs and replaced them with fats. She does a couple of hours of exercise a week - the same as she did when she was younger, yet her body fat is way lower and her muscle definition is way up.

The researcher who measure her body fat said she had what he would expect of high performing female athlete - which she isn't.

dario28

mrsberries wrote: »

Hi
and according to my weight watchers scales my body fat% is 33.

Weighing scales are rubbish for body fat tests as you are drinking 2 litres of water a day that will be taken into account on the scales , buy a calipers and ya will get a more accurate reading

El_Dangeroso

That's impressive cnocbui!

I found this study on High Intestity Interval Training (HIIT)

http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n4/abs/0803781a.html

It showed a reduction in body fat without any calorie restriction. Most exercise doesn't have results as good as that in any study I've seen.

It doesn't do it by calorie burning, but rather by acutely stressing the body for a short space of time (a process called hormosis) so you get more results for a similar effort.

You can basically do it by running flat out for 90 seconds at as fast as you can, followed walking for 90 seconds, then repeating 4-6 times.

corkcomp

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

That's impressive cnocbui!

I found this study on High Intestity Interval Training (HIIT)

http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v32/n4/abs/0803781a.html

It showed a reduction in body fat without any calorie restriction. Most exercise doesn't have results as good as that in any study I've seen.

It doesn't do it by calorie burning, but rather by acutely stressing the body for a short space of time (a process called hormosis) so you get more results for a similar effort.

You can basically do it by running flat out for 90 seconds at as fast as you can, followed walking for 90 seconds, then repeating 4-6 times.

or better still go as hard as you can for 30 seconds - as in you wouldnt be able for 40 seconds and then rest for 40 - 60 seconds and repeat 7 or 8 times. the idea is that you cant do more reps than that.

El_Dangeroso

corkcomp wrote: »

or better still go as hard as you can for 30 seconds - as in you wouldnt be able for 40 seconds and then rest for 40 - 60 seconds and repeat 7 or 8 times. the idea is that you cant do more reps than that.

Is that better yeah? Does all aerobic exercise work or is it specifically running, for example would skip rope work? Sorry, I know I'm getting into fitness territory, but since it's geared toward fat loss, I hope the mods won't mind, or move it if they do..

By 'rest' can that constitute a sit-down or do you have to do gentle exercise in that time to get the benefit?

corkcomp

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Is that better yeah? Does all aerobic exercise work or is it specifically running, for example would skip rope work? Sorry, I know I'm getting into fitness territory, but since it's geared toward fat loss, I hope the mods won't mind, or move it if they do..

By 'rest' can that constitute a sit-down or do you have to do gentle exercise in that time to get the benefit?

defo! any intervals are far better than steady state but if you really go for hard short bursts you will create small micro tears in muscle (not a bad thing!) which will use way more cals to recover.
rest is meant to be active recovery so dont stop completely, keep going at a pace that allows you to (just) catch your breath to allow completion of the next interval. any aerobic exercise would be as good as long as your following same principle, going flat out and then allowing 1.5 - 2 times as long for active recovery.

Getwellsoon

cnocbui wrote: »

Basically she is following a Palaeolithic style diet, with extra fat thrown in.

She cooks with lard, dripping, and butter and consumes lots of full-fat dairy products like cream Greek yoghurt and creme fraiche. Lots of eggs too.

The researcher who measure her body fat said she had what he would expect of high performing female athlete - which she isn't.

So people had lard, creme fraiche and Greek yoghurt readily available to them in Paeleolithic times did they?? LOL

Similar to your wife, I also have the body fat ratio of an athlete, just through being vegan, and had never run or been to a gym until recently!

To be totally honest though it's not good to fall below 17% body fat. My periods stopped when I fell below this and it was a struggle to get my cycle back. You need fat on your body to function as a woman and when your body fat falls too low (whether it's from malnutrition, over exercising, an eating disorder, or just simply controling your diet) then you are at high risk of damaging your body. People with anorexia and top athletes have this problem quite often. So make sure your wife is OK - because like me, it is very worrying that someone can have the same body fat percentage as a highly tuned athlete when she does not exercise like one.

mrsberries

dario28 wrote: »

Weighing scales are rubbish for body fat tests as you are drinking 2 litres of water a day that will be taken into account on the scales , buy a calipers and ya will get a more accurate reading

Do you reckon? I only weigh myself first thing in the morning before I consume any fluids. Im sure its not 100% accurate but I dont need a calipers to tell I carry too much fat - my bmi is to high despite being a size ten. Sure I can see the fat all over my legs - Ive morphed into my dads family body shape :eek:

Ive always accepted that genes made me heavier but should I get this idea out of my head and focus on getting to a healthier weight?

Thanks all for your input - I also posted this over on the fitness forum :pac:

El_Dangeroso

Getwellsoon wrote: »

So people had lard, creme fraiche and Greek yoghurt readily available to them in Paeleolithic times did they?? LOL

LOL! It's not paleo re-enactment, we don't live in caves or anything! For starters they have terrible wifi access because of the thick walls

It's about emulating the nutritional ratios that we evolved to eat prior to agriculture. Copying a 'metabolic milieu' if you will.

But I digress.. *slaps self on wrist*

I think I shall give this HIIT a go in addition to my existing weights program, just for a bit of variety.

corkcomp

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

LOL! It's not paleo re-enactment, we don't live in caves or anything! For starters they have terrible wifi access because of the thick walls

I think I shall give this HIIT a go in addition to my existing weights program, just for a bit of variety.

LOL :pac:

you should! its not very pleasant though while your doing it but if you work hard and dont cheat it can be over in 20 minutes including cool down, that though always carries me through!

El_Dangeroso

corkcomp wrote: »

LOL :pac:

you should! its not very pleasant though while your doing it but if you work hard and dont cheat it can be over in 20 minutes including cool down, that though always carries me through!

I actually really like the idea of going hell for leather for a minute and then slowing to a walk, reminds me of how kids play, running around like crazy and then collapsing in a heap. Plus my endurance could be better so hopefully this will improve overall fitness.

Transform

Getwellsoon wrote: »

So people had lard, creme fraiche and Greek yoghurt readily available to them in Paeleolithic times did they?? LOL

Similar to your wife, I also have the body fat ratio of an athlete, just through being vegan, and had never run or been to a gym until recently!

To be totally honest though it's not good to fall below 17% body fat. My periods stopped when I fell below this and it was a struggle to get my cycle back. You need fat on your body to function as a woman and when your body fat falls too low (whether it's from malnutrition, over exercising, an eating disorder, or just simply controling your diet) then you are at high risk of damaging your body. People with anorexia and top athletes have this problem quite often. So make sure your wife is OK - because like me, it is very worrying that someone can have the same body fat percentage as a highly tuned athlete when she does not exercise like one.

give me a break!!!

I have a ton of female clients well under 17% body fat (measured with calipers) and i measure hundreds of clients every year - all have normal periods as long as they eat enough fats. they feel great, look even better. Most of my clients would be very pissed off if they did not go under 17%!

What a complete over the top post you have put up and totally unqualified.

Transform

interval training - http://thetransformationcatalyst.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/rapid-fat-loss-in-less-time/

and full body workout with virtually no equipment - http://thetransformationcatalyst.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/basic-weights-program-for-home-or-gym/

Your diet looks good but the weights and intervals will make a massive difference

El_Dangeroso

Brilliant links, thank you!

Mr Benevolent

Interesting... I'll try it for a few weeks.

cnocbui

Getwellsoon wrote: »

So people had lard, creme fraiche and Greek yoghurt readily available to them in Paeleolithic times did they?? LOL

Similar to your wife, I also have the body fat ratio of an athlete, just through being vegan, and had never run or been to a gym until recently!

To be totally honest though it's not good to fall below 17% body fat. My periods stopped when I fell below this and it was a struggle to get my cycle back. You need fat on your body to function as a woman and when your body fat falls too low (whether it's from malnutrition, over exercising, an eating disorder, or just simply controling your diet) then you are at high risk of damaging your body. People with anorexia and top athletes have this problem quite often. So make sure your wife is OK - because like me, it is very worrying that someone can have the same body fat percentage as a highly tuned athlete when she does not exercise like one.

My wife has never been healthier, but thanks for your concern.

You are confusing the products, with what they contain. Of course Paleolithic peoples didn't have Greek yoghurt and creme fraiche, but they did have animal fats a plenty. Just a modern fancy way of consuming the same thing.

Getwellsoon

hehe, I see. So you haven't been hitting her over the head with a club and dragging her home to your cave by her hair?

Transform wrote: »

give me a break!!!

I have a ton of female clients well under 17% body fat (measured with calipers) and i measure hundreds of clients every year - all have normal periods as long as they eat enough fats. they feel great, look even better. Most of my clients would be very pissed off if they did not go under 17%!

What a complete over the top post you have put up and totally unqualified.

Sorry if I offended. I feel healthy and look great at below 17% body fat too and my body has sorted itself out now, but I know that when I lost weight my body took a while to adjust to it and my doctor said that my periods were irregular / stopping because I did not have enough body fat. I was only going on what he said, and he is also a professional! I guess it differs from person to person. I know a lot of people who have irregular periods, but I think it must just be down to getting your diet and your exercise exactly in harmony. I am not going to argue with you as you obviously know what you are talking about, I was just saying it from my point of view, my doctor's reasoning and other people I know. Of course it does not mean that the majority of people are like this!

MissMotivated

Hi mrsberries
You should get your bodyfat measured with a callipers (preferably by someone who knows what they're doing!). The first time I got mine weighed in my Gym on a scales it was 25%, then someone used the callipers and that was 33%!! This girl didn't seem to really know what she was doing, another girl used callipers and it was 29%. The callipers are only as accurate as the person using them but I don't think any scales can accurately measure your bodyfat! I intend to get mine measured again but for now I'm going by how my clothes fit and how I look in the mirror!!

mrsberries

MissMotivated wrote: »

Hi mrsberries
You should get your bodyfat measured with a callipers (preferably by someone who knows what they're doing!). The first time I got mine weighed in my Gym on a scales it was 25%, then someone used the callipers and that was 33%!! This girl didn't seem to really know what she was doing, another girl used callipers and it was 29%. The callipers are only as accurate as the person using them but I don't think any scales can accurately measure your bodyfat! I intend to get mine measured again but for now I'm going by how my clothes fit and how I look in the mirror!!

Yea, I now realise this reading is prob totally inaccurate so going to put it to the back of my mind and concentrate on getting fit. Ill know myself that Ive dropped fat I think! Im going to do a couple of resistance sessions at home per week now - squats, lunges, plank etc

mrsberries

Transform wrote: »

interval training - http://thetransformationcatalyst.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/rapid-fat-loss-in-less-time/

and full body workout with virtually no equipment - http://thetransformationcatalyst.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/basic-weights-program-for-home-or-gym/

Your diet looks good but the weights and intervals will make a massive difference

Thanks so much for that Transform, have saved the work outs and will get cracking!!! Cheers

Transform

mrsberries wrote: »

Thanks so much for that Transform, have saved the work outs and will get cracking!!! Cheers

no worries and i must do more of those home workout videos as the seem popular!