How long does it take to reduce bodyfat??

Hi guys...
Alright I know this is a complicated question.... but I'm just curious why it's taking my body so long to get to my goal.
Now maybe almost 3 months without seeing results really isn't a long time for some- but considering I am young and in fairly good shape already I'm curious if it's completely normal, or am I doing something incorrectly.

For starters I'm 22/f... I have roughly 21-23% bodyfat.
5'11"
140lbs
Waist: 26.5"
Hips: 37"
Chest: 35"

Many may say I don't have anymore bodyfat to lose- But I know my body and I'm holding fat in places that I never used to when I was super active- (Used to be a competitive volleyball player as well as a dancer). The areas are the typical love handles, inner thighs and butt. My upper body stayed quite lean, but I definitely gained on the areas I mentioned above.

Here is what I have been doing since the middle of February (almost 3 months):

1) Nutrition: I maintain a fairly good diet... This has been a struggle for me since I was always big on sweets and fast food. I have cut out most high sugary and high fat foods. I cheat once in a while maybe having a hamburger once every 2 weeks. Otherwise, I stick to mostly veggies, fruits, meat, fibre cereals, low fat snacks like popcorn, wheat thin crackers, etc.
In regards to nutrition, I definitely don't eat ALOT of calories/day. I don't have an exact number but I'm pretty sure I am on the lower side of what I should be eating.

2) Exercise: About 6 days/week. I do light weight lifting Alternating my upper body one day, then lower body the next day.
I usually keep it pretty simple to target my areas I want to improve: Handweights for tricepts/bicepts... approx. 4-5 reps of 20 each
Hip abductor for thighs
Chest press
Shoulder press
Lunges with 10-15lbs weights

And for Cardio:
About 30min/day. Somedays I do 45 if I feel energetic.
I usually use the Eliptical/cross trainer, because I can go the longest.

I try and run-outside or on the Treadmill, but I can usually only go for 20min right now since my endurance needs to get back to where it used to be.

3) Other: I definitely sleep enough- I get about 8-10hours! Somedays I'm exhausted and sleep for 12

4) I haven't been drinking enough water I don't think: Usually 2-3 500ml bottles. (on a good day)

5) Other than exercising I am not overly active. Have to sit at a desk/computer.
I try and take my dog for a walk at least 4/week.

I think that's about it. If anyone knows any possible solutions or something I may be able to try I am definitely open-minded to it!!

Like I said I am about 21-23% bodyfat- only looking to drop a few percent. Just enough to get rid of the extra where I don't like it on my inner thigh, bum and love handles.


Thank you so much!

I will see if I can find some updated pictures that may help.

OH forgot something:

Also under exercise:

Add about 20min abdominal workout- every other day.
Crunches and stability ball

1) How often do you eat? Could you lay out your daily caloric intake? What you eat and when?
2) Drink more water!!!! That's no where near enough, I drink between 1.5 and 2 gallons a day!!! You should be getting AT LEAST a gallon, and that's just water, not tea etc..
3) What is your goal with your weight training? I would take a look at the principles (Note: principles) of MAX-OT. The number one way to burn fat is to increase your resting metabolic rate and this is best done by adding muscle mass. Post a weeks worth of your workouts, sets/reps, etc..
4) I think you're getting too much sleep, you should try and set up a sleep routine where you start by limiting yourself to 9 hours a day and decrease this ammount by 15 minutes a week. This will help you establish what consititues a good nights rest.
5) Also, take a look at your mattress. 12 Hours of sleep and still exhausted leads me to believe that you need a new mattress.
6) What is your heartrate during your cardio? For optimal fat burning it should be about 65-75% of your maximum heartrate (this is roughly 220-your age)

Just some things to think about

Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.

Hmm good points... K for starters my daily calories:

Breakfast: Usually I eat a bowl of raisin brain cereal with 1% milk
OR
a bowl of fruit- usually strawberries.

After breakfast: Few hours later if I'm hungry I'll eat a few nutri-grain bars, or maybe a muffin.

Lunch: Usually a turkey breast sandwich with whole wheat bread, or if I'm on the run maybe a 6" subway turkey sub...
Or sometimes I'll have a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

After lunch- I tend to have a snack something like veggies (carrots, celery, broccoli) with a low-fat dip

Dinner- Usually some kind of meat (chicken, turkey, roast beef) with steamed peas or carrots... sometimes a salad.
If I'm on the run- I'll eat a chicken fahita (mcdonalds light choice meal) LOL.. and a ceasar salad.
(Or sometimes this is where I crack- once in a while the McDonalds Cheeseburgers take over) and a diet coke.

After dinner: When I get the munchies, I eat low-fat popcorn, or wheat thin crackers... Sometimes yogurt or more fruit or veggies.
(I try to get healthy snacks if I'm hungry).

damn that doesn't seem like alot... But I really just eat when I feel super hungry.


#2- I definitely need to drink more water!! This I know..

#3- My goal with weight training is to just firm and tone areas I need to. Overall I'm pretty toned already, but in places like my inner thighs they are pretty toned but have fat over top.
My stomache is pretty toned, I can see ab lines- but my love handles are my problem, I can grab a bit too much love..

#4- Definitely get TOO much sleep! I could sleep for 12 hours straight and not even wake up once. My bladder hurts in the AM cause I had to pee all night But I also have a bit of low-iron, so that could be why. I am taking an iron vitamin daily.

#5- My mattress is alright... Could be better- but I don't really wake up during my sleep- so I guess I'm pretty comfy!

#6- Hmm... this is where I'm confused. I always hear that in order to lose weight or reduce fat, one must burn more calories than they consume. Therefore, I stick with the cardio that I can do the longest. Which is definitely a bike, cross trainer, stepper, etc.
When I run outside or on the treadmill, my heart rate is definitely higher than the other machines... I can't even carry on a conversation when I am running. However, I sweat equally when running or on the cross trainer. Even my wrists are sweating!! So I'm definitely working hard on either method. (not sure the exact heartrate) the machines are always busted or don't calculate it properly

Here's a few shots
I can't spot reduce, but the areas I overall want to lose fat are in the inner thigh, love handles and bum.

[image]local://upfiles/1091/5647E9A048414F6A908BBE5F8C8FB34B.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

another

Alright I know this is a complicated question.... but I'm just curious why it's taking my body so long to get to my goal.

The more advanced you become, the harder it is to see results. Meaning the newbie who walks into the gym and picks up a weight and does whatever, seems to make fast, solid gains. Bad form and all. And the rest of us who workout for 16 years have to bust butt to make the smallest 1 inch gain on our biceps.

Since it hardly sounds like you just started fitness, your gains will come slower as your body can adapt to stresses place on it.

It's why you look at some models and think.. how come they want to lose weight? And how come they can't when they eat 1 carrot a day?

Body adapts.

For starters I'm 22/f... I have roughly 21-23% bodyfat.

Totally within the normal range. Low end of ideal approaching lean.

I don't have an exact number but I'm pretty sure I am on the lower side of what I should be eating.

You know that. Your body knows it. Meaning, your metabolism will slow down as appropriate to burn just enough to maintain homeostasis.

I usually keep it pretty simple to target my areas I want to improve

You can tone and build muscle in those areas but you will not spot reduce and lose fat.

I can work my abs all day and not lose the fat around them. Until I modify my diet and include some cardio.

Usually 2-3 500ml bottles.

That is ideal. About a gallon a day. Or whatever it takes till your urine is clear.

Other than exercising I am not overly active. Have to sit at a desk/computer. I try and take my dog for a walk at least 4/week.

Odd. Sounds like you are active to me. Workout 6 days a week plus cardio and dog walking 4x a week. You are hardly a couch potato.

Hmm... this is where I'm confused. I always hear that in order to lose weight or reduce fat, one must burn more calories than they consume. Therefore, I stick with the cardio that I can do the longest. Which is definitely a bike, cross trainer, stepper, etc.

True. To a point. If you consume 1000 calories a day and try and burn more to lose weight.. you won't. Your body will go into a starvation mode and keep anything it can.

Here's the thing. I'll use a friend as an example. He was eating 1500 calories a day. Wanted to lose weight right? I told him to get to 2000 and exercise. Confused, he was like.. humm... eat 500 more but lose weight? Sounds like bulking.. eat more right?

Nope!

Once he got to a normal range in his diet and cleaned it up a bit, his body was able to burn calories again, and his metabolism went up! You bulk when you eat to excess. He wasn't eating to excess. He was under-eating. So by exercising, he was now around 1800 calories a day.. actually under so he was losing weight but over what he was before.

When he started he was 23% bodyfat as a male. He just told me he was measured yesterday in a standard 3 spot test and is now 15%.

Hummm.. but he's eating more.

In your case.. it's not the exercises you do. You do plenty.

Your issue is diet. Plain and simple. You aren't eating to burn the fat, feed the muscle.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

ORIGINAL: staceymck22

Hmm good points... K for starters my daily calories:

Breakfast: Usually I eat a bowl of raisin brain cereal with 1% milk
OR a bowl of fruit- usually strawberries.

After breakfast: Few hours later if I'm hungry I'll eat a few nutri-grain bars, or maybe a muffin.

Lunch: Usually a turkey breast sandwich with whole wheat bread, or if I'm on the run maybe a 6" subway turkey sub...
Or sometimes I'll have a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

<SNIP>

After dinner: When I get the munchies, I eat low-fat popcorn, or wheat thin crackers... Sometimes yogurt or more fruit or veggies.

OK, just looking this over, you don't seem to be getting much protein. You should try to get some with every meal. For example, for breakfast you could try some cottage cheese, or protein powder and oatmeal, or even eating your cereal with a protein shake instead of just pure milk.

#4- Definitely get TOO much sleep! I could sleep for 12 hours straight and not even wake up once. My bladder hurts in the AM cause I had to pee all night But I also have a bit of low-iron, so that could be why. I am taking an iron vitamin daily.

#5- My mattress is alright... Could be better- but I don't really wake up during my sleep- so I guess I'm pretty comfy!

If there's one thing I learned in college, it's that the more you sleep, the more you want to sleep. Try doing what Paul suggested in order to find a good amount of sleep for you.

#6- Hmm... this is where I'm confused. I always hear that in order to lose weight or reduce fat, one must burn more calories than they consume. Therefore, I stick with the cardio that I can do the longest. Which is definitely a bike, cross trainer, stepper, etc.

Unfortunately, the work you can to the longest may not (and probably is not) the most effective work to do. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and Guerilla Cardio are supposed to be very effective at burning fat, but they don't require long periods of activity (heck, guerilla cardio takes just eight minutes -- but they are eight brutal minutes).

-30-

In six months, what will your t-shirt say?

My training journal: Sweating with the toadies
My scattered thoughts: The Bramble

ORIGINAL: mda1125

Usually 2-3 500ml bottles.

That is ideal. About a gallon a day. Or whatever it takes till your urine is clear.

Your issue is diet. Plain and simple. You aren't eating to burn the fat, feed the muscle.

Um, Marc? Hate to say it but 1.5L is only a little less than half a gallon Remember there are about 3.8 Liters in ONE (1) gallon

Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.

Thank you guys for all your help.....!!
I'm definitely going to eat alot more throughout the day, including my protein intake. Like I said, I wasn't purposely trying to starve myself... I just had a hard time trying to stick to just eating healthy stuff.. and if I didn't have anything healthy around the house to eat, sometimes I just wouldn't eat. Bad habit... But I am paranoid of eating bad foods, because I used to live off fast food and sweets!! About a year ago I was 21% bodyfat, age 21 with high cholesterol!! I also developed Gallstones
To put that in perspective, that's just HOW bad I really was eating, because this all happened in less than a year.
I'm actually surprised I am not super fat by now. I am lucky.

Is there a specific amount of calories I should aim for? I am trying not to have to "count" calories... but I'll do it if I must.

I've also decided to up my cardio... I saw on a great website some information http://www.weightlossforall.com/ that doing cardio at a lower intensity like (cross trainer, bike, stepper, etc.) for a long duration, this is better for burning fat.

I'm going to aim for 45-60min/day. 6 days a week, 1 day off. And also try to encorporate the HIIT or guerilla cardio.
I am also going to ease a bit on my weight lifting.. I will still continue to lift light weights, ab workout, lunges, etc. But maybe only 2 times/week.

Also- when you increase your calorie intake- will you body take it right away and help speed up your metabolism?? Or will your body just be on overload from all this food it's not used to getting, and get fatter???? Should I ease my way back into eating more... or just go right ahead and do it??

I've also decided to up my cardio... I saw on a great website some information http://www.weightlossforall.com/ that doing cardio at a lower intensity like (cross trainer, bike, stepper, etc.) for a long duration, this is better for burning fat.

True, it's better for burning fat during the exercise, but only during the exercise -- it doesn't help to raise your metabolism after the workout. And again, if you get too much of this type of exercise, you will end up losing muscle mass, and it turn lowering your body's metabolism even further. For a good example of what I'm talking about look at one of my earlier posts regarding sprinters vs. marathon runners. So what you need to/should do if you are going to cardio, is to make sure you are getting enough weight training in to a) elevate your metabolism and b) preserve/add to your lean body mass.

Good luck, and keep us posted on how things are working out for you.

-30-

In six months, what will your t-shirt say?

My training journal: Sweating with the toadies
My scattered thoughts: The Bramble

ORIGINAL: WDNinABQ

I've also decided to up my cardio... I saw on a great website some information http://www.weightlossforall.com/ that doing cardio at a lower intensity like (cross trainer, bike, stepper, etc.) for a long duration, this is better for burning fat.

True, it's better for burning fat during the exercise, but only during the exercise -- it doesn't help to raise your metabolism after the workout. And again, if you get too much of this type of exercise, you will end up losing muscle mass, and it turn lowering your body's metabolism even further. For a good example of what I'm talking about look at one of my earlier posts regarding sprinters vs. marathon runners. So what you need to/should do if you are going to cardio, is to make sure you are getting enough weight training in to a) elevate your metabolism and b) preserve/add to your lean body mass.

Good luck, and keep us posted on how things are working out for you.

Thank you! I will see how it goes... Most likely it's my lack of eating enough calories...
I checked out that link- and I don't exactly want to look like a marathon runner or as bulky as a sprinter... A happy medium would be nice!

Hey, lets start a club. Funny girl, we are one in the same. PM me if you wanna chat and we can motivate the hell out of each other! Stupid modeling agencies and their stick figure girls--why penalize us for being athletes-hehe. But we CAN DO IT! GOOD LUCK TO YOU!! Kel

You really should count calories at least until you get a handle on how much to eat, and I agree that you probably need to eat more. With all the cardio you are doing and the low calories you are more likely to burn off what muscle you have and retain the fat which is the opposite of what you want. This is the hardest thing for most people to accept, eat more? to lose fat? but it's true and once you accept it you will succeed. As far as the concept of longer duration cardio being better for fat burning, it's true that longer moderate intensity cardio will burn a higher % of fat cals BUT higher intensity cardio will burn significantly more calories overall which means the total number of fat calories burned will be more, plus it elevates your metabolism for a longer period.

Well said Dwood.. good summation.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Thank you!
Good points- I'm starting to get a better idea of how things work here.. You all have been very helpful... Unfortunitely I have had the WORST headcold ever for the past 4 days and it's put me out of commission to start my new workout stuff... but I've been drinking water like crazy and at first I felt and looked all bloated, but afterwards- HOLY I noticed a difference right away, my body looked alot more trim and the ab/stomache lines were more visible on my tummy.

I also am going to really take your advice and eat more protein. Or I'm thinking a protein drink my be a great idea for me.

Would anyone reccommend any specific kind? Preferably something I can get at GNC, cause I know I have one near my area.

Thanks again everyone for your tips and comments.

GNC is pretty much always overpriced. You'll get much better prices ordering online usually.

I'll have to check the label of the powder me and my workout partner finally settled on, it's defintely my favorite.

ORIGINAL: Powerhaus

GNC is pretty much always overpriced. You'll get much better prices ordering online usually.

I'll have to check the label of the powder me and my workout partner finally settled on, it's defintely my favorite.

Alright cool! I can order online if thats better

Champion Nutrition Pure Whey is a very good one.

I don't worry too much about "protein quality", I just look for a whey and the # of grams of protein, and I try to find a brand that mixes easily, tastes good, and doesn't make me feel ill if I take it on an empty stomach.

ORIGINAL: Powerhaus

Champion Nutrition Pure Whey is a very good one.

I don't worry too much about "protein quality", I just look for a whey and the # of grams of protein, and I try to find a brand that mixes easily, tastes good, and doesn't make me feel ill if I take it on an empty stomach.

Yes tastes good is a must!! I don't stay committed to taking stuff if it's nasty

Speaking of ordering online..

FYI...

Sups101 sponsors this forum. Kris has beat 1Fast400, Bodybuilding.com and Netrition in prices.

Just in case you thought there was some place cheaper. There probably isn't in terms of price AND quality service.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Champion Nutrition Pure Whey

Supplements101.com has a great price on it here!

"Try and fail is the manner of losers. Try and learn is the way of the strong." -- Unknown

[image]http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/8302/opensuse2oi.jpg[/image].

Thanks again you guys for all your help!! Just an update--
I've been working out trying the whole HIIT cardio--- But I'm trying to exercise first thing in the AM to burn optimal fat. It has been a bit tough cause I always have low energy in the AM so it's really hard to go hard!! But I'm definitely going to keep it up---

The most results I've seen so far is with the whole drinking enough water and eating more calories. I also really upped my fibre intake and I think my body was retaining alot of water and bloating. Just drinking enough water I could already see the definition lines in my stomache coming back!

I'm still working on eating more protein as well. I really want to look into the powders mentioned in this thread.

Here's an updated pic- I know it's only been about 3 weeks- but it's a start.

Thanks again for everyone's advice! You guys rock!@

[image]local://upfiles/1091/C093AA9DAA6E4EF0BEB9E20CC71609FD.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

Great job!

I didn't like AM cardio either. But honestly after the first week, I felt like it woke me up in a good way, and my energy levels were higher during the day.

Isn't it odd that by drinking water you will retain less? And that eating more you actually can burn fat? But you are finding the truth.

It's really cool to see somebody get some good info here and make changes in their life that makes them happy.

Way to go Stacey!

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Oh yeah AM cardio is wicked AFTERWARDS---- You instantly feel awake and your metabolism is in overdrive for the day! BUT DAMMMMN during the cardio-- I feel like a 400lb person trying to workout after a long winter of hybernating! I feel so sluggish and out of shape. Yet later in the evening I'm running like the energizer bunny!

And I agree that's weird you'd think drinking so much water you'd look all bloated- but I guess it makes sense if your body lacks something it's going to HOLD it right? I'm learnin, I'm learnin!!!