Fat Loss : Is it 80% Diet?? page

[aerie]

There are countless opinions on this and I used 80% as an example.. I've heard many different numbers.

I do not give a rat's, er, bum, about the number on the scale. If I weigh 140 or 170lbs, it makes no difference to me. I do however care about the aesthetic appearance of my body.

I am carrying a layer of body fat especially on the lower half of my body (female pear) and it's obvious. I don't have 'thick' thighs, I have untoned looking fat thighs covered in cellulite (which for me goes away entirely when my body fat is lower).

So how do I get this fat off my legs without losing all that precious muscle I'm building? If I just reduce my calories, I'm miserable, cranky, hungry and end up yo-yo binge/starve etc... Yes even if I eat more fat or protein. When I exercise I just become even more hungry and eat even more..

My question? Well I suppose I wonder what people believe is more effective for dropping body FAT not simply body WEIGHT.

How/when/what I exercise vs. how/when/what I eat?

(Not sure this is the appropriate forum, it seems the most active though)

[Allenete]

I'm pretty sure you'd have to work out to maintain the muscle, and keep your protein up to maintain this muscle.

If you eat "normally", nutritious, balanced, to satiety etc, your body should shed the excess fat.

[aerie]

I definitely agree on keeping the protein up. Lately I've been eating so much fat I haven't been able to keep the protein upwards of 75g which might not be enough -- That's another question... How much protein vs. how much fat?

[CiKi90]

.8g-1g protein per 1lb. Body weight, plus 100g carbs, and the rest should be fat.
So, if you weigh 170lbs, you should get 140-170g protein (540- 680 calories of protein)
As far as carbs go, it should come to be about 400 calories of carbs (100g).
Then, the rest can be fat, which would come out to be 100g, or 900 calories.
This is just a rough estimate or guideline, not a strict rule. If you look at your intake over the course of the week, and not day-to-day, your dietary goals can be more easily achieved. Again, I am only guessing with your macros, some people need more carbs, or much less carbs, in order to function at their best! Hope I helped.

[Neckhammer]

2/1 fat to protein caloric ratio is a good place to start (this would lead you to approximately equal grams) and along the lines of what good pieces of meat contain. That said there is no hard and fast rule except to make your fats the healthy variety.

Really you need to do resistance training to assure loss of fat rather than just weight. Resistance training changes your hormone profile so that lean mass is retained while the fat gets burned. Eating sufficient protein is also a must.

[sbhikes]

What is "working out"? You ought to be doing squats with heavy weights. Deadlifts, too.

[eKatherine]

I think it's 80% diet, because if you don't control your intake while exercising, your increased hunger can prevent fat loss.

[AngryKiwi47]

What is "working out"? You ought to be doing squats with heavy weights. Deadlifts, too.

This.

"Weight" loss is governed almost entirely by diet; the fat:muscle ratio is determined by your training.

[ChocoTaco369]

So how do I get this fat off my legs without losing all that precious muscle I'm building? If I just reduce my calories, I'm miserable, cranky, hungry and end up yo-yo binge/starve etc... Yes even if I eat more fat or protein. When I exercise I just become even more hungry and eat even more..

The first thing you need to do is lift heavy. Focus on the big three: deadlift, squat, benchpress. Lift three days a week and make each one of those days a focus on one of those exercises. For example:

Monday is deadlift day.
Wednesday is benchpress day.
Friday is squat day.

Do some supplemental exercises after. Maybe some pull ups, lat pulldowns and rows after deadlifts. Maybe some overhead presses, tricep extensions/dips and incline dumbbell presses after benchpressing. Maybe some leg presses, lunges, leg extensions and calf raises after squats. Throw in some chin ups at your leisure to work on your arms.

But what really matters is diet. Protein should be the focus of every meal. It really isn't efficiently stored as fat. Eating 1g of protein per lb of lean mass is advisable. Go as high as 2g/lb of lean mass if you want. After that, I'd focus on carbohydrate. Put the bulk of your carbs in the meal following the workout. After heavy lifting, any carbs you eat will go toward glycogen replenishment. Pick fruits and tubers. Don't worry about vegetables. Potatoes, plantains, sweet potatoes, apples, oranges, mangoes, etc. Even white rice if you're down with that.

Fat is something you need to be careful with. Don't think for a second I advocate low fat dieting. I do not. But it is very important to keep your dietary fat intake in check. My rule of thumb is to stick with the fat incidental to foods. Don't go pouring oils on things, eating coconut oil out of the jar, eating slices of butter for fun or blending butter in your coffee. You won't burn stored fat unless you're deficient in dietary fat. IMO, consume the least amount of fat you feel comfortable consuming. For me, that's around 30% calories from fat. It clearly is enough because I never binge or have cravings. Do not make yourself feet deprived, but don't go on this whole "eat more fat" spree if you want to lose body fat.

That's my opinion. It's worked pretty well for me

[aerie]

Thank you everyone! Very helpful responses.

Lifting heavy: how do I learn to do this? I assume you mean lifting those giant bars with big weights on each side?? I only just joined the YMCA and haven't ventured near the "big" weights area yet.

Working out means: I have been doing bodyweight/pilates/ballet-style stuff until my muscles are shaking or tired, and using the 10lb weights I have at home for squats and lunges etc... and lifting my 40lb child (squats with her on my shoulders) Trying to get creative And I walk everywhere (no vehicle), so carrying groceries or books or kid - once a week I get a nice long walk in of at least an hour. I've historically been a hiker/long walker to slim down and it always made me feel great mood-wise so I like to do that when I can.

I enjoy HIIT on the elliptical because it doesn't hurt my knees and in 20 minutes I am bathed in sweat and feel like I'm going to fall over -- ok that's an exaggeration, well not the sweating part. Doing that 2x week, just getting started with it.

Definitely need to stop eating coconut oil from the jar. And stop eating nuts because I can't ever eat just ten of them.

Protein - I'm definitely not eating 100g+ per day so that's something to focus on.


I'll focus on protein and not adding extra fat to everything for the next 2 weeks and see how I feel.