Tips for fat loss please chaps?

[surrey7er]

Hi folks,

I am currently exercising quite a bit and trying to lose weight. Eating is fairly sensible, trying to reduce the cake/biscuit/lager/crisps/chocolate intake, whilst keeping up the fruit and veg, protein yadda yadda yadda.

Weight loss is happening, albeit slowly: have lost about 5kg in two months.

My exercise includes weight training, circuit training, kickboxing and a bit of rowing. I am definitely getting stronger and fitter bit by bit. Can lift more weight, do more pressups, punch harder and faster etc etc...

but here's what's got me stumped:

I bought a fat %age monitor at the chemists, mainly because it was £2.50! I thought it might be a bit crap at that price, but I've checked the results against one of the 'calculator' type things, and seem to be pretty much bang on.

Anyway, in the time I've lost this 5kg, my body fat %age has only gone down slightly, from 26.3% to 25.5%...

Am I missing something or is this about right?

fwiw, I am 36 and (now) 92.5kg. 1.86m which is about 6'1"

Many thanks

Surrey7er

Edited by surrey7er on Thursday 15th April 11:01

[MacGee]

you have lost %fat and possibly gained mass thru increased muscles...

[surrey7er]

does that work though?

my simple maths says:

when I was 97.5kg and 26.3% fat: I was lumping around 25.64KG of suet

now I am 92.5KG and 25.5% fat, I am lumping around 23.59KG of suet.

That means, I have lost 2.05kg of flubber, and the other 2.95kg has been lost muscle?

Or am I totally missing the point?

cheers!

[ShadownINja]

The weights and kickboxing will build up muscles. Muscle is twice as dense as fat IIRC. Someone will be along to criticise BMI etc. They are useful but the sort of person who would find it useful is the sort of person who doesn't pay attention to BMI or bodyfat % because the pies and cakes are distracting them.

[E21_Ross]

ShadownINja said:

The weights and kickboxing will build up muscles. Muscle is twice as dense as fat IIRC. Someone will be along to criticise BMI etc. They are useful but the sort of person who would find it useful is the sort of person who doesn't pay attention to BMI or bodyfat % because the pies and cakes are distracting them.

that person was just about to be me but it can be a useful tool.

if you are planning on losing fat, ease back on the weights and get doing some long...steady cardio stuff. running, cycling etc. and try to go for 30-40minutes minimum (longer for cycling though if you want to do the same work as running). if you can't do this without stopping, then take short breaks. you can do this early in the morning before breakfast to increase fat metabolism too (though allow about 30mins or so after waking up at least)

O/T - great sport kickboxing, did it for 6 years, took 2 year gap and then came back, uni is holding me back meaning i can only train 4 months per year

your weight loss rate seems ok, some people on here seem to want to lose 5kgs a week or something silly, you're doing it the right way, don't worry, and keep up the good work. don't rely on a body fat analyser, everyone is different.

Edited by E21_Ross on Thursday 15th April 11:02

[surrey7er]

E21_Ross said:

ShadownINja said:

The weights and kickboxing will build up muscles. Muscle is twice as dense as fat IIRC. Someone will be along to criticise BMI etc. They are useful but the sort of person who would find it useful is the sort of person who doesn't pay attention to BMI or bodyfat % because the pies and cakes are distracting them.

that person was just about to be me but it can be a useful tool.

if you are planning on losing fat, ease back on the weights and get doing some long...steady cardio stuff. running, cycling etc. and try to go for 30-40minutes minimum. if you can't do this without stopping, then take short breaks. you can do this early in the morning before breakfast to increase fat metabolism too (though allow about 30mins or so after waking up at least)

O/T - great sport kickboxing, did it for 6 years, took 2 year gap and then came back, uni is holding me back meaning i can only train 4 months per year

your weight loss rate seems ok, some people on here seem to want to lose 5kgs a week or something silly, you're doing it the right way, don't worry, and keep up the good work. don't rely on a body fat analyser, everyone is different.

thanks chaps...

OK, firstly, I view BMI as largely irrelevant. The old story about Steve Redgrave being 'clinically obese' on the BMI scale being a good reason why.

Body fat though, I thought was a more scientific way of evaluating progress?

I hear you on the cardio front, if I'm totally honest, I just find it a bit dull. My rowing I do at a steady rate, and tend to do 5,000m, but I much prefer bag work. That's the only kickboxing I do now, as family commitments mean I have to work out at home...

I am sure it's all working, as my waist measurement is decreasing (but still too lardy ) and I am visibly looking 'thinner'. Even my brother in law complimented my tailor that he has managed to slim me recently(the cheeky unct)

i'm just a bit confused why I still have the same fat %age as a sausage roll??

Edited by surrey7er on Thursday 15th April 11:13

[E21_Ross]

the cardio can be a bit dull, but it's the only way of burning fat (to a significant level at least). don't worry about the fat % thing, this varies from person to person. another things those analysers won't measure is fat stored around viscera (organs), you know those skinny people who eat lots of fatty foods and do little exercise....well, it usually ends up somewhere

my personal opinion that you should just bin the body fat thing, get some cardio in, reduce the st foods (don't cut it out completely, you need to have some nice stuff in life!) and given time and work, it will pay off. girth has been shown to be just as, if not more, relevant that BMI.

[ShadownINja]

surrey7er said:

OK, firstly, I view BMI as largely irrelevant. The old story about Steve Redgrave being 'clinically obese' on the BMI scale being a good reason why.

As I say, depends on the person. BMI is not irrelevant. If you see a woman with a muffin top waddling along, the BMI will be a useful guide to helping her lose weight. Most people are not professional athletes at the top of their game! But I've already posted this so thanks for ignoring it.

Edited by ShadownINja on Thursday 15th April 11:24

[surrey7er]

E21_Ross said:

the cardio can be a bit dull, but it's the only way of burning fat (to a significant level at least). don't worry about the fat % thing, this varies from person to person. another things those analysers won't measure is fat stored around viscera (organs), you know those skinny people who eat lots of fatty foods and do little exercise....well, it usually ends up somewhere

my personal opinion that you should just bin the body fat thing, get some cardio in, reduce the st foods (don't cut it out completely, you need to have some nice stuff in life!) and given time and work, it will pay off. girth has been shown to be just as, if not more, relevant that BMI.

Maybe you're right... as a typically 'goal-directed' bloke though, I am infuriated by my 'failure' to get my fat % down on this stupid machine I've got...

Perhaps I should re-focus on maybe getting into a 34inch waist or something

[surrey7er]

ShadownINja said:

surrey7er said:

OK, firstly, I view BMI as largely irrelevant. The old story about Steve Redgrave being 'clinically obese' on the BMI scale being a good reason why.

As I say, depends on the person. BMI is not irrelevant. If you see a woman with a muffin top waddling along, the BMI will be a useful guide to helping her lose weight. Most people are not professional athletes at the top of their game! But I've already posted this so thanks for ignoring it.

Edited by ShadownINja on Thursday 15th April 11:24

To be honest mate, I was a bit confused by your post

I think I know what your going at... its just that BMI wise, I am overweight, so another fail for me, hence I try to pretend I am athletic so I can ignore it

[ShadownINja]

surrey7er said:

Perhaps I should re-focus on maybe getting into a 34inch waist or something

Yes, I remember reading somewhere that the simplest thing for losing weight was to focus on dress size.

[surrey7er]

ShadownINja said:

surrey7er said:

Perhaps I should re-focus on maybe getting into a 34inch waist or something

Yes, I remember reading somewhere that the simplest thing for losing weight was to focus on dress size.

what sort of magazines are you reading ?

Personally, the day I can burn my man bra will be the day I've succeeded

[ShadownINja]

surrey7er said:

ShadownINja said:

surrey7er said:

Perhaps I should re-focus on maybe getting into a 34inch waist or something

Yes, I remember reading somewhere that the simplest thing for losing weight was to focus on dress size.

what sort of magazines are you reading ?

Personally, the day I can burn my man bra will be the day I've succeeded

I think it was a book on dieting and nutrition, focusing on people (ie women) who want to lose weight and not necessarily build up muscle. A belt and shirt size seems a better measure, especially in the motivation stakes. Imagine how you'd feel if you went down a belt hole?

[E21_Ross]

OP, why not concentrate on getting fitter and healthier, and the weight will drop. alternatively yes, concentrate of weight and waist girth. HTH

[surrey7er]

E21_Ross said:

OP, why not concentrate on getting fitter and healthier, and the weight will drop. alternatively yes, concentrate of weight and waist girth. HTH

Yes mate, I am... as I say, I'm doing circuits, weights, kickboxing & rowing etc, and I'm eating better too...

fitness is deffo improving, but I've got a lot of years of indolence to make up for!

[E21_Ross]

surrey7er said:

but I've got a lot of years of indolence to make up for!

just don't rush into things, do it gradually and ease into it. don't want to give your body tooooooo much of a shock.

as long as you are enjoying what you are doing mind. i'm a big fan of getting people fit and healthy, so long as what they are doing, they are enjoying. because otherwise, it's less likely to continue. you've picked a few good sports there, as i said...i'm very keen on the martial arts side too did lau gar kung fu and all styles kickboxing for about 6 years, missed my black grading due to being on holiday, so still brown

keep it up and don't expect it all to fall off over night. might take a good 6 months or so, but you'll the better for it i can guarantee you

[MacGee]

surrey7er said:

does that work though?

my simple maths says:

when I was 97.5kg and 26.3% fat: I was lumping around 25.64KG of suet

now I am 92.5KG and 25.5% fat, I am lumping around 23.59KG of suet.

That means, I have lost 2.05kg of flubber, and the other 2.95kg has been lost muscle?

Or am I totally missing the point?

cheers!

variations caused by your water content too...

the cheapo monitors are CHEAP...ie not very good.

Edited by MacGee on Thursday 15th April 14:50

[samdale]

photo diary?

just a couple of different angles once a month with your shirt off, i go for the "hidden folder on computer" approach.
sounds vain but (although it doesnt put figures to your progress) is one of the most accurate ways of monitoring it.

[Colonial]

Do things like waist measurements. I started off weighing 95kg and “only” went down to 82kgs after about 8 months. However, I also went from a size 38 to 30/32 waist and from XL shirts to medium shirts. Actually weight as such isn’t that important. It’s things like measurements that have more weight (excuse the pun). Don’t even bother with the scales. Just keep on doing what you are doing.

[surrey7er]

Colonial said:

Do things like waist measurements. I started off weighing 95kg and “only” went down to 82kgs after about 8 months. However, I also went from a size 38 to 30/32 waist and from XL shirts to medium shirts. Actually weight as such isn’t that important. It’s things like measurements that have more weight (excuse the pun). Don’t even bother with the scales. Just keep on doing what you are doing.

Colonial, that seems like a nice weight loss, at 1.625kg a month. Was it pretty linear or up and down like a bride's nightshirt?
Mine has gone up and down but this morning was a new record for me: 90.8kg.

Admittedly this was first thing, after ablutions, trimming the toenails, pulling out the stray eyebrow hairs, breathing out, etc etc, but still... yay me.

did you manage to keep/improve your strength and fitness while losing the weight?