Confused about losing body fat

[benjaminsweet]

I'd like to lose some body fat over the next couple months, but I've read a few too many articles and now I'm just confused.

I don't know my current body fat %, but I know I can definitely lose some.

I hit my weight loss goal about a month or two ago and have just been maintaining. I'm 5 foot 6 and 140 pounds, and I don't feel like I need to lose any more weight.

So my question is, how do I lose some of this excess body fat? Is it really just a combo of having a calorie deficit and adding in strength training?

[A_Lurker]

@benjaminsweet- have you done strength training before?  I'm asking because it's generally quite difficult to add muscle while in a deficit.  The exception is usually people new to lifting.  Normally people who are a normal body weight do cycles of bulk and cut.  During the bulk phase you build muscle, then you cut and get rid of bodyfat (and some muscle).

@Dominiquehas done this (at least one round).  I'm adding his name here so he can weigh in.

[benjaminsweet]

In my life I've done strength training, but not for a long time.

For the past year or so (to get into shape and lose weight), I've done mostly cardio. Occasionally I use the rowing machine, and I've started to incorporate things like planking and crunches into my workouts, but for example, I was trying some dumbell exercises yesterday and they were exhausting, lol.

Really what I'm trying to do is just lose this obnoxious belly fat i cant seem to get rid of. I mean, I can even see a six pack when i crunch, and the rest of my body looks fine. I'm just not particularly interested in getting super ripped, or dieting (because it sucks) haha.

[Esya]

I am currently losing body fat and building muscle while maintaining my weight. If you have not done strength training before you could just eat for maintainance while adding that to your work outs. It is a slow process though when you do it while maintaining weight. The way suggested by @A_Lurker by bulking and cutting might be more successful.

Please see this post for my graphs. I also mention my exercise scheme in one of the replies.

Belly fat is typically the last fat to go from your body though, specially when we get older as our hormones change.

[Dominique · Accepted solution]

@benjaminsweet: there are a number of ways to get an estimate (the only 100% accurate way is to perform an autopsy!) of your body fat %. The easiest way to get a ballpark number is to have an honest look at yourself in the mirror and compare yourself to the sample photos on this link. I find it matches quite well what my Aria scale gives me (the good thing about using a scale is you get something you can monitor on a daily basis).

I’m marginally taller (174cm = 5’ 7) and lighter (62.5kg = 137.5 lbs) than you. Like you, I would like to think I don’t need to lose any more weight. However, I could still shed some fat, and unfortunately, the only way I’ve found working is to diet down to a lower weight. For each 1 kg I lose, I find my waist circumference shrinks by about 1 cm. Your waist is another good indicator of body fat, so you may want to establish a baseline and monitor changes there.

Yes, the sad truth is it’s very unlikely you’ll get rid of your belly fat while maintaining your weight at its current level. And you cannot "spot-reduce" fat, so planks and crunches may build some muscle in your mid-section, but it won’t do anything to the fat stored there. Given that abs are a relatively small muscle group, you may want to focus your strength training effort on bigger muscle groups.

Strength training in itself doesn’t cause much fat loss (because it doesn’t burn that many calories). Its main purpose is to preserve as much lean tissue as possible while you’re dieting. If you are lucky, you may be able to build some muscle mass while dieting ("newbie gains"), though I haven’t experienced that myself. Note that if you’re serious about building muscle, you should engage in a well-designed program based on progressive overload. Throwing in a few exercises here and there won’t get you anywhere, no matter how "exhausting" they feel.

[benjaminsweet]

Thank you for the detailed answer. I think what you said about losing a little more weight is what I needed to hear. I hit my goal weight and then tried to convince myself I was done, when in reality, a look in the mirror says otherwise.

[Dominique]

@benjaminsweet: if you reached your current, low weight very recently and dropped a significant amount of weight to do so, you may want to spend some time at maintenance before going after the last few pounds and "stubborn" fat. This will let your body get used to your new, lower weight, and you’ll be able to enjoy a well-deserved break from your previous dieting.