Currently Im a 34yr old female, 5'10", 161lbs., 24% body fat.
I have been working very hard in the gym and with my diet for 12 weeks straight, and have gone from 33% body fat to 24% (yeah!). Anyway, I've heard so much about "plateaus" and Im concerned that it will happen to me. My goal is to be at 15-16% bfp by Aug. 20, 2007. Is this realistic, and what are your suggestions for achieving this goal?? Thanks in advance!
2007-06-24 10:07:58 · 5 answers · asked by panthrchic 4 in Health ➔ Diet & Fitness
What is your goal? Do you want to be fit/healthy or do you want to be very athletic?
If you want to be fit/healthy, then congratulations you are already there. If you are looking for a more athletic physique like you see in the fitness magazines, then 17% may be a reasonable goal but I would not go any lower. Firstly, it would be extremely difficult to maintain such a low body fat and secondly it wouldn't be healthy. Too low body fat can cause all kinds of health problems, including loss of menstrual cycle & infertility, chronic fatigue syndrome, impaired immune function, early onset osteoperosis just to mention a few.
Although I'm sure with hard work and dedication you could reach 17% body fat, it would not be a realistic goal to achieve within 2 months. The reason being is that so far you have mostly been concentrating on shifting the fat. But once you reach a body fat in the low 20's, it should be more a case of bulking up and this does take a tremendous amount of time, efford and dedication to achieve.
I would speak to a personal trainer at the gym about your goals. Intensive weight training, a high protein diet and supplements will be necessary to reach your goal.
Good luck.
2007-06-24 21:28:36 · answer #1 · answered by smilingfrown 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Admirable goal, but take it easy!
Right now you have 38.64 lbs excess fat (not considering bone and muscle density etc.) however in reality you have probably some where between 20 to 30 lbs of fat. So taking off 8-10 lbs is ideal.
You have the discipline to lose the weight, but if you go to fast you can burn yourself out mentally and physically. And losing to much body fat is not healthy, an average woman should be between 17-28 % body fat.
I would recommend going to Bodybuilding.com (don't be fooled by the name) for their health articles and exercises and to their forums and check the posts by the health gurus.
Good luck!
2007-06-24 17:20:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
15 to 16% body fat in a female is unhealthy, you may want to reconsider. Our bodies are designed to function optimally with approximately 22 to 24%. Going lower, you will experience side effects such as irregular menstrual cycles, hair loss, mood swings, sleeping disorders and fatigue syndrome.
2007-06-24 17:13:29 · answer #3 · answered by essentiallysolo 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't really think that's realistic. I work at Curves and it takes lots of work to lower the body fat content.
2007-06-24 17:11:31 · answer #4 · answered by Queenie knows it all. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
definitely not. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS.
try to loose a few pounds and get in a bit better shape
that is a good idea, not your thing
2007-06-24 17:10:25 · answer #5 · answered by jsbjoe 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋