BF Goals and Time Frames

[Will2BLean]

I always have trouble setting goals and sticking with them. Usually I'll keep with them for a couple weeks, and then I get sidetracked. What's a good time frame for losing bodyfat? I would like to get back down to 14% for my first goal. I just have no clue about how long it should take. I'm currently around 19%. Is .5% a week attainable?

 

[The Shadow]

1% BF loss per week is EASY

 

[scorpiogirl]

Waayyyy Easy!!!

 

[Will2BLean]

Really? Great! Thank you.

 

[buffalogal]

Thanks for asking this Will2BLean.

I've often wondered myself. My first 4 weeks of clean eating, I dropped 3% bodyfat. This 1% per week just gives me more to shoot for now.

 

[The Shadow]

the average is closer to 1.5% for those who were on the Shadow Plan - and this was over 6+ weeks

 

[fitbabe]

whats the shadow plan?

 

[The Shadow]

whats the shadow plan?

*GASP*


You are joking...right!?!?!?!



WTF???

hang on.....

 

[scorpiogirl]

http://elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=369796

 

[*Bunny*]

*GASP*


You are joking...right!?!?!?!



WTF???

hang on.....

 

[The Shadow]

speaking of...theres Ms. SHADOW PLAN

 

[playmatesky]

It just depends on your diet, sleep, workouts, how well your body burns fat. I am currently doint the pintoca cutting calendar and it works very well. You can track things out and it also shows a pretty good estimate of weight/bf loss over the coarse of I think 12 weeks. Good luck. Its under diet& bodybuilding if you wanna see it.

 

[The Shadow]

1.5 per week is doable on minimal cardio

 

[panache]

so more cardio makes it even harder?

I'm new to this, I've always been in sports where the focus is on 20 - 30 hours a week of cardio ( long distance running and swimming)

I've always done a fair amount of cardio.. and i think I need it because I have to struggle to keep the weight off.

I'm doing weights 4 times a week, are you saying more cardio will make reducing BF harder?

 

[*Bunny*]

so more cardio makes it even harder?

I'm new to this, I've always been in sports where the focus is on 20 - 30 hours a week of cardio ( long distance running and swimming)

I've always done a fair amount of cardio.. and i think I need it because I have to struggle to keep the weight off.

I'm doing weights 4 times a week, are you saying more cardio will make reducing BF harder?

To address both these issues, Yes, excess (too much) cardio can end up hurting your progress rather than helping it (depending on what your goal is).

How clean is your diet? Are you doing extra cardio to make up for a poor diet or eating too large of portions? Something along those lines?

Any healthy issues to consider that may be hindering your progress? (thyroid etc)

 

[superqt4u2nv]

1% BF loss per week is EASY

I wouldn't call it easy on less perhaps you started at a higher bf say over 25%. Then yeah it would be easier but the lower your bf gets the harder it is to drop fat.

 

[treilin]

*GASP*


You are joking...right!?!?!?!



WTF???

hang on.....

I was dying... I was like she wrote what?? What's the Shadow Plan! I knew you would of had a coronary over there if you were in a sedentary lifestyle.

 

[panache]

Bunny,
how do I know if I'm doing too much cardio..
Trying tokeep the diet as clean as poss. but doing cardio every morning alternating with high intensity or interval running/biking.

I just don't feel right if I don't do cardio at least 5 times a week. I need to getmy hear rate up. I guess I've never done this kind of training before where the focus is on short cardio sessions with more weight training.

even if i do a high intensity/interval workout but only for half an hour, my heart rate doesn't get that high.

If my diet is good,(trying to eat 5 small meals a day), doign cardio first thing in the am. doing weights 4 evenings a week, how does cardio hinder the BF loss process?

Thanks for your responses!

 

[The Shadow]

nope...1.5 is easy.


you knw you are doing too much cardio when your weekly bf test shows thatyou are losing lbm.


HIIT cardio 3x per week for 30-40 minutes is PLENTY on a clean diet

 

[superqt4u2nv]

nope...1.5 is easy.


you knw you are doing too much cardio when your weekly bf test shows thatyou are losing lbm.


HIIT cardio 3x per week for 30-40 minutes is PLENTY on a clean diet

Please don't go making these grand statments for some YES that is enough but not for EVERYONE.

 

[*MissFit*]

panache - its a mind over matter thing you have conditioned your mind to think that way... get out of the mode..

Cardio is not the way to be fit.. i do 20 minutes 3 times a week.. sometimes 4

 

[Ulter]

If you're losing LBM from cardio then you aren't taking in enough carbs thus forcing your body to use your muscle as protein to convert into "carbs" OR you're trying to do weight training with depleted glycogen stores.
Do your heavy cardio on non weight training days and you should be fine. Assuming your diet is ok.

 

[*Bunny*]

Bunny,
how do I know if I'm doing too much cardio..
Trying tokeep the diet as clean as poss. but doing cardio every morning alternating with high intensity or interval running/biking.

I just don't feel right if I don't do cardio at least 5 times a week. I need to getmy hear rate up. I guess I've never done this kind of training before where the focus is on short cardio sessions with more weight training.

even if i do a high intensity/interval workout but only for half an hour, my heart rate doesn't get that high.

If my diet is good,(trying to eat 5 small meals a day), doign cardio first thing in the am. doing weights 4 evenings a week, how does cardio hinder the BF loss process?

Thanks for your responses!

I have no objections with doing cardio daily if you are eating enough to sustain that kind of work. I do cardio often and for me it is such a great sanity/stress reliever. When I'm reading or studying, I'll usually do so on the step mill and look up and *poof* it's an hour later. This is probably because I can't sit still. Do others think it's too much? Sure. Do I really care? No.

I think alot of your questions relate to your goals... what are they? What are you trying to accomplish? Is fat loss primary? Going to run a marathon? Is Fat Loss your #1 goal ? Cardiovascular endurance? Add Muscle?

 

[superqt4u2nv]

panache - its a mind over matter thing you have conditioned your mind to think that way... get out of the mode..

Cardio is not the way to be fit.. i do 20 minutes 3 times a week.. sometimes 4

But you have an over active thyroid and have admited that your diet is no were near clean.
EVERYONE is diffrent with regards to cardio diet and training some need more then others. That is an indivual thing you need to find out on you own.

 

[panache]

Hi,
thanks for your replies.

My goals are fat loss and muscle definition, but at the same time, I need to do aerobic/anaerobic exercise to feel fit rather than just 'look' fit.

I do want to get back into the running shape I was 5/6 years ago, but I understand I can't train for a marathon and weight training at the same time.

If I didn't do any exercise, I'd look like an elephant.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, just curious how you see lots of cardio training, when a lot of people on this board seem to do a minimum.. Its just something I haven't been exposed to before.

 

[Ulter]

Now you're getting the picture in focus. There is no one way. That's why you're reading different responses. You need to try a couple of different methods and see what fits your genetics. Find what works for YOU first.

Don't look at what Bunny does and say oh that is what will work for me. Keep in mind that she's an exceptional athlete. There are a lot of women who are very good at training for fat loss and the ultimate body, but Bunny is the Michael Jordan of these athletes and you shouldn't try to compare what she does to what you do until you reach that level.

 

[panache]

OK,
I guess i've only really tried one method, thats when I was doing a lot of cardio, running . I was small, 5'1 and about 106 pounds, but I still didn't have as low bodyfat ( no viewable abs!) as I wanted.

That method was still good as in I looked slim, but I want to get back to that size and have more muscle, so this time I want to add more weight training into the regime.

I guess i can't put a timefrime on it, because every situation is different..

 

[Miss24k]

What Ulter said!

We're all different, and different things work for which people (different body types).

For example myself, when I'm on my off-season, I do absolutely no cardio. When I start cutting I start introducing cardio very lightly, I start with 10 minutes then 15, 20, 25, 30, 3 times a week, then 4, 5, 6. So my max. amount of cardio is 6 times a week for 30 minutes. I have done the occasional 45 minutes for that's very rare.

This is what works for me, I know quite a few ladies that need to do 1 to 2 hours of cardio everyday to get lean enough to compete.

 

[panache]

Yea thats just it, figuring what works for me!

 

[The Shadow]

Please don't go making these grand statments for some YES that is enough but not for EVERYONE.

Excuse me??


Maybe you missed my previous post:

the average is closer to 1.5% for those who were on the Shadow Plan - and this was over 6+ weeks

So....the "grand statement" as you call it was perfectly predicated by my previous statement.


HIIT cardio , in general, will burn bodyweight divided by 10-11 in total cals per MINUTE.


So..if you weight say 150.....you are burning 13 per minute....for 40 minutes = 520 cals per session.

That yields over 1500 cals per week - or a half pound of fat...not including cals burned DURING the weights nor the fat loss from the det itself.


Ive been training for more than a decade......and I can say that 40 minutes of HIIT cardio 3x per week with a tight diet will melt fat faster than you could possiby imagine....add in the sups recommended, and you cant HELP but lose fat.


There is NO DIFFERENCE from a therodynamic standppoint of consuming 10,000 cals per week and then burning off 5000 via exercise and consuming 7500 cals per week and burning 2500 off.


All other things being equal, cals in vs cals out dictate fat loss(or gain).


So - you can call it a "grand statement" all you like - it doesnt mean I am wrong.




...and folks wonder why I dont frequent this forum like I used to.....

 

[panache]

Right now I weigh about 122 am 5'1, 28 years old.
Weights four evenings a week.
Cardio in the am.

If different people need different amounts of cardio, anywhere from 3 times a week to 1 hour a day, I'm not sure where I should start at.

also, i've seen some of those before pics of some of the girls, and a lot of them look pretty good to begin with!

 

[*Bunny*]

Right now I weigh about 122 am 5'1, 28 years old.
Weights four evenings a week.
Cardio in the am.

If different people need different amounts of cardio, anywhere from 3 times a week to 1 hour a day, I'm not sure where I should start at.

also, i've seen some of those before pics of some of the girls, and a lot of them look pretty good to begin with!

...You Have to start somewhere though... so try it and only then will you know what needs to be adjusted, diet, training, reps, etc.

I thought about you this morning while trying to fall back asleep at 3am (not like that ). When I started my log back In jan 05, it took alot for me to pick up some weights and actually LIFT, with minimal cardio.

Until I committed, tried something new, was I able to figure out, "Hey ... looky here, this also works for me..." Who knew lifting weights (heavier than I’m use to) at a certain tempo could help transform my body into such a beautiful piece of artwork.??? All those ladies who spend countless hours on the Elliptical, eating 2-3 meals a day of what THEY think is healthy, are still trying to figure it out… If they only took the time to figure out WHAT they were really eating and put the food into a counter like www.fitday.com to actually see what they are consuming, or rather LACK of consumption…

Anyway, sorry for rambling, until I formed a plan and excuted it was I able to find what worked for me, and adjust to meet new goals or overcome plateaus etc. I am STILL learning. My body is constantly changing, and so will my workouts. What I did 3 years ago, could flop if I tried it again tomorrow, do you know what I mean?

I am assuming here, and sorry to mean any offense, but I get the feeling that you are cardio dependant because well, you don't know anything else other than always getting your cardio in. Which is FINE, many ladies on here KNOW the feeling, are introduced to weight training, and after trying different things, finds SOMETHING that works for them.

I suggest starting your own thread to keep all this info together. The ladies (and the boys) will offer suggestions and help you on your way. Post your daily diet, what you eat, when you eat, your current training ... things like that.

I can't help but see certain similarities in our mindsets back when I first started... What you think about starting a Log?

 

[panache]

yeah ok, I'll try and get one started.( and maybe put up my before pics..nobody laugh!)

You're right, the times in my life when I've been fit, have been largely related to cardio and cardio only, with minimal weight training.

 

[*Bunny*]

yeah ok, I'll try and get one started.( and maybe put up my before pics..nobody laugh!)

You're right, the times in my life when I've been fit, have been largely related to cardio and cardio only, with minimal weight training.

I can TOTALLY relate

Since I discovered the benefit of lifting weights ... click the link below

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5358270&postcount=2882

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Excuse me??


Maybe you missed my previous post:





So....the "grand statement" as you call it was perfectly predicated by my previous statement.


HIIT cardio , in general, will burn bodyweight divided by 10-11 in total cals per MINUTE.


So..if you weight say 150.....you are burning 13 per minute....for 40 minutes = 520 cals per session.

That yields over 1500 cals per week - or a half pound of fat...not including cals burned DURING the weights nor the fat loss from the det itself.


Ive been training for more than a decade......and I can say that 40 minutes of HIIT cardio 3x per week with a tight diet will melt fat faster than you could possiby imagine....add in the sups recommended, and you cant HELP but lose fat.


There is NO DIFFERENCE from a therodynamic standppoint of consuming 10,000 cals per week and then burning off 500 via exercise and consuming 7500 cals per week and burning 2500 off.


All other things being equal, cals in vs cals out dictate fat loss(or gain).


So - you can call it a "grand statement" all you like - it doesnt mean I am wrong.




...and folks wonder why I dont frequent this forum like I used to.....

My bad didn’t realize that other points of view were not aloud around here. Seems I am not need here so I will be off.

 

[strawberry2]

So my BF hasn't changed as dramatically as some claim it should (in this post). In Sept 05 I was about 22% BF, I havent formally checked my BF, but it hasn't gone down that much, unfortunately. I workout at least 4x per week...lifting hard. I do cardio 3-4x per week, HIIT. I eat very clean. And I haven't come down in BF like I had hoped.

I am thinking this BF issue is related to med consumption. I am currently on Progesterone only Birth Control Pills (have been for years). And I currently (within the last 2 weeks) have stopped taking my nighttime migraine meds due to the fact that it is a known side-effect to gain 5-10 pounds on it. I have seen some difference in my "middle area" this week, probably from getting off those meds. I know that certain chemicals can make your body harbor fat storage. Which, changing the subject a bit -- are any of you gals on birth control pills...and if so, any probs with weight?

 

[panache]

Wow bunny, those pics are awesome!

You had a good figure to begin with..I have short stumpy legs!

How much of a difference did taking the supplements take? i'm a newbie, so think I will only concentrate on good diet on proper training first!

 

[velvett]

I'm not trying to be argumentative, just curious how you see lots of cardio training, when a lot of people on this board seem to do a minimum.. Its just something I haven't been exposed to before.

A lot of people have already said it - how much cardio you do/need is dependent on your body, how it responds to diet, weight training and how it is already conditioned regarding cardio.

I hope that makes sense.

It sucks to hear but it's trial and error and the faster you try out different variations the sooner you will find what works for you.

Some people are blessed that they will only have to start cardio when they start dieting or after they've started dieting and the diet and it started to stall out. Then there are others that are doing two cardio session in addition to their weight training to loss that last bit of fat.

Two things we know are true:

1 - no body responds the same
2 - EF members/mod won't always agrees on what is fact or fiction



Good Luck and remember failure is giving up and not the experience of not finding success the first time trying.

 

[The Shadow]

My bad didn’t realize that other points of view were not aloud around here. Seems I am not need here so I will be off.

my "grand" statement is based on the results of those who were on THAT specific program....the numbers are what they are...to my knowledge every person, male and female lost an average of 1.5% per week. Conversly, I have an Old School spilt for bulking in which the LBM gains were along the same percentages.

While there is something to be said for individualizing a program, laws of thermos apply to everyone, everything else being equal.

 

[superqt4u2nv]

my "grand" statement is based on the results of those who were on THAT specific program....the numbers are what they are...to my knowledge every person, male and female lost an average of 1.5% per week. Conversly, I have an Old School spilt for bulking in which the LBM gains were along the same percentages.

While there is something to be said for individualizing a program, laws of thermos apply to everyone, everything else being equal.

I never said you were wrong or that it was a bad place to start everyone needs to start somewhere. I merely stated that it may not work for everyone. Can you not except the fact that it is possible that your progam might not work for everyone. I do think the program is a good place to start but people should not get discouraged if they follow it and it does not work for them. Nore should the get discouraged if they don't lose the 1.5% bf a week you estamate as easy. I still stand by what I said about it not being easy. Anyone that has ever attempted this lifestyle will know that it is not easy. If it was everyone would look like fitness models take a look around the average American is far from that.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

even if i do a high intensity/interval workout but only for half an hour, my heart rate doesn't get that high.

If you do not feel like your heart rate is up high when doing your "high intensity/interval workout" then your workout sucks. You are NOT doing "high intensity" workouts. You are NOT challenging yourself. After a 30 min High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout, you should feel as though your lungs are going to burst and you are not sure you can walk out of the gym. You will be drenched in sweat from head to toe, and you wonder if your legs will hold you up.

If you don't feel like this, then your "interval workout" is ALL WRONG.

If my diet is good,(trying to eat 5 small meals a day),

DEFINE "GOOD" FURTHER. I can eat 5 meals a day, but if they are not CLEAN and containing the PROPER macronutrients, then i am simply spinning my wheels. WHAT do you eat and WHEN?

how does cardio hinder the BF loss process?

Too much cardio can cause muscle catabolism. Muscle catabolism is when the body starts using muscle for fuel. Too much cardio, and a caloric deprived state make for a ripe ground for catabolism. Your body can outsmart you if you are not careful - it will do ANYTHING to maintain. It will view a caloric deprived state and lots of cardio as a THREAT to its survival. To make up for that, it will burn muscle.

Muscle is what drives our metabolism (along with hormones). More muscle means higher metabolism. Less muscle means lower metabolism. Think of a car .... a bigger engine (more muscle) will burn more gas (more calories), likewise, a smaller engine (less muscle) will burn less gas (less calories).

Lose your muscle, and your metabolism will drop, making it harder to burn fat.





As far as the original poster's questions and all the drama here, the rate that we can lose BF is individual. That point nobody will differ on. I think expecting .5-1% per wek is pretty reasonable and attainable. BUT, the lower your BF goes, the harder it will be to lose it. That is NOT saying you cannot lose it OR that you have to take extreme measures. Just know that the power your BF goes, the more "tweaking" you will have to do to your diet and training. Most people (women) seem to be able to get down to 15-16% pretty easily (with clean diet and training). After that point, it can get much harder, but still possible.

If you find your BF loss stalls or slows, then you need to revamp your plan. That doesn't necessarily mean CUT calories - it might mean change your training program or food choices or even food/workout timing.


I am of the opinion that I like to set goals I can REACH. Setting an initial goal of losing 1.5% a week might be too hard - for YOU. In all honesty, I would set a goal of .5-1% per week. If you get 1.5%, GREAT.

 

[scorpiogirl]

the lower your BF goes, the harder it will be to lose it. That is NOT saying you cannot lose it OR that you have to take extreme measures. Just know that the power your BF goes, the more "tweaking" you will have to do to your diet and training. Most people (women) seem to be able to get down to 15-16% pretty easily (with clean diet and training). After that point, it can get much harder, but still possible.

I'm soooo there right now. 14% and I need to tweek something! I'm not sure what though. Soon, I'll be going the other direction and trying to gain, so I want 12% before I do that. What a pain in the ass! The last 2% are giving me FITS! lol

 

[thePros.TV]

I'm soooo there right now. 14% and I need to tweek something! I'm not sure what though. Soon, I'll be going the other direction and trying to gain, so I want 12% before I do that. What a pain in the ass! The last 2% are giving me FITS! lol

Oh to be at 12% !!! Frick, I'm at 15% and cant go any further down because I'm nursing. I'm in a perpetual building phase. Nonfat milk would not do baby............ wait,what am I saying, he's 2! Time to get him off the boob. Now if I can just convince HIM it's time to let go........

 

[Will2BLean]

As far as the original poster's questions and all the drama here, the rate that we can lose BF is individual. That point nobody will differ on. I think expecting .5-1% per wek is pretty reasonable and attainable. BUT, the lower your BF goes, the harder it will be to lose it. That is NOT saying you cannot lose it OR that you have to take extreme measures. Just know that the power your BF goes, the more "tweaking" you will have to do to your diet and training. Most people (women) seem to be able to get down to 15-16% pretty easily (with clean diet and training). After that point, it can get much harder, but still possible.

If you find your BF loss stalls or slows, then you need to revamp your plan. That doesn't necessarily mean CUT calories - it might mean change your training program or food choices or even food/workout timing.


I am of the opinion that I like to set goals I can REACH. Setting an initial goal of losing 1.5% a week might be too hard - for YOU. In all honesty, I would set a goal of .5-1% per week. If you get 1.5%, GREAT.

Thanks, Daisy Girl! I'm going to set a goal for 16% by 2006. I know I can do it because I've been lower than that in the past, and that was with just an okay diet. I'm going to spend some time today putting everything in my planner, so I'll have no excuses. I'm so excited!

 

[The Shadow]

Can you not except the fact that it is possible that your progam might not work for everyone.

Unless/until someone tries it and doesnt hit 1.5%, then I cant comment....



On another note - Im a fat ass from too much turkey

 

[treilin]

Unless/until someone tries it and doesnt hit 1.5%, then I cant comment....



On another note - Im a fat ass from too much turkey

I never understood why people say they feel like that after eating turkey! Maybe after eating a whole pumpkin pie... but turkey is protein and is good for you... Well unless you fried the turkey or put calorie enhanced sauces all over it. I mean there is a excess of turkey you can eat but I think you would not feel like that just from eating turkey

 

[Will2BLean]

Unless/until someone tries it and doesnt hit 1.5%, then I cant comment....



On another note - Im a fat ass from too much turkey

I'm going to try your plan for a while... we'll see if I hit 1.5%.

 

[The Shadow]

I'm going to try your plan for a while... we'll see if I hit 1.5%.

Get an accurate measure of bf now and have the same tech do it over the course of the program.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

I never understood why people say they feel like that after eating turkey! Maybe after eating a whole pumpkin pie... but turkey is protein and is good for you... Well unless you fried the turkey or put calorie enhanced sauces all over it. I mean there is a excess of turkey you can eat but I think you would not feel like that just from eating turkey

Overeat ANYTHING and you feel stuffed and fat. Food takes up space. Too much food, ANY food, will stretch your stomach uncomfortably for a time. This will casue you to "feel fat" until it starts to digest. Obviously, in the long run, there are better food choices to stuff yourself with - plain white turkey is better than a pumpkin pie, of course.

Trust me, with this child smushing my stomach, I feel full after an 8oz glass of OJ. After a normal sized meal, I feel OVERstuffed.

 

[Miss24k]

I never understood why people say they feel like that after eating turkey! Maybe after eating a whole pumpkin pie... but turkey is protein and is good for you... Well unless you fried the turkey or put calorie enhanced sauces all over it. I mean there is a excess of turkey you can eat but I think you would not feel like that just from eating turkey

He's just blaming it on the poor turkey, he doesn't want us to know what he really ate, and I don't think I want to know either. lol

 

[Will2BLean]

Get an accurate measure of bf now and have the same tech do it over the course of the program.

I'll have to measure it myself since I'm not a member of a gym. I ordered calipers just the other day, so they should be here any day now.

 

[OMEGA]

Now you're getting the picture in focus. There is no one way. That's why you're reading different responses. You need to try a couple of different methods and see what fits your genetics. Find what works for YOU first.

Don't look at what Bunny does and say oh that is what will work for me. Keep in mind that she's an exceptional athlete. There are a lot of women who are very good at training for fat loss and the ultimate body, but Bunny is the Michael Jordan of these athletes and you shouldn't try to compare what she does to what you do until you reach that level.