Body fat percent.

[LLark]

Does anyone have any good ideas on losing body fat while eating real food.  every fat loss diet I see online seems to be designed to lose weight quickly,  but I don't need to lose weight.  I am 5 feet 9 inches tall and weigh 162.  My goal is to maintain my weight, but reduce my body fat which is currently 23%.  Any ideas would be appreciated.  I work out regularly and was at 28% body fat 6 months ago.  I guess the fat is coming off, just not as fast as I'd like.

[Everett]

Yup, here's the deal; you need to burn off more than you eat.  Sounds simple but especially as we get older even though we think we're workiing out hard we're just not burning the calories like when we were 18.

So, my recommendation is to hit some high intensity cardio like cycling, spinning class, running, squash, tennis, anything you enjoy but do it a couple times a week.  Next, do some high intensity lower body strength training like squats, lunges, etc. twice a week to engage your entire body.  If you need to, set up a trainer in front of the TV, set up your bike and ride an hour a day alternating spinning/cruising days with interval days. 

That's how I went from around 25% bodyfat clydesdale to under 15%.  200 miles a week on my bike plus (lots of weekend rides with a bike club) and twice a week weights at the gym.

Now, real important, cut back on your portions of whatever you eat.  Then, try and eat more fish and chicken and stay away from processed foods and cheese and white bread.  Try a good post workout recovery drink like First Endurance - couple pros have posted here about it including a girl who did Kona (Ironman Hawaii).

Good luck and check back if more questoins.  There's some serious triathletes who might share some training tips if you're into that. 

So, that all worked for me - cut back the food a bit, eat better food, and crank up the cardio intensity and you will see results in a month and a transformation in 3!  Stay with it, you'll get there.

Here's how

[LLark]

Thanks for the response Everett. WOW! 15% body fat from 25%. That is exactly what I want to do.  Sounds like the hardest part for me will be the bread.

[sister of kong]

yeah, bread ... , especially yummy warm fresh from the oven Italian bread, dipped in a mixture of olive oil, cheese and pepper is a definite no-no (limit yourself to ONE piece).   

Everett's right, you need to up your intensity especially cardio but definitely find something you really love to do.  I'm like Everett I'm a serious cyclist and I lean down the most when I was riding hard every weekend and playing squash 4 nights a week (and of course limiting myself to only ONE piece of Italian bread).  You can do it!

[LLark]

Sister, you must really know me.  LOL.  Thank you for the encouragement, i'll need it.

[Tai Hau]

oooh looks like we have a bread club here!  llark i think you'll find that when you've build up your fat-burners i.e. muscles, you'll be able to eat more than 1 slice.

[Paul]

The harder you work out the more bread you get to eat!  Lark if you want to get lean you need to step up the intensity and the commitment.  If you don't have the time for long bike rides, try hitting an elliptical for a hard 30 minutes every day.  Gotta push yourself and lay off the food rewards.  I used to follow every killer workout with a killer meal so net result?  no change! 

Add in some good supplements and post workout recovery drinks like First Endurance Ultragen - works great for me. Drink it within 30 minutes of your workout to help with recovery and manage your appetite.