Moving Away From Scale Weight

[lyonap]

Hi all,

Topic - I am wondering realistically how long it takes to lower your body fat % and an estimated timeline of how far away I am from meeting my fitness goals.

Background and yap - I've (160cm) been losing weight for around 6 months now and am down from 72kg to 57-58kg with an original goal weight of 52kg. For the first few months I focused only on diet which led to weight loss but now I've shifted my goals more towards fitness and body recomp. I'm still eating in a deficit but with 120+ grams of protein per day and am exercising regularly.

I go to the gym and lift heavy, with a focus on progressive overload, and training till failure, 4-5 times a week. I've also really gotten into running and am working on improving my 5km time for a race I'm signed up for in a few months. I got an inbody scan (I know not super accurate) at my gym about a month ago and I have the dreaded C curve (low SMM, high BF% and a 1200 :,) BMR ). I was sitting around 29.7 BF% when I was tested. Because my goals have shifted I'm not too hung up on a goal weight anymore but I am looking to lower my BF% to 23-25% while building SMM to tone up and improve my metabolism.

I've become more patient and am not trying to rush my fitness/fat loss journey. I want to continue this lifestyle forever because it makes me feel good and strong. Still, it would be nice to have some sort of estimated timeline of how long it would take to get to my desired BF%. My current TDEE is 1790-1810 a day, I track using excel and my TDEE-intake matches up with weekly averages of weight lost. I've been losing on average .3-.4kg per week. I track measurements as well, although not as religiously, and I'm losing CMs throughout my body. Anyways I'm just wondering if anyone else has personal experience, I've seen varying answers online and I know being short changes a lot when it comes to fitness as well.

 

[flyfree]

@lyonap I had the dreaded C curve as well :,) although I looked skinny my bf% was 24%. That was a couple months ago. I just ate in maintenance during my lifting days, and slight deficit on rest/low impact days. I heard this takes longer than a traditional bulk/cut cycle but imo it’s more sustainable long term and I won’t have to push my body too much. Now I’m at about 20% bf and gained 2 lbs of smm in 2.5 months. Definitely takes time and patience

 

[lyonap]

@flyfree i tend to stay in a deficit everyday but i’ll eat a bit more on days i do intense exercise to keep my energy up. i honestly don’t have that much trouble staying in my deficit anymore, i eat high fiber and protein so my current diet keeps me full throughout the day. i know it means muscle growth is a bit slower but i’m hoping newbie gains pull through for me so i can keep growing while cutting.

your story is also super impressive, hopefully i’ll follow suit soon enough

 

[garretfut]

@lyonap A lot of it depends on how efficiently you are training, protein intake, overall calories, consistency etc. It is pretty much impossible to give a realistic timeline. Recomp takes longer, yes. But it varies so much from person to person.

Since you are already doing all the right things, focus on that. I'd always advise having strength goals to ensure you are progressing and building muscles. Since you are using the TDEE calculator, you will see your TDEE improve. For me it increased around the 3-4 month mark.

 

[lyonap]

@garretfut im pretty fine with my TDEE right now, it’s already improved based on the months of my personalized wl data i’ve collected. my goals are purely aesthetic and to feel physically/mentally better.

 

[garretfut]

@lyonap I mean goals as a metric that you are moving in the right direction i.e. signs you are building muscle and recomping. Loss of body fat will be visible from measurement and how you look and how clothes fit.

 

[lyonap]

@garretfut i mentioned i take measurements in my original post