Forums >Health and Nutrition>Body fat percentage and food cravings
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some advice on dropping body fat percentage.
I'm a 27 y/o female and my body fat percentage was ~22.9% on a Triomph scale measuring such indicators. This is within the healthy range, but a little high by some indicators for athletes. From what I've read online, the ideal for female athletes is around 16-20% body fat.
My natural weight until last year typically averaged 131. In the past 6 months or so it has transitioned to 135. I don't think I made any drastic changes to my diet during that time, but I do have a sweet tooth. I also started ramping up my mileage in the last few months, which I know can increase apetite.
I'd like to drop my weight to around 130, which would still be within the healthy range for my height (5'7"), and my body fat percentage to ~20%, but have been struggling. Perhaps it's a lack of commitment (did I mention the sweet tooth?), but I think it also could be something about my nutrition.
I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I don't drink soda or soft drinks, and I don't eat fast food. I usually have one dessert a day, but over the past few months I have decreased that a little bit (dessert ~5x a week).
A typical day for me is:
Muesli for breakfast with a homemade mix of oats, nuts, and raisins with a bit of milk
A piece of fruit as a snack (banana, orange, peach, etc. depending on what's in season)
Lunch is usually leftovers from dinner or a can of soup (lentil vegetable or black bean soup are favorites)
For dinner a protein with a vegetable (peas, baked sweet potato fries, corn, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, etc)
I'm not always perfect - sometimes I'll eat things I know aren't healthy like pizza and dairy. I also don't regularly get really adequate hydration - I'm a bit of a workaholic and will stay glued to my desk if I'm working on something.
The problem I have been having lately is that, even an hour after a meal when I shouldn't be hungry, I'll get really intense food cravings for, after lunch, processed foods like graham crackers or, after dinner, want to continue eating (like popcorn) or have something sweet (ice cream, or recently i've had some success with substituting with a couple dried dates). I usually try to limit processed foods that don't have enough dietary fiber to actually fill you up, and to eat pretty healthy, so these cravings are new to me, and I'm not particularly good at denying them.
Any advice on why this is happening and how to combat it?
runktrun
My advice on how to combat it is to NOT try to combat it. Train smart, focus on mileage and workouts that are appropriate for your goals and fitness level, and your weight will settle. Getting to a certain weight may temporarily give you a boost in race performances, but is not sustainable and will likely backfire in a few months or years as your body breaks down because you haven't fueled properly. Achieving a certain body fat percentage will not dictate your performance.
It sounds like you are craving more processed foods because you're not eating enough in your regular meals to meet the energy demands of your training. If you're craving graham crackers after eating a nutritious meal, eat the graham crackers. They're not bad. Neither is the pizza. Or the ice cream. All these things have a place in a varied diet. If you're eating mostly whole foods (usually higher in fiber and lower in carbs) for main meals, you absolutely can have that snack if you want it. You're body probably wants more carbs and fat to fuel your runs as you ramp up your training.
Also, our bodies change as we age; gaining 5lbs in 6 months isn't that drastic, but I understand your concern. Many people swing +/- 5lbs over a day or week. If you feel strong in your workouts and otherwise pretty good, just ignore the weight for now. If you feel like you're dragging, try hydrating more, eating more carbs (honor your cravings), and getting better sleep before jumping to the conclusion that something is "wrong." If you're feeling sluggish and keep gaining weight, my recommendation is to get your thyroid checked first before making any changes to diet or mileage.
Not running for my health, but in spite of it.
I should mention that my motivator behind this is that there would be a huge advantage to getting my body weight to below 130 so I could compete in women's Lightweight rowing instead of Open Weight. I currently don't compete as I only started rowing last year, but I am interested to see what kind of changes I would have to make in order to attain a rowing competition weight.
That said, my general philosophy is that, if I have to make a bunch of sacrifices to drop weight to compete, maybe it's just not worth it to compete. I don't feel that strongly about competing to begin with in rowing (not yet at least).
To respond to your point on performance, I've actually posted some of my best ever times in the ten mile and half marathon in the past 3 months. I just broke 1:40 in the half a few weeks ago, which was a milestone for me. I've been cross training more and I think some of the new weight gain is muscle weight. So, it's occurred to me that a fixation on numbers is pretty wacky.
I think if I could drop fat weight without dropping muscle weight I could compete even better. I do feel I'm carrying some, but not a lot, extra weight these days. Wouldn't it be nice if it was easy to drop the weight you don't want and keep the weight you do? One can dream.
Trails
I found that switching from dairy to no or very low amounts dropped about 7 lbs and stopped the GI issues I was having. Drinking more water helps keep my body fat % in the 18% range. I eat what ever I want but watch for dairy.
I should mention that my motivator behind this is that there would be a huge advantage to getting my body weight to below 130 so I could compete in women's Lightweight rowing instead of Open Weight... . Wouldn't it be nice if it was easy to drop the weight you don't want and keep the weight you do? One can dream.
I should mention that my motivator behind this is that there would be a huge advantage to getting my body weight to below 130 so I could compete in women's Lightweight rowing instead of Open Weight...
. Wouldn't it be nice if it was easy to drop the weight you don't want and keep the weight you do? One can dream.
Gotcha. It's tough to drop weight AND maintain performance gains. Rather than watching your intake everyday and striving for a net calorie deficit every day (which may lead to weight gain because your body is holding onto calories thinking it's starving), try cutting back on only your easy days. I've seen some good research about carb cycling pointing to some weight loss while compromising your workouts less but I haven't dug into the details. Fuel your hard days as per usual, eat intuitively, and then cut back on overall calories and calories from carbs on your easy/off days. Drinking more water can only help, too. Taking an approach to cut out certain food groups (dairy) usually results in some weight loss primarily because you ultimately eat fewer calories for a while. It could still be a strategy, but not because dairy magically causes weight gain in healthy people with no food intolerances.
I know, story of my life! I really don't need any extra 10lbs of thighs to run fast...
Old , Ugly and slow
why is competing at a light weight better.
Also I wouldn't worry about your weight unless it keeps going up
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes
Weight came into play because of rowing weight classes.
If you can afford it, get a DEXA body fat test (usually around $50). Body fat measurements on scales are not very accurate. The fit of your clothes is probably as good an indicator as the scale, at least for the purpose of knowing if you BF% is going up or down.
I agree with Kilkee that too much focus on your weight can be counter-productive. However, there is an exception to that rule. If you have a key competition upcoming, then trying to drop a few pounds in the final weeks of preparation makes sense. During the off-season gain back those pounds and get back up to a more sustainable weight.
Matt Fitzgerald wrote a book about this you might find useful called "Racing Weight".
It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, this is a tricky subject. Ideally runner's dispassionately address their weight during training just like they would do tempo runs in one phase and intervals in another. Unfortunately, weight carries a lot of emotional baggage for some people and they are not able to do this objectively. My comments assume you are in the former category, not the latter.
@Tom - if she is slightly too heavy for lighweight rowing, then she is likely not nearly big and strong enough for open (heavyweight) rowing. In running the advantages of being lighter (to a point) are well known and widely documented.
I believe that food cravings are a symptom of a dietary deficiency. Take a hard look at your diet - are you getting enough fat and protein? Athletes may need more protein than the recommended amounts in nutrition guidelines. I used to have cravings for junk food, but those have slowly gone away as my diet improved. Don't expect instant results, it was a ten year process for me.
Popcorn is good for you - whole grain, lots of fiber.
Set a water bottle on your desk.
Paul thanks for the explanation.
I was reading this and had one thought in my mind, and then in a later post you disclosed it: "I've been cross training more and I think some of the new weight gain is muscle weight. So, it's occurred to me that a fixation on numbers is pretty wacky."
I gotta tell ya, i've been down that road. And in fact, i'm still on it.
So, muscle weighs more than fat, for one thing, and if you are training and adding muscle while losing fat, your weight will most likely not really drop, but just about stay the same. This is deceiving. You're like, what the hell? What's a body got to do to lose some weight around here?!
But if you look in the mirror, what you might see is a very solid athlete. You've maybe added some real lean muscle mass and core strength, to your credit, but as such, you may look toned but not really buff, so to speak. Unless you work out like a body builder, you just tone up, you don't build that big, distinctive, bulging muscles. But the muscle is there and it will help you so much in performance and avoiding injury.
And here comes the second part.... appetite. Muscle burns calories, especially fat, long after a workout is over. Cardio burns calories mostly while you are burning the energy, and then it falls off. But muscle continues to burn calories long after a workout, And if you are tearing down muscle through your cross-training, it wants to re-build, and it needs nutrition like protein and fat to do it. Hence the cravings. And i know from experience, you become ravenous.
Don't fight it, you need the calories or you probably won't reap the full benefit of that cross-training. This is esp. true if your sport involves a degree of strength as opposed to one that is purely endurance.
So, what do you do if you want to be lighter yet build that lean muscle mass (which you are doing through cross-training)? That's the real trick. Understand that your ability to drop weight will be limited. You may not reach certain goals, not if you are adding muscle and intend to keep it. Keep that in mind.
But there are things you can do. One thing is watch your diet and make sure you are getting just what you need and not extra. Put another way, make sure you are not shortchanging any area, esp. protein, a little good fat, some carb for energy, and all those nutrients and macro-nutrients to keep your metabolism going and to stay health. And if you are going to cut some calories, do it in the crap you don't need, like deserts or sugars/sweets with low nutrient density.
Another thing i like to do, is to get some of my protein needs met with a protein supplement (a tri-source of whey, casein, and soy), which will have a lot less calories than eating the actual protein rich foods. Eat some of the protein rich foods, but supplement with the protein powder, if you are so inclined.
When you do have the cravings, there are some good things you can reach for. You mention popcorn. Air popcorn has very few calories, and you can eat a lot and it is fairly satisfying. Avoid butter, i just salt mine lightly. Also, try fresh or frozen fruits for deserts - low calorie, delicious, nutritious!
Timing is important. You will need the carbs for your workouts, so make sure to fuel up for the important or intense workouts, in particular. About 3 1/2 hours before the workout guarantees the energy will be available during the workout. Protein and a little carb after the workout is important for recovery. You might check out BCAA branch amino acid proteins to make sure you have a quickly metabolized protein source available so your body doesn't cannibalize muscle mass during and after the workout (but it's a bit pricey).
The only other thing i can think of is, like another poster mentioned, increase your mileage to burn more fat.
Anyway, to cap off a runaway long post, if you are feeling unusually urgent cravings, that comes with cross-training and the resultant muscle that you now have to feed. At times it can be a little discouraging, because i notice that i sometimes just feel heavier than i would like. When i used to do just cardio, i got a little lighter and felt good, but definitely was not as strong. These changes take months, but they do occur.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
My appetite sounds consistent with some muscle mass gain - rowing does take more strength than endurance running in my limited experience. I've built up significantly more muscle in my arms and shoulders.
As others mentioned, I would be morm competitive in the lightweight category because I simply won't be able to attain the muscle mass of a woman 20 pounds heavier and/or several inches taller. By contrast, I can be expected to have more power than a 110 pound woman.
I think what may be happening is that, at first, I was noticing increased appetitite but didn't increase my nutritious food intake adequately. Therefore I started to get more calories and a higher percentage of my calories from low nutrient density foods like sweets and processed foods because they're easy to snack on/tack onto a meal that wasn't adequate.
Then, I noticed weight gain - some clothes getting tighter - and tried to eat healthier by increasing vegetarian meals. I did incorporate a lot of beans while doing this because I know how important protein is, but the net effect was likely still to decrease my protein intake, still not addressing what may have been the problem.
So, I will try increasing my protein as a first step. If this will address the food cravings and help me cut back on unhealthy snacking/extra portions of sweets when I'm feeling ravenous, it would be a reasonable expectation to get a bit leaner in terms of body fat.
I'll also look into the resources some mentioned, such as racing weight.
One day at a time
I've gotten down to a BMI of just under 25, but my body fat percentage is WAY high, like I'm not even going to post it high. It's discouraging because I've cut out almost all sugar and am going to the gym three times a week in addition to running every day. I thought I was getting enough protein, but maybe I'll try upping it.
I'm very similar to you in weight/height (5'9" and I fluctuate 125-135lbs throughout the year). Over the last couple of years, I've found a couple of things that really affect my weight.
First, I second the above comment of eliminating dairy. Since doing so, I lost several pounds and it's completely changed my gut health in a very good way. I don't use any dairy at all- no butter, milk, yogurt, nothing. After seeing and feeling the changes it brought, it makes it very easy for me to skip it and choose something dairy-free. I don't even miss it that much to be honest with you. There are plenty of other sources of good fats and calcium that are much healthier for you.
Second, I have eliminated nearly all processed sugars and carbs from my diet. I chose to do this after testing in the pre-diabetic range (A1C) for several years (not due to weight or activity, just bad luck in genetics). The carbs I take in are through white/sweet potatoes and veggies. I try not to eat bread, pasta, or other wheat products at all through the week. I do allow myself to cheat a little on the weekends and that helps me stay on track all week. I have a HUGE sweet tooth and I limit my sweets to maybe 1x/week on the weekends.
It's not easy, but after seeing my A1C drop out of the pre-diabetic range on my last wellness screening, I can say it's been worth it. As a result, I'm also at the lowest weight I've been in since high school (I'm 37) without eating less (I eat more!) and no real increase in activity level. It did take my body a few weeks to adjust and I had some very difficult training runs where my legs felt like lead and I wanted to die. But my body adapted and now I can eat a healthy smoothie for breakfast, a salad with protein for lunch, and go run 10 miles after work with no problems. I also do crossfit 2-3 times a week, so heavy weight lifting and muscle building is part of my routine.
Like I said, none of this was easy but once you get used to it, it just becomes routine. I can also skip the processed carbs much more easily if I know I have a cheat day coming up that weekend. it may not work for all, but it really helps me stay focused. I also feel like if you want it badly enough, you can make the changes you need to make in order to change your body. Every time I want to have a bun with my burger or brat, I just think about staying off diabetic meds and that makes it easy. Good luck!