Female client 5 months, great gains but can’t get BF% down.
44 y/o female, not overweight; came to me to get ‘fit’. She is a very disciplined clean eater and works with me 3 hrs a week with workouts on her own at home 2 days (mostly cardio). While she’s made tremendous progress with strength and muscle tone, I can’t seem to get the BF% down. She’s at 24.5% and wants to shave a few points off and then there is those stubborn ‘love handles’.
We’re strength training (progressive and supersets), cardio intervals and HIIT sessions, all of which she loves. She’s a nurse anesthetist, so snacking during the day is pretty much impossible due to her surgery schedules.
I am thinking that her protein/caloric intake is insufficient or perhaps we are over training? Welcome your thoughts.
Hi Lynn,
one more thing to consider is the way you measure body fat. Since she is in an excellent range, shaving off just 1 % won’t be easy. Make sure that the parameters of measuring body fat are strictly adhered to for a correct comparison. Hydration is one of the biggest factors that can influence the results. Here is an interesting article that shows those variables http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=218. In her case, I would go with measurements in specific areas of her body (eg. love handles) that she wants to improve rather then chasing a percentage number.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
Hello Lynn Valaes,
I see this very often; the heavy client eats too little. Many heavy/large people are not lazy and overeating; they take the general information to eat less and exercise more, to the extreme. I am pleased that you have a detailed journal to check out; this is when we trust the client’s input and hope they are honest.
Turning my meal into a smoothie for times I am busy on the road seems to help me reach a realistic caloric goal.
Take care,
Natalie aka NAPS 2 B Fit.
Thank you all for your responses!
Sorry for not including more info initially. She’s 5’4″, 24.5% BF and 126 lbs; measurements are great. I reiterated to her that her numbers are excellent – she is very psyched to be working out again and as a personal goal she just wants to lean out some more (ripped, as she confirmed). No body image issues whatsoever!
After reviewing her food journal for the last 3 days, while she is still eating incredibly clean, I can see now that she’s not getting enough calories (barely 1500 calories) in addition to her protein & carb counts (maybe 90g carbs a day and protein usually between 50-90) which are just way too low (she’s being a little too good).
So, with her extra workouts and not enough food, I’m pretty sure this is why I’ve not been able to get more muscle mass on her. I think if I have her back off on her home training and get her to up her calories with more protein and carbs, she will see some additional changes.
Welcome your responses and thanks for your help!
Yes, I would be interested in her starting measurements. Did you take girth measurements? If you are using a BIA, the area across which the charge travels may be retaining fat compared to other areas. If she has made progress until now, you may need to adjust her program.
But we could be more helpful with more information.