FlashBazbo

I've been training through the winter to get ready for the season. I've lost 12 pounds of body fat to this point and I'm the lightest I have ever been as an adult. My body fat percentage right now is pretty close to the middle of the "healthy" range.

My original goal was to lose 8 more pounds -- admittedly, an arbitrary number. Problem is, if I lose 8 pounds of fat, I will be just into the "unhealthy" range (for my age) having too little body fat. I will also be ten pounds lighter than I have ever been on the bike. I'm not a pro athlete. I'm wondering if it's worth losing any more weight. (And my wife says I shouldn't lose any more weight. I'm not "Kangaroo Man" yet, but I can see his shadow.)

Any thoughts? At what point do you intentionally stabilize at a certain weight? How low would you go?

MrCrassic 

Are you fine with your weight? If so, then work on keeping it there.

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rog

My weight loss goal is to get down to 185, but I'm going to try to get down to 170-175. I don't know if it's physically possible for me to get there at this point...I may simply have too much lean body mass. And even if I did get there, I wouldn't stay there...I'm pretty positive I'd be happier overall at 185, as I think I'd have to slaughter myself to stay at 175. But I'm going to try to get there anyways, because I just want to see what it would be like to get into that kind of shape one more time.

That said, that's just my story - if you're happy and comfortable at your current weight, don't sweat it. 8 lbs of body fat is a pretty significant amount, and you might feel weakened if you do get down that low. Try losing two pounds, see how you feel, and go from there.

Oh yeah, and congrats on the weight loss that you've already achieved!

raleighrx8

You need some fat to keep hydrated properly. Don't go too low for any length of time. I would concentrate on limit recovery intervals to build up VO2 max and strength! Just my opionion.

Surferbruce

getting below 6 or 7 percent is really tough, and not super healthy for a long period. Back in the early nineties (in the early days of sportclimbing) I was measured a couple different times at 2.5% bodyfat. I got sick a lot, and actually think it caused some premature hair loss (I was 20). I was 5'10" and weighed about 135#.
That said, in terms of performance, being light makes such a difference it's amazing. MTB champ Chris Sauser is notorious for weighing every gram of food he eats. For short periods, to peak for a month or so, shedding the lard is key. the easiest way is ditching the carbs, no food after 7 pm, cardio after dinner and first thing in the morning before bfast, and lots of discipline. you can hang at 6-7 percent for extended periods without problem, but lower than that is a tight rope walk.

raleighrx8

I thought eating after cardio was better than cardio after eating.

Jynx

what is your current height and weight now?

FlashBazbo

I'm especially sensitive to the possibility of losing muscle mass in this process. For that reason, I've been eating before exercise to make sure there's sufficient fuel in the tank for recovery. I haven't resorted to any intentional starving or deprivation routines. And I have taken my time -- the weight has come off about 1.5 pounds per week. It's all been about miles at a strong heart rate pace and eating sensibly.

FlashBazbo

A tad over 5'10", 173 lbs.

Tariq08

last time i measured my body fat i was at 6%

Surferbruce

a pound and a half a week is as much as you can ask for. a pound a week is better to avoid muscle loss. Another key to preserving muscle is to take in carbs immediately AFTER working out to replenish glycogen stores. I keep something (it's not critical what, in fact simple carbs are better) in my car for after weight lifting. I'm 5'10" and 165# and would like to get to 160 or a little less for my peak. I'm also carrying a decent amount of muscle mass right now as I've been hitting the weights all winter. I'll taper them off to once a week maintenance in about a month. make sure you're getting enough protein and pile on the veggies.

urbanknight

I wonder if that's why my hairline started receeding so soon. At age 14, I was 5'10" and weighed 120lb! I didn't get above 135 until I was halfway through college. Now I'm 155 and looking to hold it and drop some fat while gaining muscle. 10% would be a good number.

halfspeed

How are you determining body fat percentage and what is the number? I'm two inches taller and one pound heavier and nowhere near too low.

Ratfish

That doesn't sound too low unless you're really muscular. Do you currently have visible fat on your midsection?

FlashBazbo

No. I've got visible ribs, abs, lats, heartbeat. No love handles at all. Back in college I weighed 225 with an 8% body fat. Played football at 247. College was a long time ago, though.

My genetic makeup tends to make me a Kangaroo Man. Nelson Vails from the waist down, Levi Leipheimer from the waist up.

FlashBazbo

Using both caliper measurements and bioelectrical impedance analysis on a daily basis. They seem to correlate well to each other and to the "dunk tank" numbers I've gotten. I'm currently at 15%. At my age, 11% is considered "unhealthy" for a sustained percent. (If you're under 40, you can probably go lower.)

wanders

Low 20's.

Val23708

im between 6-8%. you can go lower

pilam99

I think you can go lower, too. This thread inspired me to google this topic and I think a lot of the info out there is just trying to make us feel better about how fat we are. I think I am the healthiest I've been since college based on the mirror, race times (running) and my bloodwork (cholesterol). All of this improved as I went from 23% ("healthy") down to 9% (possibly "underfat") at age 37. For you it depends on your personal goals, if you are able to sustain the muscle mass you want I think you have some room to drop body fat. You'd probably find my physique to be too scrawny and I wouldn't argue with that; it's personal preference and I'm trying to add a bit of muscle at my current BMI. I'm training for triathlons this year and that is my immediate goal and my training and diet will drive my BMI to where it wants to be...

nitropowered

I'll take it down to around 5%

kwrides

You suck.

Signed,
Fatty Fatterson

Superweirdash

There is no way you guys are 6% or lower. Those are contest-ready bodybuilder levels. I'll bet dollars to donuts the leanest guys here are 8-10%, and have gotten inaccurate measuring (or are just overly optimistic).

nitropowered

When I was measured I was 11%. I've since lost weight but not near my target weight. At my target weight, calculated to be around 5%

Superweirdash

Is that target set for cycling specific reasons? If so, I'd expect to loose muscle mass as well as fat to get down to the poundage (at least if you plan on staying there more than a week). If you really think 5% is your ideal BF%, you're in for a world of hurt.

ericm979

Chances are that you can go lower. I'm 48 and since I got fit I don't get UP to that "unhealthy" 11%. I stay between 6 and 8%. That's measured on a Tanita, so who knows what the real numbers are. But I know from experience that the low end is something that I can only hold for a while. I go there for my big A race that's a two day climb fest.

There's problems with getting your body fat down. The lower you go the harder it is to do. You get hungrier. You don't want to lose weight too quickly or you will start losing muscle. Remember, it's power to weight ratio that counts. And at some point even if you are losing weight slowly and eating healthy, you'll start losing power. That point is different for everyone and you only know what it was after you pass it.

The racing you do should determine how far you want to push it. If your important races have a lot of climbing then it's worth putting some effort in to losing fat. If your A races are crits or TTs its not so important.

Last, there's the looks issue. I've been thin most of my life, except when I have been sedentary. Then I have been a fat thin person. When I gain 30 lbs of fat I look like a normal american. But the rest of the time I look like a freak. I am ok with that. My wife is ok with it. She likes thin guys, and now I weigh what I weighed when we met.