How to reduce body fat

[BoysRule]

I did a body fat test today on a machine in the local leisure centre. It gave me a body fat % of 33.

I am 9st 7lb, 5ft 6 and exercise regularly (body pump once a week, pilates once a week, run twice a week). I run reasonably quickly - 10k in about 55 minutes.

I am a bit shocked to find that my body fat % is high. I eat healthily but do have a chocolate and biscuit habit although I keep it in check.

I'm not sure how to reduce my body fat - everything I read I feel that I already do.

Any ideas?

I am not sure how accurate those machines are. Anyway, I'd get a 2nd reading on a different machine. 25% is pretty average when a woman is a healthy weight, so you're not very high.

If you are serious about changing your body composition (not losing weight - you are "skinny-fat") (there are worse things to be, like fat fat trust me!) then google "female bodybuilding cutting diet". It basically involves eating quite a lot of protein, and some carbs and some fats, how much and the total calories are determined by your basal metronomic rate, and doing resistance training (so up your body pump to 3 times a week with as much weights as you can handle, or hit the barbells in the gym and work out with the big guys). You will burn fat, build muscle and tip the ratios in your favour.

If that sounds too hard core I'd try upping your pump, do some HIIT training, reduce your carbs a little in favour of some extra protein (even swapping a cereal breakfast for eggs for instance and having a few less potatoes and rice but having the larger steak) and re measuring in 8 weeks and I'll eat my hat if you don't have a couple of kilos less fat mass and a kilo more muscle

Metabolic not metronomic 😎

Do Crossfit, you'll be a super strong, lean machine.

But most likely the measurement is wrong, was it the scales with the electrode things? You need to use calipers to get a more accurate measurements.

Do you know what your lean mass was in kilos? Interested. Running longer distances is a factor in lower lean (muscle) mass. Unfortunately your body burns not just fat but muscle as well (after glycogen is used up of course) in this type of cardio.

Probably cut the chocolate and biscuit habit!

Also, are you otherwise quite active during the day? Lots of walking/taking stairs as well as the classes. I recently got a basic step counter and realised I'd become a bit lazy even though I exercised daily. Once I upped my overall walking, the weight fell off me

Sorry can't stop posting! I bet your visceral fat is low or in the acceptable range and it's just the usual hip/butt woman fat. Do you have cellulite? Do you like your figure? If you are basically pleased with your figure and your visceral fat is not high (that's the fat round your organs) then it's only a problem if it's a problem, so to speak.

Thanks for the replies.

I am active - two young children, work part time as a primary school teacher and rarely sit down. I don't have cellulite or a lot of fat around my middle and hips - I'm pretty happy with my figure.

I guess I'm concerned for health reasons - if there's fat around my organs and how I lose that. I say I have a chocolate and biscuit habit but really that equates to two biscuits a day a few times a week and a small chocolate bar in the evening. When I look at what else I eat there is very little to cut out (skimmed milk, no cheese, butter, red meat, lots of vegetables).

Is there somewhere I can get it measured properly?

If you aerobic exercise regularly, You're unlikely to be a TOFI, boysR.
Calipers are supposed to be the most reliable way to measure body fat%.

Underwater weighing (not realistic or accessible to most) is the most accurate apparently and body callipers measure well against this - but get it done in a gym type setting rather than trying to do it yourself for accuracy, whilst they are accurate, if you keep repositioning it moves water out the fat or something an alters the setting (I can barely type that without wanting to vomit)

The body scanners are pretty good these days, pretty accurate but particularly useful to measure change. Interesting to get a caliper measurement and compare! And report back!

I'm not sure about this type of machine measurement. My scales at home have this (you have to stand on them in bare feet), and I notice that if I tell it I'm male, I get a much lower figure for %fat, than if I say I'm female. Can't see how that can be right, surely the reading is independent of gender?
Mind you, I'm probably just sore because it says I'm about 35% fat, and 36% water - pretty much a greasy, soggy blob then :-D

There is hopefully some science behind that newey but I get your angst, what if there isn't! We have enough fights! Grrr

If it's height and weight and putting an electric current through it then how does a cock matter?

(I'm sure there must be science!)

I'd get some back-up measurements (DEXA or BodPod) before I worried too much about it. You sound both fit and slim to me.

For what it's worth my body fat is apparently quite low in that I'm 5'4, 10 st 2 and body fat 21% aged 40 - I did it on a gym machine but I had it done in DEXA/BodPod when I was younger and it was even lower.

But a) I look solid rather than slim b) for some reason my cholesterol is annoying high. So you can't win!

Sounds like a diet issue.
Get rid of the sugars & up the dietary fat.

Slightly off topic, but how accurate are the callipers if you have lots of skin on your tummy from multiple pregnancies? I had 3 in 3 years and I think that although I exercise, running, HIIT, press-ups, sit ups etc and have BMI of 20, my body fat if you measured it on my tummy would not be great because of lots of pregnancy shape changes. Could this be the same OP? Or am I being naive?! I am sure I don't have lots of visceral fat as I eat healthily and am fit. But maybe that is wishful thinking?