Girl Friend worried about being fat

Posts: 5,334
1/18/13 2:24 P

I believe that if she saw what lifting weights could do for her she would not feel so fat. I think that being supportive of her and lifting weights together would be a good idea. Lifting weights burns lots of calories long after you are done. If she did that she might not feel the need for any weight loss medicine...........And you know it don't work any way....

current weight: 117.0

136 130.75 125.5 120.25

115

Posts: 2,699
1/18/13 2:00 P

First, you can't compare men and women in terms of body fat percentages, the percentages requried for living are drastically different. Second, how was she tested? Calipers put me at 13.7, and I know I'm in the 20s, just by looking at example pictures, and I only had a 3 spot test. If she truly is that low, no doctor in their right mind would give her Alli. Did she get it ITC? If she is 17% by a DEXA scan or even a BodPod or hydrostatic (I think that's the term) testing, then is is below the "average" range. If she feels skinny fat, she should determine her maintenance need, calorie-wise, eat at maintenance and lift heavy to start developing some muscle. She'll gain a little fat, but after 6-8 months, she can eat at a deficit to lose that, her new muscle will show through, things will have shifted a bit, and I bet she'll feel better.

current weight: 127.2

165 152.5 140 127.5

115

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Fitness Minutes: (15,461)
Posts: 496
1/18/13 1:16 P

17.7% is quite low for women- I mean, that's in the "athletic" range. It could be that she's like me and almost all of that fat goes straight to the lower abdominal region, making the fat feel more prominent and "bad" but you are right- Alli should NOT have been given to her if she is 17.7% body fat. Honestly losing any fat might not be advisable- what I mean is that she doesn't need to! She would benefit a lot more from strength training and basic levels of aerobic activity. How much does she weight? Does she want to keep muscle? Let her know that losing weight is NOT the way you get the "flat tummy" look. You only get that through good muscles- the exception, of course, and I wouldn't bring this up to her, is with EDs. Anorexics, in extreme cases, can be very low body fat% and weight enough that they have flat stomachs but they do not look like the healthy, trim flat bellies.

How did you analyze that, by the way? The only truly accurate way is by hydrostatic/underwater weighing. Those can be much more expensive, but other ones can be off by quite a few %, especially for "skinny fat" people or for "large and muscular" people. If you use BIA, drinking water directly before or entering in false stats can drastically change the number (I once said I was 1" taller to see what would happen, and my body fat% dropped a couple %).

I don't mean to alarm you, but keep a careful eye on her. EDs develop sometimes from what seems like healthful behavior, so be careful and pay close attention. Give her support. Sometimes that means being harsher on her. The Alli might be just the conduit for bulimia- in which case, get her to a professional.

Body Fat %: 21.0

22 20.75 19.5 18.25

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SparkPoints: (11,097)
Fitness Minutes: (7,214)
Posts: 331
1/18/13 1:02 P

My girlfriend is on Alli for weight loss. She continues to talk about having a roll of fat on her belly. I finally got her to get her body fat analyzed. Her fat percentage is 17.7%. I am at 21.5% body fat, yet she says that I look great. I believe that she could benefit more from strength training and aerobics, rather than Alli. Any thoughts?

Pounds lost: 13.0

0 6.75 13.5 20.25

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