Fat loss possible?

Question
Dear Dr.,

How much body fat is it possible to lose in a 4 week period if one is engaging in gymnastics, weight training, running/sprinting, and smart diet low in sugary fats?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

*I'm trying to reduce bodyfat % for increased athletic perforance in gymnastics. My current bodyfat% is around 12%

Answer
Hi Terry,

(First I must clarify I am not a doctor, but a registered dietitian).

I am actually not certain if you are male or female!  12% body fat is pretty low for a female, but males can go lower and still be healthy.

It sounds like you are asking how much lower your percentage can go, and I can't answer that without your height, weight, other information and some serious calculating.

You can calculate the number of pounds you can lose by figuring how many calories you will burn above and beyond what you are ingesting. If you burn an extra 500 calories per day (very likely burned in about 45 minutes of one of your activities) you can lose a pound each week; for every 1000 calories extra you burn per week you'll lose 2 pounds. This weight loss has to be applied to your current height, weight, and body fat % to figure the % loss that will occur.

For instance, if you weigh 140 pounds and have 14 pounds of body fat you have 10% body fat. If you then lose a pound of fat, you'll be 13# fat/139# body weight, or 9.4% body fat and another pound loss will be 12# fat /138 total pounds or 8.7% body fat.

You can also affect your % of body fat by increasing your muscle weight, so it's not all about weight loss!

hope that helps!

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