Hi - about 20 months ago I seriously damaged my left knee (2 ruptured ligaments, compression fracture on end of femur, badly damaged back of knee cap).
In the time since injuring myself, I have not exactly been very disciplined (!) on the food front, and in the absence of any exercise put on quite a bit of weight/fat.
About 8 weeks ago, I started exercising again and watching my diet.
I work on a 1750 net calorie intake per day (food less cals burned through exercise). I try to stay away from sugary and fatty foods, and also reduce my carb intake after about 4 in the afternoon. I exercise about 5 times each week. My current routine is on a 4 day cycle, day 1 swim, day 2 gym, day 3 swim, day 4 gym - day off, then start again. I swim for about 25 to 30 minutes. In the gym I do free weights and floor work for about 25 minutes, followed by interval training (1 minute fast, 1 minute slow) on a stationary bike for another 25 minutes.
I am male, 34 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall (about 180cm?). I sit at a desk all day for work, so my exercise routine is the only time I truly burn calories.
Since starting my routine I have lost quite a bit of weight (220 lbs down to 200 lbs) and a few inches (trousers starting to fall down!) which of course I am very happy with. I am now concerned about my body fat percentage. I weigh myself at the same time each week and in near identical circumstances. At the same time I use a body fat monitor (on my scales) to measure my body fat. It has come down maybe 1.5%, but is still way too high. Currently my body fat % is 24.5% to 25% - it needs to be below 20%.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might adjust my routine to burn the body fat? Not too concerned about weight loss, but more with the fat loss. Because of my injury I am still unable to place too much pressure on my knee - I cannot jog or run, and cannot play any sport like tennis, squash, football etc. I am therefore limited to machines in the gym that do not impact my knee, likewise swimming.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Matt
In the time since injuring myself, I have not exactly been very disciplined (!) on the food front, and in the absence of any exercise put on quite a bit of weight/fat.
About 8 weeks ago, I started exercising again and watching my diet.
I work on a 1750 net calorie intake per day (food less cals burned through exercise). I try to stay away from sugary and fatty foods, and also reduce my carb intake after about 4 in the afternoon. I exercise about 5 times each week. My current routine is on a 4 day cycle, day 1 swim, day 2 gym, day 3 swim, day 4 gym - day off, then start again. I swim for about 25 to 30 minutes. In the gym I do free weights and floor work for about 25 minutes, followed by interval training (1 minute fast, 1 minute slow) on a stationary bike for another 25 minutes.
I am male, 34 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall (about 180cm?). I sit at a desk all day for work, so my exercise routine is the only time I truly burn calories.
Since starting my routine I have lost quite a bit of weight (220 lbs down to 200 lbs) and a few inches (trousers starting to fall down!) which of course I am very happy with. I am now concerned about my body fat percentage. I weigh myself at the same time each week and in near identical circumstances. At the same time I use a body fat monitor (on my scales) to measure my body fat. It has come down maybe 1.5%, but is still way too high. Currently my body fat % is 24.5% to 25% - it needs to be below 20%.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might adjust my routine to burn the body fat? Not too concerned about weight loss, but more with the fat loss. Because of my injury I am still unable to place too much pressure on my knee - I cannot jog or run, and cannot play any sport like tennis, squash, football etc. I am therefore limited to machines in the gym that do not impact my knee, likewise swimming.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Matt