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I’m trying to get into shape for my wedding. I run 3 times a week (for 30 minutes per session) and do two 1 hour and 15 minute sessions of yoga a week. I follow a low carb diet, have a BMI of 26 and a body fat ratio of 33%, all this in spite of being a dress size ten!! Can you tell me what is the best approach to reducing my body fat % – I’m at a loss as to what I’m doing wrong.

Many Thanks
Karina

Dear Karina,

It is possible that you need to add a little resistance training to your week as the training that you currently do requires some energy from carbohydrates, of which you have very few. Unfortunately, instead of burning fat, it is likely that you are eating away at muscle tissue, which in turn reduces your metabolism. By adding resistance training to your week, you will increase your muscle mass (not bulking up incidentally, as muscle tissue is denser than fat tissue, making you look slimmer as a result) and by doing so, you will increase your metabolism.

Try the following guidelines to see if this makes any difference:

1. Add two resistance sessions to your weekly training, these can either replace a run session and a yoga session, or you can add them in.
2. If you are reducing carbohydrates, make sure you are at least eating enough of them before and after your workouts. Ensure that the carbs that you do have are made up of fruit, vegetables, rice, potatoes, and other good grains such as quinoa – try to avoid bread and pasta if you can.
3. Eat protein with every meal, (meat/fish/dairy/pulses), doing so ensures you have no further muscle breakdown, and required more calorie burn for your body to digest it!
4. Get your body fat ratio from a good source e.g. body fat calipers. Machines that you stand on, holding sensors are dependent on too many variables to be accurate.
5. Don’t forget about good fats e.g. oily fish, nuts, fish oils. They’re the good fats that help to shift the stubborn fat from your body.
6. Make sure you are getting 7-8 hours sleep a night. All of your hard work at the gym, starts to make some serious changes while you sleep, don’t underestimate the importance of rest!

We hope this helps! Drop us a line and let us know how you are getting on!

Fit Girl x

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