Losing weight consistently, fat % not so much

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Hey, I'm 16 years old and have been dieting for about 7 months now. I'm 5'10 and started weighing around 220 pounds with 28% body fat. In the last month I've gone from 174 pounds and 22.6% body fat to 173 with 20.8% and now I weigh about 171 with 21.3% body fat.

I work out 4 days a week, doing cardio and strength training.

At first I was on a <1000 cal diet, then about 3 months ago I relaxed a little bit and was eating around 1500 cals a day. I saw I was reaching a plateau so I went down to 900 again and I've been like that all month. I know eating less than 1500 calories a day is bad, but I've really changed my habits and I don't really have to make an effort to eat less than 1000. Basically I could follow this routine for the rest of my life, so I think it'll be easy to control what I eat and not regain my weight once I've reached my goal.

On a regular day I eat:

One whole wheat toast with cottage cheese spread over it for breakfast.

An apple at mid morning.

A tuna sandwich in whole wheat bread for lunch.

Any fruit in the afternoon.

Any type of meat with two servings of vegetables.


What should I do to start reducing my fat percentage?
 
Start eating more.

900 calories is a DANGEROUSLY low level of nutrition for a teenager whose bones and muscles are still developing. At your age you NEED the additional vitamins and minerals to aid you in growth.

When a fully mature adult under eats, his metabolism slows down and and body begins to store fat in preparation for a period of starvation. When a growing teen under eats, not only does his metabolism slow down and he begins to store fat, his bones and muscles are damaged by lack of nutrition, pretty much guaranteeing that he's permanently damaged his metabolism for life.

I cannot stress this enough. If you don't eat a reasonable amount of food, you are going to harm yourself and being fat will be the least of your worries.
 
Hmm, then what should I do? Eat a 1500 calorie diet and increase my cardio?

What would you recommend?
 
At your weight, I'd start with 1800 to 2000 calories. And yes, you're going to gain back some weight at first as your metabolism readjusts to eating enough food to sustain your body. Don't sweat it and don't freak out and start dropping calories again.

Make sure you're getting a healthy balance of protein, complex carbs, veggies, and healthy fats. I don't see nearly enough veggies in what you're eating based on your description above.

4 days a week of cardio and strength training should be plenty. I'd make sure that you're doing effective strength training ... read the stickies in the exercise forum to get more information.

Again, you ARE going to gain back weight at first - it's going to be impossible not to after you've slowed your metabolism down. You need to power through it and give your body time to readjust. You will start losing again eventually ... but you can't deprive your body of nutrition.
 
Ok, thanks for the info, but now I have many questions:

If it's vitamins and minerals I need for developing, why do I have to increase my calories that much? Why can't I just eat more vegetables and fruits without eating all those calories?

If it's because I also need the calories to develop, why can't my body just take them from my fat supplies? It just won't do it to save energy?

When it comes to losing fat, is it the same to eat, for example, a 1000 calorie diet doing no exercise and a 2000 calorie diet but burning 1000 with exercise?

And finally, how low can metabolism go in starvation mode?
 
You need to increase your calories because you are giving your body far less than it needs. Sadly healthy weight loss is not as easy as "I will eat 900 calories and let my body take the other 1300 from fat each day." Your body won't just take energy from fat, it will take energy from muscle and destroy it, and put the building of new muscle and tissue on hold until you start eating more.

At your age you need to be growing muscle, bone, and other tissues, so you don't want to go into an extreme calorie deficit.

Weight loss is simple in principle, but endlessly complex in practice.

You mentioned a plateau where you compensated by dropping to 900 calories. You can break a plateau in a healthy way by taking one step back in order to be able to take three steps forward, as Kara suggested.

Bring your caloric intake back up to 2500- 2000ish, you might gain a few pounds, but if you are working out it will likely be minimal. After a couple weeks of this your metabolism can recharge and you could drop back down to 2000 from 2500 and see weight loss.
 
If it's vitamins and minerals I need for developing, why do I have to increase my calories that much? Why can't I just eat more vegetables and fruits without eating all those calories?
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Becuase you need more than just veggies and fruits. You need protein. You need fiber. You need Omega3 and Omega6 fatty acids that aren't in fruits. You need healthy fats. You need energy for your body to use to grow.

If it's because I also need the calories to develop, why can't my body just take them from my fat supplies? It just won't do it to save energy?
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It will take it from your fat - to some degree. That's why you eat fewer calories that your body needs - to lose weight. But you still have to eat enough to get basic nutrition.

Look at it this way ... say you're washing a car right? You put a teeny tiny drop of soap on the car and try to wash the whole thing - nothing happens, right? You just smear the dirt around some and then the car is still dirty. You put too much soap on and you've got massive piles of bubbles and froth and it takes tons of water and washing and rinsing and still you never get all the soap off and it forms a scum on the car. But you use just the right amount of soap, the car is clean, the soap rinses off and ... everything is balanced.

Eating is the same. You eat too little and your body freaks out because you're not feeding it enough. This is even worse as a teenager because you need those nutrients more than an average adult. You eat too much and the food sticks around as fat. YOu eat just right and you have a healthy balance.

When it comes to losing fat, is it the same to eat, for example, a 1000 calorie diet doing no exercise and a 2000 calorie diet but burning 1000 with exercise?
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No. For a whole lot of reasons. First of all ... let's go back to nutrients. When you eat 1000 calories of food you get 1000 calories worth of nutrients (assuming you're eating healthy food). When you eat 2000 calories of food and then burn off 1000 calories worth of it, you're still getting ALL of those nutrients from the 2000 calories. But you're burning off 1000 calories of energy which will equal fat (mostly). But also exercise isn't just about losing weight. Yes, you exercise to burn calories, but you also exercise to build bone density, build muscle strength, support your joints, build your cardiovascular system. Exercise should be a part of your life no matter whether you're fat, skinny, or inbetween. It has far more benefits than just burning calories.

And finally, how low can metabolism go in starvation mode?
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I don't really understand the question. "Starvation mode" is shorthand for a hugely complex process that the body goes through to insure survival. Each individual has a different break point for where their metabolism stalls out or kicks into that mode. As a teenager it is far more dangerous for you to reach that mode because your bones, muscles, and internal organs are not fully developed yet and you NEED that nutrition to develop those things. If you don't develop them now, then you will never be able to develop them later. If you develop them properly now, then you will be healthier and fitter for longer as an adult.
 
I see, thanks for the answers.

I'll try to increase my caloric intake gradually and double the amount of veggies I eat.

Would it be good to do moderate cardio everyday to counteract some of the weight gain, or would it also affect my metabolism negatively?

(I know, I ask too many questions :p)
 
Never too many questions .. that's how you learn! :)

Yes, you should definitely keep exercising. Exercise is good for you in all kinds of ways, including helping manage your weight.

Keep eating healthily and keep exercising!
 
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