Should I quit losing fat?

[worprz]

So basically I have been wanting to start lifting again so I could gain more muscle but I lack the funds to get the proper nutrition currently. So I figured it was a perfect time to lose some excess body fat until I have more money. Currently I am a little under 8% body fat and I feel like this is too little, however I still have some fat in my chest and quite a bit in my stomach. So do you guys think if I just started gaining muscle again would my muscle look well defined with this amount of fat?

Also I won't be able to start lifting again until I find a job that works well with my university schedule. I have lost some muscle also while losing fat, it's awful but I wanted to lose the fat eventually. Right now I have just been running everyday and on the days I don't run I do HIIT training. I have to take extreme measure to lose this fat though since I was only around 12% body fat when I started.

[Deatheryn]

First off, the best way to lose fat is by building muscle! Just like marble in a piece of meat your muscles have fat throughout them and will be greatly reduced through weight lifting & calisthenics!, the latter being the most long lasting of the two! If you hope to keep the majority of muscle built I would recommend doing a lot of calisthenics,(push ups,pull ups, dips, crunches,..etc.) as you will keep the muscle gained from these workouts much longer but it takes more work to obtain! These will also get your body ready for weights and it will make them a much less shock to your system! After starting a weight lifting routine that works for you, continue doing calisthenics on off days!, switching up muscle groups as to let the ones you hit w/ weights get the rest they require! Working out is 25% the workout,25% eating right, and 50% rest! Rest is th e most important for your muscles to do the work of rebuilding themselves!

Your 8% body fat is far from to little especially if you are going for a chiseled look! If that is what you want go w/ a low carb/high protein diet and eat 6-7 small meals a day each meal containing roughly 30-40 grams of protein as your body cannot absorb more than 30-40 grams of protein every 3-4 hours so more is just wasting it! A can of tuna in spring water is a great source of 30 grams of protein, as well a peanut butter and hard boiled eggs! As far as carbs go there are good carbs and bad carbs! Good carbs being complex carbs such as anything that is whole wheat! Bad carbs come from things like white bread and such, anything white is bad because it has essentially been bleached removing most if not all nutritional value! Complex carbs are fuel for your body! Fresh fruit is a great source of vitamins and natural sugars as well for pre/post workout fuel! Last but not least, drink lots and lots of cold water, 30 mins. before a workout, during a workout and definitely after you work out! The reason for it to be cold, is that your body has to burn calories in order to warm the water to body temperature before it can be digested there for keeping your metabolism running at full steam before you ever even begin your work out!

This is all the things I have learned through my own research for fitness routines and while everyone is different and certain routines work better for some than others these are just the basic guidelines I have come to learn!Muscle Fitness magazines offer a tremendous wealth of info for someone getting into this particular lifestyle!

[Awakar]

If you're at just under 8% I can't imagine you have very much fat left, despite what you state. That's quite low to begin with, and going even lower than that is hard. You could push it a little lower, but when you're in the single digits, it sure isn't easy.

[fishtacos]

If you are 8% BF then you are either one of two body types.

You are very lean, and very defined. Many Pacquiao is around 8% during weight ins for reference. In this case you are in excellent shape and do not need any extra training.

Or, you are very, very skinny. Have a malnourished appearance and can see your ribs and hip bones easily. It would be very difficult to perform a skinfold test on this body type. If you are this body type you need to eat more, plain and simple.

If you are none of the above you aren't 8%. From your description you are around 15-20%, and can benefit from eating less refined carbohydrates and more fruits, vegetables and lean meat. So in conclusion no, you shouldn't quit losing fat.