losing weight with a low body fat percentage

i only have 15.1% body fat. that's great, but i'd still like to lose a few pounds since i gained so much through binge eating :/ (btw, i finally am going to a counselor and nutritionist for that problem). the only problem is that its sooo hard and the scale is not budging. i know i shouldn't go below 1200 calories a day but it seems as if that is the only way. any other suggestions? or just words of encouragement?

Well, 15% for a woman is a very low body fat percentage, so I would expect it to be very difficult to lower it more.  In fact, you're at the lower end of the "athletic" range, according to the American Council on Exercise breakdown.  I would even suspect you're already at a very low BMI, which will further complicate things.  As in, you really shouldn't be trying to lose weight anymore because you're bordering (or in) an unhealthy weight zone.  But I could be wrong.  You're the only one that can answer that, as you haven't posted any numbers besides the 15.1%.

I think you should also look at what you're trying to accomplish.  A lower body fat percentage can also be achieved by increasing your lean body mass.  Aka build muscle.  By working out, you can both burn more calories in a day and also gain muscle mass, which would achieve your goals.  However, it likely won't get rid of a pot belly, if you feel that's where the problem is at.

Clint

I think the scale isn't budging because you're already very small. 15% body fat is very low for a woman - at less than 12%, many women lose their periods. I am not a doctor or nutritionist, but I would strongly urge you to discuss your desire to lose more weight with both your counselor and nutritionist. If they tell you that you don't need to lose more weight (for that matter, if they tell you you need to gain weight) PLEASE listen.

I see in your profile that you're worried about weight gain and going away to college, but that's not unavoidable, and the way to avoid it is NOT to starve yourself, but to establish healthy eating habits. For that it's just as important to eat enough as it is not to eat too much.

Take care of yourself! If you're having a hard time controlling your eating habits, please seek advice from medical professionals, and ask them about strategies to remain healthy when you go away to school. Try to avoid the trap that thinner is better - it isn't. Healthy is better. You can't be healthy if you're not eating enough for your body to work.

thanks for the replies! i should have put my stats. my BMI is 19.9% which i realize is the low end of healthy. But according to the doctor i can weight 5 pounds less than i do now and still not be underweight. really i'd just like that. and i'm not terribly concerned with losing weight since it is obviously vanity weight, but i weighed 5 lbs less at one point and felt great. i am at 110lbs right now at 5'2", very small frame. i just notice my clothes fit much more comfortably and would feel much better there.

Just because you can weigh 5 lbs less and still not technically be underweight doesn't automatically mean that you should.  Not everyone is meant to be at the bottom of the BMI chart.  If someone has to undereat (eat less than their minimum required calories) to lose the weight, then it's probably not a healthy goal for their bodies.

I suggest just using this time to steadily eat healthy so that when you go off to school, it will come more naturally for you to eat healthy there as well.

You are being unrealistic and could possibly damage your health for good.  Low body fat can cause hormonal disturbances and vitamin deficiencies.  Lack of vitamin D, a fat soluable vitamin, can damage your bones badly.

Dr. Weil says:  We carry two kinds of fat in our bodies, essential fat which is stored in small amounts in bone marrow, organs, the central nervous system and muscles, and is needed for the normal, healthy functioning of all these body systems, and "storage" fat, which is stocked for energy.

That means you are risking your organs and central nervous system, including your brain.  You need body fat!

Nobody here would encourage you to do this to yourself.

So just some thoughts...

How did you determine your body fat percentage?  There's lots of methods, and the accuracy ranges widely (and can depend on the skill of the measurer). 

If you're at 15% right now and 110 pounds, that's 16.5 pounds of fat on your body.  Losing another 5 pounds of fat (assuming you could do that without losing muscle mass as well) would put you at 10% body fat, which is not a healthy amount, nor is it sustainable (in my opinion).

Your body likely doesn't want to lose more fat, and even if you manage it, you likely won't be able to keep it off.  There's a reason why body-builders cut weight for a contest, but don't stay at that weight/body fat percentage regularly.  Their diets up to a contest aren't anything I'd want to live on.

Clint

I agree with the other posters here that you don't need to lose any fat.  Your body fat percentage is terrific.  But it sounds like what you're describing (pants fitting better/lower previous weight)  might actually be due to water retention and not excess fat.  You might want to try eating really clean for a week and avoiding salt, refined flours, sugars, sodas etc.  Don't take diuretics, they can really mess up your electrolyte balance and cause serious complications.  Eat really clean and drink tons of water...you may lose a couple of pounds of water weight and feel a little bit better in your jeans.

BTW, according to your profile you're just about to go away to college, that means you're probably about 18 which means you need more than 1200 calories per day as your minum.  1500 would be the minimum for your age range.  You might find that increasing your calories to 1500-1800 works to lose those last 5 lbs.

15.1% is too precise. No method of measuring body fat can get that close, not even water displacement. Even the best methods can be off by 1-2% and things like measuring waist size can be off by a LOT more and are only rough indicators.

You can lose weight even with a low body fat percentage. If you ARE at 15%, though, you can't get much lower healthfully (the minimum for women is 10-12%, anything under 10% is dangerous) unless you lose muscle. Which is perfectly fine if your lean weight is high - it won't make you any healthier, but it won't make you sicker either if you are careful and slow and have enough power-muscle that you can spare some without affecting organs.