Lowering your body fat percentage: the factors that matter

Ian van der Werf

14 July 2026

Lowering your body fat percentage: what really works? A small deficit, strength training, enough protein, sleep and patience. We explain what to steer by, and why the scales do not tell you everything.

You train hard, but that last layer around your belly stays put. Or the scales barely move, while you feel stronger. Lowering your body fat percentage is about doing a few things consistently well, not about an extreme diet or endless cardio. We line up what really works, and why the scales tell only part of the story.

How do you lower your body fat percentage?

You lower your body fat percentage by combining a small energy deficit with strength training and enough protein, and keeping it up long enough. That way you lose fat while keeping muscle. The scales may then drop slowly, but your body composition visibly improves.

Four things do most of the work:

A small energy deficit. You lose fat when you take in slightly less energy than you use.¹ Keep that deficit modest, so you can sustain it and keep your strength.
Strength training. Without a training stimulus, you also lose muscle when you lose weight. Strength training gives your body a reason to hold on to muscle, so mainly fat disappears.
Enough protein. Enough protein protects your muscles while you lose weight and keeps you fuller for longer.
Sleep and patience. Too little sleep works against you: more hunger, less recovery. And fat does not go in a week, consistency over months beats any crash attempt.

Lower your BMI: a rough number, not a goal in itself

Many people want to lower their BMI. Good to know: BMI is a rough measure that only compares your weight and height, not how much of that is fat or muscle.¹ A muscular person can have a high BMI without much fat. So steer by your body fat percentage and how your body looks and feels, more than by BMI alone. When your body fat drops, your BMI usually follows.

Why the scales do not tell the whole story

Your weight fluctuates with fluid, food and muscle gain. If you build muscle while losing fat, the scales can almost stand still while your body becomes leaner. Better measures are:

how your clothes fit
photos in the same light
your measurements, such as around your waist
your strength in training

Together they say far more about your body fat percentage than your weight alone.

A real example from our practice

"A client came to us after years of fighting the scales. A demanding job, having tried everything, but the number would not come down. We did not look at that number, we looked at her body composition. In five months her body fat dropped from 35 to 27 per cent and more than five kilos of fat disappeared, while the scales barely moved. During that period she ate more than at the start. What gave her peace of mind was seeing the right things move in the right direction, even when the scales said otherwise."

At De Werf it starts with reflection: where are you, what already works and where do things get stuck? From there we build a rhythm of training and nutrition that you can sustain, and we steer by your body composition rather than a single number. That way you lower your body fat percentage in a way that lasts.

Want to lower your body fat percentage without getting lost in diets? During an intake at De Werf in The Hague, discover what suits you.

Schedule an intake

Read also:
Our coaching in nutrition & lifestyle and physical training, and Renske's story: My fight with the scales.

Sources:
¹ Losing weight - Voedingscentrum

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Frequently asked questions about lowering body fat

Answers to the most common questions about a lower body fat percentage.

With a small energy deficit, strength training and enough protein, kept up long enough. That way you lose fat and keep muscle. A crash diet backfires, consistency over months wins.

It varies by person, sex and age. More important than an exact number is the direction: if your body fat drops while you keep your strength and energy, you are on track. A professional helps you set a realistic goal.

Cardio burns calories, but without strength training and enough protein you also lose muscle. The combination of a small deficit, strength and protein lowers your body fat most effectively and keeps you strong.

Look at the trend, not a single reading. A skinfold measurement, a girth measurement or a bio-impedance scale each give an estimate; the exact figure matters less than whether it drops over the weeks. We measure the same way each time, so you see real progress.

Ready to lower your body fat?

Schedule a no-obligation intake at De Werf in The Hague. Together we look at what suits you and build an approach to training and nutrition that you can sustain.