Help! What now?

Ad_Mare

Ive been eating at a calorie deficit for a few months and am getting closer to my goal weight. I've not been working out much other than some (30 mins a day) cardio purely for health reasons. My dilemma is that I'm getting close to my goal weight and still feel like I'm not close to what I thought my body would look like. I still carry most weight around my waist. I know I can't spot reduce but I also don't want to drop below my goal weight.
Do I continue the deficit to get rid of the fat? Do I need to gain muscle? If so, I was under the impression that you can't cut and gain at the same time?

Halp!

arditarose

What are your current stats and what is your goal weight?

If you're in a healthy weight range, it's entirely up to you. If you have a tummy and there's room to lose, you can keep up your deficit. You don't really gain muscle in a deficit. Strength training to preserve LBM is always recommended though.

shadow2soul

Maybe body recomp:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

SergeantSausage

Too much fat is too much fat, regardless of what the number on the scales say (keeping in mind medically safe and reasonable, right?).

I had to go 12 more pounds than my initial goal to achieve the look I wanted. If you still feel you're too soft in the middle for your liking, you know what to do. Our expectations are often really far off from reality.

Orphia

You can still build muscle if your daily deficit is less than 500 calories.

mmarie_3

If you still have a tummy the only way to combat that is diet. Everybody is different and carry their weight differently!! Adding a little strength training will definitely expedite the process