Confused about how much I should eat

violetpurdy

I feel bad posting around here so often, however, I've been pretty confused lately.

I'm a 19-year-old female who's 5'3 and I started at 162lbs. My initial goal weight was 120lbs, but when I got to that point, I wasn't happy with how I looked and aimed for 110lbs instead.

I'm now at 110lbs and I don't know where to go from here. I wish my stomach was a little flatter as well as my upper arms, but other than that, I'd say I'm pretty content.

How do I go about with solving these two problem areas? I've been told mixed things. Some people say I still have weight to lose whereas others say I should just build muscle and in turn, it'll rid the visual of the fat.

If it helps, I'm at a body fat percentage of 22-23% (depending on which calculator I use).

What would you suggest doing? I currently do 30 minutes of cardio daily plus 15 minutes of arm strength exercises every other day.

Should I still eat at a deficit or should I maintain?

I'm just really upset and confused because whenever I maintain, I fear I won't see results, yet eating at a deficit doesn't seem right anymore either, considering how low that number has gotten with all my previous weight loss. I just need some guidance at this bump in the road. Thank you!

malibu927

I would eat at maintenance and start on a progressive lifting program such as Stronglifts 5x5. This will help you slowly lose more fat, though it will be from everywhere and not just your arms and belly.

jemhh

malibu927 wrote: »

I would eat at maintenance and start on a progressive lifting program such as Stronglifts 5x5. This will help you slowly lose more fat, though it will be from everywhere and not just your arms and belly.

This is good advice. I lost 52 lbs in 2014 and maintained while focusing on lifting. What I looked like in Jan 2015 and what I looked like at the end of that year were different due to myour change in body composition.

capaul42

malibu927 wrote: »

I would eat at maintenance and start on a progressive lifting program such as Stronglifts 5x5. This will help you slowly lose more fat, though it will be from everywhere and not just your arms and belly.

This