Advice for cutting body fat

josiahmace76

Hey all! I am an 18 y/o male, 5’10” 155 pounds. I workout 6 days a week w/ HIIT cardio most days, and a couple days of longer runs. I calculated my approximate TDEE at around 2700 calories from multiple different calculators, so my goal has been to hit 2200-2300 calories to remain in a deficit to lose body fat. Do these numbers seem correct? I was eating a lot less for a while without realizing it so I wrecked my metabolism and am having a hard one taking in this much calories, just seems like a lot and I’m full most of the time, and also feels like I’m gaining weight and losing my physique, though the scale hasn’t moved. I’ve been told to be patient, so I’m hoping running this program will allow me to cut body fat?

pinggolfer96

You said you’ve been gaining weight but wanting to cut body fat? That makes no sense. A lot of your questions can be answered on your own if you just think a little or use google. Here’s a simple thought: are you losing weight? Then you’re in a deficit. Are you gaining weight? Then you’re not in a deficit. And we can’t tell you if those calories look good cause caloric intake is subjective. I’d suggest figuring out your goals then go from there. Also sounds like you have a skewed relationship/ perspective towards food and body image. Sorry to be blunt, but just stating the truth to help you

josiahmace76

pinggolfer96 wrote: »

You said you’ve been gaining weight but wanting to cut body fat? That makes no sense. A lot of your questions can be answered on your own if you just think a little or use google. Here’s a simple thought: are you losing weight? Then you’re in a deficit. Are you gaining weight? Then you’re not in a deficit. And we can’t tell you if those calories look good cause caloric intake is subjective. I’d suggest figuring out your goals then go from there. Also sounds like you have a skewed relationship/ perspective towards food and body image. Sorry to be blunt, but just stating the truth to help you

No worries whatsoever! I am completely new to the counting calories side of fitness and trying to soak up all the knowledge I can, so it’s appreciated. Didn’t mean to confuse you, all I meant to be asking was if my numbers sounded reasonable. I was in a severe calorie deficit without realizing it, which caused my metabolism to slow and my weight to plateau at 155 for a couple weeks. I lost a lot of energy and was not feeling well, so I started trying to read up about how much food I need. So I started upping my calories, and felt as though it would be accompanied by weight gain, and to your mention of the skewed relationship, that stems from my prior severe overweight self and worries of gaining that much again.

MichelleSilverleaf

How much weight are you trying to lose? Is it you want a better physique or do you have actual weight to lose? It matters because I think you're at a good weight range for your height (someone could double-check) and if it's just wanting to shape your physique you're looking more at recomp or a cut/bulk which are different from weight loss. Also if you don't have a food scale, get one. Use it for a month, tracking accurately.

josiahmace76

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

How much weight are you trying to lose? Is it you want a better physique or do you have actual weight to lose? It matters because I think you're at a good weight range for your height (someone could double-check) and if it's just wanting to shape your physique you're looking more at recomp or a cut/bulk which are different from weight loss. Also if you don't have a food scale, get one. Use it for a month, tracking accurately.

Trying to stay at this body weight but be lean, body fat wise. I have a good scale and am using it! Thank you. I’m just assuming my body is going to take a bit to get used to the upped calorie amount again, even though I’ll still be in deficit just because I was taking in so little. Going to ease into the upped amount and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint! Lot of mindset work to be done on my part as well as the healthy amount to intake

MichelleSilverleaf

josiahmace76 wrote: »

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

How much weight are you trying to lose? Is it you want a better physique or do you have actual weight to lose? It matters because I think you're at a good weight range for your height (someone could double-check) and if it's just wanting to shape your physique you're looking more at recomp or a cut/bulk which are different from weight loss. Also if you don't have a food scale, get one. Use it for a month, tracking accurately.

Trying to stay at this body weight but be lean, body fat wise. I have a good scale and am using it! Thank you. I’m just assuming my body is going to take a bit to get used to the upped calorie amount again, even though I’ll still be in deficit just because I was taking in so little. Going to ease into the upped amount and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint! Lot of mindset work to be done on my part as well as the healthy amount to intake

Ok then sounds like recomp is more what you're looking for, if you want to maintain your current weight. This thread's first post has info on that: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1 Basically you're going to want to start a lifting program and really stick to a proper amount of calories and protein. Give it a read.

josiahmace76

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

josiahmace76 wrote: »

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

How much weight are you trying to lose? Is it you want a better physique or do you have actual weight to lose? It matters because I think you're at a good weight range for your height (someone could double-check) and if it's just wanting to shape your physique you're looking more at recomp or a cut/bulk which are different from weight loss. Also if you don't have a food scale, get one. Use it for a month, tracking accurately.

Trying to stay at this body weight but be lean, body fat wise. I have a good scale and am using it! Thank you. I’m just assuming my body is going to take a bit to get used to the upped calorie amount again, even though I’ll still be in deficit just because I was taking in so little. Going to ease into the upped amount and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint! Lot of mindset work to be done on my part as well as the healthy amount to intake

Ok then sounds like recomp is more what you're looking for, if you want to maintain your current weight. This thread's first post has info on that: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1 Basically you're going to want to start a lifting program and really stick to a proper amount of calories and protein. Give it a read.

Thank you, I will read through it. Can’t say how appreciative I am for your help! Excited to get out on track

SCoil123

If recomp is more what you’re looking for you should be eating around maintenance calories, ensuring your protein minimums are met, and lifting weights.

kimny72

josiahmace76 wrote: »

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

josiahmace76 wrote: »

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

How much weight are you trying to lose? Is it you want a better physique or do you have actual weight to lose? It matters because I think you're at a good weight range for your height (someone could double-check) and if it's just wanting to shape your physique you're looking more at recomp or a cut/bulk which are different from weight loss. Also if you don't have a food scale, get one. Use it for a month, tracking accurately.

Trying to stay at this body weight but be lean, body fat wise. I have a good scale and am using it! Thank you. I’m just assuming my body is going to take a bit to get used to the upped calorie amount again, even though I’ll still be in deficit just because I was taking in so little. Going to ease into the upped amount and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint! Lot of mindset work to be done on my part as well as the healthy amount to intake

Ok then sounds like recomp is more what you're looking for, if you want to maintain your current weight. This thread's first post has info on that: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1 Basically you're going to want to start a lifting program and really stick to a proper amount of calories and protein. Give it a read.

Thank you, I will read through it. Can’t say how appreciative I am for your help! Excited to get out on track

That thread has lots of great info. I'd also suggest as mentioned tracking your food super accurately for a few weeks at least to get a good idea of where you're starting from. weigh out your portions, double check that the entries you are using in the database are correct (many were entered by other users and the numbers are wrong), log everything.

I agree with @MichelleSilverleaf that your weight is in a good place. Not to say there would be anything wrong with losing a few or gaining a few lbs if you ultimately want to! You'll see this in the recomp thread, but just to reiterate, the recomp process is s-l-o-w. At some point you might want to try some bulk/cut cycles, you are at a great age for building muscle. When you get a chance, wander over to the Gaining Weight & Bodybuilding board and read the Most Helpful Posts thread pinned to the top.

I also wanted to add that unless you lost a lot of weight over an extended period of time, you probably didn't affect your metabolism all that much. When people say they are having a hard time eating all their calories, often they are being too restrictive with what they are eating. It's great to eat healthy, but once you have eaten a solid foundation of nutritious food, there's nothing wrong with some peanut butter or ice cream. Or both You will for sure struggle if you're trying to eat lots of calories of chicken and veggies.

Keep learning and good luck!

josiahmace76

kimny72 wrote: »

josiahmace76 wrote: »

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

josiahmace76 wrote: »

MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »

How much weight are you trying to lose? Is it you want a better physique or do you have actual weight to lose? It matters because I think you're at a good weight range for your height (someone could double-check) and if it's just wanting to shape your physique you're looking more at recomp or a cut/bulk which are different from weight loss. Also if you don't have a food scale, get one. Use it for a month, tracking accurately.

Trying to stay at this body weight but be lean, body fat wise. I have a good scale and am using it! Thank you. I’m just assuming my body is going to take a bit to get used to the upped calorie amount again, even though I’ll still be in deficit just because I was taking in so little. Going to ease into the upped amount and remember it’s a marathon not a sprint! Lot of mindset work to be done on my part as well as the healthy amount to intake

Ok then sounds like recomp is more what you're looking for, if you want to maintain your current weight. This thread's first post has info on that: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1 Basically you're going to want to start a lifting program and really stick to a proper amount of calories and protein. Give it a read.

Thank you, I will read through it. Can’t say how appreciative I am for your help! Excited to get out on track

That thread has lots of great info. I'd also suggest as mentioned tracking your food super accurately for a few weeks at least to get a good idea of where you're starting from. weigh out your portions, double check that the entries you are using in the database are correct (many were entered by other users and the numbers are wrong), log everything.

I agree with @MichelleSilverleaf that your weight is in a good place. Not to say there would be anything wrong with losing a few or gaining a few lbs if you ultimately want to! You'll see this in the recomp thread, but just to reiterate, the recomp process is s-l-o-w. At some point you might want to try some bulk/cut cycles, you are at a great age for building muscle. When you get a chance, wander over to the Gaining Weight & Bodybuilding board and read the Most Helpful Posts thread pinned to the top.

I also wanted to add that unless you lost a lot of weight over an extended period of time, you probably didn't affect your metabolism all that much. When people say they are having a hard time eating all their calories, often they are being too restrictive with what they are eating. It's great to eat healthy, but once you have eaten a solid foundation of nutritious food, there's nothing wrong with some peanut butter or ice cream. Or both You will for sure struggle if you're trying to eat lots of calories of chicken and veggies.

Keep learning and good luck!

Thank you! I will for sure check out that thread as well. I already started researching recomp some more, just trying to soak t all up and it seems very intriguing! I like the idea of building muscle and leaning up, and I think it will be a good learning experience to have a slower process. I’d love to put on some more muscle and weight eventually once I am able to pin down the body fat to a more desirable (imo) amount