Need encouragement

92019start

So about a year ago I started lifting and in that time I’ve gained 2lbs of muscle and 5lbs of fat. I’m 5’6” and now about 126lbs, 20.5% body fat. I’m looking to lean out a little, but haven’t been able to follow a calorie target. I’ve tried intuitive eating, low carb, fasting, just plain calorie counting, exercising more, exercising less, etc, but it’s just been a slow gain of about 0.5lb per month over the last year. I need a fresh plan and a roadmap of where to go from here. I’m feeling disheartened that I can’t seem to even maintain, even though I’d like to ultimately lose a few lbs of fat. Thanks!

spiriteagle99

If you are gaining .5 a month, you are likely eating just a little too much to maintain your weight. It may be just the cream in your coffee or the extra chocolate bar after a workout. It may be that 121 lbs. was too low a weight for you to maintain easily. I am your size, and the only way I can maintain at 121 is if I'm running 35-40 miles a week. When I'm not running that much, I gain because I'm not willing to give up my occasional beer and ice cream.

If weighing less is important to you, you can do it. Counting calories works, but with so little to lose, you'll need to weigh everything you eat and be careful to pick the right data entries. Given that you are at a healthy weight right now, you'll need to do it slowly, cutting 250 or so calories a day to lose .5 a week.

Danp

0.5lb per month means you're eating 1750cal per month above maintenance.

Thant's (approx) 60cal per day. That's how little you need to adjust what you're doing. Achieving that doesn't require giving up the beer or ice cream. You could probably achieve that just be reducing condiments and sources or even finding a slightly lower calorie version of a food you're eating and substituting.

Lolalikeslolagets

There’s a great podcast by Paul salter called screw the scale - look it up, I highly recommend it...

NovusDies

92019start wrote: »

So about a year ago I started lifting and in that time I’ve gained 2lbs of muscle and 5lbs of fat. I’m 5’6” and now about 126lbs, 20.5% body fat. I’m looking to lean out a little, but haven’t been able to follow a calorie target. I’ve tried intuitive eating, low carb, fasting, just plain calorie counting, exercising more, exercising less, etc, but it’s just been a slow gain of about 0.5lb per month over the last year. I need a fresh plan and a roadmap of where to go from here. I’m feeling disheartened that I can’t seem to even maintain, even though I’d like to ultimately lose a few lbs of fat. Thanks!

All fat weight change is driven by calories and you are eating slightly more than you need. Trying different methods will not change that as you have found out. It is better to find a method that you feel you can live with and then keep working at it until you get your desired results. If you chose counting calories you have to make sure you log everything accurately and then if you still creep up in weight adjust your eating until it starts to come back the other way. If you are very close to goal you may have to wait for a really long time in between adjustments because of normal weight fluctuations:

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/