Maintain? gain? Help!

franzhaydn
franzhaydn Posts: 44
in Motivation and Support
Hi everyone, this is such a great community I feel like it will help me to put this out there.
I'm 18, 5'9", 111 lbs. my BMR is 1330. My TDEE is 1440. My waist just below the navel is 27.5", giving me an unhealthy body fat percentage of 24%. I eat around 1500 cals a day, sometimes more, but often come in a little under 1500 because of light cardio. My goal is to have a lower body fat percentage under 20% and not necessarily be slim.
Recently I have been cutting back on cardio and weightlifting along with increasing my protein intake. I eat very clean. However, my middle is getting fatter while my spine and ribcage are losing. I don't know what in the world is happening. I work out every body part on alternating days three times a week. My weight is stable. I feel great and like my body, but calculators tell me I'm not in the fat% bracket I'd like, and others think I am too skinny. I am very confused and don't even know what I should be aiming for.

People have suggested for me to stop lifting weights and do light cardio to put on some weight. I don't think this makes sense, does it?
Any opinion is greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • nikkiofthelake
    nikkiofthelake Posts: 18
    I'm surprised no one responded to this. Your BMI is pretty low. It's only 16.4. I'd suggest eating more to gain some weight. I wouldn't up the cardio (that doesn't make sense to me), and I'd keep on lifting weights. You can't gain muscle mass unless you're eating more than you burn (which you should be doing anyway since you're underweight).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    There's no way in hell that your TDEE is 1,440 and 24% BF is not an unhealthy BF% for a woman. You are underweight at your height and weight. You should eat more and lift weights to put on muscle. Do an actual program...just doing your own thing isn't going to get you much in the way of results...certainly not efficient results.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
    You definitely need to gain weight because you're underweight. You know this, so I'm not sure why you're asking.

    There's no reason to stop exercising, but you'll need to increase your calorie intake even more than you would need to if you didn't exercise.

    Also, a woman's waist is the thinnest part of her torso, not below her navel. Men are supposed to measure below their navel, while women should measure their natural waist and hips.

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