Help! Not losing body fat!? Need professional advice.

Zdehni

Hi MFP friends/professionals,

I need some support as I'm losing motivation.

Here are my stats before explaining my situation :
Height:165
Age:29
Weight 67 KG (144 lbs)
Muscle mass: 53.9kg (118lbs)
BMI: 24
BMR: 1600cals
Body fat% 17.7
Body fat goal: 10%

I go to the gym (body building) 5 -6 a week (1.5 hrs) and finish off with abs workout. On my day off I do cardio in which I burn 300-500 cals.
I consume about 1500 - 1800 calories per day. My diet is on spot which usually goes like this:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal/all bran with protein shake
Post breakfast:
Tuna or sardine with rice crackers
Lunch:
Sweet potato, chicken breast, broccoli , brown rice
Dinner:
Chicken breast, broccoli ,lean steak, protein shake
Snacks:
Apples, pears, oranges, plums

As you see I don't eat junk food. Lean, healthy food which revolves around fiber, protein and good carbs.
I aim to have daily: 200+g of protein, 100- 150 carbs and 20g healthy fats

With all this, my belly fat won't go away. I've been disciplined for 3 months now.
I'm losing motivation and just pissed off every time I look in the mirror.

Can anyone out there help me or give me professional advice?

Thanks so much.

SezxyStef

I looked at the last couple weeks of your logging and I see you are in the red a lot...

You eat back all your exercise calories plus some...

weight loss is about your eating not your exercise

You can eat as clean as you want but if you aren't in a deficet you wont lose...

Zdehni

That's true, but my target calorie intake for the last 3 months has been 1400 which I changed today to 1800. I thought maybe I was eating to few calories.

Zdehni

What do you recommend my daily calorie intake should be considering my given stats?

ImaWaterBender

Have you taken photos of yourself to compare? Sometimes weight is not about the numbers, but the measurements and the fit of the clothing.

I think that 1800 for a man who is doing what you are doing would be about as low as you would want to go. But talk to a professional or a doctor about what your goals should be.

SezxyStef

well...I eat 1800 atm and will still lose weight...my maintenance is between 2100-2200 so I suspect as a man who is active you could eat more than me...

There are TDEE Calculators online that will give you a rough estimate which would give you a good starting point such as iifym.com and Scooby TDEE calculator.

I did a quick one on scooby (I find it about 100 over for me) and for you stats it gave the following

BMR = 1611
TDEE = 2780
TDEE-10%=2502

If it were me I would eat up to 2200-2300 and see how it goes...not eating back exercise calories and weighing my food.

If you want to log exercise do that but make the calories at 1.

jcr85

well...I eat 1800 atm and will still lose weight...my maintenance is between 2100-2200 so I suspect as a man who is active you could eat more than me...

There are TDEE Calculators online that will give you a rough estimate which would give you a good starting point such as iifym.com and Scooby TDEE calculator.

I did a quick one on scooby (I find it about 100 over for me) and for you stats it gave the following

BMR = 1611
TDEE = 2780
TDEE-10%=2502

If it were me I would eat up to 2200-2300 and see how it goes...not eating back exercise calories and weighing my food.

If you want to log exercise do that but make the calories at 1.

I agree completely with this.


I would change your lifting program though. Do stronglifts or sheiko or something along those lines and drop the cardio. I know it seems counter-intuitive but essentially lift heavy and eat more and your will drop that body fat.

SezxyStef

well...I eat 1800 atm and will still lose weight...my maintenance is between 2100-2200 so I suspect as a man who is active you could eat more than me...

There are TDEE Calculators online that will give you a rough estimate which would give you a good starting point such as iifym.com and Scooby TDEE calculator.

I did a quick one on scooby (I find it about 100 over for me) and for you stats it gave the following

BMR = 1611
TDEE = 2780
TDEE-10%=2502

If it were me I would eat up to 2200-2300 and see how it goes...not eating back exercise calories and weighing my food.

If you want to log exercise do that but make the calories at 1.

I agree completely with this.


I would change your lifting program though. Do stronglifts or sheiko or something along those lines and drop the cardio. I know it seems counter-intuitive but essentially lift heavy and eat more and your will drop that body fat.

I should add that is with 5-6hours of strenous exercise a week...per your original post.

I agree with Stronglifts or 5/3/1 or some other compound movement lifting program 3-4x a week and if you want the cardio continue with that after you lift or on your off days with at least one total rest day a week and at least one light day between each lifting day.

budobo

It sounds like you're on the right track. If you're plateauing, you clearly need to change something: your diet, your exercise, or your goals (maybe they aren't realistic).

I am no professional, but I have a slight understanding of nutrient needs and how exercise affects the body (I have a BS in Health Science).

To get down to 10%, you'll need a very extreme diet.

Fruits are great, however, they are also high in simple sugars. I would consider eating fewer fruits (nutritional deficits caused by this can be compensated for in supplements) and replacing them with fiber/complex carb foods. Edamame (soybeans) is my post-workout snack, and my boyfriend always brings a protein shake for his post-work out.

I would also recommend varying your work-out.

Our bodies become accustomed to the same routine. You might try HIT (high intensity interval training) or mixing in cardio after you've lifted (you will feel far more exhausted doing even medium intensity cardio after lifting).

Keep up the good work!

Zdehni

Have you taken photos of yourself to compare? Sometimes weight is not about the numbers, but the measurements and the fit of the clothing.

I think that 1800 for a man who is doing what you are doing would be about as low as you would want to go. But talk to a professional or a doctor about what your goals should be.

Yeah I've taken photos. I've definitely gained muscle and slimmed down but the stubborn belly fat just won't budge.

Zdehni

well...I eat 1800 atm and will still lose weight...my maintenance is between 2100-2200 so I suspect as a man who is active you could eat more than me...

There are TDEE Calculators online that will give you a rough estimate which would give you a good starting point such as iifym.com and Scooby TDEE calculator.

I did a quick one on scooby (I find it about 100 over for me) and for you stats it gave the following

BMR = 1611
TDEE = 2780
TDEE-10%=2502

If it were me I would eat up to 2200-2300 and see how it goes...not eating back exercise calories and weighing my food.

If you want to log exercise do that but make the calories at 1.

Thanks a lot. I guess I will up my calorie intake.

Luciu5

Thanks a lot. I guess I will up my calorie intake.

Of course because that makes a ton of sense.

Have you lost any weight? How long has it been since you last saw a scale loss? Are you losing weight but body fat percent isn't changing? How are you measuring your body fat?

I think either your counting is bad or this is a water retention issue. If it's the former, than L2countcalories, latter than you'll see a drop in a week or two when your body lets go of the fluids.