I don't understand!

pkteen

Hi guys.
Here's my conundrum. I'm 19 years old and 5'11. I weigh 194 lbs.
I've been losing weight steadily but my belly is huge. My legs are fairly toned and I don't have a double chin anymore but my belly and back have a LOT of fat on them.
Currently, I'm doing lots of cardio every day of the week with weight training around 5 times a week. The scale is moving and I'm slowly gaining definition as well. In fact, according to most body weight calculators, I'm only around 4 lbs overweight.
Is everything alright? How long do you guys think I'll begin to see significant changes to the fat around my back and belly?
And why am I supposedly 4lbs overweight when I can SEE that my bellyfat alone must be around 10lbs at least.

Alassonde

I'd love to hear answers to this as well. I'm 5' 4", 118 pounds and have a belly and back fat. In my case, though, I really don't have much muscle to speak of at all. I've just started strength training so I'm hoping that will make a difference. Technically I'm not overweight at all, but at 118 pounds I should be wearing a smaller size.....currently wearing a 6 most of the time, my belly won't allow much smaller than that.

kgeyser

First of all, you don't get to choose where your body stores fat. Second, depending on how you went about losing your weight, you may have lost a quite a bit of lean body mass, namely muscle, which is denser than fat. This is why your weight would be lower but you would still be feeling fluffy - a lot of people refer to this as skinny-fat.

Weight training is good and will help burn off the remaining fat, it's just going to take time. The fact that you are starting to see definition is a good thing.

pkteen

In terms of lean mass, my arms are not very large but my legs and back are very well built.
I'll post pictures here in a sec to show you what I'm talking about.

pkteen

My chest is a bit weird here due to recent surgeries I had but as you can see that I'm quite flabby, especially my belly!

SezxyStef

to lose fat you need a calorie deficet.

You said you lift? what is your program?

KingRat79

There is no great secret to fat loss you simply have to eat fewer calories then you burn. Were we store fat is down of genetics, most men store it round there belly and lower back, this tends to be the first place it goes on and the last place it comes off. There is nothing that you can do about this other then to keep plugging away with the diet.

Lifting weights will help to give you more lean muscle which has two benefits 1) you will look better and 2) lean muscle needs calories to maintain it which means you can eat more without getting fat.

Don’t think of it as a race but rather a long-term lifestyle change just keep at it you will get there eventually.

pkteen

I do Back/Biceps, Triceps/Shoulders/Chest, Cardio Only, Legs and Abs, Back/Biceps
This series is repeated continuously so it's 2 days of lifting and cardio followed by a day of cardio only.
I'm eating no more than 1500 Calories a day. Should I eat even less?
I'm also doing ketosis (except for today since I went out for mother's day dinner with my mom).

What am I doing wrong? Do you think it'll go away slowly? I've been working out regularly with the routine I mentioned for 21 days now and I want to get rid of all my fat by Mid-August.

kgeyser

Ok, 3 weeks is a drop in the bucket. You are not going to see results that fast.

Calculate your TDEE and eat at a modest deficit - you should be eating more than 1500. Find a progressive loading program with compound lifts like Stronglifts 5x5 or Starting Strength. Cardio is fine, maybe 2 days per week, and look into doing some HIIT for your cardio. Have patience.

pkteen

There is no great secret to fat loss you simply have to eat fewer calories then you burn. Were we store fat is a down of genetics, most men store it round there belly and lower back, this tends to be the first place it goes one and the last place it comes off. There is nothing that you can do about this but to keep plugging away with the diet.

Lifting weights will help to give you more lean muscle which has two benefits 1) you will look better and 2) lean muscle needs calories to maintain it which means you can eat more without getting fat.

Don’t think of it as a race but rather a long-term lifestyle just keep at it you will get there eventually.

Yup. I'm definitely treating this as a long-term lifestyle change and not a quick way out but you do understand my dilemma right? Do you think mid august is a goal for losing the belly?

scottkjar

In fact, according to most body weight calculators, I'm only around 4 lbs overweight.

Most bodyweight calculators give a range. E.g., I'm 5' 10" and the normal range for my height seems to be about 135 to 170. So if I were at 174 (not there yet!), I would not think of myself as 4 pounds overweight. I would instead think about how much muscle I have relative to how much fat. If I have more muscle, then I aim for the top of the range. With less muscle, I am toward the bottom of the range. So don't look at just the top of the range; look at the entire range for better perspective.

Snow3y

What body weight calculators?

Insomniac8

You're 4 lbs overweight and you have somehow thin legs and thighs, so no surprise about your belly. In my opinion you need to start your diet using calorie deficit. But keep in mind that you can never choose where to lose fat from but you'll feel a way better about your body anyways. I have same problem with my thighs and butt. My profile photo is me in 5 kg less than my current weight. I'm 58 kg in the photo and my height is 161 and I still had fat thighs.

thesupremeforce

I have no idea where you got being "only four pounds overweight based on most bodyweight calculators" either.

Anyway, you're expecting results too quickly, eating too little (which won't do you any favors in the long run, especially from a body composition standpoint), and generally operating with too little information (or incorrect information).

For reference, most body weight calculators are based on BMI. I'm taller and weigh less than you do, but according to BMI, I'm still a good four pounds into the "overweight" category. I'd also wager that my body fat percentage is several points lower than yours. I'm not trying to make you feel badly, but I really don't see where you're getting your information, so I'm hoping that you can explain.

kgeyser

There is no great secret to fat loss you simply have to eat fewer calories then you burn. Were we store fat is a down of genetics, most men store it round there belly and lower back, this tends to be the first place it goes one and the last place it comes off. There is nothing that you can do about this but to keep plugging away with the diet.

Lifting weights will help to give you more lean muscle which has two benefits 1) you will look better and 2) lean muscle needs calories to maintain it which means you can eat more without getting fat.

Don’t think of it as a race but rather a long-term lifestyle just keep at it you will get there eventually.

Yup. I'm definitely treating this as a long-term lifestyle change and not a quick way out but you do understand my dilemma right? Do you think mid august is a goal for losing the belly?

Why mid-August? Is that when we can expect an apocalyptic event like zombies, nuclear war, or some two-penny bulls*it from an M. Night Shyamalan film where less body fat will be an advantage?

Even if you don't lose it all, you'll still be in a better place than you are now, right? So why not worry less about the scale and measuring tape, and focus on a tangible goal to work towards like increasing your lifts? Honestly, you really have no control over where your body stores fat and where on the body you are going to lose. Your belly could very be the last thing to go. But by mid-August, you could be breaking PRs on all your lifts and be in much better shape than you are now.

pkteen

So basically, I'm overreacting (I do that) and I need to simply continue exercising. The calculator I'm talking about is on a website called health central. I haven't been measuring my waist and hips and I think I should start doing that to track real progress and find out if it's stalled or just slow...

pkteen

There is no great secret to fat loss you simply have to eat fewer calories then you burn. Were we store fat is a down of genetics, most men store it round there belly and lower back, this tends to be the first place it goes one and the last place it comes off. There is nothing that you can do about this but to keep plugging away with the diet.

Lifting weights will help to give you more lean muscle which has two benefits 1) you will look better and 2) lean muscle needs calories to maintain it which means you can eat more without getting fat.

Don’t think of it as a race but rather a long-term lifestyle just keep at it you will get there eventually.

Yup. I'm definitely treating this as a long-term lifestyle change and not a quick way out but you do understand my dilemma right? Do you think mid august is a goal for losing the belly?

Why mid-August? Is that when we can expect an apocalyptic event like zombies, nuclear war, or some two-penny bulls*it from an M. Night Shyamalan film where less body fat will be an advantage?

Even if you don't lose it all, you'll still be in a better place than you are now, right? So why not worry less about the scale and measuring tape, and focus on a tangible goal to work towards like increasing your lifts? Honestly, you really have no control over where your body stores fat and where on the body you are going to lose. Your belly could very be the last thing to go. But by mid-August, you could be breaking PRs on all your lifts and be in much better shape than you are now.

lol I get it, I get it!

It's good that I posted this because clearly, I need to change things.
Could you guys suggest a good calculator for my macros? I'll continue with lifting and cardio and try to stay healthy and let everything happen at its own pace.

Insomniac8

I'll continue with lifting and cardio and try to stay healthy and let everything happen at its own pace.

If you don't start a diet based on calorie deficit at the same time, you won't get any success in weight losing with just working out.

pkteen

Oh I am! I'm eating no more than 1500 calories a day even though I got 1800 cals on IIFYM with no exercise. According to IIFYM, if I exercise daily, I should eat 2357 cals a day. Isn't that a bit excessive? Or should I eat this much?

QuietBloom

For what you have to lose, don't run any more than a 500 calorie daily deficit. And make sure you are getting lots of protein - aim for 1 to 1.5 grams per lb of lean body mass. You are going to have to guestimate your fat percentage to get that number.

Insomniac8

Oh I am! I'm eating no more than 1500 calories a day even though I got 1800 cals on IIFYM with no exercise. According to IIFYM, if I exercise daily, I should eat 2357 cals a day. Isn't that a bit excessive? Or should I eat this much?

You don't have to eat all the earned calories back. If you feel hungry, eat a few more but I also never use my extra calories as I'd feel like my exercise was useless!

pkteen

Yup. I'm not eating it back.

KhatLady

Oh I am! I'm eating no more than 1500 calories a day even though I got 1800 cals on IIFYM with no exercise. According to IIFYM, if I exercise daily, I should eat 2357 cals a day. Isn't that a bit excessive? Or should I eat this much?

You keep saying 1500 and people keep telling you its not enough. Stop thinking Calories = Teh Devil. Calories are fuel to run, repair and maintain your body. If you are working out, as you are, you need more calories to keep your body nourished and running well. If you are not eating enough to keep your body going, your body is going to be forced to pull nutrients from itself and/or restrict what nutrients go where. Your body will not repair as efficiently, you will feel sore and tired more often and your workouts will suffer. When your workouts suffer, you are not going to make reliable progress. You also potentially run the risk of injuring yourself. Your calories per day are supposed to be a goal, not a line in the sand you do your best to avoid getting near.

For a point of comparison I'm a female, 36yo, 5'2", pretty much sedentary outside of my workouts with ~20lbs to go, yet I still require ~1880 to lose using a 15% reduction. You should most certainly be above that. I'd suggest reading the Sexypants thread and learning how to calculate your caloric and workout needs, how to assess them and when to reassess them.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

As to ketosis and the workout regiment you have, I'll pass that for someone else.

pkteen

Thanks a lot everybody for all the info. I now realise that setting dates, being very hesitant of going above 1500 cals and wanting faster results is the exact opposite behaviour of treating this as a long term lifestyle change. I will continue my workouts (cardio everyday plus weight training 4-5X per week) and up my calories significantly to have a more modest deficit.
I'll also be going for a regular IIFYM macro based diet instead if keto as well because I find it to be too restrictive.