exercise + dieting, yet am flabbier and look it?

jessicacummin

Hi, I was doing really great with my dieting so thought I would join a gym too, although I have lost weight / fat and gained muscle, recently (around 3 weeks) my weight has stayed the same and my stomach appears flabbier / bigger. I exercise varied activities everyday and burn around 500 kcal give or take, I always stay under 1200 kcal - most of which is protein, so I don't understand the fact that my body is doing this. Last time I was checked I had 19% body fat. pleeeeease can someone advise me on how to keep losing whilst still toning up? Nearly everyday now I'm waking up with a bloated belly when it was flat a couple of weeks back. My food consumption hasn't changed and if anything it is healthier.

vismal

I see a few things that stand out here. First if your profile picture is you, you certainly look less flabby in the after picture by a HUGE margin. I assume you mean just in the last three weeks you look flabbier. 2nd, you did not gain muscle eating 1200 calories. No way, no how! The body requires an excess of calories to build muscle, 1200 wouldn't even be close to enough to accomplish it. You may have gained strength which is entirely possible but its unlikely that you gained muscle. So you are eating only 1200 calories plus burning 500 on top, are you eating those 500 back or are you netting only 700 calories? If you are indeed netting 700 calories and you are not actually losing weight, I would bet a ton of money your tracking is off. Are you weighing all your food with a scale? Do you have cheat days? Do you count absolutely everything? That low of calories plus that level of activity would certainly cause some weight loss. Also if your after picture is current, how much fat are you realistically trying to lose? You look pretty darn lean to me. I would bet that a period of concentrating on muscle gains would benefit you more then anything. You would need to actively try and gain weight (very slowly) in the form of muscle. Something around 1 lb a month over the course of 6 months. After that period of time you transition back into a fat loss phase and your end result will be leaner and more muscular.

terbusha

I agree, you should be eating more that <1200 cal/day. Try bumping that up slowly and see how your body reacts. Keep hitting the weights. It's a great way to reduce the body fat. Also, if that is your profile pic, you look SO MUCH leaner. You are doing a great job for sure, just keep at it.

Allan