Am I still doing it right?

Nadoriel

Hi everyone. I'm having a bad time recently. I figured it out that during summer, my shifts at work get pretty messy and it seems I do this very weird shifts that get me exhausted, demotivated and wanting to eat more and more.

Also, every now and again I spend around 1-2weeks in Portugal in which some days I do go over my TDEE, although I still workout 3x a week.

Let's go for some stats:
- 1,64cm height;
- 65.6kg last week (66,8kg today, but I did exercise yesterday so most of it might be water gain). I've lost 11,4kg in total;
- Stronglifts 3x a week and struggling now to get bigger weights. I don't squat my weight yet, and I barely deadlift my weight (just 1 rep);
- Barbell complexes 2x week for 15 min (can´t go over 20kg since I can't do overhead press over 22.5kg for a month already);
- When I have time I do some blogilates, if I feel like it. Getting rarer;
- Eating 1960 calories a day, tecnically TDEE -10% (I am not a perfect calorie counter. I don't log my teas or coffee since it's only around 4 calories each, and sometimes I do eat a chocolate or a cookie besides my daily calories intake and I don't log it. It's still less than maintainance anyway);
- I don't eat clean. I try to eat more than 100 protein, and most times my carb intake is over and sometimes fat intake as well (diary is open).

Since I went to Portugal (last month) and came back, besides a little drop in weight (I was 66.8kg before going there, then I droped to 65.6kg and today the same 66.8kg) I haven't lost any cm around my body. To be honest I'm quite happy with my weight at the moment. I haven't weighed less than 68kg for ages and before my weight was around 64kg.

I DO want to loose fat around my tummy, legs and arms though and that doesn't seem to be happening very well.

I've been using heybales' spreadsheet to calculate my TDEE and so far it has worked fine.

What do you think I should do to get my fat burning? I've obviously been wanting to eat more for a while but I'm getting scared now... I wouldn't mind my weight if I did see some improvements around the rest of my body. Except that I can't. I have muscle underneath all the fat... But the fat is still winning the race.

I'd definitely appreciate some ideas. Thank you all

heybales

Have you used the Progress tab TDEE calculator based on results to adjust the activity level, and therefore TDEE and TDEG?
Merely need decently accurate food logging - no missed days or bunch of missed meals, some estimate better than none in other words.

Month of data and amount lost, it'll say how much to adjust in the Activity Calc to make that result based TDEE happen, and then new eating level, or do your 10% off that new amount.

May be with summer activity or travel the level has changed.

Also, if eating close to maintenance, the trade for fat with LBM (inches lost but weight stays the same) is going to be about 1 lb in 8 weeks if doing well.
If that 1 lb fat gone is spread out, or not where you happen to measure, could take a while to show up.
And that's if truly eating at maintenance.

Have you take a week off the exercise for a break? Walk only during that time?
And then the following week after rest, come back strong and taken a diet break, eating at TDEE?

Nadoriel

Uhh, you know I had no idea of the progress tab. I've been changing the data usually every time I change something (my weight, measures, exercise).

I know I should probably get more accurate with some stuff, specially now that I'm getting closer to TDEE, but one chocolate goes around 36-70 calories only (yeah I do search for their calories, I just don't bother logging them), so it should still be under -5% TDEE for example. But I will try to be more rigid with that.

I think that my activity level decreased a bit since I seriously have no time for blogilates, and that my stress levels rose a lot. That might be it.

It might also be that with the change of fat. I do feel my muscles bigger and stronger. My weight is remaining more or less the same, like I said, last time I weighted myself it wasn't really a valid day since I was sore from the previous workout.

I've taken some breaks from exercise, usually every 3 months, more or less. I haven't done it in a while now I suppose.

I will try that I'm actually thinking of upping my cals even more, to see if I can get strenght to go up my weights. My weight is fine as it is.. it's just the fat I want to keep loosing.

Thanks heybales ^^' I guess I'm feeling low this week... it's only been a week since I last measured and weighted myself.. I can't wait for a big decrease now since I'm closer to my goals. ahh... just hate the feeling of looking to the mirror and not seeing anything at all. Seems like I didn't loose anything.