I can't decide what my goal is

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I have lost about 11 pounds in the past few months. I'm about 116 lbs and I am 5'3. I have very small legs and arms. I try to run everyday and I train each muscle group twice a week. The only place I'm not seeing progress is my stomach. I can't tell if it's something that just needs strength training to fix or if it's something I need to lose more weight on.

The reason I can't decide is I don't know if I should be eating a calorie deficit anymore or eating the amount of calories necessary to build muscle. I don't want to be eating too many calories if I still need to lose fat.

All of these issues are just making me feel very down! I just want to have the body I've worked so hard to get, and my stomach just doesn't seem to catch up. Can anyone that has had the same issues help?

Replies

  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
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    I am 5' 3 1/2." My best weight is 112 -- however, that number is based entirely on the fact that I don't want to lose too much weight in my bustline. I dipped down as far as 108 in 2013 so, I already know that is EXACTLY what would happen. I personally would rather have fat on my abdomen than be too small up top. A few pounds makes a world of difference on a 5' 3" frame. You may very well discover that if you diet away a few more pounds, it will come off of the belly area. I still had belly fat at 108, but less than at a higher weight.
  • Greco74
    Greco74 Posts: 5
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    I am a guy and am having the same dilemma as you. Would love to see some opinions on this.
  • annie_adcock
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    Hi! Judging by your profile picture, I'm assuming the left piccy is the "before" and the right piccy is the "now"? If that is the case then I would firstly like to say WOW :love: you look fantastic!! And I can see an enormous difference in your stomach!

    IMHO, I would say you are definitely ready to slowly up the calories to at least maintenance, maybe a little more if you are looking to gain muscle. Either way, you definitely do NOT need to lose any more fat, you look fab! :bigsmile:

    I would recommend you look into the stronglift 5x5 program for weight lifting if you are looking to gain some muscle, and use the following link: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ to work out your daily calorie needs :smile:

    (p.s. I know my profile says I've only made a small number of posts but I have been a member for years and this is my new profile)
  • itsgradyy
    itsgradyy Posts: 23 Member
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    Thank you so much Annie!! :) I will definitely look into the website you gave me!