New here, but not to counting... and oh my, the belly
loren0911
Posts: 17 Member
Hi all, looking for thoughts or friends in similar situations. I'm 5'2" and 118lbs. I have a 33" waist!!!!! (down from 35)(measured around the navel)
I've been lifting for over a year, spent a couple months learning, then stronglifts and now on my third cycle of Wendlers. Have lost 7 lbs. and 2 inches from my waist in that time.
I should say, I could not care less what the scale says. All I want is a healthy waist size, even 30 would make me smile. I count calories, eat around 1200-1600 per day depending on how hungry I am and try to make sure I get plenty of protein. I'm a type II diabetic, have pcos, but am well controlled and have no pcos symptoms due to diet and exercise.
I've been keeping count in a notebook, but was told to try this app. Love it so far, scanning barcodes is going to be great fun. And, this forum looks really helpful.
I'm here because I'm struggling with patience. I know it takes time, but I've given it alot. I'm stronger and my entire body is tight except that area. Calculators show my TDEE anywhere from 1600-1900. I feel like I should have made a lot more progress based on this. I never eat under 1200, but i'm wondering if I should try 1000-1100 because of my size, age, and health issues.... I would love and thoughts, advice, etc.
Thanks
I've been lifting for over a year, spent a couple months learning, then stronglifts and now on my third cycle of Wendlers. Have lost 7 lbs. and 2 inches from my waist in that time.
I should say, I could not care less what the scale says. All I want is a healthy waist size, even 30 would make me smile. I count calories, eat around 1200-1600 per day depending on how hungry I am and try to make sure I get plenty of protein. I'm a type II diabetic, have pcos, but am well controlled and have no pcos symptoms due to diet and exercise.
I've been keeping count in a notebook, but was told to try this app. Love it so far, scanning barcodes is going to be great fun. And, this forum looks really helpful.
I'm here because I'm struggling with patience. I know it takes time, but I've given it alot. I'm stronger and my entire body is tight except that area. Calculators show my TDEE anywhere from 1600-1900. I feel like I should have made a lot more progress based on this. I never eat under 1200, but i'm wondering if I should try 1000-1100 because of my size, age, and health issues.... I would love and thoughts, advice, etc.
Thanks
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Replies
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so just to be clear you are doing TDEE method?
do you use a food scale to weigh all solid foods?
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To be honest with you, all this time, I've just tried to make sure I'm under the TDEE. Haven't concerned myself with how much. I have lost, but it's been painfully slow... Yes, I weigh food, unless it's something packaged with the calorie count on it. I don't really care if I lose weight, but I know you can't spot reduce. I hate genetics, lol.
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do you know what your current body fat percent is?0
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Using the online calculators that have you measure everything, I'm 30.8, which I don't even see how that's possible at 118 lbs. I literally either can't or can barely, pinch skin anywhere else but there. So, a year and a few months ago, I decided recomp was what I needed to cure "skinny fat" or whatever they call it, but I'm starting to get frustrated with my lack of progress. I really thought this was the right way to do it. Now, I'm wondering if because of my age, small frame, and health, if I may just be one of those people who should go lower. On the flip side of that, I'm afraid if I cut too many calories, I won't make progress with my lifts. Thanks for reading and sorry if I'm complaining.
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Using the online calculators that have you measure everything, I'm 30.8, which I don't even see how that's possible at 118 lbs. I literally either can't or can barely, pinch skin anywhere else but there. So, a year and a few months ago, I decided recomp was what I needed to cure "skinny fat" or whatever they call it, but I'm starting to get frustrated with my lack of progress. I really thought this was the right way to do it. Now, I'm wondering if because of my age, small frame, and health, if I may just be one of those people who should go lower. On the flip side of that, I'm afraid if I cut too many calories, I won't make progress with my lifts. Thanks for reading and sorry if I'm complaining.
I am kind of confused. You said that you are doing "recomp" but in your OP you said that you eat around 1200 t 1600 but your TDEE is 1600 to 1900....if you were truly doing a recomp then you would eat to what your exact maintenance number is...
To answer your question, no you should not eat between 1100 to 1200, especially if you are running a heavy lifting program like wendler.
I would suggest the following:
1. set your calories to 1500 (I am going to assume that would be a .5 pound per week loss for you) and eat to that number and continue to lift.
2. set your calories to 1750 and truly try to do a recomp.
Have you ever considered running a bulk?0 -
I may not be using the term recomp correctly. 1200 is a low day for me, I typically eat if I'm hungry, just count and weigh food to stay at least under the 1600, although I do go over occasionally. I can't really throw down bad food because of the diabetes. MFP set it to 1200, but I will eat more most days. I wasn't concerned with scale weight, just wanted to trim the waist, and thought that eating close to the tdee and lifting was a recomp (maybe) lol, and the best way to go about it. For the purpose of my goal, I've counted 1600 as my tdee. Maybe, I'm wrong to assume say 1400, is close to that???
I have considered a bulk, but is scares the pee out of me. If my waist got bigger, they might have to get me a straight jacket. People never believe my waist size until I pull out the tape measure. My waist measures the same as people who have 30lbs on me. ugh!!
I do wonder if my tdee is lower than what the calculators tell me just because of how slow my loss has been, although I don't really care about the loss. I think I just read articles and stories about how lifting has trimmed off tons of inches for people and wonder why mine has to be so darn stubborn.
Sorry for the confusion.0 -
Do you have any digestive issues? Could it possibly be due to bloat from certain types of foods? Our genetics and body shape have a lot to do with it, but it does seem your waist size is a bit out of proportion given the stats you listed. Any other health issues that may contribute to it?0
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Using the online calculators that have you measure everything, I'm 30.8, which I don't even see how that's possible at 118 lbs.
That's probably not an accurate indication of your body fat.
I think a lot of us shorter women who have particular body types (maybe longer legs, shorter middle) tend to have waists that are wider because of the particular way we are built (not much space between ribs and hip bones, bellybutton measurement basically including some of the hip bones) that screw up the measurement based ways of doing this. I'm 5'3, 125, and have some of the same issues--I have had a DEXA, so now I know for certain that the measurements overstate my body fat and my waistline may not be as hourglass-like as I'd like, but isn't indicating some issue with internal fat.
If you can get one of the more accurate BF measurements, I'd recommend it, or just use the photo method or even ask for an assessment on the Eat, Train, Progress group here. I suspect you are worrying for nothing and should probably relax a bit and just work on the training/recomp (eating around maintenance).0 -
Wildly out of proportion, lol. 17" is the largest part of my thigh, bicep is less than 10". Honestly, it drives me nuts. No digestive issues, just the diabetes and pcos. Bloat, I don't know but if I am, I have been my whole adult life. I am a diet pepsi junkie, if that matters but I do drink water. I have talked to my doctor and get a "you're strong, look great, don't worry about it." Call it vanity, but I hate the way I look. Throw in a couple of B cups to make it look even worse....0
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lemurcat12, do you mind sharing your waist size. 125 is what I started at, but I am an inch shorter.0
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I may not be using the term recomp correctly. 1200 is a low day for me, I typically eat if I'm hungry, just count and weigh food to stay at least under the 1600, although I do go over occasionally. I can't really throw down bad food because of the diabetes. MFP set it to 1200, but I will eat more most days. I wasn't concerned with scale weight, just wanted to trim the waist, and thought that eating close to the tdee and lifting was a recomp (maybe) lol, and the best way to go about it. For the purpose of my goal, I've counted 1600 as my tdee. Maybe, I'm wrong to assume say 1400, is close to that???
I have considered a bulk, but is scares the pee out of me. If my waist got bigger, they might have to get me a straight jacket. People never believe my waist size until I pull out the tape measure. My waist measures the same as people who have 30lbs on me. ugh!!
I do wonder if my tdee is lower than what the calculators tell me just because of how slow my loss has been, although I don't really care about the loss. I think I just read articles and stories about how lifting has trimmed off tons of inches for people and wonder why mine has to be so darn stubborn.
Sorry for the confusion.
what you were doing is not a recomp. A recomp is when you eat at maintenance level for an extended period, six months to a year, continue to lift heavy, and try to lose some fat and gain some mass over said period.
It sound like what you have been doing is a variant of calorie cycling, as in eat higher some days and lower on other days.
The calculators are never going to be 100% correct, they are just calculators, so there is no way that they can be 100% right for everyone. What you need to do is take the number they give you and then play around with it. So if the calculator says you need 1600 to 1900 to maintain, I would take the middle number, 1750, and eat to that number and see if you maintain, lose, or gain. After a while, you will have it pegged to where you know where you gain, where you lose, and where you maintain. I know that if I eat 3000 to 3150 I will gain about .5 pound a week; if I eat 2650 to 2750 I will maintain; and if I eat 2100 to 2250 I will lose about a pound per week.
I would suggest picking a goal and eating to a specific number and being consistent. So if you want to lose a half pound per week, then eat to 1500 (1750 - 250 = 1500), and keep lifting heavy and stick with that for three to six months. If you want to maintain then eat to 1750, lift heavy, and see what happens...and so on .
but you really need to pick a goal and commit to it, or you will just be spinning your wheels...
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So, calorie cycling is bad? I thought eating healthy food and lifting would do the trick. I guess I'm going to have to be more strict with having a consistent calorie number. I've spent so much time on it and thinking I'm doing the right thing, I'm at a point where I may be just waiting for an epiphany that may never come. Maybe lose 5-10 more and see what I look like. Let me just say again how much I hate genetics lol. Thanks for all the help.0
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I don't know how to phrase this, but is it fat? Like, is it jiggly, do you have a roll/muffin top/etc below your navel? Can you see any abs (even upper ones)? Do you think you have a large bone structure/wide ribcage (and what is your underbust measurement?)
I ask because to me it kind of sounds like maybe you're just built very straight. Some women are hourglass-y with narrow waists but others are just kind of built without a lot of curve in at the waist. If you don't seem to be carrying a lot of "flab" around your middle, then I wonder if that might be the case for you. Not to say that you couldn't go down from 33", because that does seem out of proportion with the rest of your body, but even if you are carrying a bit of fat around your waist you may never see a 25" kind of measurement, you know?0 -
So, calorie cycling is bad? I thought eating healthy food and lifting would do the trick. I guess I'm going to have to be more strict with having a consistent calorie number. I've spent so much time on it and thinking I'm doing the right thing, I'm at a point where I may be just waiting for an epiphany that may never come. Maybe lose 5-10 more and see what I look like. Let me just say again how much I hate genetics lol. Thanks for all the help.
no, it is not bad. I am just saying that you really should stick to a consistent plan and stay with it for six months. It sounds like you have been a little bit all over the place, and if you consistently do the same thing, it would provide you with better feedback as you progress towards your goal.0 -
no, it is not bad. I am just saying that you really should stick to a consistent plan and stay with it for six months. It sounds like you have been a little bit all over the place, and if you consistently do the same thing, it would provide you with better feedback as you progress towards your goal.[/quote]
Okay, now this makes sense to me. (I promise I'm not dumb, lol) But it does make sense that maybe I am not figuring out what works because I'm not being consistent.
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I don't know how to phrase this, but is it fat? Like, is it jiggly, do you have a roll/muffin top/etc below your navel? Can you see any abs (even upper ones)? Do you think you have a large bone structure/wide ribcage (and what is your underbust measurement?)
Under bust is 31. Not jiggly at all. I can press through what appears to be a few inches of fat and feel every one of my abs, they are very hard. If I lean back and look in the mirror, I can see 6 of them outlined. They're there just buried, lol. And, don't need 25", would be thrilled with 30" at this point, lol0 -
I don't know how to phrase this, but is it fat? Like, is it jiggly, do you have a roll/muffin top/etc below your navel? Can you see any abs (even upper ones)? Do you think you have a large bone structure/wide ribcage (and what is your underbust measurement?)
Under bust is 31. Not jiggly at all. I can press through what appears to be a few inches of fat and feel every one of my abs, they are very hard. If I lean back and look in the mirror, I can see 6 of them outlined. They're there just buried, lol. And, don't need 25", would be thrilled with 30" at this point, lol
If you are measuring at your navel (which is not your natural waist) you might not ever get there....just a word to the wise esp since you say there is no jiggle..my actual waist (the last time I measured it) was 28.5 and at my Navel it was 32.5...
As well genetics defines if you get a six pack...not everyone can achieve that....
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At a 31" underbust, I'm guessing that a lot of it is definitely just to do with your shape and that you're likely relatively large-framed (although you're obviously not big or overweight.) I'm usually your weight (although two inches taller) and I have a 26.5" or 27" underbust because I'm small-framed and my waist is correspondingly just below 25". Granted, I'm built pretty much the opposite to you, but still, I don't have a great deal of fat to lose. I can go down to about 110 but after that I'm not healthy any more. I'm guessing you also don't have a great deal of fat to lose and I don't think losing more than a couple pounds is going to be the solution to your issue. It would be different if you seemed to have a lot of fat there but it sounds like it's more or less just the way you're built, for better or worse.
Knowing that, I think your best bet is what has been suggested here - eat at maintenance and do lots of weight training for six months or so. If you don't see your waist changing, then try losing five pounds and see if that's enough to get you another inch or two off.
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Your waist is a few inches above your Navel where you have a natural dip (the narrowest part).
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lemurcat12, do you mind sharing your waist size. 125 is what I started at, but I am an inch shorter.
Around 30 or a bit more if I measure at the bellybutton, despite wearing size 4 jeans. Narrower at the narrowest part, which is a bit higher. I tend to be an apple, but the waist issue is simply that the bellybutton measurement includes my hips (I just have pretty narrow hips) and there's not a lot of room between my hips and ribs. I used to wish for more of an hourglass, but I've actually come to terms with it some--I like my legs. ;-)
I'm around 25% body fat, or was when I did the DEXA--I've lost fat since.0 -
Thanks everybody.. lemurcat12, maybe I'm not as bad as I think. I did put a few pics of this monster belly on my profile that I'll leave up for a while, in case anybody is interested. lol I'm not sure I explain myself well. I really appreciate the help. Looking at the pics myself, I'm thinking that maybe I should try to lose 10 lbs. First time in quite a while I've seen it in a pic.0
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Thanks everybody.. lemurcat12, maybe I'm not as bad as I think. I did put a few pics of this monster belly on my profile that I'll leave up for a while, in case anybody is interested. lol I'm not sure I explain myself well. I really appreciate the help. Looking at the pics myself, I'm thinking that maybe I should try to lose 10 lbs. First time in quite a while I've seen it in a pic.
that is not a "monster" belly ...
if anything, I would put your body fat % about 22 to 25%...0 -
Thanks everybody.. lemurcat12, maybe I'm not as bad as I think. I did put a few pics of this monster belly on my profile that I'll leave up for a while, in case anybody is interested. lol I'm not sure I explain myself well. I really appreciate the help. Looking at the pics myself, I'm thinking that maybe I should try to lose 10 lbs. First time in quite a while I've seen it in a pic.
Yeah, it's just your body type IMO. Some women are not made to have much of a defined waist. I am built similarly. A bit taller (5'6") but I am 34.25 at the navel and then 30.5 at my waist and 32 underbust with 38 hips. Unless your pants are covering up a lot, your stomach looks pretty good. Ndj1979's bf estimate is probably pretty close. I think you are doing things right and should keep on doing what you are doing and being patient.0 -
Definitely just your body shape, not fat. That's the build I suspected, and that I have too. I think you look pretty good, and that just keeping on with the recomp and training is the right plan.0
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You look great! I wouldn't say you need to lose fat or waist size at all!0
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Yeah, looking at those photos reinforces my opinion. You do look like there is a little bit of body fat around your lower midsection (which is normal for women as a provision for pregnancy/childbirth), but it's certainly not "a big belly" or anything and you don't have anything to be worried about IMO. You just have a very straight-up-and-down kind of shape and that's normal and fine. Try the weights-and-maintenance route consistently for a while and see how you feel before you try to lose more weight.0
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Well, I'd decided to lose more and now I don't know, maybe give it another year??? Some people obsess over the scale, I guess maybe I am with the tape measure. Maybe it's just taking longer for me. I really appreciate all the replies. I've fallen in love with lifting so that won't change so I'll just be keeping my fingers crossed
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Oh and if it matters, I've had a c-section.0
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Yeah, especially for having a C-section and being 40, you look absolutely great! Go ahead and keep lifting, but no, I don't think you have any "weight" to lose, per se.0
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