HELP! I am Losing too much weight on my journey to 6pck abs

wflores89
wflores89 Posts: 5 Member
edited November 25 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I am 5,10" currently 153lbs. I was 173lbs 2 months ago. I am losing weight too fast. I am very active I practice soccer 1 hour, 5-6 days a week. I eat healthy (Protein,fat, carbs). I do ab workouts every other day. I also do 1 day of upper body workout and 1 day of lower body workout a week. I want my abs to show and not lose any more weight. I feel I am going to disappear. What can I change,add or improve? HELP

Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    You have to lose fat to have visible abs. You have to have some muscle to have visible abs. You won't magically get abs within the next few years by staying the same weight and only lifting twice per week.

    What's your body fat? What's your calorie intake?
  • wflores89
    wflores89 Posts: 5 Member
    I am new to calorie counting and never measured my body fat before. My scale reads 18%body fat. As of calorie intake I would say around 1600-1800
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    wflores89 wrote: »
    I am new to calorie counting and never measured my body fat before. My scale reads 18%body fat. As of calorie intake I would say around 1600-1800

    If you are losing weight it means you aren't eating enough. As I also mentioned, you're not going to magically keep the same weight and get abs. Decide if you want to lose weight to see abs or stay the same.
  • wflores89
    wflores89 Posts: 5 Member
    What do you recommend for me to do? My idea was to lose weight working out and in the process gain muscle + abs. Now I am getting too skinny that's my concern.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    You're not gaining muscle on a deficit while lifting twice per week. My suggestion is to decide if you want to lose fat or if you want muscle. If you want to lose fat keep doing what you are doing. If you want to gain muscle start eating more and lifting more than twice per week (find a good program and follow it).

    Most people who are gaining muscle are moving in the opposite direction on the scale that they should be moving to see their abs. Gaining muscle and seeing your abs require two different kinds of diets.
  • eugenia94102
    eugenia94102 Posts: 126 Member
    You'll have to do your own research and reach your own conclusions based on your knowledge of your body. As a general rule you need to increase your protein intake (around 1g of protein per kg of lean mass muscles for resistance athletes) keep your fat intake somewhat above the minimum (the minimum is 20% of your daily calories) and fill the rest of your macros with carbs.
    You are losing weight because you are consuming too few calories for the energy expenditure of your daily life plus exercise routine. Start eating more high quality protein/fat (e.g. eggs) on top of your existing diet.
    On a side note: don't try to defeat your genetics. You will fail. I gain muscle breathing - I have a six pack after two pregnancies (I have always exercised and keep a healthy body weight), but I'll never have the long legs of models. You have to live with your body type as much as I have to live with mine.
  • tracoleman99
    tracoleman99 Posts: 51 Member
    Do you subscribe to BodyBuilding.com? I just read a great article about getting abs. It's entitled "9 Things to Never Do on Ab Day." They talk about nutrition, as well as different exercises and technique. I learn a lot from BodyBuilding.com. There are dozens of articles about proper nutrition, which is different for people who have a good BMI, versus people who are obese and trying to lose weight. Losing fat could mean a deficit one day and not the next. You could try intermittent fasting by cutting back on the number of meals (and frequency) for a day, while maintaining your overall caloric intake. There are a lot of ideas on how to do it.
  • wflores89
    wflores89 Posts: 5 Member
    Thank you all. Your support is greatly appreciated.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    In general:

    1) Start eating at maintenance or a surplus ( slow or fast muscle gain )
    2) Start weightlifting more frequently to gain muscle mass. Full body training.
    3) Make sure you are getting enough protein to support muscle mass gain
    4) To get a 6 pack, your probably going to have to get your BF% into the single digits, it varies based on genetics
    5) If your serious, get serious. Stop guessing and start tracking
    6) Feed your workouts. Your Sedentary TDEE is 1934 for your stats (http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/)


    http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=26&csex=m&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=10&cheightmeter=180&printit=0&x=80&y=16

    Result
    Based on the Robinson formula (1983), your ideal weight is 156.5 lbs
    Based on the Miller formula (1983), your ideal weight is 155.0 lbs
    Based on the Devine formula (1974), your ideal weight is 160.9 lbs
    Based on the Hamwi formula (1964), your ideal weight is 165.3 lbs
    Based on the healthy BMI recommendation, your recommended weight is 128.9 lbs - 174.2 lbs
  • beachhouse758
    beachhouse758 Posts: 371 Member
    I think your calories are too low to fuel your activity level. Eat more volume of nutrient/calorie rich foods to fuel your workout: good fats (nuts, salmon, olive oil), complex carbs and lean proteins.
    Maybe smaller meals throughout the day so you are not super full when it is time for soccer
  • Pandapotato
    Pandapotato Posts: 69 Member
    1600-1800 sounds very low for an active male. That's definitely 'weight loss' territory. I'm 5'10, female, and my daily target with a sedentary lifestyle and a 1.5lb/week goal loss is 1580. That you are active and a dude and have almost the same calorie target when you don't want to lose weight sounds wrong. I would walk through the set-up again and select "active' and maintenance and I bet it spits out at least 2,000 calories.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    wflores89 wrote: »
    I am 5,10" currently 153lbs. I was 173lbs 2 months ago. I am losing weight too fast. I am very active I practice soccer 1 hour, 5-6 days a week. I eat healthy (Protein,fat, carbs). I do ab workouts every other day. I also do 1 day of upper body workout and 1 day of lower body workout a week. I want my abs to show and not lose any more weight. I feel I am going to disappear. What can I change,add or improve? HELP

    You need actual muscles for them to show, if they aren't showing at 153lbs you need to add more lean mass to your body sir. (not trying to be a dink just being honest)
  • wflores89
    wflores89 Posts: 5 Member
    Thank you everyone.. I noticed I am wrong. I am consuming not the enough amounts of calories. I didn't want to eat more in order to lose more belly weight faster and show more abs because everywhere in my body I lost fat.
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