Fat loss stalled - need advice
NunyaWest
Posts: 87 Member
Long time into weightlifting- got the diet straight and lost a inch or so around the waist. ... would like to loose about 2% more bodyfat but at 51 years old / taking in about 2200 calories a day - my weight and body fat has been at a standstill... don’t really want to decrease calories but also I don’t want to do so much cardio to burn what nice muscles I worked hard to get on my lean 165lb frame - any advice is welcome
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Long time into weightlifting- got the diet straight and lost a inch or so around the waist. ... would like to loose about 2% more bodyfat but at 51 years old / taking in about 2200 calories a day - my weight and body fat has been at a standstill... don’t really want to decrease calories but also I don’t want to do so much cardio to burn what nice muscles I worked hard to get on my lean 165lb frame - any advice is welcome
the less fat you need to lose the longer its going to take. its going to be slow going. so you can either drop calories just a little and you wont burn your muscle off . get enough protein and keep lifting heavy.fat comes off in a deficit. is 2200 a deficit for you or maintenance?0 -
2200 I think would be a slight (very slight) surplus - i am thinking to try 1800 calories at 35:40:25 P:C:F don’t know if that is too extreme0
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5’10” 165lbs 51 years old - rather sedentary but do 1hr of lifting (good intensity) 4-5 days a week- with some treadmill and some walking.0
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That puts me at 157g0
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That puts me at 157g
Its good to consume a little more protein cutting, this helps preserve muscle while in a deficit. Getting close to 1 gram per your body weight isn't necessary but If you enjoy eating this much protein, consume the macros that fuel you the best. The leaner we get the harder it gets, but some precision with your calorie intake, consistency with your exercise, will provide you with results.
Look into recomp, could add a small deficit if you want (250 or less). Your best bet, is to follow a lifting program designed to help you with your specific lifting and aesthetic goals.
You'll have to work out your maintenance (if you don't know it), log your food intake, exercise and use your scale weight over a period of time (3-4+ weeks) when you reach the sweet spot continue with this intake and adjust as needed.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
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I'm having trouble picturing a person with your height and weight who has been lifting consistently having excess body fat? Can you post a pic? Or do you having a dexa or something that estimates your bf%? I'm guessing 2200 is around maintenance for you?5’10” 165lbs 51 years old - rather sedentary but do 1hr of lifting (good intensity) 4-5 days a week- with some treadmill and some walking.
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ever try intermediate fasting or one meal a day? you can eat the same amount of calories but in a shorter time window or just one meal. Great for also reducing high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure.17
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I'm having trouble picturing a person with your height and weight who has been lifting consistently having excess body fat? Can you post a pic? Or do you having a dexa or something that estimates your bf%? I'm guessing 2200 is around maintenance for you?5’10” 165lbs 51 years old - rather sedentary but do 1hr of lifting (good intensity) 4-5 days a week- with some treadmill and some walking.
I have to agree with this. I think you might have a little body dysmorphia and your mind's eye is seeing something that isn't there.
I do it all the time myself.
I did a bodyfat% test with the hydrotank and it came out at 11%, I was blown away. My brain was still telling me I was 20%+.
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I'm having trouble picturing a person with your height and weight who has been lifting consistently having excess body fat? Can you post a pic? Or do you having a dexa or something that estimates your bf%? I'm guessing 2200 is around maintenance for you?5’10” 165lbs 51 years old - rather sedentary but do 1hr of lifting (good intensity) 4-5 days a week- with some treadmill and some walking.
Yes - 2200 is maintenance for me.
I wouldn’t say I have excess bodyfat per say but dropping 2% is a goal I want to achieve as although I’ve always been thin - I’ve eaten lots of junk over the years and always carried fat at the midsection. I think the down 2% will result in a look that I can maintain. As far as the actual BF% my impedence scale say I am currently at 14% ( I don’t know how accurate that is but I use it as a reference) - got to figure out how to post a pic here0 -
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@RoxieDawn thanks for that link - had no idea what I was trying to do was a thing - always was torn between cutting and bulking when it is recomposition I should have been looking for1
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I'm having trouble picturing a person with your height and weight who has been lifting consistently having excess body fat? Can you post a pic? Or do you having a dexa or something that estimates your bf%? I'm guessing 2200 is around maintenance for you?5’10” 165lbs 51 years old - rather sedentary but do 1hr of lifting (good intensity) 4-5 days a week- with some treadmill and some walking.
Yes - 2200 is maintenance for me.
I wouldn’t say I have excess bodyfat per say but dropping 2% is a goal I want to achieve as although I’ve always been thin - I’ve eaten lots of junk over the years and always carried fat at the midsection. I think the down 2% will result in a look that I can maintain. As far as the actual BF% my impedence scale say I am currently at 14% ( I don’t know how accurate that is but I use it as a reference) - got to figure out how to post a pic here
Ah, ok. This info and the pic are helpful. I think the BI scale is off to the low side(typical of those type scales) but it gives you a baseline to measure against, though not very accurate. I think you are more like 16% or so based on the pic but you have good muscle development. So, congrats!
You could bring calories down by 400 or 500 for a period and see some results with fat reduction I would guess. I wouldn't do that for more than 8 weeks without taking a full diet break at maintenance for 2 weeks. Then evaluate and cut some more if you want to get even leaner. FWIW4 -
ever try intermediate fasting or one meal a day? you can eat the same amount of calories but in a shorter time window or just one meal. Great for also reducing high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure.
You might want to spend a little more time gathering information on IF. First, it is intermittent fasting not intermediate. You eat in a shorter window but also must reduce calories to lose fat. Research to date in humans indicates that it can help with insulin sensitivity for those who are insulin resistant. There is no evidence of cholesterol benefits or blood pressure benefits.
There is nothing magical about it for weight loss. It is just an eating schedule.4 -
Sounds good. I think you are on the right track to achieve your goals. Have you seen the "Full Diet Break" thread based on Lyle McDonald's article? You may find it useful to get to your goal.0
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ever try intermediate fasting or one meal a day? you can eat the same amount of calories but in a shorter time window or just one meal. Great for also reducing high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure.
Ive done intermittent fasting for more than 3 decades and its done NOTHING for my cholesterol. I dont have high blood sugar or blood pressure,never had. if you eat 1500 calories in one meal or 1500 calories in 3 meals its not going to make any difference you are still eating 1500 calories. meal timing means nothing when it comes to weight loss or fat loss. Ive lost,gained and maintained doing IF.1 -
@mmapags no but I will look it up and check it out. Anything in particular I am looking for there?
Most of the content with links is in the first page or 2. They key part is how the effect of calorie restriction on the hormones that affect hunger signalling, lipolysis and adaptive thermogenesis. Bottom line is, during calorie restriction these hormones get progressively out of whack and rate of loss can slow. A refeed/ diet break for 2 weeks resets them and gets the loss back on track. This can especially be true for someone like you who is already fairly lean.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p11 -
I'm having trouble picturing a person with your height and weight who has been lifting consistently having excess body fat? Can you post a pic? Or do you having a dexa or something that estimates your bf%? I'm guessing 2200 is around maintenance for you?5’10” 165lbs 51 years old - rather sedentary but do 1hr of lifting (good intensity) 4-5 days a week- with some treadmill and some walking.
Yes - 2200 is maintenance for me.
I wouldn’t say I have excess bodyfat per say but dropping 2% is a goal I want to achieve as although I’ve always been thin - I’ve eaten lots of junk over the years and always carried fat at the midsection. I think the down 2% will result in a look that I can maintain. As far as the actual BF% my impedence scale say I am currently at 14% ( I don’t know how accurate that is but I use it as a reference) - got to figure out how to post a pic here
Ah, ok. This info and the pic are helpful. I think the BI scale is off to the low side(typical of those type scales) but it gives you a baseline to measure against, though not very accurate. I think you are more like 16% or so based on the pic but you have good muscle development. So, congrats!
You could bring calories down by 400 or 500 for a period and see some results with fat reduction I would guess. I wouldn't do that for more than 8 weeks without taking a full diet break at maintenance for 2 weeks. Then evaluate and cut some more if you want to get even leaner. FWIW
second this idea - this is what the nutrition team i work with had me do - i did a 28 day reduction, with a 2 week break and then the choice of doing another 28 day cut or going back into a maintenance period (since i'm going to train for an early season marathon i decided to go back into maintenance) - but i saw a 4-5lb loss in that 28 days (164 to 158-ish)2 -
@deannalfisher any changes on your body fat? How were your energy levels?0
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@deannalfisher any changes on your body fat? How were your energy levels?
Energy has sucked but I feel slimmer - I need to take an after photos0
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