Hit my goal weight but still have a belly?
raficdafer2000
Posts: 11 Member
I was once 270 pounds and I decided to lose weight and now I’m 165 lbs and 5’10. I have been strength training for months now but as you can see by the pictures, I still have some belly fat and love handles accompanied by some loose skin. I feel like I’m at a good weight, but I would like to know the reason behind why everything but my small stomach and love handles have yet to disappear 
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Replies
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Do I need to lose even more weight ? Is 165 for 5’10 not good enough because according to some websites, my weight is normal0
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That's a brilliant achievement but welcome to the club for people who get to goal weight and are then a little surprised/disappointed they don't look exactly the way they hoped and dreamed.
Yes you have some fat left, your skin won't be fully recovered from your weight loss either.
Why is the fat concentrated in certain areas? Your personal genetics determine where you lose fat from first and last.
No I wouldn't say lose more weight. Eat at maintenance, continue to lift.
Your lifting will be more effective now that you aren't in a deficit and as you add muscle and maintain weight your body fat percentage will improve (commonly called recomp). Being young and male and relatively new to training you should be able to make very good progress, it's the quality of your training that will drive the process.
Your skin will also continue to improve which helps appearance.
After at least a few months have a reassessment of your goals and progress - all options are open to you from losing more weight to getting very lean, staying the same weight or even considering a cut/bulk cycle.
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Thank you so much man!! I’m currently 18 and have been lifting properly for about 6 months now. The belly is just so discouraging because I hit the gym everyday with minimum results to my stomach. Two questions, how would eating at maintainance burn my belly fat and secondly when I lift should I do heavy weight low reps or lower weight and higher reps (15-20). Keep in mind I do stuff like bench press, shoulder press, dead lift, etc. my skin is definitely not wrinkled enough to be loose skin also. here’s more updated pictures:
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If you are gaining muscle but maintaining weight your body fat is reducing at the rate of your muscle gain - fat is basically just an energy store.
Do remember that although you are going to gain muscle at probably the fastest time of your life (18YO male, new to training are huge advantages) an average result for people training well might be 2lbs/month.
The training well part is crucial, I see so many beginners doing very inefficient routines unsuitable for their goals and training status - don't do a program designed for an advanced bodybuilder with 10 years of lifting for example.
Having said that at your age just about anything will work to a degree. (At 59 I'm jealous!!
)
It's very over-stated that low reps are "just" strength and high reps are "just" hypertrophy but personally I would question the value of going over 15 reps unless you are training for muscular endurance.
As you are at a good weight you might be surprised how much difference a 2lb gain of muscle / 2lb loss of fat makes.
Here's a list of proven programs - far better to pick one designed by a pro rather than try to make it up yourself when you don't have the experience.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
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Congrats on this achievement. Now you need to lose this belly fat with simple steps
you basically need to do-
squats
deadlifts
bench press
shoulder press
rows
pull ups
Also, maintain your healthy diet, Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet.
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harrycharming885 wrote: »Congrats on this achievement. Now you need to lose this belly fat with simple steps
you basically need to do-
squats
deadlifts
bench press
shoulder press
rows
pull ups
Also, maintain your healthy diet, Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet.
Those exercises are great, and I do them all, but they have nothing to do with losing belly fat. and Great food choices, but not required to lose BF%.
I second sijomial's suggestions on doing a recomp. Eat maintenance while getting adequate protein and partake in a structured lifting program!
OP: What lifting program are you following now?7 -
harrycharming885 wrote: »Congrats on this achievement. Now you need to lose this belly fat with simple steps
you basically need to do-
squats
deadlifts
bench press
shoulder press
rows
pull ups
Also, maintain your healthy diet, Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet.
Those exercises are great, and I do them all, but they have nothing to do with losing belly fat. and Great food choices, but not required to lose BF%.
I second sijomial's suggestions on doing a recomp. Eat maintenance while getting adequate protein and partake in a structured lifting program!
OP: What lifting program are you following now?
Agreed. sjomial basically laid out the course.
ETA: OP, you have done great and really look better than you probably think you do. When we lose a lot of weight, we sometimes seem to have the old "fat guy" back there in our psyche. A recomp will help you achieve what you want but you look great now!7 -
Maybe your dermis (fatty layer under your skin) simply hasn't caught up with your weight loss? I went from 240-185 (I'm 6'3"), and my arms and belly were a bit flabby for a while, with some minor wrinkles. After some time, I think the skin has tightened a bit and I'm feeling good about how I look.3
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Meh, everybody has that one spot which doesn't cooperate. For you and I, we have guts which don't match our chiseled shoulders and arms. Others (especially women) can't lose the weight from their hips or rear despite being happy everywhere else.
Just go by the motto I heard once (forgot where): the fastest way to lose an inch off your guy is to GAIN an inch on your shoulders. Not only does that impact muscle/fat ratios, but the visible ratio of shoulder-to-waist changes with bigger shoulders, even if the waist never shrinks at all.2 -
If you are gaining muscle but maintaining weight your body fat is reducing at the rate of your muscle gain - fat is basically just an energy store.
Do remember that although you are going to gain muscle at probably the fastest time of your life (18YO male, new to training are huge advantages) an average result for people training well might be 2lbs/month.
The training well part is crucial, I see so many beginners doing very inefficient routines unsuitable for their goals and training status - don't do a program designed for an advanced bodybuilder with 10 years of lifting for example.
Having said that at your age just about anything will work to a degree. (At 59 I'm jealous!! )
It's very over-stated that low reps are "just" strength and high reps are "just" hypertrophy but personally I would question the value of going over 15 reps unless you are training for muscular endurance.
As you are at a good weight you might be surprised how much difference a 2lb gain of muscle / 2lb loss of fat makes.
Here's a list of proven programs - far better to pick one designed by a pro rather than try to make it up yourself when you don't have the experience.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Thank you so much man really helped a lot. I’ve been cutting and lifting light weights and high reps for the longest time because I was told that would most likely remove my gut, but it hasn’t. I will definitely take ur advice into consideration and also do you think it’s necessary to incorporate cardio? Also I should be just aiming to progressively overload on my compound workouts correct in order to increase my muscular physique correct ?
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harrycharming885 wrote: »Congrats on this achievement. Now you need to lose this belly fat with simple steps
you basically need to do-
squats
deadlifts
bench press
shoulder press
rows
pull ups
Also, maintain your healthy diet, Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet.
Those exercises are great, and I do them all, but they have nothing to do with losing belly fat. and Great food choices, but not required to lose BF%.
I second sijomial's suggestions on doing a recomp. Eat maintenance while getting adequate protein and partake in a structured lifting program!
OP: What lifting program are you following now?
Currently I follow a chest/tri, back/bi, shoulders/core, and legs (repeat) workout routine. I also try to consume about 200g of protein a day to enhance muscle growth!
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raficdafer2000 wrote: »If you are gaining muscle but maintaining weight your body fat is reducing at the rate of your muscle gain - fat is basically just an energy store.
Do remember that although you are going to gain muscle at probably the fastest time of your life (18YO male, new to training are huge advantages) an average result for people training well might be 2lbs/month.
The training well part is crucial, I see so many beginners doing very inefficient routines unsuitable for their goals and training status - don't do a program designed for an advanced bodybuilder with 10 years of lifting for example.
Having said that at your age just about anything will work to a degree. (At 59 I'm jealous!! )
It's very over-stated that low reps are "just" strength and high reps are "just" hypertrophy but personally I would question the value of going over 15 reps unless you are training for muscular endurance.
As you are at a good weight you might be surprised how much difference a 2lb gain of muscle / 2lb loss of fat makes.
Here's a list of proven programs - far better to pick one designed by a pro rather than try to make it up yourself when you don't have the experience.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Thank you so much man really helped a lot. I’ve been cutting and lifting light weights and high reps for the longest time because I was told that would most likely remove my gut, but it hasn’t. I will definitely take ur advice into consideration and also do you think it’s necessary to incorporate cardio? Also I should be just aiming to progressively overload on my compound workouts correct in order to increase my muscular physique correct ?
You should do cardio to be fitter (and hopefully because it's fun), and for CV health - but it's got bugger all to do with losing fat let alone losing fat from any particular area. I do roughly an hour of cycling a day on average but that has no impact on my fat percentage because I eat at maintenance calories (I just get to eat more - yay!).
Ditto for doing high reps weight lifting - it makes you better at high reps weight lifting, does nothing to reduce fat on its own. Might be OK for hypertrophy (variable, different people respond well to different stimulus) but less than ideal for strength increases.
Yes overload (in a sensible and progressive way) is the key to improving as that's how you force adaptation by increasing stress above what you can currently manage but overload by high volume and low weights isn't efficient and can result in a lot of fatigue and need for recovery time, there's an awful lot of wasted reps that basically give you no return.
Yes compound lifts give you a lot more return for the time invested as they recuit more muscle groups, more likely to have balanced musculature and better functional strength.7 -
raficdafer2000 wrote: »If you are gaining muscle but maintaining weight your body fat is reducing at the rate of your muscle gain - fat is basically just an energy store.
Do remember that although you are going to gain muscle at probably the fastest time of your life (18YO male, new to training are huge advantages) an average result for people training well might be 2lbs/month.
The training well part is crucial, I see so many beginners doing very inefficient routines unsuitable for their goals and training status - don't do a program designed for an advanced bodybuilder with 10 years of lifting for example.
Having said that at your age just about anything will work to a degree. (At 59 I'm jealous!! )
It's very over-stated that low reps are "just" strength and high reps are "just" hypertrophy but personally I would question the value of going over 15 reps unless you are training for muscular endurance.
As you are at a good weight you might be surprised how much difference a 2lb gain of muscle / 2lb loss of fat makes.
Here's a list of proven programs - far better to pick one designed by a pro rather than try to make it up yourself when you don't have the experience.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Thank you so much man really helped a lot. I’ve been cutting and lifting light weights and high reps for the longest time because I was told that would most likely remove my gut, but it hasn’t. I will definitely take ur advice into consideration and also do you think it’s necessary to incorporate cardio? Also I should be just aiming to progressively overload on my compound workouts correct in order to increase my muscular physique correct ?
You should do cardio to be fitter (and hopefully because it's fun), and for CV health - but it's got bugger all to do with losing fat let alone losing fat from any particular area. I do roughly an hour of cycling a day on average but that has no impact on my fat percentage because I eat at maintenance calories (I just get to eat more - yay!).
Ditto for doing high reps weight lifting - it makes you better at high reps weight lifting, does nothing to reduce fat on its own. Might be OK for hypertrophy (variable, different people respond well to different stimulus) but less than ideal for strength increases.
Yes overload (in a sensible and progressive way) is the key to improving as that's how you force adaptation by increasing stress above what you can currently manage but overload by high volume and low weights isn't efficient and can result in a lot of fatigue and need for recovery time, there's an awful lot of wasted reps that basically give you no return.
Yes compound lifts give you a lot more return for the time invested as they recuit more muscle groups, more likely to have balanced musculature and better functional strength.
Amazing advice!! Thank you so much. Last thing, should I incorporate the cardio everyday or every other day or what? I would like to know that way I don’t stunt my muscle growth. I tend to do 25 mins on the stairmaster
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i can't say for sure, but for me, the less cardio the better. diet control > cardio benefits as far as fat loss goes. any more, i do nothing more than a 'brisk walk'. my focus is on gaining muscle mass.0
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raficdafer2000 wrote: »raficdafer2000 wrote: »If you are gaining muscle but maintaining weight your body fat is reducing at the rate of your muscle gain - fat is basically just an energy store.
Do remember that although you are going to gain muscle at probably the fastest time of your life (18YO male, new to training are huge advantages) an average result for people training well might be 2lbs/month.
The training well part is crucial, I see so many beginners doing very inefficient routines unsuitable for their goals and training status - don't do a program designed for an advanced bodybuilder with 10 years of lifting for example.
Having said that at your age just about anything will work to a degree. (At 59 I'm jealous!! )
It's very over-stated that low reps are "just" strength and high reps are "just" hypertrophy but personally I would question the value of going over 15 reps unless you are training for muscular endurance.
As you are at a good weight you might be surprised how much difference a 2lb gain of muscle / 2lb loss of fat makes.
Here's a list of proven programs - far better to pick one designed by a pro rather than try to make it up yourself when you don't have the experience.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
Thank you so much man really helped a lot. I’ve been cutting and lifting light weights and high reps for the longest time because I was told that would most likely remove my gut, but it hasn’t. I will definitely take ur advice into consideration and also do you think it’s necessary to incorporate cardio? Also I should be just aiming to progressively overload on my compound workouts correct in order to increase my muscular physique correct ?
You should do cardio to be fitter (and hopefully because it's fun), and for CV health - but it's got bugger all to do with losing fat let alone losing fat from any particular area. I do roughly an hour of cycling a day on average but that has no impact on my fat percentage because I eat at maintenance calories (I just get to eat more - yay!).
Ditto for doing high reps weight lifting - it makes you better at high reps weight lifting, does nothing to reduce fat on its own. Might be OK for hypertrophy (variable, different people respond well to different stimulus) but less than ideal for strength increases.
Yes overload (in a sensible and progressive way) is the key to improving as that's how you force adaptation by increasing stress above what you can currently manage but overload by high volume and low weights isn't efficient and can result in a lot of fatigue and need for recovery time, there's an awful lot of wasted reps that basically give you no return.
Yes compound lifts give you a lot more return for the time invested as they recuit more muscle groups, more likely to have balanced musculature and better functional strength.
Amazing advice!! Thank you so much. Last thing, should I incorporate the cardio everyday or every other day or what? I would like to know that way I don’t stunt my muscle growth. I tend to do 25 mins on the stairmaster
Cardio is a huge range of course (duration, intensity, significant resistance element or not...) but "stunts muscle growth" - no not really.
What it can do is compromise energy levels or recovery from your training session if too intense. It's why the fad for mixing cardio HIIT workouts to a strength training program can be counter-productive.
OTOH having higher fitness levels can help recovery, reduce need for rest between sets (and let you eat more while maintaining).
If you don't have specific cardio and fitness goals and just doing what sounds like a very moderate amount, just fit it in wherever it suits you.
In the end it all comes down to goals, unless you have particularly high physique goals there's no need for complication or excessive nurturing of what is a natural process of training effectively and getting stronger and adding muscle.
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What you wrote about cardio was extremely insightful (I do stair master for 25 mins level 9 so kind of intense). But to be honest my weight lifting regiment is very good. I became advanced at lifting rather quickly and can perform most of the workouts at a pretty heavy load for a beginner ( I can bench 150 for 3 reps). I tend to do cardio twice a week on shoulder and ab days. Considering I’m so motivated right now with the gym & diet and the intensity of my workouts I have set pretty high goals. This is my aim for the body I wish to achieve, but I’m not sure if it is possible:
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raficdafer2000 wrote: »What you wrote about cardio was extremely insightful (I do stair master for 25 mins level 9 so kind of intense). But to be honest my weight lifting regiment is very good. I became advanced at lifting rather quickly and can perform most of the workouts at a pretty heavy load for a beginner ( I can bench 150 for 3 reps). I tend to do cardio twice a week on shoulder and ab days. Considering I’m so motivated right now with the gym & diet and the intensity of my workouts I have set pretty high goals. This is my aim for the body I wish to achieve, but I’m not sure if it is possible:
It can definitely be possible! This guy probably has a much lower body fat % though. I agree with the other guys though, you should take advantage of your age and pack on as much muscle as you can, and worry about trimming off the fat later.0
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