Not about the weight but the BF

buffnation
buffnation Posts: 2 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I don't need to loose weight per se. I'm 5'7" and weight 143lbs. If anything, weight related, I need to add it. At last count my BF is 15-16% BF, down 5% from March 2019. Nothing really to complain about I guess, but I seem to have plateaued here. Not really losing mass nor gaining. I am on again off again with counting. Having a BMR of 1560, I'm usually in the gym strength training 5x a week at a decent intensity level. So burn about 500 during a session. I eat to about the 1600 (based on similiar meals when I do count) but try to be more cognizant of my macros. I'm burning at least 2200 on average daily, at least (Suunto watch says so). I'm basically in a deficient of 3500 cal a week, allowing for a percentage of miscalculation. I kind of feel like my body has adapted to this now and is possibly storing fat because it thinks I'm starving. I've been on this kick for some 6 months. I've dropped 10 lbs and 5% BF and added 10 lbs of lean muscle mass. Anyone else in a similar boat or have been there? Wondering if I should be eating a bit more to kick start the metabolism. Actually I know I should be but it's a mind F as you think, oh if I eat more, I'll put the fat back on.

Replies

  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    Sorry, but I couldn't understand what your goal is in that ramble. Are you trying to lose weight? Are you on a cut cycle to drop fat before doing a bulk? Are you eating back exercise calories? How did you measure that you dropped 10lbs of body fat and added 10lbs of lean muscle mass? Are you saying you are recomping?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    What is your goal? Gain, lose, or maintain weight? Build muscle or increase strength?
    What is not happening that you want to happen?
    How careful and consistent is your logging?
  • buffnation
    buffnation Posts: 2 Member
    edited October 2019
    Ha. Sorry. It was a ramble. Ultimately it is to drop to about 10-12% BF, ideally reducing the belly fat % (currently 20%) as I'm lean everywhere else (7-8%).

    This was measured using the Probodymetrics ultrasound tool, baseline in March and then again in July. Updated measurement October. The goal was to reduce BF and maintain or increase lean muscle mass. Wouldn't say recomping but converting at the moment.

    No I'm not eating calories back. I eat to my BMR. I'm not cycling. My biggest issue is the belly fat and such the goal to lose this. I generally have a hard time building muscle. My theory was to lose the belly fat and maintain muscle, then possibly do a bulk.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited October 2019
    Well, considering how lean you already are, it's unrealistic to expect to lose 1 lb per week. If you still want to lose some scale weight, I'd only aim consistently to lose 0.5lbs per week. If you ultimately would rather maintain your weight while increasing muscle and losing fat, this thread might help (it might even be helpful if you want to see the scale get a little lower):

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    There are others here far more experienced in building muscle and perfecting BF %, so I'll leave anything more specific to them :drinker:
  • Justin_7272
    Justin_7272 Posts: 341 Member
    buffnation wrote: »
    Wouldn't say recomping but converting at the moment.

    This makes no sense. You need to take an honest look at your goals; if they're ephemeral establish them.

    Messing with your metabolism is widely a myth. You didn't destroy it. You aren't going into starvation mode.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    buffnation wrote: »
    Ha. Sorry. It was a ramble. Ultimately it is to drop to about 10-12% BF, ideally reducing the belly fat % (currently 20%) as I'm lean everywhere else (7-8%).

    This was measured using the Probodymetrics ultrasound tool, baseline in March and then again in July. Updated measurement October. The goal was to reduce BF and maintain or increase lean muscle mass. Wouldn't say recomping but converting at the moment.

    No I'm not eating calories back. I eat to my BMR. I'm not cycling. My biggest issue is the belly fat and such the goal to lose this. I generally have a hard time building muscle. My theory was to lose the belly fat and maintain muscle, then possibly do a bulk.

    I would suggest revisiting the accuracy of your food logging. I'm a 5'4, 130lb lazy woman, and I maintain at 1700-1800 cals. If you aren't using a food scale and aren't checking that the database entries you are using have the correct calories, you're almost certainly eating more calories than you think.

    What would "converting" be, if not recomp? You can't convert fat into muscle, they are entirely different things. You can burn fat slowly while building muscle slowly though, which is recomp.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    I kind of feel like my body has adapted to this now and is possibly storing fat because it thinks I'm starving.
    Nonsense. Creating energy out of nowhere doesn't happen.

    Wondering if I should be eating a bit more to kick start the metabolism.
    Your metabolism isn't an old fashioned motorcycle and doesn't need restarting.

    "Wouldn't say recomping but converting at the moment."
    Pardon?

    Think you need to go back to basics....

    Is your long term calorie balance achieving your weight goal? (Which isn't actually clear what that is!)
    If it isn't then adjust it until it does.

    Are you training effectively with a well designed program?
    (I doubt you are burning 500 cals in a strength session unless it's extraordinarily long - hope you aren't going by heartrate to get that estimate.)
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    I kind of feel like my body has adapted to this now and is possibly storing fat because it thinks I'm starving.
    Nonsense. Creating energy out of nowhere doesn't happen.

    Metabolic adaptation does happen to some extent, meaning that when you diet, your body will find ways to burn fewer calories. When I look back at my last 20lb cut, there is a clear tapering effect in my weight loss, although I was (approximately) maintaining the same deficit. That could be the reason.

    But, if you are active, I imagine (without data) that this effect is pretty small. If you are currently maintaining weight (which I would recommend for you, you are a fine weight for your height), then, in a sense, life is good! If you want to add muscle, you might need to eat more. I have no advice about getting to insanely low BF as I just don't think it is always the most healthy goal.

    I give credit for another poster (who's name I've forgotten) for pointing out metabolic adaptation to me. Here is a paper about it:

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3943438/
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    edited October 2019
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    When I look back at my last 20lb cut, there is a clear tapering effect in my weight loss, although I was (approximately) maintaining the same deficit.
    I don’t know if this is the case or not, but could that same effect also be caused because as your weight decreases your base calorie consumption also decreases which also causes your deficit to shrink. Eventually wouldn’t your previously deficit calorie level become your new base calorie level therefore you would cease losing weight?

  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,976 Member
    edited October 2019
    I'm 5'8" and 150#.

    My BF has been as low as 8% (per hydro testing) but is currently between 12.9-16.4% (based on the most recent hydro and DEXA tests, respectively).

    DEXA always tests high and hydro always tests low, so I'm just calling it 15% BF.

    My VAT has been as low as nil (zero wt) and just 0.12 cu in but most recently rose to 1.47# and 41.5 cu in, despite no wt gain but when you calculate it, is only equal to 3.5" cubed.

    Not alot but still way more than it was just a year earlier.

    The only thing I can point to which is associated w/this change is that I stopped lifting during this time period which was reflected in the loss of muscle mass.

    However, I was still rowing 5km daily which apparently was not enough to prevent some additional fat gain that also contributed to an increase in my BF level.

    It had nothing to do w/what I ate because my daily cal consumption and weight did not change during this time.

    I'm perfectly happy w/my current BF level. I have very defined muscularity and vascularity in my arms and legs and I have visible (if not extremely defined) abs.

    Not bad for a 69 year old man, if I say so myself. ;)

    If you can say the same for yourself (OP), I wouldn't worry about what what or how much you are eating.

  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    When I look back at my last 20lb cut, there is a clear tapering effect in my weight loss, although I was (approximately) maintaining the same deficit.
    I don’t know if this is the case or not, but could that same effect also be caused because as your weight decreases your base calorie consumption also decreases which also causes your deficit to shrink. Eventually wouldn’t your previously deficit calorie level become your new base calorie level therefore you would cease losing weight?

    MFP will automatically adjust your TDEE for body weight. It SUCKS when you learn you get to eat LESS after losing 20lbs! But, that's just the M. st J. formula at work, which is the calorie burn averaged over a population of people with your age, weight, gender, and "activity level" (which is an unknown fudge factor). I think that metabolic adaptation is a pretty small effect, something like 5-10%. I also suspect that it will be affected strongly by your exercise profile.

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