IF -Gaining fat?!?!

[Dip87]

I've been doing leangains style fasting 16hrs minimum. I was losing weight at first and then took a week off. During that week it seemed like I gained fat on my hips. Its been about 8 weeks since then and the scale has gone down but my love handles seem to get worse and worse. I don't understand how its possible. I've been at a 6500-7000kcal deficit a week. I've been doing heavy full body workouts 3x a week followed by HIT cardio afterward for 20mins. And 60min medium - high intensity 3x a week. Calories zigzag from 1200kcal through 1900k during monday-friday. Saturdays is 2000kcal and Sunday is a cheat carbup day where I eat up to 3000kcal. My diet is all healthy. Foods I eat: romaine lettuce, broccoli, spinach, chicken breasts, 4%fat lean beef, pink salmon, whole eggs, Ezekiel bread, old fashioned rolled oats, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, sweet potatoes.

I just don't understand. Maybe too much caffeine and too big of calorie deficits a day?? Preworkout I take 1/2 scoop assault, 1 scoop beta-cret, 5g bcaa, 5g glutamine, 5g creatine, mixed in with 16oz of tea(4bags white tea, 4bags herbal tea) 2 green tea extract pills, 2 compound 20 pills. I only take that combination 3x a week.before I lift.

I know I'm working out with tremendous intensity and by Wednesday afternoon I'm so fatigued and exhausted and Thursdays I can barely make.it through the day I feel like a zombie.

[artgarvey]

Has strength gone down?

[TheMerch]

How much has the scale gone down in he 8 weeks? How consistent is the week to week weight loss?

[Dip87]

My strength has gone down a little bit but that's expected when your low Carb and do so much cardio. Nothing drastic though. Its mostly a loss in leg strength from the cardio.

I've been dieting since last week of January and the 1 week off in February. I went from 197-181lbs this past Friday. Today I was 185lbs after a carbup cheat day yesterday. And I definitely gained fat without a doubt because my hips are a lot bigger. I used to have a little bit of that vtaper around my waist hips but its barely visible now and I can actually grab onto fat on my hips. I was never able to do that. So I fear I'm slowly losing muscle and gaining fat instead of the other way around. I might just go back to 4-5 meals a day. I don't get it. I love this type of diet though.

[bigollie2006]

What are your macros?

[toddmclain02]

My strength has gone down a little bit but that's expected when your low Carb and do so much cardio. Nothing drastic though. Its mostly a loss in leg strength from the cardio.

I've been dieting since last week of January and the 1 week off in February. I went from 197-181lbs this past Friday. Today I was 185lbs after a carbup cheat day yesterday. And I definitely gained fat without a doubt because my hips are a lot bigger. I used to have a little bit of that vtaper around my waist hips but its barely visible now and I can actually grab onto fat on my hips. I was never able to do that. So I fear I'm slowly losing muscle and gaining fat instead of the other way around. I might just go back to 4-5 meals a day. I don't get it. I love this type of diet though.

Wait so you lost 16lbs in 8 weeks?? is this right? And you think you are losing LBM and gaining fat but yet you are on a deficit. First off take a deep breath. I'd kill to lose 2lbs a week again. Secondly if you are tracking calories as well as it looks like you are simply going crazy lol... It could be your cheat days you may have to much sodium in your diet and are retaining a lot of water. A HIGH amount of caffiene can help with water retention. I'd stick with the diet and adjust things that cause water retention.

[Dip87]

My cheat days really aren't even bad. Its more of a calorie/ Carb up than cheat day. I usually just eat a lot of healthy foods and get up to 3000calories. Like lots of oats and sweet potatoes. I don't really go by the scale that much anyway. I usually just look at my hips and, my muscle and how clothes feel. Because last summer I dropped down to 160lbs at about 11-13%BF. Right now I'd say I'm at 15-17% I gain fat so easily too which is what worries me because on my bulk from August - januray I gained 37lbs. Probably 10-15lbs of muscle and the rest fat. I was trying a lean bulk too with 20mins of high intensity cardio and 60mins of lifting with my calories at 2500-3000. Yet I still gained all that fat. My metabolism suuuccks. Maybe my body just can't handle big meals, I may secrete too much insulin and store fat from the big meals. I just can't figure it out. When I did diet successful last year it was by 4-5 meals a day. I like doing IF though. Especially since I never have an appetite and I can easily eat 1300 cals a day. When I do little meals, I'm always hungry.