Plateau at 1600cals? Need to lower?

[UAHGorgix]

Hey all,

So for the last 8 months I have been eating at, or less than, 1600cals. Meeting all my macros every day. But for the last two months I have stayed within 153-158lbs and appeared to have lost no body fat (unless its in places I cant see). On top of that, it feels like the fat in my chest area is increasing, and feels extremely prominent after a chest workout; probably just because the chest is swolen from lifting.

Is it unheard-of to eat at less than 1600cals and make a cut around 1000-1300cals? Meeting my macros and proteins will be very difficult then.

[YouMadDawg]

Make sure you are tracking every single calorie you eat. I swore that I was eating 1900 calories when I was actually eating ~2500. It's so easy to undermine what you are actually eating.

Post meal plan.

[Ummabeast]

Hey all,

So for the last 8 months I have been eating at, or less than, 1600cals. Meeting all my macros every day. But for the last two months I have stayed within 153-158lbs and appeared to have lost no body fat (unless its in places I cant see). On top of that, it feels like the fat in my chest area is increasing, and feels extremely prominent after a chest workout; probably just because the chest is swolen from lifting.

Is it unheard-of to eat at less than 1600cals and make a cut around 1000-1300cals? Meeting my macros and proteins will be very difficult then.

Eat at maintenance for a few days. Than re lower cals.
Should work, works for a lot of people.
Or up them by 100, and see if you notice a difference.

[UAHGorgix]

I dont have a set meal plan.

I read the nutritional facts on EVERY item I eat. If it doesnt come with one, I wont eat it. I.E. I wont go to McDonalds because it doesnt come with a set nutritional label.

[YouMadDawg]

McDonald's posts all nutritional information both in the restaurant and online.

[UAHGorgix]

Eat at maintenance for a few days. Than re lower cals.
Should work, works for a lot of people.
Or up them by 100, and see if you notice a difference.

How exactly does that help? Reset metabolic rate and force the body to overcompensate?
And up my cut calories by 100? Doesnt that defeat the purpose?

[YouMadDawg]

Is it unheard-of to eat at less than 1600cals and make a cut around 1000-1300cals?

Don't do this.

[UAHGorgix]

McDonald's posts all nutritional information both in the restaurant and online.

Okay bad example. Lets so I go to a chineses restaurant (which I wont); I cant ask them to weigh out the noodles, and the vegetables, and measure the rice and then give me all the nutritional facts.

[VAnick]

You aren't counting right. 1600 cals and working out @ 150 lbs = deficit. You are only eating packaged food? Are you weighing the unpackaged stuff?


Dropping cals to that level is not unheard of. Keep protein high, and let the other macros fall in when at that level. PSMF is a diet that consists of near all protein.

[UAHGorgix]

You aren't counting right. 1600 cals and working out @ 150 lbs = deficit. You are only eating packaged food? Are you weighing the unpackaged stuff?


Dropping cals to that level is not unheard of. Keep protein high, and let the other macros fall in when at that level. PSMF is a diet that consists of near all protein.

Yes I am weighing stuff. And with a degree in mathematics I think I can add calories!

[YouMadDawg]

Okay bad example. Lets so I go to a chineses restaurant (which I wont); I cant ask them to weigh out the noodles, and the vegetables, and measure the rice and then give me all the nutritional facts.

I got what you are saying bro. It's just crazy to think you are hitting 1600 a day and not losing weight. If you drop to 1000 calories you are going to

a) be miserable
b) lose any and all muscle mass


And for the past 8 months you've done this? It's time to re-evaluate what you intake.

[buyerofmtg]

If you don't have a set meal plan I wouldn't tell you to go down to 1350-1400 cal levels. If you're going to those calories you really should have a written plan that you follow every day to make sure you're hitting your macros perfectly (it most certainly can be done, it's just not fun).

But yes those low of calorie levels are often needed to go from low bodyfat to shredded levels at the 145-155 lb bw range.

[cuckfonformity]

The likelihood of you plateauing at 1600 calories is incredibly small. You'd have to have a very low LBM, activity level, and probably be female. How tall are you?

Either you're eating too much, or you're closing in on the single digits, which is weightloss tends to slow; it would still be measurable, however, just not as quickly as you're used to. If the latter is true, consider a carb cycle. If not, reduce intake by a couple hundred, and see how your body reacts.

[UAHGorgix]

The likelihood of you plateauing at 1600 calories is incredibly small. You'd have to have a very low LBM, activity level, and probably be female. How tall are you?

Either you're eating too much, or you're closing in on the single digits, which is weightloss tends to slow; it would still be measurable, however, just not as quickly as you're used to. If the latter is true, consider a carb cycle. If not, reduce intake by a couple hundred, and see how your body reacts.

6 foot zero. I have gone from 210-153 (lowest) in 8 months. BF% is at 14%. I guess its just because my major problem area is my chest. Not really really fat but a few pockets which are unpleasant. The thing that gets me is that is has been ranging from 153-158lbs for two months; cant get below that threshold.

Should I start a short carb cycle? For about a week just eat at maintenance?

[pi1ot]

I'm just an amateur at this stuff, but at 6' tall and 153-158 lbs, you might be gaining muscle at a rate faster than burning whatever little fat you have left? Also, as you lose weight your BMR drops, so the deficit you had at 210 lbs is now much smaller and very small things can kill the deficit.

Are you getting enough sleep and how about stress?

[cuckfonformity]

6 foot zero. I have gone from 210-153 (lowest) in 8 months. BF% is at 14%. I guess its just because my major problem area is my chest. Not really really fat but a few pockets which are unpleasant. The thing that gets me is that is has been ranging from 153-158lbs for two months; cant get below that threshold.

Should I start a short carb cycle? For about a week just eat at maintenance?

At 153 at 6'0, you're on the brink of being underweight; I'd advise you to bulk. Putting on muscle in your chest and cutting later would likely solve your problem.

Having that said, I do a lean gains style calorie/carb cycle, which is basically eating a larger deficit on rest days, moderate fats, and low carbs; training days (3x a week) are at maintenance or slightly over (5-10%), low fat, and carb; protein is consistently high on all days.

You can read about why Martin advocates this approach here:
http://www.leangains.com/2010/03/int...point-and.html

[UAHGorgix]

At 153 at 6'0, you're on the brink of being underweight; I'd advise you to bulk. Putting on muscle in your chest and cutting later would likely solve your problem.

Having that said, I do a lean gains style calorie/carb cycle, which is basically eating a larger deficit on rest days, moderate fats, and low carbs; training days (3x a week) are at maintenance or slightly over (5-10%), low fat, and carb; protein is consistently high on all days.

You can read about why Martin advocates this approach here:
http://www.leangains.com/2010/03/int...point-and.html

So bulk? I train 5-6 days a week. If I bulk, should I be eating at maintenance? I thought bulking required more than maintenance. And I wanted to wait until my BF% was lower. I dont want to start building more fat on my chest and go back into the area I didnt want to be in to begin with.

[pyaarawala]

So bulk? I train 5-6 days a week. If I bulk, should I be eating at maintenance? I thought bulking required more than maintenance. And I wanted to wait until my BF% was lower. I dont want to start building more fat on my chest and go back into the area I didnt want to be in to begin with.

If you bulk, you'd have to eat above maintenance.

I'm actually in the same boat as you. I'm 5'11, 148 lbs, 16% BF. Kinda similar to you. By stats alone it looks like we're both skinny and underweight. But in the mirror I actually like the way I look so far. Losing more fat wouldn't really be so bad. It's up to you if you like the way you look or not.

[ljones1979]

So bulk? I train 5-6 days a week. If I bulk, should I be eating at maintenance? I thought bulking required more than maintenance. And I wanted to wait until my BF% was lower. I dont want to start building more fat on my chest and go back into the area I didnt want to be in to begin with.

I think what the OP was saying, is that your overall weight is brinkering on underweight for your height. You should probably focus more on you looks, than your body fat. Based on your totals, you need to lose about 10-15 llbs, to reach 10%, but yourweight will be 145. Hardly anyone at 6'0 will look good at 145, even if they were single digits. However, if you insist on cutting, I would take a diet break, because your body is starting to fight back, eat at maintenance for a week and then resume your cut, if that doest work, it's probably time to bulk or recomp.

[Brklyns_Finest]

your overall weight is brinkering on underweight for your height

Brinkering is totally a word...

[DAames]

98 % chance you're miscalculating your caloric intake and/or how much you burn.
2 % chance you have metabolic damage.

Weigh everything you eat.