Getting a little discouraged

[ronin152]

I have been hitting the gym pretty hard for the past 6 months and went from about 175 up to about 195-200. I noticed a large increase in muscle but I also noticed that I gained a lot of fat. In particular, I have gained a lot of fat in my butt and hips and to a lesser extent in my stomach. My waist size has gone from about a 32 to a 38. In fact, I can't even wear normal pants such as cargos, jeans, or dress pants and have to wear only elastic nike shorts because I can't fit into anything (I don't think that this is genetic related because my family is all on the slim side and I have never had a big butt). So about a month ago I decided I needed to go on a cut. I followed the stickies on here and calculated my maintenance as 2797 Cals and then subtracted 15%-20% and calculated my macros as 190P/70F/207C (2300 cals). I have been pretty busy with school and work for the past month and I have not had time to always hit my macros for the day. However, I would say that on most days out of the week I struggle to even reach 2000 cals. In fact, at 2,300 cals i feel like I am forcing myself to eat when I am not even hungry. Even at 2,000 cals I would say that I feel like I am forcing myself to overeat. Anyways, following the above I have seen absolutely no change in weight and am stuck at 194. Any suggestions? I feel pretty discouraged and feel like all the hard work I am put in at the gym is not really paying off. Do I just need to go lower on the total cals and adjust the macros accordingly? I feel like I have lost a little strength and muscle but at the same time not lost any fat? Right now I am working out 3x a week and doing cardio 3x a week. Thanks in advance I am going nuts.

Causes:
- Is it possible my test levels are low? The weight gain is in the hips / butt, I have had a lower sex drive, and I also have been feeling depressed.
- I use protein powder a lot to reach my macro goals. Is it possible that the powder has a lot of filler which is just bloating me? (I use GNC Wheybolic Extreme - It is very low in fat and carbs and is supposed to be very refined?)
- A majority of my training is done later at night 9 PM or later and very often I end up eating post workout and then basically going right to bed. Could that be keeping me from losing weight?

[Decisionzzzz]

I have been hitting the gym pretty hard for the past 6 months and went from about 175 up to about 195-200. I noticed a large increase in muscle but I also noticed that I gained a lot of fat. In particular, I have gained a lot of fat in my butt and hips and to a lesser extent in my stomach. My waist size has gone from about a 32 to a 38. In fact, I can't even wear normal pants such as cargos, jeans, or dress pants and have to wear only elastic nike shorts because I can't fit into anything (I don't think that this is genetic related because my family is all on the slim side and I have never had a big butt). So about a month ago I decided I needed to go on a cut. I followed the stickies on here and calculated my maintenance as 2797 Cals and then subtracted 15%-20% and calculated my macros as 190P/70F/207C (2300 cals). I have been pretty busy with school and work for the past month and I have not had time to always hit my macros for the day. However, I would say that on most days out of the week I struggle to even reach 2000 cals. In fact, at 2,300 cals i feel like I am forcing myself to eat when I am not even hungry. Even at 2,000 cals I would say that I feel like I am forcing myself to overeat. Anyways, following the above I have seen absolutely no change in weight and am stuck at 194. Any suggestions? I feel pretty discouraged and feel like all the hard work I am put in at the gym is not really paying off. Do I just need to go lower on the total cals and adjust the macros accordingly? I feel like I have lost a little strength and muscle but at the same time not lost any fat? Right now I am working out 3x a week and doing cardio 3x a week. Thanks in advance I am going nuts.

Causes:
- Is it possible my test levels are low? The weight gain is in the hips / butt, I have had a lower sex drive, and I also have been feeling depressed.
- I use protein powder a lot to reach my macro goals. Is it possible that the powder has a lot of filler which is just bloating me? (I use GNC Wheybolic Extreme - It is very low in fat and carbs and is supposed to be very refined?)
- A majority of my training is done later at night 9 PM or later and very often I end up eating post workout and then basically going right to bed. Could that be keeping me from losing weight?

Every time I stall, or hit a wall, or just feel like I don't know what to do, the answer is always lower or raise calories. Test levels could be low, don't know too much about this, sorry. I use the same protein powder, and I actually have been able to start meeting all my macros with just whole food, it can be done, but having a shake or two won't hurt you. Are you putting water or milk in your shakes? Milk could make you feel kinda bloated, I always use water( just my opinion). As for training and eating late at night, meal timing is irrelevant as long as you hit your macros you can eat whenever you want.

In conclusion, I would just drop your calories until you find you are reasonably losing weight the way you want to. I advise to plan out some of your meals ahead of time for school if it is causing you a lot of trouble. Good luck dude!

[yololego]

put less food in your mouth op

[ronin152]

Thanks for the advice. I usually use water in my protein shakes but I was just trying to think of what could be making me keep the weight on. I think that I overestimated what I need to eat. I have a desk job and have been going to law school for the past 2 years so I think that my level of activity is just so low that I don't really need that much. I did jump on the scale today and saw 189.5 (down from 196 last week) so I guess I am making some progress. Thanks again!

[Nick1971]

Instead of putting water in your protein shakes - drink water. Avoid any calorie-laden drinks and get 100% of your calories from food. Sticking to approximately 2000 calories a day given your statistics, should give you the results you want in time. I went from 192-165lbs on approximately 2000 calories a day, myself.

[ronin152]

Thanks for the advice guys. I am going to go with a 1800-2000 cal diet.

This might be a stupid question but I often see the protein requirements stated as either 1g per lb of lbm or 1g per lb of total weight. For me the difference between the two would be about an extra 30g which would be about 1 protein shake. Which should I go by? I can easily attain the 1g per lbm with only whole food and to get that extra 30g I need to so a shake.

[lsiberian]

If you are on a cut and don't feel like eating. Then don't. Part of becoming a healthy person is learning to listen to your body and responding appropriately. Whether bulking or cutting you need to listen to your body. If you need to eat more calories it's possible you are not eating normal type foods. Every study has a variables so finding your place on the curve is key. I'm willing to bet you've gained more muscle and less fat than you think. The mirror normally lies to us. You've made gains and you look better.