plateau..

[edemren]

Hi all,

Ive lost around two stone since this time last year but my fat loss has seemed to have halted in the past two or so months. Im 21, male and am 10 stone 3lb and currently on 1700 cals p/day. I don't have a lot of muscle, i have slim legs, arms and upper body and most of my fat is now on midsection, hips and lower back. To try and kickstart things again I'm about to start the following:

1 - reverse diet - add 100 cals p/week until I reach maintenance and then eat at maintenance for a few weeks before dropping back down.

2 - Changing HIIT routine - I don't enjoy weigh training so my current routine is 3x HIIT per week and a couple of trips to the golf range. I am going to start reducing my rest time before each set.

Im not looking to become 'ripped' or anything, i just want to look good in clothes (e.g. no manboobs, lower back fat or stomach fat pulling/noticeable) as i have been overweight my entire life.

Any advice would be much appreciated as my motivation is decreasing!

[spradish]

HIIT and golfing will not help you retain or build muscle, which is what you need in order to have a good body composition. More cutting will leave you smaller but just as soft looking.

[edemren]

thanks for the reply mate. I know that i'll be soft looking, but since I've been overweight all my life, I just want to look good/slim in clothes and then once I've reached that stage i can re-assess

[Tommy W.]

You need to lower weekly calories and lift weights.

[edemren]

wouldn't going under 1800 be counter productive?

[spradish]

wouldn't going under 1800 be counter productive?

No. If you're not losing, you're not in a deficit. You have to eat less in order to lose.

How tall are you?

[edemren]

im 5'10. Online calculators have me at 2200 p/day for maintenance.

[Tommy W.]

wouldn't going under 1800 be counter productive?

No that's fine. I diet down at 1700 and have no issues. At your stats I'd actually be adding muscle instead of cutting further. Cutting down with no weight training and you'll just look like a smaller version of yourself.

[SuffolkPunch]

I would never recommend dieting without resistance training to anyone, even if you don't expect dramatic changes. In my view, it's one of the main reasons people get disappointing results and frequently regain weight.

What tends to happen is you shrink without your shape improving. Weight training is also insurance for the future to prevent the deterioration caused by ageing.

[edemren]

thanks suffolk,

would a full body resistance workout say twice a week suffice?

[spradish]

im 5'10. Online calculators have me at 2200 p/day for maintenance.

So you're 143 and 5'10? Sounds like it is time to stop cutting calories.

[SuffolkPunch]

Yes, that would be fine. Most common routines can be used this way.

[edemren]

spradish,
yup, I've got to the stage now where I'm skinny(ish) fat, i have a chubby stomach, fat on hips/lower back but relatively lean elsewhere in comparison

[CommitmentRulz]

So you're 143 and 5'10? Sounds like it is time to stop cutting calories.

This ^^^. This ^^^. This ^^^.

OP, you need to stop cutting calories and add some muscle.

[edemren]

thanks commitmentrulz,

will i see a change in the fat on my stomach and lower back then?

[SuffolkPunch]

thanks commitmentrulz,

will i see a change in the fat on my stomach and lower back then?

At 143lbs, there can't be much - so this is probably down to body dysmorphia.

The solution would be to gain muscle in the first instance but it sounds like you don't want to do that.

[edemren]

i will do if thats what will help. Wont i add some fat by being in a surplus though?

Is there any way to upload picture so i can show?

[SuffolkPunch]

Put the pictures in your body space or add them as attachments to the post.

We see this same scenario over and over. I'll be very surprised if I end up thinking you should cut... but that's what everyone seems to want to do - and they end up skinny and weak without the abs they've been daydreaming about.

Fat gain is not completely undavoidable, (you don't have to bulk like crazy) but you need to put it into context - it's easy to lose a bit of fat once you've built some muscle and you may not even need to since a larger frame makes it much less noticeable.

[Cammy91]

Add them to your bodyspace, in your profile, as you wont be able to post pictures as attachments yet due to your post count.

Adding some fat, whilst gaining muscle is just one of the things your going to have to compromise with to look better, i personally dont want to gain fat either - but its part of the process, other route you can do is recomping - i did this years ago when i was in a better shape than i was now and would do it again in the future, but its a painfully slow process, where you feel your spinning your wheels and as the changes is so subtle for your mind to notice when you see your body in the mirror everday- but it does work well, but at your current weight and height im not sure if it would be recommended/suitable for you, maby a better option for you after gaining more muscle mass after a good long bulk (or two) if your worried about gaining fat.

[edemren]

thanks for your response, I'm in the UK so will post my pictures tomorrow. As stated, all I'm interested in is losing the fat and not getting ripped or for my abs to be showing loads... could you please have a look at the photos and then advise me? thanks!

[edemren]

also suffolk, if i ate at maintenance would that decrease fat gain and enable me ti build muscle as I'm a beginner?

[swizzyJ]

Hi all,

Ive lost around two stone since this time last year but my fat loss has seemed to have halted in the past two or so months. Im 21, male and am 10 stone 3lb and currently on 1700 cals p/day. I don't have a lot of muscle, i have slim legs, arms and upper body and most of my fat is now on midsection, hips and lower back. To try and kickstart things again I'm about to start the following:

1 - reverse diet - add 100 cals p/week until I reach maintenance and then eat at maintenance for a few weeks before dropping back down.

2 - Changing HIIT routine - I don't enjoy weigh training so my current routine is 3x HIIT per week and a couple of trips to the golf range. I am going to start reducing my rest time before each set.

Im not looking to become 'ripped' or anything, i just want to look good in clothes (e.g. no manboobs, lower back fat or stomach fat pulling/noticeable) as i have been overweight my entire life.

Any advice would be much appreciated as my motivation is decreasing!

The unfortunate truth... doing the things you don’t like, leads to the body you do like...

[edemren]

Pics uploaded, could you please advise me as to what to do next?

I was always under impression that you had to get down to 10% before a bulk

[SuffolkPunch]

Pics uploaded, could you please advise me as to what to do next?

I was always under impression that you had to get down to 10% before a bulk

That advice applies mostly to experienced athletes who have no choice but to bulk otherwise they won't gain any new muscle. Nobody who is relatively new needs to bulk unless they are very skinny.

In the long run you do need to increase your weight but it can be done nice and slowly to avoid excessive fat gain.

You could recomp for a while (maintenance calories) - until your progress starts to slow and you are forced to up your calories. Your main issue is lack of muscle. There is a small amount of fat to deal with but it's trivial in comparison.

[edemren]

thanks suffolk,

if i, say, eat at maintenance until february/march alongside weight training, would i be able to cut down and then have the desired look i want? (i.e. low stomach fat/fat on lower back)

[SuffolkPunch]

I don't know. I suggest you try it, it's can only help.

[edemren]

thanks suffolk

any other advice would also be great

[sunsean]

I think the advice you got is good...it's a tough spot, "skinny fat", but you can get out of it. Problem is you have to do things: build some muscle and lose some fat, which demand opposing strategies.

Suffolk gave the right advice IMO - eat around maintenance and do a Fierce 5 Novice or similar routine. Progress will be slow because of the maintenance calories, but this is the safest least extreme way to improve your body, eat around maintenance and recomp over many months...improve your body composition. You'd be surprised, a little less fat and a little more muscle can have a dramatic effect. Patience is the hardest part.

[edemren]

should i eat below maintenance on non workout days?
if i recomp till around march, would i see a significant difference when i then cut down say march to june?

[Tommy W.]

should i eat below maintenance on non workout days?
if i recomp till around march, would i see a significant difference when i then cut down say march to june?

No you want to keep it consistent. As far as your results by march or June there is no way to tell, especially when a recomp is attempted. You may look better or you may look the same there are just too many factors to be able to give you an answer.