Hey guys,
So back in early 2020, I buckled down and started tracking everything I ate. I went from 180lbs to 145lbs current day. I am 5’ 7, 27 years old, I’m fairly lean and have some defined muscle around my arms, shoulders, and back HOWEVER, I still have some lower bellyfat and love handles that I seriously can’t get rid of. I eat about 1650 calories a day which to be honest seems quite low for me. I’m fairly strict on my diet during the week with a cheat meal or two on the weekends. It just seems that in the past almost 2 years of dieting, I just can’t get rid of it. Any advice?
I’d LOVE to up my calorie intake to about 2000 to try and put on more muscle but I’m afraid that will not help with my belly fat issue.
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10-14-2021, 07:25 AM #1
Lower belly fat is really as stubborn as they say!
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10-14-2021, 07:55 AM #2
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10-14-2021, 09:12 AM #3
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10-14-2021, 09:20 AM #4
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10-14-2021, 12:33 PM #5
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10-14-2021, 12:58 PM #6
You need to post a pic otherwise everything is just a guess. What is too much belly fat to some people is not that much in reality and if you plan on adding muscle after getting ALL fat off that is counterproductive and a waste of time and energy as some will go back on anyway.
If you don't get what you want you didn't want it bad enough
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10-14-2021, 01:59 PM #7
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10-15-2021, 08:07 AM #8
It mainly stays in the same range of 149 +/-. You’re most likely right about the cheat meals. That’s probably my issue since I spend most of the beginning of the week just trying to get rid of the little bit of water weight I gained. Perhaps putting a pause of cheat meals for a while might be my answer…🥺
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10-15-2021, 08:13 AM #9
I’ll get a pic up later today for sure! As far as my rate of weight loss, that’s just it…I hover around 149 up and down a couple of pounds every week. This is definitely due to my cheat meal (one maybe two) and weekend. I understand that. But what I’m not understanding is if I’m down to 145(my lowest and where I currently sit today) and still have some belly fat, how much weight do I have to lose to lose all the belly fat?! Bc personally, I feel anything under 145 for my body type, age and height is wayyyyy to light. I’ll look like I’m sick! Lol. That’s just what I’m trying to wrap my head around.
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10-15-2021, 08:36 AM #10
If your weight has remained consistent for the past month or so, you are eating roughly at maintenance. Those cheat meals are canceling out your deficits on the other days.
But yes - I agree you are underweight especially if you still have excessive belly fat. As others said, post a pic for better input.
Weight and height only paint a partial picture - it really depends how much muscle you're carrying. Two people can both be the same height and weight but look completely different due to different ratios of fat and muscle.Last edited by sunsean; 10-15-2021 at 08:46 AM.
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10-15-2021, 10:34 AM #11
Do you log all your calories?
Do you log the calories of your cheat meals?
I agree we need pictures of the belly too. Maybe your abs are still too small to show through.
Food labels are not super accurate, nor are online calculators. They are just starting points. Energy levels and the scale are the next step. Metabolism can change, so be ready to adjust.Last edited by Darkius; 10-18-2021 at 02:56 PM.
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10-15-2021, 10:36 AM #12
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10-15-2021, 11:40 AM #13
Hey guys so I couldn’t figure out how to post a picture directly into this thread however I posted it in my gallery located in my profile! Just taken today and I’m at 147lbs. Again I’m 27 years old, 5 7ish and I track my calories at 1650 a day.
As far as cheat meals go, I really do have to be better about them. I don’t track my them usually which is sounding like it’d be my issue as I’d have no idea how bad I’m actually doing lol. Really sucks because the cheat meals are what keep me sane 😩.
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10-15-2021, 12:28 PM #14
That fat is nearly impossible to lose - the body holds onto that fat like a miser.
My wife inherited quite a bit and she surprised me by saying to go get it lipoed off. I know it’s kind of cheating but nothing works. So going to do it.
So it might be time for you to just go ahead and find the right plastic surgeon.
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10-15-2021, 03:35 PM #15
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Most people don't realize just how long it takes and how small they have to get to lose their belly fat. But looking at your photos you could also do with a lot more building in your core/chest as well.
The choice is yours OP whether or not you want to cut more, so if you're not losing a pound a week then you need to drop your calories further, but at some point you'll reach a point of diminishing returns and need to reverse course and start a nice long, lean bulk while putting a lot of attention to your core as well.
Also, you don't need surgery as suggested above, thats ridiculous.All it takes is consistency, effort, proper nutrition, good programming, and TIME.
Don't be upset with the results you didn't get from the work you did not do.
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10-15-2021, 03:37 PM #16
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10-15-2021, 07:43 PM #17
You have decent guns but look underdeveloped in everything else. But you have enough muscle that I'd say you could go either way. If you're burnt out on cutting you could switch to a lean gain phase and focus on a proven full-body routine. Or you could cut lower - but if you do, you're going to have to majorly curb those cheat meals. You have to add your cheat meals to the weekday deficit meals and average out your calories for the week. If your weight's not going down, you aren't eating a deficit.
Long-term though, you'll definitely want to put on some mass on your overall frame. When I first cut down 10 years ago, I was like 143lb at 5'9, super lean but also skinny. Since then I've added 15-20lb of muscle and now lean at 160 makes a HUGE difference.
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10-16-2021, 09:30 AM #18
Thank you so much for all the advise everyone! You guys are truly helping tremendously.
So what if I tried this. I’d really like to not lose any muscle but I REALLY wanna get rid of this lower belly fat no matter how long it takes. If I get really serious and take a break from cheats/factor them in to my weekly deficiency, continue to eat 1650 calories but eat as much protein as I can while still going to the gym lifting/cardio, do you think over some time I can eventually lose the belly fat without compromising muscle? I know I don’t have a sh*t ton of muscle but from where I was in 2020, I worked pretty damn hard to get to where I’m at today and don’t want to back track!
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10-16-2021, 09:34 AM #19
Thanks for the info! I do struggle I building my chest. I feel I lift as heavy as I can and always try to lift until failure but I still can’t manage to build the chest that way that I’d like. Do you think cutting more might help? Back in 2020 when I was 180lbs I did have a fair amount of man-t*tty action lol. So I still do have some body fat that could come off in that area.
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10-16-2021, 09:51 AM #20
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10-16-2021, 09:56 AM #21
So you haven't been figuring cheats into your weekly calorie intake? If so then you're not at 1,650. Daily amount is 7 days worth of calories divided by 7. This is the number you want to be looking at. Besides that, proper protein and training and you really won't lose muscle. You may think you did when you lean out however this is because you don't have as much muscle as you thought, this is common. Whatever muscle you may lose goes back on fairly quickly when you go back to a lean bulk situation.
If you don't get what you want you didn't want it bad enough
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10-16-2021, 10:03 AM #22
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10-16-2021, 10:08 AM #23
Yes makes total sense. I’m realizing that what seemed like little senseless cheats on the weekends are indeed screwing all my progress for the rest of the week.
Also that is definitely relieving to hear that even after losing even more weight I can still maintain some muscle. I really do want to get rid of this lower belly fat BAD so I’m willing to really take a step back from cheats for a while and take a slight loss from gains if that’s what needs to happen. I mean winter is coming up and here in New England the sweaters come out so no one will even see the slight muscle loss hahah.
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10-16-2021, 10:14 AM #24
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10-16-2021, 10:15 AM #25
Also this may seem like a dumb question so I’m sorry in advance, but how do you guys track your cheat meals exactly? For example if I go to a restaurant for dinner, sure I can search each item in my fitness pal and get a rough estimate and eyeball my portion sizes but is there an easier way that I’m just not seeing? Do any of you bring a whole scale with you? Lol
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10-16-2021, 10:16 AM #26
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10-16-2021, 10:27 AM #27
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10-16-2021, 10:32 AM #28
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10-16-2021, 12:32 PM #29
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10-16-2021, 01:28 PM #30
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