Can I achieve my goal of getting to 12-13% bf by Feb/March 2021?

[AbdulazizSab]

Hey guys
Hope you all are doing alright. I have a question and I need your advice. I’m a 25 year old male who weighs currently 178 lbs with a 23% bf (41 lbs of body fat) and is 5’10 feet tall. I started cutting back in September 8th. I was around 181 lbs with 30% bf (54ish lbs of body fat). So I haven’t lost much pounds but lost plenty of inches and gained some of the muscle i lost during quarantine. I’m pretty happy with my swift progress. My question is I wanna get to 12-13% bf by late February early March (5 to 6 months of dieting) and then lean bulk from there. Judging by my progress so far, do you think it’s doable or it might take me longer to get there? And if you think it would take me longer than feb 8th, should I take a diet break and eat at maintenance for a while then go back to achieving my goal?
I am aware that I will look very lean at 12-13% bf but I would much prefer to bulk from there.
I should mention that I’m pretty strict with my diet. I eat below maintenance by about 20% (2080 Cals). I haven’t really bumped my calories down since starting this diet because my weight hasn’t changed. I figured I would lower my cals as I lose actual lbs but I’ve not lost any so far.

Thanks in advance

[xsquid99]

I find it very hard to believe that you went from 30% BF to 23% BF without losing a single pound. If you haven't lost any weight than you can be sure that you ARE NOT in a calorie deficit. A consistent weight just means you're eating at your calorie maintenance level.

You might want to post a current shirtless photo, in good lighting.

[AdamWW]

I find it very hard to believe that you went from 30% BF to 23% BF without losing a single pound. If you haven't lost any weight than you can be sure that you ARE NOT in a calorie deficit. A consistent weight just means you're eating at your calorie maintenance level.

You might want to post a current shirtless photo, in good lighting.

Probably basing that either on some kind of BIA measurement or assumptions in the mirror...

[AbdulazizSab]

I find it very hard to believe that you went from 30% BF to 23% BF without losing a single pound. If you haven't lost any weight than you can be sure that you ARE NOT in a calorie deficit. A consistent weight just means you're eating at your calorie maintenance level.

You might want to post a current shirtless photo, in good lighting.

I actually lost 3.3 lbs I keep forgetting cuz it’s not that much. I gained the muscle I lost when I wasn’t working out for most of this year quarantining. So I guess that’s the reason the scale hasn’t really changed much since starting. My clothes fit much better and I’ve lost around 3 inches in waistline.

[AbdulazizSab]

Probably basing that either on some kind of BIA measurement or assumptions in the mirror...

I’m basing this on the inbody scale at my local gym. I know they’re not the most accurate but they provide me with a baseline for progress. And I’ve seen plenty of those “measure my body fat” threads and I relate the most to 21-23 bf.

[TolerantLactose]

I should mention that I’m pretty strict with my diet. I eat below maintenance by about 20% (2080 Cals). I haven’t really bumped my calories down since starting this diet because my weight hasn’t changed. I figured I would lower my cals as I lose actual lbs but I’ve not lost any so far.

Hoo boy...

[Luclin999]

I’m basing this on the inbody scale at my local gym. I know they’re not the most accurate but they provide me with a baseline for progress. And I’ve seen plenty of those “measure my body fat” threads and I relate the most to 21-23 bf.

Okay... If you say so.

Understand though that since "Inbody" measurements are wildly inaccurate, and there have been plenty of people here over the years that insist that they look like "XX% BF" when in reality they look like they are more like 5-10% over that estimate, a statement like the one that you just made will be a bit of a tough sell to most of the people here.

[AbdulazizSab]

Okay... If you say so.

Understand though that since "Inbody" measurements are wildly inaccurate, and there have been plenty of people here over the years that insist that they look like "XX% BF" when in reality they look like they are more like 5-10% over that estimate, a statement like the one that you just made will be a bit of a tough sell to most of the people here.

I’ll take new pics tomorrow and post them then y’all can estimate. Also no one is answering my actual question

[cmacken]

I’ll take new pics tomorrow and post them then y’all can estimate. Also no one is answering my actual question

Yes, but you will likely have to start eating in a deficit rather than at maintenance.

Once you post some pics tomorrow we can probably give you better feedback

[Tommy W.]

I’ll take new pics tomorrow and post them then y’all can estimate. Also no one is answering my actual question

your question is unanswerable. However one thing is guaranteed and that is you need to cut way back on your calories.

[AbdulazizSab]

Yes, but you will likely have to start eating in a deficit rather than at maintenance.

Once you post some pics tomorrow we can probably give you better feedback

I am eating in a deficit though. I workout 6 days a week and I used calorie calculators from multiple website.
My tdee: 2650
My bmr: 1830
I’m losing fat while clean eating at 2080 cals a day. And I understand that BIA measurements aren’t 100% accurate but I have experienced obvious fat loss indicators. losing 3 inches in waistline, clothes fitting looser and face looks more defined.

[AbdulazizSab]

your question is unanswerable. However one thing is guaranteed and that is you need to cut way back on your calories.

But according to multiple online calorie calculators eating 2080 cals a day for my height, weight and activity level would make me lose weight. The reason I’m not losing pounds on the scale is maybe because I’m gaining lost muscle back (muscle memory). My lifts are progressively increasing each week. Maybe once I gain back all the muscle I lost during quarantine the scale will finally go down. I’m pretty sure I’m going through a body recomp because the scale is stable but I’m losing inches in measurements. At least I hope that’s the case.

[Tommy W.]

I am eating in a deficit though. I workout 6 days a week and I used calorie calculators from multiple website.
My tdee: 2650
My bmr: 1830
I’m losing fat while clean eating at 2080 cals a day. And I understand that BIA measurements aren’t 100% accurate but I have experienced obvious fat loss indicators. losing 3 inches in waistline, clothes fitting looser and face looks more defined.

those calculators aren’t supposed to be the final say on what your TDEE is. They’re a starting point. Between them being off and your calorie counting being off, which I guarantee it is, you can’t be sure where you’re really at. If you actually were in a 600 cal deficit every day you would have lost a lot more weight.

[Tommy W.]

But according to multiple online calorie calculators eating 2080 cals a day for my height, weight and activity level would make me lose weight. The reason I’m not losing pounds on the scale is maybe because I’m gaining lost muscle back (muscle memory). My lifts are progressively increasing each week. Maybe once I gain back all the muscle I lost during quarantine the scale will finally go down. I’m pretty sure I’m going through a body recomp because the scale is stable but I’m losing inches in measurements. At least I hope that’s the case.

the scale will go down when you lower your weekly calories

[TolerantLactose]

I am eating in a deficit though. I workout 6 days a week and I used calorie calculators from multiple website.
My tdee: 2650

Your TDEE is the calorie level at which you don't lose or gain weight.

I eat below maintenance by about 20% (2080 Cals). I haven’t really bumped my calories down since starting this diet because my weight hasn’t changed.

[snailsrus]

Okay... If you say so.

Understand though that since "Inbody" measurements are wildly inaccurate, and there have been plenty of people here over the years that insist that they look like "XX% BF" when in reality they look like they are more like 5-10% over that estimate, a statement like the one that you just made will be a bit of a tough sell to most of the people here.

inbody scales have put me at 7% bf before and trust me never in my life will that happen or would I want it to

[Junsuiakai]

OP mentioned he lost 3 inches on his waist, so that is something to consider, but ultimately pics will give the best answers.

[AlexSays]

Maybe we should give the OP a bit of a break here, sounds like he went through a pretty rapid regain phase and therefore his bodyfat could have dropped without him losing a huge amount of actual bodyweight

Having said that I very much doubt he dropped the 7% reported without restricting his calories and only losing 3lb. Ignore ALL bodyfat scales OP, as in don't even use them as a baseline. They are that inaccurate and worthless as a measuring tool

OP if you are not losing weight at your current calorie level you need to drop your calorie level (it is likely you are miscalculating your 2000ish calories). If you want to reach 12-13% by Feb/March then get into a deficit and see how you go. You should be able to make very significant progress between now and then. Whether you reach your goal is dependent on how consistent you are and depends on your real current bodyfat but it could be possible

[faithbrah]

Maybe we should give the OP a bit of a break here, sounds like he went through a pretty rapid regain phase and therefore his bodyfat could have dropped without him losing a huge amount of actual bodyweight

Having said that I very much doubt he dropped the 7% reported without restricting his calories and only losing 3lb. Ignore ALL bodyfat scales OP, as in don't even use them as a baseline. They are that inaccurate and worthless as a measuring tool

OP if you are not losing weight at your current calorie level you need to drop your calorie level (it is likely you are miscalculating your 2000ish calories). If you want to reach 12-13% by Feb/March then get into a deficit and see how you go. You should be able to make very significant progress between now and then. Whether you reach your goal is dependent on how consistent you are and depends on your real current bodyfat but it could be possible

agreed, read the above OP ^^^^

going from 30% to 23% in a month while losing 3 pounds doesn't sound very realistic

using these weird scales for bf% measurement is a red flag imo, not to mention OP's calculator-based TDEE and "clean eating"

[SuffolkPunch]

You probably have recomped OP (gained muscle and lost fat).

You also probably are not counting calories accurately if you believe your are consuming 2k and not losing weight. It would help us to know what timescale you didn't lose weight over.

However, in practical terms, the advice is going to be to tighten up on counting and if necessary reduce calories further.

As mentioned the inbody results are likely to mislead you but let's say for the sake of argument that 23% is accurate... to get to 12%, you would need to reach 155lbs and that would take around 6 months.

[Tommy W.]

No pic = no accurate response possible