Looking for help, I thought I knew what I was doing here but I may just be wrong!

[Lfawcett44]

Hey all,
I'm happy to be a part of this community and I've ordered so many things from the store however I've never posted here on the forums. I am here because frankly I don't really have anywhere else to turn.

I am 23, extremely active, but I just CAN'T seem to shake a lower spare tire and I do not seem to gain too much definition in my arms. I have been working out for years, but more recently (6 months or so) I have had an absolutely clean diet. I'm pescatarian (so fish/veggies/fruit only) and I literally log (myfitnesspal.com) every single thing I eat on a day-to-day basis and have done so for the past 6 months.
I lift weights 5x per week, mostly in the afternoon (3PMEST) and I do Cardio 4x per week (once on each of the days I don't lift, and once in the morning on two of my lift days). I do cardio on a completely empty stomach on the CrossRamp Eliptical (I prefer the low impact) and I keep my heart rate in the 130 range consistently for one hour. I believe my diet is as clean as can be but I just don't know what the heck I have to do to get rid of this gut. My upper stomach has nice cuts but from midway to the bottom it's almost like I don't have Ab muscles at all. I feel like I'm just doomed genetically or something because my pops is big guy or something. I'm 23 and I weigh about 195 and I'm 6'1. I play basketball on average 3x a week as well! I like my size, I'd like to cut down on the fat and I feel like the cardio would help that goal. I basically feel like it's impossible for me I literally think I'm genetically doomed here. My diet is underneath, my workout schedule as well. Also, any supplements I am taking are listed below.

DIET
I'm taking in, on average, 2200 calories or so. 200+ grams protein, 150 carbs and maybe 65 fat. Those numbers are tentative though, I am always adjusting my diet and there was a time when I was taking maybe 200 gr carbs in a day but I've just cut it down a little. I do not ingest carbs after 6pm. A quick sample I suppose of my diet would be something like this:

Cardio (empty Stomach)
30min-1hr after that I'd drink a protein shake. (Brands vary, Dymatize is something I use, Muscle Milk, lately it's been Nutrex Muscle Infusion or whatever it's called)

An hour or so later, Old Fashioned Oats (1/2cup) with protein powder of my choice in it.

Then, maybe 3 or 4 oz of fish (salmon, tuna/albacore, tilapia) with 1/2 cup kidney beans or spinach

Something similar to that meal a little later on.

Then my workout would take place,followed by
Post (lifting) Workout Shake (2 scoops muscle milk/1 scoop Optimum Glyco-Maize)

I'd get home, wait a little and lets say at 7pm or so I'd have more fish of the same portion, and maybe once in a blue I'll have 1 TBSP of natural organic unsalted peanut butter.

And that would be it, here and there I throw in Nature's Promise Peanut Bars and I have nuts of different types on a daily basis whether it be Almonds or Walnuts and I have very little nothing over the top.

What the heck am I doing wrong? I've got friends that eat CRAP, whether it be Pizza or Fast Food or Ice Cream and they stay solid somehow it's unreal. I'm quite envious, because I'm sitting here eating greens and they are chowing down on the good stuff LOL. Mind you all, I'm not looking to eat that kind of crap or anything, I am very content with what I eat and I enjoy it all very much I just want to know what the heck am I doing wrong because there must be something I'm missing.


WORKOUT
Monday - Chest/Triceps
For Chest on Mondays I do meso-cycles with a workout buddy of mine. Basically it's 6 weeks long, with the first week being that you Flat Bench Press for 5 sets of 25 reps a manageable weight. For each Monday after (for a 6 week period), you increase the weight 20lbs and decrease the reps by 5 until you reach the 6th week where you are doing 1 max rep (of course after warming up plenty!). Then on the Monday after we start it all over at a little higher of a weight. For Triceps, basically dips (12-15reps x 4sets), skullcrushers, seated dip push downs, cable push downs. I usually go by the weight at which I could get 8-10 reps.

Tuesday - Legs
I do Squats, 3 sets at increasing weights (last set I want to handle 8 reps or so)
Weighted Step-ups (4 sets at a very light weight, 10reps each leg)
Weighted Hammer Strength Machine Squats (10 repsx4 sets)
Leg Presses (depending on how I feel, I usually do about 4 sets at increasing weights for 10 reps, the last set I know I always have a bunch of plates on there)
Calf Raises Machine (Weighted, usually around 200 or something for 30 reps x4 sets)

Wednesday - Cardio AM, Shoulders 8-10hrs later
as I talked about earlier I do empty stomach early morning cardio for one hour on the Cross Ramp eliptical at a heart rate consistent around 130. Break quite a sweat and usually hit around 700-800 calories burned (not that it matters I guess)
Shoulders I'll do Barbell Presses (up to 4 sets), Dumbbell Presses (4 sets as well, 10 reps) Upright Rows with the EZ Curl Bar (50 Lbs, 12-15 repsx 4 sets), Front and Lateral Raises at a light weight (16 reps, 8 each way, 4 sets)

Thursday is Back and Biceps Day
Plenty of different pullups for plenty of different sets, Hammer Strenghth Pulldown machine, T-Bar Rows, and this other Hammer Strength machine where you sit and pull the bar from behind your head all the way over and down to your waist, and finally deadlifts. Everything 4 sets, 10 reps or so with various weights depending on what I feel. For Biceps I will do seated preachers for 4 sets, in and out curls with dumbells for 4 sets, 21s with the EZ curl bar for 3 sets, and maybe something like Chinups combo'd with some kind of hammer curl again for 4 sets.

Friday - Cardio

and then the weekend is just kind of a variety thing, I get cardio in each morning and later in the day I kind of just do what I havent done in a while.

Gosh I really know this is so much to read but it was also so much to write !! LOL...Lastly my supplements would be
Green Magnitude
Animal Cuts
TBombII
Hemo-Rage

I drink nothing but WATER, at least a gallon a day but usually more.
I can't help but feel like I am DOOMED, thanks DAD! ANY advice would be wonderful guys, I am an extremely hard worker as I know everyone here is as well. I am not throwing in the towel I am just looking for a little guidance.

[NanaFrana]

It might just be genetic. You might have slow metabolim and tend t store fat there. I'd cut your calories a little lower, up the cardio workout time and intensity, and add in more ab work. Good luck!

[nath87]

Gonna go out on a limb here and say it prob because ur calories r to low. As far as I understand it ur bmr (basal metabolic rate) which is the min amount needed to stay alive without any exercise @ all is around 1700 cals (depending on age and sex etc), and then ur adding 5 days of weight training + cardio ontop of that, so in reality ur prob burning about 3000 cals + a day, so ur metabolism is slowing down to compensate. Just how I understand it thou, I could be wrong and somebody feel free to correct me if I am. OP Google TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and you'll get the jyst of wat I said. Good luck

[nemyy]

Your calories are too low

[Gabriel01]

Please bare in mind those lengthy post. It tend to lose it's effectiveness of your message to us "readers" and you are likely to see other "readers" to quickly hit that back button once they see such a long winded content. - no offense.