Still have belly

[davep122]

Hi,

Hope someone can help, also sorry for the long post.

It seems not matter how much weight I loose I still have a belly and fat in my chest area. Its getting depressing to be honest.

A little bit of info.

I used to be approx 250 - 255 pounds. Lazy and did not exercise. That was about 2 - 2 1/2 years ago. I also smoked cigarettes.

I started working out, weight training, Thai boxing and running. I changed my diet and gave up smoking.
I am now 212, I actually got down to 180 when I was Thai boxing but that was a lose of muscle as well and i looked kind of sick(I still had that got dam belly even then.
I have stopped Thai boxing but still weight train and run. So I seem to float around 208 - 212 pounds but I cannot get rid of the belly. I'm afraid if I cut any more calories I will just lose more muscle again. Also using a bodyfat calculator it comes out at 19%

Here is a breakdown of my workout days

Mon - Upper body weight training + 10 - 15 mins treadmill
Tue - 40 mins treadmill + abs
Wed - Lower body weight training - 10 - 15 mins treadmill
Thur - 40 mins treadmill + abs
Fri - Upper body weight training + 10 - 15 mins treadmill
Sat - Rest
Sun - Rest

I run 4 - 4 1/2 miles in the 40 mins so I think its a good cardio workout and the weight training is intense enough I feel.

I eat 6 meals a day at around 300 - 400 cals per meals
Protein comes from chicken breast, fish, some steak and lean ground beef and protein shakes
Fats come peanut butter, olives and sometimes low fat cheese
Carbs come from rice, wholemeal/wholewheat bread, veg and fruit

On Sat I do have a cheat meal, sometimes two but I think I would go insane if I didn't have that break.

Supplements
Gold Standard Whey Protein
Animal Stak
Creatine
Multi Vitamin
Joint Support
Cod Liver Capsules
I also take sometimes one of those fat burners like Oxy Elite Pro

So right now I'm 34 years old, 212 pounds, 19% BF and 6' 2 but I still have the belly

I could post a pic to show if it helps but if it wouldn't help then Id prefer not

Any help and advice would be really appreciated

Thanks
Dave

[AimSmall]

You need to be a bit more specific and strict with your macros. Eating 6 meals 300-400 cals is a wide range. You need to calculate your BMR and maintenance level.

If you want to get rid of that belly, bulking (eating at a surplus) is going to make it tough to achieve. Even at eating at a deficit, if you workout properly and have your diet in check, you wont lose much muscle, possibly none at all.

[davep122]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply, I'm not sure what macros are, well actually I don't know what they are at all.

I worked out my BMR here, bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator it says its 2095. Then I worked out my daily calorie needs here bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation I selected moderatetely active, this said I need to eat 3247 calories a day, that can't be right though can it? That would mean I'm eating a deficit of 1152 calories a day.

[dmacdonal9]

You need to check out the stickies here in the forums. Here's a bit of a guide:


1. Get rid of your misconceptions
2. Calculate your calories and macros
3. Eat about 20% less calories than you burn each day while still meeting minimum protein and fat. Get the remainder of cals from carbs.
4. Buy a kitchen scale and weigh everything that goes in your pie hole.
5. Count calories using a site like MyFitnessPal. Here's how to count properly.
6. Lift heavy weights to preserve muscle mass, on a program like Starting Strength. Why this program? Read this.
7. If nothing happens after 3 weeks, reexamine calculations, and eat less.

[davep122]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

That site myfitnesspal look really good. It does the calculations for you. I will get a scales and try this out,

Thanks again
Dave

[davep122]

just looking at myfitnesspal, it says only 55g of protein a day. That's not even two scoops of protein powder, that would mean I would have eaten my protein intake in about two meals that day. So are all the other mean just carbs and fats?

[AimSmall]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply, I'm not sure what macros are, well actually I don't know what they are at all.

I worked out my BMR here, bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator it says its 2095. Then I worked out my daily calorie needs here bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation I selected moderatetely active, this said I need to eat 3247 calories a day, that can't be right though can it? That would mean I'm eating a deficit of 1152 calories a day.

Yah you definitely need to up your calorie in-take, even if you are trying to lose weight. You maintenance level is 3200 cals and eating 1100 under that is extremely unhealthy. You should only be eating about 500 under your maintenance. Its recommended to use 20% under your maintenance rather than the common 500. But still a useable number.

So you need to be eating around 2800 cals a day.

just looking at myfitnesspal, it says only 55g of protein a day. That's not even two scoops of protein powder, that would mean I would have eaten my protein intake in about two meals that day. So are all the other mean just carbs and fats?

You must be misreading it. I highly doubt it says to eat 55g of protein a day. Maybe its telling you to reach that number of grams per meal.

A common Ratio is 40/20/20. Eating fat is still vital and you also dont want to eat too much carbs. But that ratio would only give you about 140g of protein which is still rather low. At 212, I would aim for at least 180g's and reach for your body weight in grams.

[DarthInvadeHer]

Can you post pics?

[dmacdonal9]

just looking at myfitnesspal, it says only 55g of protein a day. That's not even two scoops of protein powder, that would mean I would have eaten my protein intake in about two meals that day. So are all the other mean just carbs and fats?

Ignore macro targets in MFP, it's only useful for tracking what you actually eat, not what they suggest. Calculate your own macro targets from the stickies I linked, and just use it to see if you're tracking to those goals for calories and macros.

[davep122]

I think maybe its just calculating what I need to just loose weight without caring about what is actually lost, muscles, fat etc. Here is a screenshot of what it says

[ejthomp]

take a picture at 185 lbs. then tell us how much belly and chest fat you have.

[AimSmall]

I think maybe its just calculating what I need to just loose weight without caring about what is actually lost, muscles, fat etc. Here is a screenshot of what it says

Don't follow that. Got to the sticky that you were linked to in this thread and calculate your Maintenance level and the other things you need to get your diet set.

[davep122]

Can you post pics?

Here are some pics of me now
I cut my head out(for some reason)
Ok so you can see from the pics I have a lot of belly fat and some chest fat
Also I am sunburned on my belly here, lol, I dont know how I missed that part with the sun screen

[davep122]

I dont think I could get back to that weight. I was doing Thai Boxing 6 days a week and some weight training plus ate very little. I was always tired. I lost 60lbs in 6 months. But I looked sick, everyone told me to put weight back on. But even then, when you could see my check bones a lot more and I looked very gaunt my belly fat was still there

[AimSmall]

Here are some pics of me now
I cut my head out(for some reason)
Ok so you can see from the pics I have a lot of belly fat and some chest fat
Also I am sunburned on my belly here, lol, I dont know how I missed that part with the sun screen

I think your biggest issue right now is getting your macros in line since you are completely off and confused with your calculations. Your maintenance is around 3200 cals and need to be eating around 2700-2800, not 1400. And you need to be eating 200g+ of protein, not 55g.

[jamesyboi]

You need to check out the stickies here in the forums. Here's a bit of a guide:


1. Get rid of your misconceptions
2. Calculate your calories and macros
3. Eat about 20% less calories than you burn each day while still meeting minimum protein and fat. Get the remainder of cals from carbs.
4. Buy a kitchen scale and weigh everything that goes in your pie hole.
5. Count calories using a site like MyFitnessPal. Here's how to count properly.
6. Lift heavy weights to preserve muscle mass, on a program like Starting Strength. Why this program? Read this.
7. If nothing happens after 3 weeks, reexamine calculations, and eat less.

OP, listen to this guy.

He more than often posts some good advice.

I guess your eating over your maintenance and not counting your calories to the calorie.

Get strict.

[AimSmall]

OP, listen to this guy.

He more than often posts some good advice.

I guess your eating over your maintenance and not counting your calories to the calorie.
Get strict.

He's eating 1200 calories UNDER his maintenance. He needs to eat more. Much more.

[jamesyboi]

He's eating 1200 calories UNDER his maintenance. He needs to eat more. Much more.

Sorry, I thought he was eating 1800-2400 calories a day but wasn't exact.

I usually find feeling hungry is a good measure for losing weight.

[AimSmall]

Sorry, I thought he was eating 1800-2400 calories a day but wasn't exact.

I usually find feeling hungry is a good measure for losing weight.

He is eating 1800-2400 calories a day. His maintenance is around 3200. Therefore way to low. Especially on those days he eats around 1800 cals.

[davep122]

Ok, here is what I have worked out using the stickes

BMR = 2095
I multiplied this by 1.6 to find my maintenance level, this said I need 3352 calories.
So then I reduced that by 20% and it gave me 2680. So that looks like what I need to be eating daily to lose weight.
Also working out the macros I got
220g protein
77g Fat
423g Carbs

This looks a bit better I think, if I got it right. I'm going to check out the calorie counting sites and get a scales for weighing the food.

[Krisco65]

Ok, here is what I have worked out using the stickes

BMR = 2095
I multiplied this by 1.6 to find my maintenance level, this said I need 3352 calories.
So then I reduced that by 20% and it gave me 2680. So that looks like what I need to be eating daily to lose weight.
Also working out the macros I got
220g protein
77g Fat
423g Carbs

This looks a bit better I think, if I got it right. I'm going to check out the calorie counting sites and get a scales for weighing the food.

Your macro calculations are very off. Rough math says that there is 4 calories per gram of carbs and proteins, and 9 calories per gram of fat. This gets me ~3265 calories based on the macros you listed.

If you go into my fitness pal and go to goals/custom you can change your macro ratios. Try a 40%protein/35% carbs/25% fats ratio and then go look at your food diary again. See what it says and adjust based on the calculations you used in the stickies.

Good luck.

[nlite2000]

He is eating 1800-2400 calories a day. His maintenance is around 3200. Therefore way to low. Especially on those days he eats around 1800 cals.

You're operating on the assumptions that a)that's actually his maintenance b)that's what he's actually eating per day. HUGE assumptions.

Furthermore, the world doesn't end if a normal size male eats ~2000 calories a day.

[AimSmall]

You're operating on the assumptions that a)that's actually his maintenance b)that's what he's actually eating per day. HUGE assumptions.

Furthermore, the world doesn't end if a normal size male eats ~2000 calories a day.

Just basing it on the facts he has given me. That's all I can go by.

[davep122]

Your macro calculations are very off. Rough math says that there is 4 calories per gram of carbs and proteins, and 9 calories per gram of fat. This gets me ~3265 calories based on the macros you listed.

If you go into my fitness pal and go to goals/custom you can change your macro ratios. Try a 40%protein/35% carbs/25% fats ratio and then go look at your food diary again. See what it says and adjust based on the calculations you used in the stickies.

Good luck.

Hi,

Thanks for the info. I re-calculated and you are right. They look better now, I did the math of 4x for carb and pro and 9x for fat and it all evens out now.

Thanks again
Dave

[Krisco65]

Glad I could help.