Hello community!
I really am in need of some advise and what I can introduce to head towards my fitness goals.
UPDATE 1st July: Hey guys. It's nearly end of Week5 and I only have 1 more week left, and so far My weight has not changed, I have not become stronger and I have not lost any weight. Can someone help identify what I am doing wrong? I weigh and macro track everything. I meal prep. I workout 2x a week strength, 2x a week HIT. I do about 10,000 steps a day and eating around 1700 calories. My body is so sore all week from working out the HIT stuff. My arms and legs are still very skinny and I have had no change in my skinny-fat belly and chest.
History
In the past, I was once extremely overweight (102kg at 17 years old) and did a lot of running, boxing and HIT and dropped to a weight of 73kg after a year and a half. I completely dropped my carb intake to 30% of my total calories. and kept Protein high.
Now being 24 years old, my weight has gone up and down since and I am now at 73kg again. I have spent over a year in the gym (albeit not consistently) doing weight workouts, sometimes HIT etc thinking that maybe I could generate some muscle and burn fat.
The Problem
Even though I lost 30kg of weight, I now have very skinny arms, legs and very skinny calves but a stomach that is very fat. I have wider hips (which is annoying), a fatty chest and somehow a belly that looks round, big and is very soft/fat & pudgy! It is really affecting me and I really want to change this. I thought by losing all that weight, I would have a flatter body. I am essentially 73kg and estimating 30% body fat from google images. I had stronger legs and calves when I was overweight! When I was doing weight training at 19/20 , I could squat about 85-90Kg, Now I can only do 65kg which is understandable as I stopped training but even after a year I cannot go above 65kg.
What I have been trying to do for the last 3 weeks
3 Weeks ago, I decided I want to burn all this fat away and Build a Strong physique. Currently, I have been eating 1650 Calories every day with 30% FATS - 40% PROTEIN - 30% CARBS and I am meal prepping to make sure I fulfil these requirements. I am doing strength workouts 3x a week (Resistance bands as gyms are closed) and HIT once a week.
I need help!
Please can you give me some advice? Is my plan correct? Should I be eating 1650 calories a day or if not, why and what? I do not know where to go to for this info, So I am hoping you guys can really help me change my life here. Should I do more cardio? More weights? Anything!
Thank you so much and I look forward to reading all your feedbacks
|
-
06-16-2020, 11:23 AM #1
Please Help: Weights/Exercising for over a year and cannot lose any fat
Last edited by FilmFanatic12; 07-01-2020 at 11:23 AM. Reason: Progess Update
-
06-16-2020, 12:09 PM #2
-
06-17-2020, 03:24 AM #3
-
06-17-2020, 04:12 AM #4
- Join Date: Jan 2007
- Location: Suffolk, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Posts: 54,513
- Rep Power: 1338184
I'd stick at it for another 2 weeks. It may be that training is causing glycogen uptake. or it could be you aren't eating as few calories as you think. So double check you are weighing and measuring everything correctly but otherwise carry on to see what happens. 0.5kg is better than nothing but is too small given your (stated) calorie intake.
Are you taking a new supplement like protein powder or eating something you didn't eat before? Perhaps there is an element of bloating but that's not something to be concerned about if it's not causing you digestive issues. It's only temporary and underlying fat loss will still be happening.
-
-
06-17-2020, 04:33 AM #5
Yeah, I was planning on doing this for another 3 weeks and then to take a week rest and reflect and decide whether I should then increase my calories or not.
And yes, I started taking Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey protein which I used to have when I lost weight many years ago.
Do you think that the plan I am doing is the right thing to do? Since yesterday I was doing reading online and came across 'Skinny-Fat' and a lot of the advice on it is to build muscle first.. I don't know if this is really the correct thing though.
Many thanks for your help!
-
06-17-2020, 04:40 AM #6
- Join Date: Jan 2007
- Location: Suffolk, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Posts: 54,513
- Rep Power: 1338184
It's certainly true that you won't get results only by dieting - however both fat loss and muscle gain have to happen. You can do them in any order, just don't expect your final results to come after only 1 phase of each.
My only other observation is that you don't have to hit exact macro percentages. Set (say) 130g of protein and 70g of fat as your minimums (there is no minimum for carbs) and just fill your calorie needs with any combination of macros that exceeds those minimums.
-
07-01-2020, 10:43 AM #7
-
07-01-2020, 11:01 AM #8
- Join Date: Jun 2014
- Location: Houston, Texas, United States
- Age: 58
- Posts: 3,982
- Rep Power: 12199
If you are really "73kg and 30% BF" as you say, then your total lean mass is likely only 49kg. Basically, you are a very skinny person under all of the fat.
That means that your (estimate) BMR is about 1425 and your TDEE (maintenance calories) are only about 1720. So if you are eating at "1650-1700 calories/day" then you are eating roughly at maintenance and so you will not see any real changes to your weight at that calorie level.
To see a change of even 1 KG per month you would likely have to start eating at a minimum deficit of 250 calories/day which would mean that you would have to eat about 1470 calories/day.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but based upon what you have told us, it is very likely your answer.~ Like Tae-Kwon-Leap, my goals are not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.
-
-
07-01-2020, 11:20 AM #9
Hi Luclin999, cheers for the reply.
Wow I didn't realise the calorie intake had to be so low... In all honestly when I said 30% I was comparing myself to google images. But a lot of people have told me that I look very skinny but it doesn't make sense to have a soft belly that does come out compared to the rest of my body. Even my calves and forearms have no fat whatsoever but are very skinny.
Do you think it is worth doing a 6 week 'bulk' cycle so I can put on some more muscle mass and make burning the fat a bit easier? I am not sure if that's how it works lol.
-
07-01-2020, 11:52 AM #10
If I were you I wouldn't go into full bulk mode if you want to gain muscle at your current shape and lifting experience. A large surplus most likely is not needed. I would shift all my focus to muscle building and remain in your deficit/maintenance. Whether that be more frequency, less frequency, more volume, less volume. Whatever gets your progressing in your program while eating the same amount.
Life is constant learning. Give advice about things you know. Ask questions about things you don't.
*Health and Wellness Coach and Coordinator for all United Bank Branches of Alabama
-
07-01-2020, 12:02 PM #11
-
07-01-2020, 12:27 PM #12
- Join Date: Jun 2014
- Location: Houston, Texas, United States
- Age: 58
- Posts: 3,982
- Rep Power: 12199
Eating more for six weeks isn't going to magically increase your lean mass to such a degree as to make a difference in your daily calorie levels. Each additional pound of muscle on your frame really only increases your daily calorie consumption by something like 9-14 calories.
The numbers that I gave you are based upon the information that you gave us.
That said, the fact that you say that you have been eating at roughly 1700 calories/day and have seen no changes would also track with the idea of that calorie level being effectively your maintenance level.
Probably not what you wanted to hear but the evidence seems to point in that direction.~ Like Tae-Kwon-Leap, my goals are not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.
-
-
07-01-2020, 12:44 PM #13
If your body weight and composition hasn't changed appreciably in a year, then you're eating at maintenance and you've adapted to whatever training you're doing. Both need to be addressed if you expect positive changes. I definitively don't advise bulking without a better program (better than the one that got you to where you are).
Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
Galatians 4:16
-
07-04-2020, 04:55 AM #14
Bookmarks