Not sure if I should add more calories

[PixelFive]

Male 42,
167cm
83Kg
24% body fat give or take.
Currently consuming 1800 calories.
Upper, lower body split. Training on MTTF and rest days are WSS.

I've been on the above diet for around 2 years and my goal was to reduce body fat has stopped over the last 6 months. 1 month ago I went from Fierce Five to an Upper and Lower split.

My training program still allows me to add weight to the bar every 2 weeks or so but bench has now become slow where I can't add more to the bar but trying to get 8 reps for 3 sets.

My goal is to reduce fat but after reading a few articles i think I need to increase my calories by 100 to see if I can build muscle to help the fat percentage come down.

I can post the links if required but I wondered if anyone could give advice on whether my idea is ok to carry out or am I completely wrong?

Sorry if I haven't listed everything but new on the forum so ask any more questions if required.

Thanks

[xsquid99]

Pick one goal, either lose fat or build muscle. But if you're over 20% bodyfat you should be cutting, and if you're trying to lose fat then eating more calories is the opposite direction you want to go.

[Luclin999]

My goal is to reduce fat but after reading a few articles i think I need to increase my calories by 100 to see if I can build muscle to help the fat percentage come down.

No, that is not likely to work. And if it did somehow then the progress would be glacial.

You'd be better off just cutting your calories by another 250-500 per day and losing the remaining fat ~then~ focusing on slowly building the muscle mass up further.

All that said, if you are 182 pounds and haven't lost any weight on "1800 calories/day" for six months then it's much more likely that your actual daily amount is a fair bit higher than "1800 calories" (probably more like 2100-2300/day).

[PixelFive]

Thanks. I've of the articles i read was

nbcnews.com/better/health/i-m-doing-everything-right-i-m-still-not-losing-ncna866376

Point 1 to say I don't eat enough. Now I know I was waking up around 2am for around 2 hours and couldn't get it of that habit until recently when I upped the calories.

So does it still make sense to go to 1700 calories to start with? I train 4 times a week?

Thanks

[TolerantLactose]

Male 42,
167cm
83Kg
24% body fat give or take.
Currently consuming 1800 calories.
Upper, lower body split. Training on MTTF and rest days are WSS.

I've been on the above diet for around 2 years and my goal was to reduce body fat has stopped over the last 6 months.

If you had been on a 1800 cal/day diet for 2 years, you'd be tiny by now.

[faithbrah]

If you had been on a 1800 cal/day diet for 2 years, you'd be tiny by now.

good point... hard to believe OP has been eating 1800 cals with those stats and not losing weight

hell, i'm a few cm taller but nearly 20 kilos lighter, yet i still lose nicely @ 1800

[xsquid99]

Thanks. I've of the articles i read was

nbcnews.com/better/health/i-m-doing-everything-right-i-m-still-not-losing-ncna866376

Point 1 to say I don't eat enough. Now I know I was waking up around 2am for around 2 hours and couldn't get it of that habit until recently when I upped the calories.

So does it still make sense to go to 1700 calories to start with? I train 4 times a week?

Thanks

I looked at that article, the first point of the "I'm not eating enough" paragraph was that people who eat too little tend to binge, thus erasing your overall average caloric deficit and sabotaging your weight loss.

The 2nd point of that paragraph mentioned starvation mode, which is not a real thing when it comes to fat loss in overweight individuals. What its really referring to is metabolic adaptation, which is a physiological response to being in a prolonged caloric deficit when your body tends to naturally move and generally "fidget" less throughout the day, thus burning less calories. This can be overcome by consciously moving more throughout the day, take walks, get up and stretch, basically whatever you need to do to keep your body moving.

Bottom line is if you haven't lost weight then you are currently eating at your caloric maintenance level.

[PixelFive]

Thanks again. I will drop to 1700 to see what happens.

A lot of advise on dropping carbs etc and I personally think if you drop carbs then fat loss is temporary. Would you agree with this or is there some truth in this?

[SuffolkPunch]

Thanks again. I will drop to 1700 to see what happens.

A lot of advise on dropping carbs etc and I personally think if you drop carbs then fat loss is temporary. Would you agree with this or is there some truth in this?

If dropping carbs results in less calories consumed then you will lose fat.

The rate of fat loss will be the same as if you reduce calories by the same amount from fat or protein however.

In terms of scale weight, you might lose more water temporarily by reducing carbs. This can fool you into thinking you are losing fat faster than you really are. It also makes weigh come back faster when you stop dieting.

[PixelFive]

I think you've agreed dropping carbs is pointless unless it causes a deficit.

I currently take

160gm protein
60-70gms fat
Rest in carbs

Does this sound ok? And I'm measuring my waist to see if there is any progress which isn't always the case in the short term. Is there another body part I could measure to ensure fat loss is occurring?

Thanks again to you all

[wilkinkc]

If dropping carbs results in less calories consumed then you will lose fat.

The rate of fat loss will be the same as if you reduce calories by the same amount from fat or protein however.

In terms of scale weight, you might lose more water temporarily by reducing carbs. This can fool you into thinking you are losing fat faster than you really are. It also makes weigh come back faster when you stop dieting.

This is 100% true. One weekend I ate very light carbs. That Monday I was down 10 lbs from last weigh in, but gained 5lb back later that week after I resumed eating my normal carb amount for a few days.

[wilkinkc]

I think you've agreed dropping carbs is pointless unless it causes a deficit.

I currently take

160gm protein
60-70gms fat
Rest in carbs

Does this sound ok? And I'm measuring my waist to see if there is any progress which isn't always the case in the short term. Is there another body part I could measure to ensure fat loss is occurring?

Thanks again to you all

Read the "calculating macros" sticky, as long as you are hitting minimum suggested protein and fats, the amount of carbs is your choice. You could do high carbs, or choose to take in more fats/protein. It really doesn't matter as long as you are hitting the minimums.
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=173439001