Advice on calorific intake

[Nekrotik]

Hi all,
I am 37 year old male and i have been working out on/off the past 10 years or so.
I am currently 81 kilos and 179cm height - my lately Boditrax scan showed a 25.3 BMI, 16.9% fat (13.7kg) and 79% muscle (64kg).

I want to drop my fat percentage mainly while staying toned because i have annoying spot fat around the love handles and chest.

My problem has always been consistency, as i could go into a good routine of working out at the gym 3-4times a week while on a calorific deficit for 2 months, but then take a break and start all over again.

As you know, after 33 years old i have found it a lot harder to lose weight and slim down, but after being introduced to intermittent fasting i am back on a good roll with diet and exercise.

At the moment, if i am not going out i follow the below:

- Intermittent fasting 16:8 (22:00 to 14:00)
- Break fast with protein meal replacement and porridge
- Work out (3-4 times a week approx 90mins out of which 30mins cardio)
- Whey protein shake
- A good balanced meal

I have dropped around 4 kilos in a month in this way and can lift more at the gym/getting stronger.

My question is regarding the overall calorific intake.

I have quite a low calorific average on MyFitnessPal, as i have my food target to 1650 and then i work out on top so it drops a lot.
The current weekly average is around 1100 to 1200 after removing the calories from the workouts ( i track them with chest heart monitor).

Thing is that my hunger is very manageable and when i am fasting i just have 2 cups of black coffee and a hydralyte supplement (sodium, magnesium and vitamin C) so i dont really feel i consume so little calories.

Is this plan healthy ? Should i keep it like that for the time being at least ? What do you think?

Thanks in advance!

[smokinal]

Ok...let's dive in here.

For starters, you cannot spot-reduce BF. Your body will burn fat taken evenly from your entire body. So, naturally, the areas with the thickest fat will be the last to go. This fat isn't any more "stubborn" as we so often hear, it's just thicker so it is the last to see results/change/go away. What will make it go away is a consistant caloric deficit and time...which I can tell will be your issue...we'll touch on that later.

Second IMO, IF doesn't do anything special; fat loss is completely CICO (calories in/calories out). That said, if IF helps you stay in a caloric deficit, and you like it, then stick with it. I'm not badmouthing IF, I just feel it's important that people know the real reason they are losing weight...and that's because you're in a caloric deficit.

Your daily routine seems fine (without knowing your actual training routine; but we won't touch on that yet)

Next...if there's one thing and one thing only that I suggest, that you listen to, it's this: DO NOT PUT "EXERCISE CALORIES" INTO THE EQUATION!!!
This drives me crazy and is a leading cause for people's failure. There's no way anyone can accurately estimate how many cals you burn during any physical activity. Forget all about this number, just find a caloric number that puts you losing about 1 lb (.5 k) per week, and stick to it, day after day, no matter what your activity level is.
The other thing people do is choose to not weigh themselves often enough. You should be weighing yourself 2-3 times per week, on the same scale, at the same time of day. Doing this will let you know where you are at all the time. With that information, you can then make caloric adjustments to keep you on track (losing .5k per week, every week, for months and months)

And finally, your biggest issue, "My problem has always been consistency, as i could go into a good routine of working out at the gym 3-4times a week while on a calorific deficit for 2 months, but then take a break and start all over again."
Making a big physical change takes time. You have to stay in that deficit for months and months (depending how much fat you want to lose of course).
This is all up to you and how badly you want it.

I hope I've helped. Keep the questions coming and I hope you'll get some good info from more knowledgeable member her than I.

[Nekrotik]

Thank you so much for your response.

What you stressed there about not putting the exercise calories into the equation, has been my biggest learning recently.
I have had problems in the past dropping weight because i thought i was doing everything right, but the calculations were probably wrong and giving me a false idea of calories - so i was not losing as much as i would expect.
After 35 i realized you have to be more drastic and consistent to get back into shape or slim down.

I follow what you mention regarding the weighting, so i do that mid week at the smart scale at the gym that also does a body scan on top.
Completely agree with you on spot weight loss and my plan is to drop the body fat % altogether until finally reaching those stubborn areas - i was just making my case so you could have a better idea of my body.
IF has been great for me as a general lifestyle and have been doing 16:8 for over a year now - but again whatever works for everyone.

I am in a good shape at the moment, and i am even pushing myself to heavier weights and intensity along with a the calorific deficit diet described, i just wanted to hear some feedback so i do not burn myself out or harm my body.
100% its all about consistency, i just freaked out a bit when i saw 1100 average daily calories on FitnessPal and i felt i should perhaps take a second opinion - thanks again.

Training wise, i go to the gym 3-4 times a week - i do in total around 7 exercises/3-4 sets and cardio in the beginning and end of the session.
Lately i have been approaching the reps by starting with a bit less weight/higher reps and then increase weight/less reps to around 80% till failure.

Cardio every session
- Beginning: 20mins treadmill / HIIT sort of style - change intensity every 2mins
- End: 15 mins treadmill - high elevation/steady pace

Muscle groups/Day
- Shoulder / Abs
- Back / Biceps
- Chest / Triceps
- Legs



Day 1

Shoulders
Seated Arnold Press
Shoulder Press(Barbell / Machine)
Cable lateral raise
Barbell upright row
High shoulder flyes

Abs
Cable crunch
Cable woodchopper
Captain chair

Day 2

Back
Dumbell pulls
Deadlifts
Lat Pulldown
Seated Rows

Bicepts
Cable curl
Hammer curls
Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Row

Day 3

Chest
Dumbell flat press
Overhead Dumbell Pullover
High Flyes
Low Cable Flyes
Inclined chest press

Tricepts
Tricep Overhead Extention dumbell
Tricep push down

Day 4

Legs
Squats
Leg Press
Hamstring Curl
Hip thrust on hamstring curl
calf raises
and whatever exercise i perhaps skipped over the week


This is what i have been working on at the moment, but - as everyone in these forums - i always look out at ways to improve my routine and workouts.
Thanks for the support!

[smokinal]

I'm glad IF is working for you. There's nothing wrong with it on a cut; if you like it, it fits your lifestyle, and it's working for you...I'd stick with it. As far as burnout; if you're only losing ~.5k per week, that really shouldn't be an issue. That amount is very safe, isn't too aggressive, and is a pretty standard amount to safely lose without tapping too much into muscle, or really starving yourself. Again, just tweak your daily intake so you lose that amount; then it doesn't matter what you eat, as long as you lose that amount you're right on track.

I'm also glad to hear you're pushing yourself. A lot of people don't. They just go in, go through the motions and wonder why they don't get results; it isn't easy. I'm a big believer in progressive overload; the thought to always add some sort of intensity to your sets/workout. And it doesn't have to be adding weight; it can be another rep, a slightly shorter rest, slightly strickter form, adding a drop set, a superset, slower reps etc...

And that's s pretty solid training schedule; better than most I see posted; you must have done some homework.

All in all, fwiw, I think you're right on track. Just keep looking for that steady weight loss every week of somewhere between .5k and .7k
And I say steady, I guess I mean average because it can definitely jump around a little; just look for a running average.

Stay with it! You can do it! Look for those results and be proud of them. That's the best motivation to stick with it.

[Nekrotik]

Thank you so much for your comments and support!! They are greatly appreciated !