xianking
New member
I'm male, 5'9" and currently weigh 182 lbs. Last Christmas I crossed the 200 lbs mark and decided to get into shape. I started working out at the gym religiously, hired a trainer once a week, etc. I lift weights 3 days a week for about an hour, oftentimes accompanied by 20-30 minutes of cardio. (Elliptical or exercise bike, etc.) The other 3-4 days a week, I mix it up between 30 minutes of interval training, 70 minutes of solid cardio, or a combination of the two.
My diet is healthy, organic. About 70g of fat/day, 150g of complex carbs (almost zero sugar - just fruit, veggies, and whole grains), and about 200g of protein. (2 scoops of whey, 1 scoop of casein at night, then eggs, chicken, steak, etc.) I drink about 1/2 - 1 gallon of water a day.
In mid-June, I had my body fat % tested with hydrostatic testing. I was at 8.7% and very happy, weighing in at 179lbs and looking much, much better than last December.
According to what is supposed to be the most accurate calculation (using body fat percentage) for figuring out your daily caloric needs, I should eat about 3200-3400 calories per day to maintain my weight. I probably eat 2000-2200 because I still have some weight around the middle that I'd like to lose. (Yes, I want a six pack.)
The problem is that I've been totally stagnant over the last 5 weeks or so. I don't drink a lot of alcohol, barely ever cheat on my diet, and continue to work out religiously. However, my measurements (waist, stomach) have actually gone up a little bit, and my chest and bicep have either stagnated growth or have gone down. I weight 3-4 lbs more than I did 5 weeks ago.
Where am I going wrong??? I know that 8.7% is low body fat and I'm very happy with that, but I still have fat to lose, and I'm working hard to lose it, but I feel like I'm going in the opposite direction.
Any advice? Anyone been here before? My only guess is that maybe I'm not eating enough calories??? I'm hesitant to increase calories though because I don't want to undo any of my hard work. Any help is appreciated.
My diet is healthy, organic. About 70g of fat/day, 150g of complex carbs (almost zero sugar - just fruit, veggies, and whole grains), and about 200g of protein. (2 scoops of whey, 1 scoop of casein at night, then eggs, chicken, steak, etc.) I drink about 1/2 - 1 gallon of water a day.
In mid-June, I had my body fat % tested with hydrostatic testing. I was at 8.7% and very happy, weighing in at 179lbs and looking much, much better than last December.
According to what is supposed to be the most accurate calculation (using body fat percentage) for figuring out your daily caloric needs, I should eat about 3200-3400 calories per day to maintain my weight. I probably eat 2000-2200 because I still have some weight around the middle that I'd like to lose. (Yes, I want a six pack.)
The problem is that I've been totally stagnant over the last 5 weeks or so. I don't drink a lot of alcohol, barely ever cheat on my diet, and continue to work out religiously. However, my measurements (waist, stomach) have actually gone up a little bit, and my chest and bicep have either stagnated growth or have gone down. I weight 3-4 lbs more than I did 5 weeks ago.
Where am I going wrong??? I know that 8.7% is low body fat and I'm very happy with that, but I still have fat to lose, and I'm working hard to lose it, but I feel like I'm going in the opposite direction.
Any advice? Anyone been here before? My only guess is that maybe I'm not eating enough calories??? I'm hesitant to increase calories though because I don't want to undo any of my hard work. Any help is appreciated.
