Advise Needed

RedMen15

Hi all, I am looking for some thoughts on my issues detailed below.  
I have quite a number of years experience of training in a gym environment and I take part in various different sports also. The main issue i have is that I have been holding body fat around stomach (as in a few spare tyres) for as long as i can remember.
Have never got into shape where you could see abs etc. I know nutrition is the main factor when it comes to level of leanness. I have always been pretty good nutrition wise and eat clean. I consume lots of protein, fruit/veg, 3 litres of water daily and drink alcohol maybe once a month.
Calorie wise i would consume generally around 2200 cals a day and never eat take away's or blow up on calories over the weekend. I have used myfitness pal to track also so i was aware of my macros. Protein at a minimum would always have been over x2 bodyweight and the rest made up of fats and carbs.
Gym training 4/5 times a week on average over the last few years, focusing largely on full body sessions with a few finishers. Never really take a break from the gym for a long period (ie.a week or 2 off to let the body recover proper) The last 5/6 weeks has been a switch to a push pull legs split as my sports season is at an end. My weight has always been the same really, in or around 83/84kg or so. 
I have always eat clean but just can't seem to shift the last bit of body fat around my stomach.
I have a sedentary job but average around 8000 steps a day over the course of a week. Any opinions on where I may be going wrong? Are my calories to low or do I need to back off on the training?
Thanks for the help!

Kayshee123

I'm interested in what advice people have to give about this topic also. I was quite overweight around 110KG but I lost 25KG and I'm now in and around 85KG. Now I'm just staying at this weight and I'm not happy with it. I've always been self conscious about my body and want to get to a stage where I'm at least comfortable in my own skin. I'm also the same as yourself I still have body fat around my stomach and legs that I would like to remove. I would also like to tone up as well as losing the weight but I'm very self conscious in my college gym and don't really know how to use any of the weight equipment.

Cake Man

You can't target one specific area to lose body fat, it'll just come off all over and it's fairly common that the last place to lose it is around the belly/midsection.
If there's visible fat still there, the only way to lose it is to continuously be in a calorie deficit - about 500 below your TDEE. Simple as, if you're not losing weight, it can only mean you're not in a deficit and therefore will not cut the weight. Track your calories religiously to know exactly what you're consuming.

Mellor

Not matter how clean you eat you won't lose weight if you aren't in deficit. It's completely down to diet.
Eating too little is not the problem.

Zdenek79

Hi , first of all it's good that you are tracking your macros . Secondly we don't know if ure a man/woman because hormonal disfunction might be in the game.
Your sedentary job and lifestyle dictates the speed of your metabolism.
Therefore 2200 kcal might be too much for you and all you do is maintenance.
If I was you I would start with 2 changes.
Go down with your calories to 1500-1900
Start jogging - no running every day (Monday-Friday ) 25 minutes

Let me know in 4 weeks. I specialise in nutrition and training. zane@zanefitness.co (not com)

TommyKnocker

OP it would really help if you gave your age, height, weight and gender and also broke down the actual training you do in the gym. If weights, then lifts, rounds, reps and weight lifted. If cardio, then type (bike, run, row, etc.), duration, steady or intervals. Also if you can provide a typical days food/liquid intake, everything that passes your lips in a typical day.

As has been said above, you may be off with what you think your maintenance calories are and what you are consuming.

Also I believe it is best to run deficits in 6-8 week cycles. After every 6-8 weeks running a deficit eat at maintenance for a week or two and then cycle back into a deficit.

RedMen15

Hi all,
Thanks for the feedback.
Should have included more details in original post.
28 yo male, 5ft 9 and around 83kg.
Typical gym sessions at the moment:
Leg day (variations) : box squat, lunge, hip thrusts, step ups, sumo DL, leg curls, leg extensions, leg press, box jumps. Injury which limits full deep squats for now. Working 3/4 s x 8/12 r on the Majority of the movements.

Push: BB bench press, incline DB Bench press, DB overhead press, then accessory work: lat raise, tricep ext etc. Again similar Rep ranges.

Pull: pull ups, lat pull downs, cable rows/ pull downs, inverted rows, standing rows etc. Bit of bicep work also.

Cardio would be along the lines of a finisher after some sessions. Either a row (20s on 1 min off x 8/10) or row 25 cals, run 25 cals, ski erg 25 cals x 3 etc, or even a quick 10 min finisher with core work, run, med ball throws etc. Don't do this after every session. Maybe twice a week!

Typical eating day as an example:
Bfast: Protein pancake- egg whites, whole egg, almond milk, 30g whey and maybe 30g oats and few berries. Cooked with 2/3G coconut oil.

Lunch: 250g of turkey and veg (brocolli, carrot, kale, cauliflower etc)

Evening: might have maybe 100g of Turkey with unlimited veg again.

Snacks over a day: apple, pear, Chobani Greek yougurt (natural), berries, maybe 20g whey mixed in,  150g carrot.

Water about 3/4 litres a day.

That's just an example. Doesn't vary to much really. Swap turkey for chicken/beef/fish the odd time, Evening meal would sometimes be oats or a pancake again with berries, whey, linseed meal! 
Might have a tin of tuna/kippers as a snack sometime during the day also.

I hope that helps. Usually unlimited with my veg intake as I have quite a large appetite and
It keeps me feeling full for longer.  Don't have a carb source really in the lunch/dinner bar the veg. Carbs would come from fruit, oats, some of the veg.

Mellor

Diet looks fine. If that's how you eaten for the last 4 weeks or more then you need to reduce quanties.
If it's a recent diet change give it some time.

Zdenek79

Your diet is actually fine regarding to what you eat. As mentioned above - portion must b controlled. Your Bmr is around 2500kcal a day .

How often do you train
What type of training
Duration of training?

That is the main factor now.

s7ryf3925pivug

TommyKnocker wrote: »

Also I believe it is best to run deficits in 6-8 week cycles. After every 6-8 weeks running a deficit eat at maintenance for a week or two and then cycle back into a deficit.

What's the thinking behind this? Recovery periods from stress/effort of dieting? Personal opinion or indicated by research?

I'm on about 7th week of a cut so I'm curious.

Blacktie.

Jennifer Stale Accident wrote:

What's the thinking behind this? Recovery periods from stress/effort of dieting? Personal opinion or indicated by research?

Probably helps with the psychological side more than anything.

Alf Veedersane

Jennifer Stale Accident wrote: »

What's the thinking behind this? Recovery periods from stress/effort of dieting? Personal opinion or indicated by research?

I'm on about 7th week of a cut so I'm curious.

Mike Israetel is a proponent of diet breaks. Goes into it a bit here.

But for the mental element as well, a few weeks off, ie maintaining, might be good to have a mental break from the cut.