This is what i'm doing. It's not working, but it should be...please help

[BBJT200]

So i've been doing something similar to this for about a month and a half, and i've bounced up and down in weight the whole time, randomly gaining 5+lbs of water overnight, gaining fat when I'm in a deficit, but have had zero trouble putting on muscle. I'm nothing short of confused.

Here's a typical day:

Wake up 7:15. Take pre w.o. supplements (zero cals) + 120mcg clen (12d on, 2 wks off) + 75mcg t3
At the gym by 7:45. Stretch, get working. Drinking BCAA's the whole time so that i've got something to prevent catabolism
I usually range from 350-500 cals fasted cardio 6-7 days/week.

11:30 breakfast: 1/2c oats, 100g chicken breast. (260cals)

25mcg t3 (making it a total of 100mcg/day-- t3 was started one week ago as of today)
1:30 lunch: 1/2c oats, 100g chicken breast

3:30: pre-w.o. nutrition: 1c oats (300cal)
Lift (2days on, 2 days off) 45 mins
LISS/HIIT for 20-40 minutes, avg 200-300 cals

Post w.o. shake: 1/2c oats, 1 scoop whey (~300cal)

Dinner: 200g chicken breast, one whole egg, 1c oats, 100g broccoli (625cal)

Around 10pm: 1 cup fat free cottage cheese, 1/2c oats
11pm: sleep

So...I end up lifting 5x/week, 6 AM cardio sessions, and 4-5 post lifting cardio sessions.

I usually hit 2000 cals give or take 100 based on sloppy measurements, but I'm at quite a deficit....and should be losing weight. I'm working my ass off, but am getting nowhere. Please help.

Note*
I cycle in tuna, lean turkey, eggwhites for my protein sources with the above meals. I just used chicken breast as it's my main staple.

I take 3g fish oil every day, 1g tribulus, 800mg green tea 2-3x/day, multivitamin 2x/day, kre alkalyn (ph stable creatine), glucosamine/msm for my joints, ZMA before bed, arginine/jack3d micro pre workout.


Any ideas, please let me know. Hopefully what i'm doing wrong is painfully obvious. I'm trying to cut, but i'm actually putting more muscle on and not losing any fat. I've been having weight troubles for a LONG time, and it's not because I underreport what I eat or cheat. I sleep, take my supplements, do my fasted cardio even though it makes me want to vomit, and the bulk of my food comes post lifting. I don't know what else to do. *frazzled

Started@ 176, went to 166, now back up to 176. Definitely more muscular than I was when I started, but at this deficit I shouldn't be gaining ANYTHING.

[austinite]

I thought you couldnt take more than 700 calories are your body gets out of whack and gains flood in? Maybe I have you mistaken for another member.

[BBJT200]

My TDEE is ~3200. 3200-2000 = 1200cal deficit/day
Also, what you're referring to was in the ballpark of two months ago after recovering from an eating disorder. I've been ramping my cals up, trying to fix my metabolism.

[digsy1983]

its a massive deficit for the amount of cardio and lifting you are doing IMO. think the 'more is not always better' saying could apply here.

seems your diet balance may be off aswell, maybe not enough healthy fats!! do you know what the balance/split is between carbs/protein/fats? may be a case of increasing fat (adding stuff like MCT oil to promote your body to use fat as an energy source more) to bump up cals and your metabolism.