Urgent question

[Enz0]

I've gone down from 170 to 159 in the past 3 weeks or so. I have really noticed it but the problem is that I don't wanna keep going down in weight. I want to stay at 160. I'm 5'9 and 20 years old. I ran track in highschool so I still go out to run for 5-6 miles 3-4 days a week at around 8 minute per mile pace. What I want to know is what I can do to lose body fat(mainly a small gut on the bottom that I have) without going down in weight. If you need any more info please just ask.

[Nephets]

Basicly you have to eat more clories. How many calories a day see you eating now?

[charcold]

lbm+ fat= body weight

So start gaining muscle. Simply put. I wouldnt get caught up in the numbers, your clearly not satisfied how you look, so keep dropping weight.

[Nephets]

Yea, lose the scale. If you looked huge and cut but the scale said 120lbs, would you realy care. I wouldn't. With the amount of cardio you do you can lose the fat and gain muscle but you have to eat enough calories to go above your maintenance. This will provide enough calories for new muscle growth and the cardio will burn off the fat. Its a little trickier then doing a straight cut down to 10% bf and doing a lean bulk from there, but it's all up to you.

[Enz0]

Would I really be able to burn off the fat with the cardio I do, while taking in more calories? Should I just take in the amount of calories that will keep me at a steady body weight(cardio included)? I have been down to 132 before and my problem is that I lose weight all over my body but I am still left with a small gut. Growing up I was chubby so I guess thats the cause of the small gut I have there. Im perfectly satisfied with my body but just the lower part of my stomach is bothering me. I've posted a picture before on the Members Pictures section. But just incase you havent seen it, you might get a better image from these pics :

[BloozieStrat]

Do you only do cardio? What's your workout regiment like?

[Enz0]

Monday- Chest
Tuesday-Bicep/Legs
Wednesday-Triceps
Thursday-Shoulders
Friday-Back

I do abs 2-3 times a week. 1 day with weights, the other day or two without. My workout sessions are about 1 1/2 hours.

[BloozieStrat]

Well, it sounds like you've got a pretty good routine going. It's all going to be diet from here. Do you track you calories/macronutrients? Nephets is right, the only way to not lose weight is to eat more. But, you have to make sure that you're eating properly (not junk food, etc). What's your diet like?

[Enz0]

Thats the only thing I really don't keep track of. My BMR came out to 1791 calories a day. I don't know the macros to these foods but this is what my daily food intake looks like(following this diet , I got down from 170-159, so I know that I have to start eating more and do all those calculations and macros to figure out a diet that will keep me at a somewhat steady weight):

10 am: 3 egg whites, 1 scrambled egg. 2 scoops of oatmeal with 20oz of water and 1 spoon of sugar.

11 am: Natural valley granola bar + a banana

1 pm: 1 cup of whole grain pasta + regular tomatoe sauce ( I got told to replace this but it didn't affect my weight loss and I also want a good amount of carbs in my body otherwise I feel sluggish at the gym)

4 pm : Brown rice + 20 oz of chicken breast. (Not sure about the exact measurements of brownrice but its about a cup?)

7pm: A salad that consists of lettuce, green peppers, tomatoe, and onions + tilapia(white fish)

8 pm: I go to the gym. 30 min drive so I get back home at around 11 :30ish...

12 am: I have that bulletmaster blender thingy. so i put 3 oranges, 1 lemon, 4-5 strawberries, and 3 carrots in there. All the juiice gets sucked out. I add 2 scoops of whey protein to it and go to sleep.

I take centrum for multi vitamins. I drink about five 16 oz bottles of water throughout the day.

[BloozieStrat]

20 oz. chicken breast? I'm going to assume that's a typo.... haha. Doesn't look like you're getting enough protein. Try to incorporate some form of protein in every meal (you typically don't want to eat carbs alone). I've found that splitting my meals into either protein/carb or protein/fat works best. I've been able to do a lean bulk with this format. And, I only eat protein/carb meals three times a day (morning, pre and post work out). The rest of my meals are protein/fat (I typically eat 7-8 meals a day). More veggies is probably advisable too.

Here are some good sample foods for each macronutrient:

Protein - chicken (boneless/skinless), tuna or pretty much any other fish, turkey (try to avoid deli turkey, usually pretty high in sodium), egg whites, low or non fat cottage cheese, lean beef, whey protein.

Carbs - brown rice, oats (steel cut are the best), sweet potatoes... whole wheat pasta is okay if that's what you like.

Fats - olive oil, flax seed oil, primrose oil, salmon (also a good protein), egg yolks, nuts (limit to 1-2 servings/day). All other fats should be a bi-product of carb/protein intake. Also, I like Udo's 3-6-9 oil blend for my fats (I just mix in with whey protein... you can't even taste it).

[BloozieStrat]

Also, I don't know what your metabolism is like but I would should for a MINIMUM of 2,500 calories a day. And try a simple 40/40/20 split for protein/carb/fat

[Enz0]

You are right. I thought that the eggs in the morning, chicken,fish and whey protein was enough for the day. I don't mind adding a source of protein to all my meals though. I'll try to work everything out and use that 40 40 20 split to see how it goes.

[BloozieStrat]

For sure. Good luck man!