Hey guys,

I have some serious issues with my stubborn belly fat. I have lost around 57lbs, with different diets. The only thing that I kept in mind was to consume 1gram of protein per pound of body weight. My carbs were around 100-150grams and Fats around 80-100grams.

I'm 5'3" currently weighing 136lbs, with somewhere around 14-15% of bf (Please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't have dexa at my city, so just estimating roughly, photo attached) I want to shed maybe around 4-5lbs of fat from my body. But the thing is that it's too stubborn. I know that it's all about calories in vs calories out (Clean eating, ofcourse)

So, today I calculated my macronutrient intake from the Macro Calculator here. I selected "Fat Loss"

The macros that I came up after entering all my details are as follows:-

Protein:175 Grams,

Carbs:217 Grams &

Fats: 64.

Which comes to a total caloric intake of around 2142. I workout 6 days a week. And currently following no workout plan. You can say that I follow bro split. Monday Back, Tuesday Chest etc...etc.. And I add cardio for 20 minutes 3 days a week. And make sure to perform workouts with intensity and proper form. Thanx to Scott for uploading videos on teaching us techiniques to perform each workout correctly. So, my TDEE comes down to 2392 calories approx. I'm in a deficit of 250 calories.

My question is,

A) Will I be able to loose that stubborn belly fat, while having a deficit of 250 calories? Because I tried being in a deficit of around 1000 calories and yet the progress was too slow. I know that it doesnt make sense to starve myself. This is a marathon and not a sprint. But I'm irritated to see the lower area being all saggy. Should I adjust my carb intake to decrease calories further. Or follow the macronutrient breakdown for some weeks, and then make changes if needed?

B) If I have to decrease my carb intake, after a few weeks, suppose if the current macro breakdown doesn't help, do I need to decrease protein too?? Or 175gms seems fine??

Lastly, sorry for such a long post. I just need some light on this topic. Adjusting the right macronutrient ratio is a pain.

Hope someone helps me regarding this. Attaching a current photo below. 

The way body fat reduction works is the parts of your body with the lowest amount of body fat will lean out the fastest and the parts with the highest body fat will lean out the slowest. For 95% of the male population, fat around the belly will be the last place fat will be lost. You are doing all the right things from a macro standpoint. Without the use of drugs, you need to use other techniques to push your body to limits is has never been before.

The amount of leaness you can achieve and maintain is determined by your genetics. Some people are more naturally leaner than others and/or have an easier time losing body fat. One nutritional strategy you can try is Intermittent Fasting (IF). You can read about it here at www.leangains.com I have been doing this for over 2 years and it has been the only way that has worked for me to get down to a consistent and maintainable 10% body fat - which is very lean for my age (53). IF is no magic pill and still requires consumption of quality and nutritiously dense foods but it can help get your body over a body fat plateau.

The human body by design does not like to stay in single digit body fat levels as it is not healthy - it messes up your hormones and metabolism. Therefore, it fights every step of the way once you have reached a body fat limit your body is programmed (genetically) to be comfortable with. This could be 10%, 13%, 15%, 8% - it all depends on your genetics. IF is a way to get you down to the maximum healthy body fat levels your body will allow. IF combined with calorie restriction and intense training will push you beyond this natural limit but you will lose some muscle mass and could mess up your hormones.

My advice is keep doing what you are doing and experiment with different macro ranges. Keep your helathy fats high to maintain your hormone levels. The key macro to manipulate is carbs. Also, don't overdo it with protein because the body can convert excess protein to carbs when your carb levels are too low thru a process called gluconeogenesis. What I have found works for me is keeping my fats and protein levels high and my carbs low (my carb grams equal my body weight number in pounds or less). Fat is much more better for fuel but it takes training your body to use the fat burning pathways it already has to switch to burning body fat as fuel once your glucose has been depleted. This takes time and is one of the things IF trains your body to do.

John

Thank you John. I understand what you're trying to say. I myself followed IF 16:8. For around 6 months. I got great results from it too. I can't deny on the same. But due to a lot of work since past month, I stopped IF and I'm back to the normal 4-5 meals a day.

I feel the body composition is the same. Maybe slight difference. I shall try to manipulate fats and carbs.

Will follow the same macros for 2 weeks. See how my body reacts to it. And then adjust accordingly. What fat ratio do would you recommend for a 136lbs guy? Currently mine is set to 60-68grams. I also kept protein to 1.5gms per pound of body weight because I feel I take time to recover. If ever I start to gain fat, should I reduce carbs first? Or the protein? Or both? If yes, by how many grams? 20-30 grams? Or more?

Also, by the image attached. What body fat percentage do I have? Just asking for an estimation.

Thanx again.