Weight Loss/Deficit Advice for Gym-Goer

[connieandcharlesw]

I'm an 18 y/o male who is 6'' 1' and has a BMI of ~31, the majority of my fat is in my stomach just chillin there, dad bod style. I've been consistently going to the gym for 5 months now, but recently started tracking calories. I've noticed that over 2 weeks of eating ~2500 calories with ~ 200g of protein, I haven't really lost weight or gained any (hovering at 239 lbs), yet I've noticed that my muscles are growing. Should I fully cut into a deficit? or keep going with body recomp?

 

[mudin]

@connieandcharlesw Depends on what your goals are of course and what your goal weight is but usually it's easier to focus on either losing fat or gaining muscle but not necessarily both at the same time when looking to lose weight. Maybe try the deficit for a month and see if the scale reflects some progress. Sounds like you want to have a large amount of lean muscle mass in the end so maybe continue strength exercises but adjust your calories to target the weight loss.

 

[connieandcharlesw]

@mudin I see! I'm probably going to fully commit to cutting, since I want to look and feel good for the summer. Should I start focusing less on strength training, and spend more time on cardio? I'd love your input!

 

[mudin]

@connieandcharlesw Try some medium to long duration HIIT cardio a few times a week. I wouldn’t cut out strength completely just try to do strength workouts that keep the heart rate elevated. Think kettlebells, bodyweight, DB’s etc… Typically fixed movement strength machines aren’t great for weight loss. Maybe work in supersets and circuit style lifting. And it may sound kind of lame but walking a couple miles a day consistently proves to be a great fat burner for almost all body types.