What's an actual realistic goal? Pictures and current routine included

[patrick226]

Here are the pictures of what I currently look like. (NSFW) Height-5'4", weight-121 lbs., age-34

I have a short waist and tend to carry most of my fat on my midsection. It's the first place I seem to put weight on and the last place to budge.

Goal: I have always wanted some defined abs. By that, I mean not a lot of fat on my abdomen and some visible definition. I also want more definition all around, particularly in my shoulders and arms. I feel guilty having an aesthetic goal but I can't pretend like I don't. I have other performance-based goals such as increasing my PR's in the main lifts as well as being able to hold a handstand. But that's not the focus of this post.

Background: I have been lifting heavy for 10 years now but you would never know looking at me. I have had some breaks in between where I switched focus to other sports such as climbing or running. But I would still lift something at least once a week during those breaks. I have been a variety of weights and have not yet seen my abs. At my lowest weight I was 96 lbs due to depression so not intentional and I definitely wasn't working out. That's when I started my fitness journey 10 years ago and started lifting because I felt so weak and it scared me. highest I have weighed was 132.

Current Routine: I follow Meg's Stronger by the day routine. I'm currently doing the 4 day express workout. I'm doing the express because I am currently in grad school and working so I don't have a lot of time. Outside of working out I usually get about 10,000 steps a day. I go for several short walks a day but nothing too intense. I tend to go off and on with running. Sometimes I'll run 1-2xs a week for around 30 mins and other weeks I don't.

Current Lifts: Bench-103 lbs, Squat-160 lbs, Deadlift-225 lbs, OP-63lbs

Nutrition: This is where I struggle most. I feel like I should be in a deficit to lose fat but I don't know how much and I always seem to struggle with sticking to it. Currently, I have been aiming for 1400 calories a day and around 100 g. protein. What actually happens is I will eat around 1400 for two or so days then eat at like 1600-2000 for a day or so then try and get back on it and eat 1400 again the following days. I'm driving myself crazy. I don't 100% know what I average out to calorie-wise. I have tried the TDEE spreadsheet from this subreddit as well as several TDEE calculators and they all seem to say it's around 1800 but I don't know if it's accurate. The spreadsheet I filled out several years ago so that might be skewing things. From the different posts I have read on xxfitness I'm not even sure if I should be eating at a deficit. This post takes about how she ate at a small surplus and actually leaned out. While other posts I have read suggest eating at maintenance and recomping. But those tend to be for newer lifters so I'm not sure if I missed out on that sweet recomping during my first couple years of lifting. I am scared to eat more because when I slightly dip my toe into eating more I just tend to gain fat and it all tends to go to my midsection. I'm currently using cronometer to track but have bounced around a lot trying different apps.

Question: So with all my background information and pictures do you think it's ever possible for me to have defined abs? Or is that goal unrealistic and if so what is a realistic goal for me to aim for?

P.S. I have searched the nooks and crannies of xxfitness for help but non of the posts I have come across have been similar build and experience so I have left feeling more confused about what to do. I'm not a newbie to fitness but very much feel like I'm just spinning my wheels and need help more than what I can ask in a daily thread. I would think after 10 years that I would actually look like I lift something but I still look fluffy and need some serious advice.

P.S.S. Fixed image link

Edit: Thank you so much everyone for your advice and insight! I really appreciate everyone and made myself an Excel spreadsheet with all the different advice so I can remind myself what I'm doing. I'm going to eat at maintenance for a bit and focus on pushing it at the gym and having more time under tension with eccentric movements. Hopefully I can be one of those people that makes an updated post with all my sweet progress several months/ a year from now.

 

[defd2000]

@patrick226 I have no advice to give you, since I'm a newbie. But I just want to say that I can definitely tell you did some lifting before and see all if your muscle definition from the pictures.

 

[lululala]

@patrick226 I feel real tracking works better than any calculator. Try eating 1800-2000 calories a day for two weeks with your current routine, and see what your weight does! If you are gaining, try dropping to 1700 or increasing a few days of short HIIT workouts to get the difference. And 1g protein per pound of body weight is a good golden rule.

Also, if you are looking for more definition, the way you train matters! You could try taking an approach where you focus on tension and form rather than PRs and weight. Two second eccentric on most exercises will help to ensure muscle gains. Sometimes we get in the habit of just “moving the weight” without taxing the muscles we are targeting to the point to promote growth. Time under tension and progressive overload are your friends!
Hope this helps, best of luck!

 

[mightynameofjesus]

@patrick226 Your diet is hindering your muscle development and your abs. The phrase “abs are made in the kitchen” is real. I suggest looking for a coach or nutritionist that can help you come up with a nutrition plan and maybe even a new workout program. DM me if you want recs. Good luck!

 

[gnre]

@mightynameofjesus I agree, a diet should conform to your body. If you want a defined body focus on building muscles. Get them squats in! Lots of calisthenics and eat well! A starved body will not shine.

 

[lynturc]

@mightynameofjesus Recs?

 

[cdykhoaphamngocthach]

@mightynameofjesus I want Reccs please

 

[wheelgirl]

@patrick226 Wow so we are basically the same. I’m 5’3”, weight fluctuates between 115-125 lbs. Never seen an ab, I have gone through cycles of dieting, crossfit, lifting, body weight fitness, etc.

I’ll be at 115 lbs and my friend will be at 130, same height, same bf%, but she looks slimmer than me because of genetics. The struggle for us is real!

Honestly, the thing that works best for me is to do a ramp down. So I have an end goal of a routine and diet in mind, and every week I add one more thing.

Maybe for you, since you are doing well on exercise, is you could start at your TDEE for two weeks. Buy a scale that measures BF% (used you can get them on CL or FB for probably $40). Track your weight, BF%, waist measurement once a week. If you like the trend, stay at that level. If not, reduce by 50 calories and see.

I have never tried reverse dieting, or cut and bulk. But you could try that as well, all while tracking your measurements. You’ll know if you’re heading in the right direction.

The best I ever looked was basically eating 1300 cal and working out 3x a week and eating 100g of protein a day. But it’s so hard to maintain, you have to track every day. I looked slim, weighed maybe 115. No abs though.

If you end up trying something new, I would love to hear it. We are so similar, I definitely feel your pain!

 

[johnklok]

@wheelgirl Can we PLEASE create a support group I'm a bit taller and heavier (5'5 and a half?/1.67 and 130 lbs) but look very similar to OP. Fucking short torsos, I'm hoping for abs too but literally no one in my family has ever had them I'm only now getting into real strength training though and it makes me SO hungry this is impossible

 

[wheelgirl]

@johnklok Yess we should!

I’m loving all the suggestions here, I may try reverse dieting! I mean if it doesn’t work after 8 weeks it’s only 8 weeks.

 

[mulweli]

@patrick226 Your nutrition is absolutely killlng you. Aim for 125 grams of protein daily. Do not go below 100 grams.

Get 25 grams of fiber. 180-200 carb.

Start there and aim for 50-60 fat.

This is pretty general for the info that you gave and you’d need adjusting, but it’s absolutely your nutrition. You could make a recomp easy with proper nutrition.

 

[living4christ]

@mulweli Body weight in grams protein for sure. To add: the types of carbs you eat matters! 180-200 grams of carbs pure white sugar or bread is going to yield a different result on your body mind and insulin levels vs. 180-200 grams of carbs from non starchy vegetables and steel cut oats.

Aim to get those carbs from non starchy vegetables, oats, quinoa, and brown rice.

Ideally time these complex carbs so you get them in the morning or before you work out.

 

[mulweli]

@living4christ If you get in the amount of fiber I recommended above it will be just fine. It’s like a little safeguard for quality carbs.

I just wanted to clarify, it’s not body weight in grams of protein. That’s a common misconception!

 

[clairedet]

@patrick226 Eating more especially after being on a deficit can be beneficial. I started lifting 5 days a week a couple of months ago with 3 legs days and 2 upper body. On top of that, I was doing 2-3 sessions of cardio. All of this put me on a deficit even though it wasn't intentional. After some introspection, I realized I wasn't recovering properly so I had to pull back. Stopped cardio (just needed a break) and I've been doing 4 days for the past few weeks, really training intensely and eating more food. I look noticeably better. My shoulders are popping and I'm seeing some ab lines.

Yoyo-dieting only stalls your progress and hurts your relationship with food. If you're scared of going on surplus then just try eating at maintenance. I did that for a long time and saw impressive results. Body recomp is not limited to new lifters, even advanced lifters can benefit from it. Here's one experience (podcast).

 

[patrick226]

@clairedet That's encouraging to hear that recomp is not limited to new lifters. Thanks for the podcast recommendation. I love podcasts so if you have any other great ones let me know. I think after everything I have read I'm going to go with eating at maintenance and see how my body reacts.

 

[clairedet]

@patrick226 You're welcome! Please listen to her other podcasts. She talks about maintenance, diet mindset and other useful fitness/health info. I recommend her podcast to anyone who cares to listen lol.

 

[joshualamont]

@clairedet Second this. I was eating low calorie for a year, starting at 1200, then increasing to 1500 then 1700. I decided to do my first bulk and I slowly increased my calories to 2100 and guess what? I'm still not gaining weight. But, I am getting a lot stronger and my muscles are becoming a lot more defined. OP, maybe try reverse dieting up to a decent amount of calories. Your body might need rest, and it definitely needs fuel to recover. I'll never go less than 1900 calories on a cut now.

 

[patrick226]

@joshualamont Wow really? This is great to hear. I hope my body acts the same way because I'm tired of trying to eat only 1400 cals.

 

[clairedet]

@joshualamont Yep, the goal is not to eat as little as possible. It's actually to eat as much as you can get away with while maintaining your progress! lol

 

[truthpls]

@patrick226 AFAIK ab visibility is mostly a genetic thing - especially knowing you have been at a lower weight without visible abs makes me question if that would be (somewhat) healthily doable.