Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

Been cutting for quite some time. I'm at 189lbs & 15% bf... I've been trying to hit 8% for a couple months and am seeing very slow results. Could anyone offer pointers on listening to my body, appropriate cal intake, & approximate the amount of weeks it should take to hit 8%.

Will rep & possibly paypal depending on the help.

Thanks for any insight.

edit: Currently doing IF & 5/3/1.
Rest-day cals = 2100
Training cals = 2700
Maintenance = 2600

 

Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

I have to ask. is there some 8% competition going on, because that seems to be a magical number in here recently.

What results have you seen the last few months that were very slow?
6'1"and 190 at 15%? how long you been lifting for? Any current pics?
Over the last few months during your cut, what has your kcal intake been and whats your macro breakdown?

 

Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

I'd start the answers off with:

Since you've been cutting for this long it's possible your MBR is decreasing and as such you aren't losing as much as you'd like to. Try a mini bulk for a couple of weeks to get your metabolism back in gear then start cutting again.

Also, you may in fact be eating over what you believe you should be. Log everything you put into your stomach and add it up just to make sure.

Message me if no one else replies as it gets slow at the gym I work at and I could use something else to do.

 

Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

8% has just been the number I've had in my head since I started training.

First cut cycle I lost 14 lbs. Then f-ed up and "bulked" (horrible idea) and gained some back. Been cutting for the majority of 3, going on 4 months now & have gone from 213 to 189 currently.

Been lifting (seriously & knowing what I'm doing) for maybe a year now. Have lifted previously but had no clue what I was doing.

Last few months, before starting IF, I've been consistently eating around 2100 cals. 190-200g protein, fats have varied but hovered between 50-80g, and carbs have made up the remainder. I have had a couple "cheat meals" where I have gone over my daily cal limits but nothing lasting longer than a day.

 

Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

Don't know what your activity level is like outside of the gym....but 2600 Cal Maintenance is a little high to me, let alone 2100 on rest days.

I would gain at 2400 Cals daily, with training.

Cheat meals as much as I'd hate to admit it, kept me spinning my wheels in terms of fat loss between 16-13% bf.
The only way I'm ever able to conquer that is to man up and go hardcore with diet. Once I'm 12%, my body responds a little better if the cheat meals are more "carby" than "fat"....that's just me though, ymmv

 

Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

desk job, but when I'm home I usually do cardio in the evenings & train at 6am.

 

Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

Me too. Desk job.
I suggest you lower cals a bit.

Other people may disagree, but what works for me (in terms of keeping strength and LBM) is centering my carb intake around weight training sessions. Most other meals I eat Veggies for carbs.

 

Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

I've never tried this so I dont know from experience if it'll be successful, but I've heard that the UD2.0 by Lyle McDonald is good for lean individuals trying to get leaner. Could be worth your while.

 

Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

will try that, how much do you think...200? also, continue on the split with IF meaning rest = 1900 & training would be 2500?

could look into it.... at this point I'm willing to do anything.

 

Need help bros, will rep & whatever else need be

I have a spreadsheet I made that calculates all that stuff. I plugged in 186lbs (I usually give myself a 3lb water weight factor variance), and this is what I used when I was at 189lbs.

Scale Weight - Estimated Water Weight 186
Weight kg conversion 84.36818082
Base Cal Requirements 1625.808126
BMR (Base Cal Req x Activity Level(1.4)) 2276.131377
Cal Deficit % 20
Daily Maintenance Calorie Intake 2276.131377
Weekly Maintenance Calorie Intake 15932.91964
Daily 1lb Fat Loss Calorie Intake 1820.905102
Weekly 1lb Fat Loss Calorie Intake 12746.33571

_______________________________________________

fwiw - 189

Scale Weight - Estimated Water Weight 189
Weight kg conversion 85.72895793
Base Cal Requirements 1639.40229
BMR (Base Cal Req x Activity Level(1.4)) 2295.163206
Cal Deficit % 20
Daily Maintenance Calorie Intake 2295.163206
Weekly Maintenance Calorie Intake 16066.14244
Daily 1lb Fat Loss Calorie Intake 1836.130564
Weekly 1lb Fat Loss Calorie Intake 12852.91395

_______________________________________________

Many days I eat a little higher and do cardio to bring it back to the target levels. I zig zag calories also and look to stay on point by the week moreso than the 24hr day.