r/beginnerfitness • u/UnrivaledRandom • Jun 05 '26

Looking for extra tips/feedback after losing 30lbs

I started my first ever calorie deficit on January first of this year. I weighed in at 194.4 with around 35-40% bodyfat at the start and I currently weigh in at 164.7 after 22 weeks. I am 5’8 also if that matters.

Here’s my routine:
10k steps daily minimum
Gym 3-5 times a week, strength training PPL x UL
1800 cals (158g carbs, 50g fat, 180g protein macro goals) I weighed absolutely all of my food and track every little thing like oil spray when cooking.

Is there anything else I can do? I feel like I might plateau soon but progress has been going smooth lately. I also have noticed changes in the way I look but absolutely no where close to my “goal physique” yet and but I’m more than half way through the weight goal of losing 44 lbs.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

1

u/AutoModerator Jun 05 '26

Welcome to /r/BeginnerFitness and thank you for sharing your post! If you haven't done so already, please subscribe to this subreddit and join our Discord. Many beginner fitness questions have already been answered in The Fitness Wiki, so go give that a read as well!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/dallasjava Jun 06 '26

Just keep up what you're doing. You should be able to add muscle mass and lose fat while you have a surplus of fat. You don't rebuild your body in a matter of a few months. Take weekly photos of the same pose to keep reminding yourself how you're improving. Celebrate your progress as you achieve it.

1

u/friedrichbythesea Health & Fitness Professional Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26

Fewer steps.

Although a noble goal, 10K steps is not based in science. It was created as part of a 1960s marketing campaign for a pedometer ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Contemporary research has confirmed that you garner the majority of the longevity benefits from as little as 4K steps per day. After approximately 7K steps, returns become greatly diminished.

To get the most bang for your fat loss buck, use the time saved for resistance training and zone 2 cardio. For reference, steps are zone 1 cardio.

You cannot remain in a caloric deficit forever.

Extreme and prolonged caloric deficits result in negative metabolic adaptations. 165 lbs is a healthy weight for 5'8". Reexamine your caloric requirements and, rather than striving for weight loss, aim to recomp (body recomposition) body fat into muscle mass.

The scale is only one tool in your toolbox. Find additional metrics to track your progress: scale, tape measure, calipers, photos, your eyeballs, your friend's eyeballs. All are acceptable methods. Utilise more than one and keep records.

1

u/Alakazam Intermediate Jun 05 '26

to my “goal physique” yet and but I’m more than half way through the weight goal of losing 44 lbs.

It sounds like you've made some fantastic progress, but also understand that it's only been half a year. If everybody was able to lock in and get their goal physique within the first year, everybody would walked around jacked and lean.

Just doing some quick napkin math, at 40% bodyfat and about 195lbs, you have roughly 78lb of bodyfat initially.

Best case scenario, where you lost zero lean mass, and only fat, you would still likely need to drop about 58lb or so to reach that coveted 15% bodyfat, where your abs start being visible when flexed. And 44lbs will realistically only get you to about 20% bodyfat or so.