what might cause my stomach to look like this?

[josieM]

hello - a bit of background info..
i've always been a skinny person who could eat what they want but recently i have put on a fair bit of weight in a pretty short space of time (for me). i've gained around 9.5kg in 6 months. ordinarily i could lose weight very easily if i felt the need but now my metabolism has just crashed.
the biggest thing i am struggling with at the moment is lower belly fat. i'm 5'11, 24, currently 75kg and very pear shaped - i don't normally gain weight in my stomach, primarily my thighs and butt, but now my stomach juts out quite sharply at the bottom and i am really struggling to lose any weight. i look like i've recently had a baby, but i haven't.
i've been to the doctor, who just told me to persevere with my diet and exercise and drop my calories even lower. she palpated my stomach which was all normal, and bloods/urine came back normal. i've also just had a smear test which was clear. i cycle between having an upset stomach and being constipated. i sometimes get a stomach ache after eating but i've never pinpointed a certain food/food group to be the culprit. i don't experience bloating. there's definitely a layer of fat there but underneath, my lower stomach is hard.

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in terms of exercise i go to the gym 4-5 mornings a week before work. i always work out fasted. i primarily do 25-30 mins walking on the highest incline on the treadmill or rowing/bike, followed by lifting moderately heavy weights for another 25-30 mins. i try to incorporate a lot of supersets or circuits.
diet-wise i realistically get 3-4 servings of fruit & veg a day (this is something i'm working on trying to improve). i try to get 100g of protein and my calories are around 1500. i eat carbs/fat intuitively and try to be balanced in my consumption of meat and dairy.

i've been trying to lose weight for around 9 weeks now and have lost 1lb so far, i'm at my wits end as to why i can't lose weight! particularly in my lower stomach, and particularly as i have never had problems with weight before! i'm paranoid that there is something underlying causing this

any advice would be greatly appreciated, i feel like i've rambled on but let me know if you need any further info

 

[Trusylver]

What does your strength training routine look like? (% 1 RM, sets, reps, exercises) what is your bodyfat %

possible bloat due to food intolerance may need an elimination diet to work out the culprit.

your goal should be loss of fat, not weight.

 

[josieM]

What does your strength training routine look like? (% 1 RM, sets, reps, exercises) what is your bodyfat %

possible bloat due to food intolerance may need an elimination diet to work out the culprit.

your goal should be loss of fat, not weight.

i've no idea what my BF% is as i have no facilities near me to find out, at a guess from comparison charts i would say around 25%

3-4 sets of 10-12 reps at around 70% 1RM dependent on the exercise

and i actually didn't weigh myself until 6 weeks or so in, when i decided to out of curiosity having seen no visual improvement.

 

[Trusylver]

do a quick search for the Navy Method, this will give you an estimate of bodyfat % it is not particularly accurate but ok for getting a reasonable estimate when no other options are available.

your gym lifting routine is based more towards building muscle size when in a calorie surplus and is not ideal for maintaining muscle while trying to loose fat. reps should be in the 6-8 range with heavier weights, 80 -85% 1 rm not super setting or circuit and with adequate rest between sets. you make no mention of your exercise choices but the heavier weights will also provide for more calorie burn post exercise.

start taking measurements of key areas, changes are not always obvious to you but may be to others.

are you doing any exercise for your transverse abdominis ?

excessive rectus abdominis exercises will build muscle under the layers of fat if you are eating a calories surplus, so you may be building your 6 pack size under the fat causing the fat to protrude more in addition to putting on more fat.

 

[fatdude901]

If I wa sin your situation I would do less cardio and do more weights. Focus on gaining 5-10 pounds and then cut back down to your current weight. I can almost guarantee that you’ll look better.