Trouble eating enough

[petchvery]

Keeping things concise, I am fat. I got this way from the usual things: a sedentary lifestyle, eating too much, and eating the wrong things. So as it stands now, I am a 26 year old male, who stands 6'5", and weighs 293 with 30% body fat. I am trying to do the novice linear progression, with difficulty.

The essence of my question is that since i started weighing my food, and making sure I'm picking healthier options, I cannot seem to eat enough to maintain recovery in the program, and i need advice. From what I've read, i want to do this weight loss slowly, perhaps maintenance -200 calories or so, which for me, I think, is somewhere around 33-3400kCal. I feel like I'm stuffing my face and average about 2800kCal a day with a macro spread of 280/290/60 carbs, protein, fat respectively. This deficit, coupled with my very active job (average of 15000steps on top of the actual work) means that, according to fitness trackers like my fitness pal, I'm eating at somewhere like a 1500kCal deficit, and my weight is just shedding (about 60lbs so far), but I am certainly struggling to get stronger.

Should I be trying to find ways to eat more? And if so, how can I do that.

[Robert Santana]

Congrats on the 60 lb weight loss. So right now you are at a point where the demands of the training requires more calories than necessary to cut body fat. I would swap 40 g protein for 40 g carbohydrate and see what that does you. Don't think you need 290 G protein. If that doesn't work then you'll probably have to go into maintenance calories to drive further progress under the bar. What are your current 5RMs?

[petchvery]

Thank you for the timely response. My PRs are:
Press:145
BP:210
DL: 300
Squat:190 (tried 195 today and just felt too weak to even try again after 2 reps.

[Robert Santana]

Have you posted video? Unusual for a 195 lb squat to be that difficult at your bodyweight. Try eating more carbohydrates and less protein and see if that helps.

[petchvery]

I have posted form technique videos. The last time, Rip himself said that there was nothing wrong, and that I needed to keep doing what I was doing and get to 405.

I may be hampered by a back injury from several years ago. But my back is feeling better since I started lifting and being more active.

You say I may need to eat at maintenance; is my kcal estimate for maintenance accurate at 3400? I'm honestly a little lost on that part as well.

[Robert Santana]

Ah so are you hesitating with the load because of the injury or is 195 actually a grinder?

3400 is probably correct for your size. Just need more of it from carbohydrates. You'll see what I mean when you try it.

[petchvery]

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by grinder. But it was a struggle to get it up, a HUGE struggle. But the squat was weird for me. When I initially started I progressed to 255, when my pants exploded. Then I went down to 225 and got the flu and missed 2 weeks.

It could be a psychological block, but I'm not sure.

[Robert Santana]

This makes more sense. you are stronger than what you are currently performing and working back up. Not sure why it was hard for you that day but it sounds like an acute issue. Keep training and you'll get back to 255 and then some.

[petchvery]

I'll try. My strength is progressing in all lifts except for the squat. Though, I have been trying your suggestion of consuming more carbs. I meal prep most foods I eat (i find it helps with compliance because i eat whats easy and fast), so I know each day what I have planned to eat. This is a record of today's intake. I'd like to know your thoughts. Should I be taking in more? Less?

So far I have not noticed a difference from the increased carbohydrate numbers.

https://i.imgur.com/RvYzPTO.jpg

[Robert Santana]

How many consecutive days have you consumed this? Did you have days lower than this?