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Getting rid of some unwanted fat
BradicusMaximus
PssssssssyyyyyyyyduckRegistered User regular
PssssssssyyyyyyyyduckRegistered User regular
I'm sure this has popped up numerous times, I really just wanted some confirmation on this.
So to start, I'm not overweight or anything. At least I don't think I am anyway. 6ft and about 175+/- last I checked. I try to eat healthy - and I'm usually successful in this - occasionally I'll have a soda (which I know I shouldn't). I just have this little bit of belly fat that I really want gone. Its a bit more noticeable when I sit down compared to standing, but I hate it all the same. I'm really just wanting to keep that gone so I can continue to feel good about myself and look good for my SO. I'm not COMPLETELY sedentary, I run when I can. Usually about 1-2 miles every 3 days or so. Sometimes I'll swap out the running with walking with my dog for 2 to 3 miles. I can only do so much before my arthritis starts hurting too much. My question being, is interval running an effective method for burning off the belly fat? Any other exercise tips are greatly appreciated.
So to start, I'm not overweight or anything. At least I don't think I am anyway. 6ft and about 175+/- last I checked. I try to eat healthy - and I'm usually successful in this - occasionally I'll have a soda (which I know I shouldn't). I just have this little bit of belly fat that I really want gone. Its a bit more noticeable when I sit down compared to standing, but I hate it all the same. I'm really just wanting to keep that gone so I can continue to feel good about myself and look good for my SO. I'm not COMPLETELY sedentary, I run when I can. Usually about 1-2 miles every 3 days or so. Sometimes I'll swap out the running with walking with my dog for 2 to 3 miles. I can only do so much before my arthritis starts hurting too much. My question being, is interval running an effective method for burning off the belly fat? Any other exercise tips are greatly appreciated.
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Men tend to place fat around the belly/midsection first. The rule I've heard is that makes the midsection the last place for fat stores to be lost. There is nothing you can do that will specifically target fat in an area, you just have to lose fat in general.
There's a weight-loss and a weightlifting thread in the main forums, with cool dudes who have good advice. I'd recommend checking those out if you haven't.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominoplasty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liposuction
It can be a great idea, but sometimes the disparity in strength and size between men and women can really take the fun out of it. This depends entirely on what you decide to train though and of course the man and woman in question.
For fat loss, in my opinion, the way to go at it, is strict diet and regular workout. I think it's probably a good idea to mix up intensities as well - so some hill sprints and some regular jogging, for instance.
Good luck, man.
It sounds like you are on the right track, so keep at it.
Good luck!
You current exercise regimen only maybe keeps you from being sedentary, it's not really "training". Basic activity levels to maintain average cardiovascular health (assuming your work isn't physically demanding) is 30-45 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days a week.
Also, theres no worries of me getting lipo. I didn't even think that suggestion was serious.
(the saying is correct.)
You can add all the strength in the world via cardio/interval training or targeted exercises, but you probably won't cut that last bit of fat off without changing your diet (how radically depends on what your diet is at the moment) and committing to the change over a period of time.
also lots of dudes with stockier builds just can't reasonably maintain six pack abs. I do crossfit with a seriously ripped dude (climbs telephone poles for a living) and he still can't get much definition in his midsection
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
Fastfood options are usually terrible if you're trying to eat healthy. I mean they're a great way to consume a lot of calories cheap, but other then that, eh.
Lift weights, eat right, and your entire body will improve.
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E: Are there any sites with extensive information about certain dieting habits and tips? I can't stress how dumb I am about a lot of this stuff :P
Honestly, it's all about portion control (and carbs if you're interested in that, but it's not for everyone). You calculate how many calories your body burns while doing absolutely nothing all day, factor in exercise if you do work out, and negate 500 from that. if you eat at a deficit every day, you will lose weight. More calories out than in.
http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/loseit
This FAQ is incredibly helpful and will help you with the basics. It's certainly helped me lose a bunch of weight.
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Edit: I just downloaded myfitnesspal on my iPhone to try it out, and it's really, really good. It even has a bar code scanner so you can just scan the foods you are eating. Then again, if you're serious about eating right, the vast majority of your meals won't have a bar code to scan.
The simplified version is intermittent fast for 16 hours a day (meaning you have an eight hour eating window, say from 10 AM to 6 PM you can eat meals, otherwise don't eat... this is actually extremely reasonable) and stick to meats and some vegetables. If you're going to do the exercise (basically heavy lifting, somewhat similar to stronglifts) you'll do the carb refeed thing post workout. Hit the gym while fasted in the morning.
Intermittently fast, 16 or more hours a day, and cut out all the starch and sugars. That alone will cut your body fat down immensely in a couple weeks tops - it also heavily cuts down on the water bloat.
edit: I suggest reading this http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Fat Loss
OP, it sounds like you are in one of those 80/20 type situations, where the last 20% of desired result takes 80% of the work/effort. What you seem to be asking for isn't solved with a quick fix; rather, it is a lifestyle. Getting your body fat to whatever percentage you desire isn't good for much unless you have a plan and a real want for keeping it that way.
So, you have to ask yourself if this is really something that you want to do. If it is, commit yourself 100% for four solid weeks and reevaluate. Repeat, over and over again, for four weeks at a time. Eat well, sleep well (most people forget that) and keep that body moving and working.
If you want some help getting started in terms of planning and motivation, find a good personal trainer with the proper certifications and personality - many folks who work at gyms don't really know anything, so be weary. Do some research and ask lots of questions. It might cost some money at first, but what better investment could you possibly make than your health and well-being?
Fat hides abdominal muscles really well. You could have the world's most amazing abs and still look like you have a beer belly.
Not that ab exercises aren't good to do, but they're not going to make your tummy look better until you get into extremely low overall body fat percentages.
Fasting, if done correctly, can reduce weight. However, the person must be cautious to avoid a condition called Hypoglycemia by consuming water and fresh fruit. Depending upon several factors from person to person, after a certain amount of time, the body will start consuming the fat stored in the body.
I am not an expert in this area though
How is fasting NOT a good idea for losing weight - ever? Intermittent fasting is the best method by far for dropping those last 10 or so pounds that the average joe has sitting around their stomach. A person can look relatively "thin" but be hiding a whole lot of visceral fat which is extremely hard to get rid of without using fasting and extremely clean eating. This isn't some mind blowing awkward thing, this is extremely commonly practiced in just about any situation where a person wants to cut down to a relatively low body fat percentage. Those people you see with six packs didn't get there by sitting on the Ab Rocker X, they did it almost entirely from managing their food intake properly.
And how is eating breakfast at 10 AM, dinner at 6 PM, and lunch and snacks inbetween some crazy idea to people? It's far more normal than you think, plenty of people do it without really knowing it.
Not that it's massively necessary to have this uber strict eating schedule, but the simplest way to explain it is that when people snack all day their body almost never enters a fasted state and this causes weight loss to be a lot slower. Just snack less. Doing nothing but trying to eat better is obviously great for your health and may result in some fat loss but if you really want to get rid of that little bit of belly fat (I'm still assuming by your description that you aren't particularly overweight) you really do have to get a little more hardcore than you'd think.
Also, exercising while fasted just results in enormous amounts of fat loss.
Fasting is a good way to lose weight indiscriminately. That said, 16 hours isn't much of a fast, just disciplined eating IMO.
4 days? That's a fast. Though I would not recommend people use real fasting as a method of dieting or body composition change; you lose too much muscle.
A lot of religions have tons of lesser-known fast days, so one strategy for spacing out restricted eating is to simply start looking up your faith's minor holidays and start following them.
I'm not telling you to go low carb. It's not for everyone, and carbs are fucking delicious. However, if you want to eat less, and stay full, eat protein.
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OP, I would really recommend forking the money over on a good nutritionist/personal trainer for four weeks and seeing how that goes. If you find a good one, they will be able to get you into a pattern of diet and exercise that will lead to success. If you don't like it after four weeks or aren't seeing results, or aren't getting a good value for your money, feel free to quit or find someone else. It can save you a lot of trouble and guesswork. I would not go to your local gym-chain (24hr, la fitness, etc) looking for one.
Also, getting rid of that last bit will be the most difficult. It will take the most discipline and consistancy.
I am surprised no one else touched this.
Eat your damn vegetables man. If you eat a small amount of rice it is a small amount of calories. But you'll get hungry faster than if you ate the equivalent amount a veggies.
Satans..... hints.....
It's intermittent fasting. Many people eat upon waking up and snack or eat something at least every couple hours including shortly before sleep, which means the longest amount of time in a fasted state is like 5 hours. Changing eating patterns to extend that to 14+ a day produces remarkable fat loss. I lost a lot of weight just eating well but it wasn't until I started getting strict there that I could push off the last 30 or so pounds after losing nearly 100.
OP, have you considered swimming as an alternate exercise?, due to the fact you have arthritis, running is not the best option. Swimming is a complete exercise and can improve your your hold body.
No probably not, but 4 oz of chicken is going to be MUCH more filling, and will help you stay full longer than 4 oz of bread. Calories in vs calories out is more important than carbs vs protein, but protein is a lot less calorie dense than bread/carbs and will keep you from getting hungry. That's essentially why low carb diets work.
Edit: I find that if I eat a lot of carbs in a day, my body holds on to a lot of water weight. But hat's just my body. It may not happen with yours.
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