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Getting rid of the pouch...
cmsamo
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, I am working away from home, and have been on and off for 3 or 4 months. I get all my food and living expenses paid for. Naturally I have eaten well. Before starting the travelling, I went to my gym every day, kept in shape, and managed to maintain a steady weight at about 185 pounds.
Fast forward to now, and I got on the scales in the hotel gym and I am now 215 pounds. When I get out of the shower I can notice the dreaded forming of a pouch (or beer gut as we call them in the UK!) Now - I am doing the first step - returning to a balanced controlled diet and eating the right things (low fats etc)
I go to the gym and do cardio workouts and lift weights but I don't seem to be shifting the pouch. My question is this - should I be choosing the fat burn program on the bike / treadmill / cross trainer ? Or should I be sticking to the cardio programs I normally choose. The trainers both here and at home say do cardio. My fitness is good, but I can't shift the weight.
Any ideas?
Short version: I am eating the right stuff after putting on 25 pounds, but exercise does not get rid of the gut, how can I solve it?
Fast forward to now, and I got on the scales in the hotel gym and I am now 215 pounds. When I get out of the shower I can notice the dreaded forming of a pouch (or beer gut as we call them in the UK!) Now - I am doing the first step - returning to a balanced controlled diet and eating the right things (low fats etc)
I go to the gym and do cardio workouts and lift weights but I don't seem to be shifting the pouch. My question is this - should I be choosing the fat burn program on the bike / treadmill / cross trainer ? Or should I be sticking to the cardio programs I normally choose. The trainers both here and at home say do cardio. My fitness is good, but I can't shift the weight.
Any ideas?
Short version: I am eating the right stuff after putting on 25 pounds, but exercise does not get rid of the gut, how can I solve it?
cmsamo on
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For the gut: My understanding is that using your stomach muscles is the key to killing it. Sit ups and the like.
For activities, do something you can actually enjoy. My understanding is that relatively quick walking is the best overall fat-burning way to beat feet. Swimming is damned good, as well.
The main thing is that you need to make this a lifestyle, and not just a "diet."
This has to become part of who you are, not just something you do to lose weight.
I came into the thread expecting a kangaroo infestation.
That just tones the muscle underneath, it doesn't help burn the fat in that area any faster.
From what I've read, most guys tend to build up fat in their stomach area first, and lose it there last as they burn fat off of their body as a whole - it's our equivalent of how womens' hips are.
http://www.thelostworlds.net/
Spot reduction is a myth, your body will burn fat from where ever it feels like.
Personally, I don't feel weight lifting at the moment will do you much good. I would focus on exercising and getting a good calorie deficit (since in the end, that's how you lose fat. Your body needs energy and its only choice is to burn the fat reserves).
Also, bikes and ellipticals for the win, as they're better for your knees.
True. Testosterone inhibits fat deposits around the hips and buttocks and facilitates deposits around the waist. Vice versa for estrogens, incidentally.
Best way to lose the fat (from any area, really) is to keep on with the cardio type stuff...the gut is the hardest thing to lose for a guy, but keep at it.
Usually, the "fat-burning" setting on a cardio machine puts it into a mode for HIIT, otherwise known as "High-Intensity Interval Training." This is where you have a relatively short, easy cardio period, which is punctuated by very brief, very intense cardio periods. It is supposed to be a good way to lose weight quickly. Experts disagree on whether it's better than simply a long, fairly light cardio period, or a shorter, more intense cardio period.
As for the intensity you train at, you've got a decision to make. The common belief is that you're burning fat if you sustain an intensity level at 60% of your maximum heartrate, and while true, it's also misleading. The respiratory quotient (RQ) measures the relative amounts of fats, carbs, and proteins being burned for energy.
RQ = volume of CO2 expired / volume of O2 utilized
For carbs, the RQ is 1.0 and for fats the RQ is 0.7. This means more fat burning takes place at a slightly lower intensity due to the fact that fat metabolization requires more oxygen. When you begin to exercise closer to 100% of your V02 max (max oxygen uptake), your energy is drawn more and more from carbohydrates because beta oxidation (breaking down fatty acids for energy) can't keep up.
So now you're thinking well, as long as I stay around 60% of my VO2 max then I'll be burning more fat! Here's the thing - physical conditioning lowers the RQ, so the better shape you're in, the more fatty acids you'll be breaking down for energy. In a study done between trained and untrained individuals, during exercise the average RQ of the untrained was 0.95 while the RQ of the trained was 0.9.
So then, my advice is to primarily do cardio - bike, run, elliptical, your choice - working up to 30-45 minute sessions. Once you get there, or if you're already there, start increasing the intensity. Add incline to the treadmill, resistance to the bike, and increase the speed. Track your progress so that you're advancing a little bit each week, small steps just so long as you're able to keep moving forward.
And then depending how many times a week you're planning on working out, try to get in 1-2 days of weights. Do a full body routine with focus on the large muscle groups of the body. Chest, back, legs, and core. Shoot for 3 sets of 8-12 reps with as close to about a minute rest in between sets as possible. As with any weight program, keeping proper form is much more important than the amount of weight you're lifting.
And just to throw this out there about the diet, make sure you're eating smaller meals often to keep the blood glucose level as constant as possible. That'll keep the body in a better state for burning fat.
But MOST IMPORTANTLY, make sure you're having fun with whatever you choose to do.
This is probably a stupid question, but would there be any downside to just cycling at a casual pace for longer periods of time than that? Like, anywhere between the length of a movie or even a longer gaming session. I would imagine that any activity would be better than just sitting there, which I would be doing anyway. Of course, I would still do 20-30 minute intense sessions about 3-5 times a week.
If you can find a bike with a "random hill" setting, those are also pretty good for a 30-45 minute session, with random brief peaks of higher intensity. I find those challenging but more doable than a really hard 15 minute session.
Also, have you ever considered an elliptical? Those are nice and low-impact like a stationary bike is, and you can read or watch TV while on it, but it has the added benefit of making you stand up while you're exercising. Having to support your whole body weight is a more challenging (and thus more calorie-burning) activity.
I already have a good regime for weights etc, 3 sets of 10 reps at whatever weight group I am doing.
The main thing was whether to do the fat burning program or the cardio program on the machines.
Reason being, if I do the cardio - I am often tired and sweaty at the end of it (good thing). It actually feels like I've done some work. If I do the fat burn, I don't tend to feel as it if is taking much effort at all, and I'm not at my limit at the end of the program like the cardio.
As a guide (this may not mean anything to some people depending on the machines you have at your gym of choice) - I can comfortably run at 8.0 mph on the treadmill, and often ramp it up to 10, and then 12 for short bursts of time, with an incline of 1.0. The bike - I normally put it on "round the world - random hillclimb" on level 14 for 15 mins. Cross trainer, again I will do 15mins at level 14.
Based on Tal's post, I'll just stick to cardio, increasing from 45mins to an hour per session, and swap out the few beers and sodas I drink for cranberry or something!
As for having fun - ipod video banging out a few good tunes while I work out
Maybe even try riding during a movie, and when you're done riding, get off the bike and finish watching the movie? You don't have to ride the entire time, unless you're watching the Tour De France through a biker's eyes or something.
I'm talking Frank Herbert's Dune and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_%28TV_miniseries%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Dune_%28TV_miniseries%29
I say screw using the special settings on the fancy bikes and just go at your own pace on them if you find it more effective. The fat burn setting on the bike might be low pace cardio because your body uses more fat for energy when its going at a slow pace. Thats fat like the fat you eat not the fat on your body. In the end it comes down to how intense you worked out and for how long because you wanna burn as many calories as possible, not worrying about how much fats or carbs you burns during the workout.
I dropped to about 1200 calories/day (i'm like 6'2) and began light training for a marathon, meaning I've been jogging/running 35 miles a wk. i went from 220 or 225 to 195 lbs in two months. I HATED jogging to begin with because i wasn't used to it and it is harder (as well as harder on your knees) than gym exercises. on the other hand, it's a much more intense workout.
Your body almost always burns fat and muscle together, which is why lifting is important to weight loss... muscle burns more calories at rest then fat does, so when you diet and cut calories, the body tries to burn muscle first (which is why you should lift and consume enough protein). If you don't lift, you'll still lose weight, but about half of it will likely be muscle, not fat.
My biggest problem is motivation. I have none.
The hotel I am staying in has a wall sized mirror opposite the shower. So when you step out every morning, you can see the spare tyre starting to form. And it AINT good!