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Trying to loose tummy fat is the worst
- Thread starter RustyNails
- Start date
Beer Monkey
Member
Keto knocks your appetite way down.
But all of my friends who have done Keto gained the weight back because they didn't want to do Keto forever.
One friend's mom has done Keto for 30 years, though. She's thin.
It's hard to not increase your calories when you add exercise, though. Cardio drives your appetite through the roof. The solution? Count your calories.
I lift 4 times a week, run 10 miles, do martial arts, and also do intense plyometric training. Every damn week.
And yet it's my yoga sessions (1-2 times per week) that are absolutely the most productive of the bunch. There is no better, more intense, or rejuvenative workout than yoga. It supports all my other physical activities. I'd go so far as to say it's essential to any person who wants to be in good shape.
And if you don't do it, you're shortchanging yourself.
That's why you need to eat nutrient dense foods (lots of veggies) and never stop working out. That's really what it takes to keep weight off.
Your metabolism may have a slower state when resting, but the point is not to rest so much. Get at least one intense workout per day.
To be fair its more like four months... Ive started in may 6 and there is at least two weeks im on this weight (79kg)
Im getting help from a nutrition professional (i dont know if thats usual in the us, but over here everybody checks with one if they want to lose weight) and she wants me to build muscles now, so i probably wont be dropping weight as fast as before
Paracelsus
Member
I'm quite positive the only way to get rid of it is going underweight, like you have to become as skinny as your structure will allow.
As in, if you're 180cm, you should weigh as little as 75-70 or you'll still gonna have tummy fat. Then, you have to go on a diet that will allow you to build mass without that tummy fat.
As in, if you're 180cm, you should weigh as little as 75-70 or you'll still gonna have tummy fat. Then, you have to go on a diet that will allow you to build mass without that tummy fat.
Omegasquash
Member
When you frame it like that...
At one point I was hitting 5x a week at the gym and a brief cardio session prior to the lifts, and it was good, but that was all. If you're selling Yoga this well, I'll give it a whirl for a month (assuming benefits start to activate within that time frame).
Not trying to put unrealistic expectations on it. I figure I've got a few months before I get all the old gains back. Hopefully this time I'll have better mobility and range of motion.
Conscience Falls
Member
Been going to the gym for 2 years as of September 1st. I've built a bunch of muscle mass but have been totally unable to lose the love handles. I've lost weight in pretty much every area but there. They've gone down somewhat but I cannot seem to kick them. Been looking to start a new diet but haven't found one that fits within the "poor recent Grad" budget.
This. Dear lord. That's like saying you have a boo-boo when you stub your toe.
Ivellios
Member
Since i have to take prednisone for the rest of my life, i know i will never have a perfect six abs, but i would like at the very least not to have a very fat belly (currently 9% body fat). That being said is it worth to do heavy abs exercises along with muscle training in the gym? I also dont do cardio, read somewhere that your loss of fat is pretty negligible. Im also controlling my diet of course.
Can you explain to someone ignorant about yoga (me) why do you think yoga is what really help you get a good shape? After reading this i want to give it a try along with the gym.
Can you explain to someone ignorant about yoga (me) why do you think yoga is what really help you get a good shape? After reading this i want to give it a try along with the gym.
Try doing couch to 5k. Ive been doing that for months and have gone from being winded after 1 minute of solid running to being able to run for 28 minutes straight.
It eases you into exercise over the course of months, so that you slowly develop endurance in a sustainable way.
I also recommend 5x5 stronglifts for similar reasons. Its full body, it eases you in, it doesnt take an eternity to do.
Yoga is great because it works the entire body, building core strength and balance throughout. It also increases flexibility and self-knowledge (body awareness), in ways that directly assist you in avoiding injury in other activities. I did beginner Yoga for four months or so and it was worth putting up with what I hated about it for the results I got; my flexibility was so bad I couldnt even sit on a floor properly before I did it.
If I can get my work schedule under control, Id love to start doing yoga again mixed in with the couch-to-5k and 5x5 lifting.
ElectricBanquet
Member
Yeah, losing weight can be frustrating. You should stick with it though. I've been working on it for about a year and half and just recently got down to just under 155 lbs (started at a little over 180).
I was bummed for the longest time that I had kind of a double chin that wasn't going away even though I was slowly but steadily losing weight from the rest of my body. But eventually it mostly did when my body didn't have much other fat to burn. I think each person's body just prefers to store fat in certain places over others.
I added in running slowly at first. Starting out I couldn't even run a quarter of a mile before I had to go back to walking. Each time I would remember how far I ran and then challenge myself to beat that the next time. Sometimes I would only beat my previous distance by a few steps, sometimes more. As I slowly added more distance my endurance improved and I worked up to where I regularly run 5+ miles.
The biggest thing I would tell you is to find some kind of exercise you can stick to. Before going to the park I tried using a treadmill, but it was so boring I couldn't find the motivation to keep doing it. For me being outdoors is a lot more invigorating and once I forced myself to make it a regular habit I found I looked forward to going out there and exercising. Like I said though, that's just what worked for me. Experiment and find out what works for you.
I was bummed for the longest time that I had kind of a double chin that wasn't going away even though I was slowly but steadily losing weight from the rest of my body. But eventually it mostly did when my body didn't have much other fat to burn. I think each person's body just prefers to store fat in certain places over others.
The thing I did was to go out to a local park and I just started with walking. I would make sure I had 2+ hours set aside and would try to walk until I hit a certain step goal.
I added in running slowly at first. Starting out I couldn't even run a quarter of a mile before I had to go back to walking. Each time I would remember how far I ran and then challenge myself to beat that the next time. Sometimes I would only beat my previous distance by a few steps, sometimes more. As I slowly added more distance my endurance improved and I worked up to where I regularly run 5+ miles.
The biggest thing I would tell you is to find some kind of exercise you can stick to. Before going to the park I tried using a treadmill, but it was so boring I couldn't find the motivation to keep doing it. For me being outdoors is a lot more invigorating and once I forced myself to make it a regular habit I found I looked forward to going out there and exercising. Like I said though, that's just what worked for me. Experiment and find out what works for you.
Just like lifting weights, running, or doing any sort of workout, there is light yoga, and heavy yoga. For example, when you lift weights, you can do a couple reps here and a there with 5 to 10 pound weights, or you can focus 2 hours just on biceps and lift insanely large dumbells.
When running, you can do a light jog for 15 minutes and get some benefit, or you can train for double marathons and strive to a cardiovascular system comparable to professional athletes.
So for yoga, there's yoga you can do casually that will simply relax you/stretch you out and get you feeling calm. And there's also yoga that will make your entire body drenched with sweat, get your muscles quivering, and increase your flexibility/strength/posture beyond anything you thought possible. It really depends on what you do.
But here's what it does for me - it serves as both a recovery for my muscles as well as a strenuous workout for them at the same time. It has increased my flexibility by incredible leaps - for example, when stretching my hamstrings in this position:
I can bend my forehead past my knee and place both hands on the sole of my foot. A year ago, I could barely even do what's depicted above.
There's an opportunity to work out nearly every single major muscle in yoga - gluts, triceps, chest, abs, shoulders, etc. And if you want a six pack, crunches alone do not get you there. You have to lose weight, but you also have to do static yoga poses that hit the abs properly. Those really shock the abs and make them much stronger than most other types of workouts.
Yoga is all about having complete and total discipline over your body. It's about having complete unwavering concentration and control and being able to hold very difficult and strenuous positions without wavering. Doing so (a) makes your muscles work hard in ways they don't with reps, (b) causes them to stretch and recover to experience maximum growth and (c) releases maximum endorphins into your nervous system.
A good yoga session almost leaves you feeling high in a way. Not only that, yoga poses actually massages the central nervous system itself - which trust me, is necessary for staying young and feeling good into middle age.
You ever wonder why people who are 50 who do tons of yoga always look 20 years younger? Well, it's because yoga actually reduces the stress in your life. When you are able to hold extremely intense poses with a clear head and ultimate discipline, it teaches your body to stay calm on a biological level even when life goes to shit and would otherwise stress you out.
I highly recommend going to a yoga studio and looking for an instructor who is willing to kick your ass a bit. It will absolutely be worth it. It completely changed my life and I'm someone who used to think it was silly alternative healing bs... trust me, it's legit and scientific. You don't have to get into all the spiritual crap that yoga instructors might try to incorporate. It's completely unnecessary to the benefits you will feel.
Walter White Walker
Member
From my own experience, I can't target certain areas - I just try to eat right and exercise when I'm losing weight and hope it drops all over eventually.
Also don't say tummy. Nobody above the age of five or the parents of toddlers should use that term.
Also don't say tummy. Nobody above the age of five or the parents of toddlers should use that term.
RespectThySole
Member
Eat better and go hard in the gym. Theres no plateau. Also dont say tummy.
Well shit, dude. Guess I'd better start doing yoga.
Yeah, I do "hot yoga" once a week with my wife. It's an hour session, and they keep the room at about 100 degrees. And they work ALL of the muscle groups. At the end, I'm completely wiped out, dripping sweat (like disgustingly so), but also very relaxed and mentally rejuvenated. It's a very good supplement to the "Insanity" workouts that I do throughout the week, and I believe that it probably helps to prevent injury from those workouts, also. I like to call it my "Sunday reset."
Edit: Also I agree that the term "tummy" got to go.
the_firewithin
Member
I've been trying to eat better lately to try and get rid of my now chubby torso. I'm trying to run a few time a week on a treadmill. Will that help she'd the stomach area lbs?
pixelation
Member
First post tradition and all. Yes tummy fat is the last to go, and no you cannot "spot reduce" you more likely than not still have fat elsewhere in your buddy and tummy fat is the stubbornest one and the last one willing to leave. Just keep at it man, and if you feel you've hit a plateau you need to change it up. Don't fall into a routine day in and day out, modify your caloric intake. Change up the exercises you do, add a few more reps... switch it up and keep your body guessing man because it's a bonafide bitch and will try to halt your progress.
As has been said, you cannot target fat loss. Keep a good diet, and keep exercising.
Do more than just treadmill work. Lift weights, and mix in some High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). That can be as simple as, instead of jogging, run sets of sprints. Sprint until you're winded, then slow down to either a jog or a walk until you get your wind back, and repeat. I like to do maybe 10 sets of that (it will also increase your stamina for regular running).
I lost 30kg on keto last year, exactly a year on i weigh the same as i did at the end of Keto, +/- 2lb, but my fat % is lower and my muscle % higher.
Keto was great for losing the weight, but even greater at teaching me how my body uses what i feed it, for the last year I've eaten lower carb on working days (upto 75g) and moderate carb on non working days (upto 150g) so i can eat with the family, i also do my weights 3 times a week.
The carbs weren't restricted to certain types either, i would have bread, potatoes, rice, sugar etc but not go over my daily limit, once every few weeks i would go a bit ott and get to 250g carbs, reducing fat intake to compensate calorie wise, but my body is still so depleted that it just gets stored back in my muscles / liver instead of risking it getting pumped into fat storage.
A bit of belly fat is all i have left, it was the first to come, and will be the last to go.
Stallion Dan
Member
Get it sucked out or wait what seems like forever.
Raging Spaniard
If they are Dutch, upright and breathing they are more racist than your favorite player
As has been said, you cant target fat spots but I do recommend strengthening your core, it will help with anything involving weight loss, motivation and fitness.
My preferred method is planks, about 5 minutes worth a day. Its very effective, doesnt take long and produces good results.
My preferred method is planks, about 5 minutes worth a day. Its very effective, doesnt take long and produces good results.
Messofanego
Banned
We literally have a fat curtain there called the greater omentum lol
Earthbound64
Banned
Was that "loose" a mod edit?
I'm pretty sure it was "lose" yesterday.
Although it's also possible I was distracted by pondering the fact that people call it "tummy."
I'm pretty sure it was "lose" yesterday.
Although it's also possible I was distracted by pondering the fact that people call it "tummy."
NoblesseOblige
Banned
Buff up the areas around it. Makes it less pronounced.
Jugendstil
Member
I swim a mile 3-4 times a week and workout at home doing mixed sets of push ups, crunches and yoga. Even though I've kept that up for over two years, my weight wasn't really changing, in fact it was starting to go up and it wasn't from muscle. In the beginning of August I was diagnosed with severe IBS and put on a very restricted diet. In the past month in a half, I have lost about 15lbs. Diet has been the key factor in decreasing my gut. A lot of mine was/is due to excess water weight and inflammation from foods my body can't process. Diet is so important, and you have work hard at it. You can't just eat clean, you have to find out what foods work for or against your body specifically. For example, if you have lactose intolerance, you need to cut it out completely. Not just milk and ice cream, cheese too, and stop using protein powders that have whey in them. That's just one example, but hard work and studying your diet and its effects on you (keep a food journal) are what's going to really help you long term. It's still a very slow process, but you will see results and feel better too.
ElectricBanquet
Member
Kinda depends on how much you're running. Basic idea is if you're burning more calories than you're taking in then you'll get there. Don't starve yourself though, and don't expect it to be a quick fix. Healthy weight loss happens over time and like the OP it might be a while before you notice a difference in your belly. Stick with it and try not to get discouraged.
You have to lift. You are cheating yourself if you just run. I'd honestly say that resistance training (e.g. lifting weights) is more important than running.
Running is great (heck I just ran 6.6 miles today), but it's a supplemental activity to other workouts. It won't speed up your metabolism like lifting weights, doing squats, doing pushups, (etc) will.
This doesn't mean you have to lift heavy weights. But you have to challenge your muscles in some way more than running to really not be wasting your time. Even if it's just doing a few push ups, lunges, chin ups, and sit ups per day - it will make a huge difference.
I was at the stage like you before OP and all I can say is the last 5kg or so is hardest hurdle.
You have to keep your diet, no sugary stuff and counts calories. Keep lifting even if you lose weight and don't get much gains cause it's harder.
You are at the final stretch of the journey but the last 20% fight will take as much efforts as the previous 80%.
Soldier on.
You can definitely hit 160-165lbs without losing strength, there's still room to improve.
You have to keep your diet, no sugary stuff and counts calories. Keep lifting even if you lose weight and don't get much gains cause it's harder.
You are at the final stretch of the journey but the last 20% fight will take as much efforts as the previous 80%.
Soldier on.
You can definitely hit 160-165lbs without losing strength, there's still room to improve.
You Pay This Much
Member
Keep working at it OP. It just takes more time
oneils
Member
What you are seeing is inflammation. People love to do lots of abs exercises constantly for thedefinition. But what you are seeing is really just muscles swollen due to inflammation. If you really want to see your abs, you need to lose body fat. It could save you a lot of work.
RustyNails
Member
We literally have a fat curtain there called the greater omentum lol
Greater Omentum sounds like the name of Dark Souls boss. Heck, it even looks like one.
I'm working on it!
Alter_Fridge
Member
That's funny. I find thick thighs and ass incredibly unattractive
I've been working out since 2011 but this was my first year watching my diet. I'm the strongest and leanest I've ever looked; it feels great.
The guideline that worked for me was 1.2x protein to body weight, 1:1 carbs to body weight, .25x healthy fats to body weight.
I'm 155lbs so I needed 186g protein 155g carbs and 31g of fat.
My biggest tip is drink two protein shakes a day!
The guideline that worked for me was 1.2x protein to body weight, 1:1 carbs to body weight, .25x healthy fats to body weight.
I'm 155lbs so I needed 186g protein 155g carbs and 31g of fat.
My biggest tip is drink two protein shakes a day!
I've always thought it's harder for women to stay in shape due to their fat/muscle ratio and the social norm of what's considered "tone" for them
oneils
Member
LOL! Sounds like you are well on your way. For what its worth, I havent seen my abs in like 12 years.
Jugendstil
Member
This! Live culture probiotics (the kind you refrigerate) are also a huge help, especially if you have digestive issues. There also a lot of different supplements you can take to help as well.
hendersonhank
Member
At 5'9", I have a flabby stomach at anything over 140lb. It's absurd. And yes, I lift weights 3 days a week, as well as bike around 70+ miles a week.
Alter_Fridge
Member
You need to add high intensity cardio to your training.
And you need to add repeat sprints to your training. They will change your life. Also hill running.
And you need to add repeat sprints to your training. They will change your life. Also hill running.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
just learn to flex your abs 24/7. i do.
Badlucktroll
Member
I went from 174 too 155 and my face is still pudgy and i have alot of fat around my middle. My height is 5'7. I used an ideal weight calculator and it said 140 but that seems way to low for me.
