[kcalhoun27]

Originally Posted by Joker330i

losing weight is a fairly simple concept that in my opinion just has too much bullshit attached to it by fad diets

take in less calories than your body burns naturally/you exercise out

it doesnt matter if its one large meal, or 6 small meals, the body will digest it all the same and use the fats, carbs, and proteins all the same as well

trust me i know, i've lost 80lbs through hard lifting and DIETING

THIS

body weight is the opposite of what youd want in a bank account. small deposits, small balance. if you want to get rid of it, stop putting so much in there in the first place. and then, exercise. im a smoker, and i still run, ride, lift, whatever to stay active. my best advice is: set a goal, then exceed it

[bobbyd1961]

Originally Posted by SLCGoonski

80% of midsection fat is diet...the other 20% is working out.

80 % diet?! then im screwed i will have stomach fat forever

[platnumdesi01]

I've done some small things that have helped me lose some weight.
1. No Mayo on subway etc
2. Light cheese
3. I might be 28 but I still eat frosted flakes lol, cut my portion down to a small bowl
4. Run min 1.5 - 2 miles w/ p90x and lifting
5. Cut the Sugar!
6. Alcohol - reduced

[Jet335i]

Originally Posted by Joker330i

losing weight is a fairly simple concept that in my opinion just has too much bullshit attached to it by fad diets

take in less calories than your body burns naturally/you exercise out

it doesnt matter if its one large meal, or 6 small meals, the body will digest it all the same and use the fats, carbs, and proteins all the same as well

trust me i know, i've lost 80lbs through hard lifting and DIETING

yeah, diet AND lifting.

OP - it's true that you need to burn more calories than you take in, but eventually (if you're not exericising as well), your body will just get used to taking in less calories and it'll adapt, and your weight loss will drop off.

Watch what you're eating, be smart about how you're working out - that'll get you the fat loss you're looking for and keep it off.

[Hix]

Eat less move more. Simple concept.

The saying is "Abs are made in the kitchen" which is quite true since abs are not exactly buildable muscles like arms and legs are. The abs are a connection point for the muscles, hence why they are shaped the way they are. The best way to look larger and more muscular is to lose body fat; the only real way to lower body fat is to eat right (unless your a gelatinous blob in which case just moving will help you lose body fat).

[sk8board511]

Originally Posted by Jet335i

yeah, diet AND lifting.

OP - it's true that you need to burn more calories than you take in, but eventually (if you're not exericising as well), your body will just get used to taking in less calories and it'll adapt, and your weight loss will drop off.

The Plateau effect sorry had to put a tony horton quote in there,
but thanks for all the responses guys so far i've changed what i'm eating and running and have lost about 8 solid pounds which doesn't sound like much but it looks a lot better

[Quick6EF]

Originally Posted by sk8board511

The Plateau effect sorry had to put a tony horton quote in there,
but thanks for all the responses guys so far i've changed what i'm eating and running and have lost about 8 solid pounds which doesn't sound like much but it looks a lot better

8lbs is great progress dont downplay it. Good job!

[teamben158]

Originally Posted by sk8board511

The Plateau effect sorry had to put a tony horton quote in there,
but thanks for all the responses guys so far i've changed what i'm eating and running and have lost about 8 solid pounds which doesn't sound like much but it looks a lot better

Keep doing what you're doing and make it part of your life!

8 pounds in about 6 weeks is pretty damn good. I don't like to cut much quicker than that as you can start burning off muscle along with the fat. It's a delicate balance, but it seems like you are on the right path.

[Templar]

If you haven't cut out soda, it's a good idea. Soda (IMO diet or regular) is just horrible for you. If you are hardcore like Tony Horton (I've read his book and done P90X), you will stay away from artificial sweeteners (Sweet & Low, Splenda) too. They say that artificial sweeteners can make your body *think* that there are more calories coming in than there really are, so when the calories don't show up, the body is like WTF FEED ME and you usually wind up overeating later.

The sugar (i.e. high fructose corn syrup) in drinks today is outrageous. I stick with water or milk, and that is it. Sometimes I will drink an unsweetened, caffeine free tea or coffee, but that is really it. Boring and dull? Yes... Better on my waistline? Definitely!

[BE EM KA]

Diet, Diet, Diet, training, Diet.

[just4kickz]

i know a lot of other people have put their input into this... many people are saying right well known things but aren't necessarily putting everything out on the table at the same time

as mentioned before, you can't lose just stomach fat. there is no such thing as spot treatments unless you do surgery.

the only way to really lose that fat is to do a caloric deficit and basically lose weight/fat. now some people can lose a lot of fat but maintain their weight through weight lifting and cardio (basically changing their body composition to a low fat percentage with higher lean mass percentage and gaining muscle), but this is really really hard to do...

so what should you do? well for one thing i can tell you that i don't have a six pack. my core is pretty strong but the six pack is more of a long term goal and not really an immediate concern... but there are a few things that have been discussed before that can definitely help you.

1. eat clean
2. drink water
3. space out meals
4. lift (perhaps more core requiring lifts) + cardio

there's plenty of info out there as to what to eat/when to eat/what exercises to do... you should read up on them. more than likely some of the suggestions will not work for you, so you keep searching until something works. my 40 pound loss was from weight training and running twice a day for 2 1/2 months before college... but you probably won't have that kind of time... so just search around for things that will work for you

if you are ever in the gym and you see these http://www.fitter1.com/Assets/Product/Product/GH.jpg lying around... you should try em. one of the best exercises i have ever done for my core is supersetting "mountain climbers" with a plank hands-walk.

[F30guy]

Like some people said, its mostly about the diet. You say you are eating "healthy" foods, but that really doesn't mean much. I can eat 4000 calories of healthy foods, you need to cut your calories even more if you are not losing weight or not losing weight as fast as you should be. The more weight you lose, the LESS calories you are burning because you are carrying around less weight.

Lower your carb and fat intake (don't eliminate either). Also try changing most your carbs to low glycemic carbs.

Change your weight lifting workout and do a different type of cardio. HIIT is also a good idea like someone already mentioned. If you have been doing sets of 8-12 reps, start doing a different rep range for a while. Either higher or lower. Also change the exercises you do and the total number sets of reps. Do more lower ab exercises, but keep in mind they won't show until you burn the fat.

[Silverstone]

INSANITY !!!!

[kennyfrc]

Lift weights taking all sets to failure and never more than 10 reps. Go heavy, go hard, if it hurts to move the following day you've got it right. Cardio; 30 minutes per day at the maximum of the range for your age. Diet; Eat clean, protien equal to your body weight, evenly spaced troughout the day, healthy low GI carbs, and healthy fats. Sleep 9 hours per night even it if it means kicking her out early!

[sk8board511]

Originally Posted by kennyfrc

Lift weights taking all sets to failure and never more than 10 reps. Go heavy, go hard, if it hurts to move the following day you've got it right. Cardio; 30 minutes per day at the maximum of the range for your age. Diet; Eat clean, protien equal to your body weight, evenly spaced troughout the day, healthy low GI carbs, and healthy fats. Sleep 9 hours per night even it if it means kicking her out early!

But thats how i get my cardio and rest
I'm going to start lifting again on a regular basis and pushing it as much as i can, also going to get back on the P90 horse

[Quick6EF]

Wtf is with this "eat clean" bullshit. If he is in a caloric surpluss of any food it will result in weight gain.

[cipher5]

I would suggest 25-30 mins HIIT cardio after you lift, not just "Fat burn" cardio or cardio at your "highest heart rate". HIIT is the most efficient method of burning fat calories.

[just4kickz]

Originally Posted by Quick6EF

Wtf is with this "eat clean" bullshit. If he is in a caloric surpluss of any food it will result in weight gain.

eating clean is just part of maintaining nutrition with macro and micronutrients. yes losing fat is about consuming less and having a higher energy expenditure, but in the end, if you are not taking in the right nutrition, your body as a whole suffers.

you are looking at one part of the story and not the entire story... but yes to lose weight you must consume less than you use.

[boostd92]

So what then do you recommend for muscle gain and fat loss?

I'm 165lbs 5'11" and in good shape. If I flex, I have a visible six pack, but at rest it's getting a bit sloppy. I'm hitting Cancun up in 2 weeks and would like to bulk up a bit in the chest/shoulder area while at the same time cutting my abs. Seems like I'd need to eat MORE to bulk up, and LESS to trim the abs... impossible simultaneously?

[Quick6EF]

Originally Posted by boostd92

So what then do you recommend for muscle gain and fat loss?

I'm 165lbs 5'11" and in good shape. If I flex, I have a visible six pack, but at rest it's getting a bit sloppy. I'm hitting Cancun up in 2 weeks and would like to bulk up a bit in the chest/shoulder area while at the same time cutting my abs. Seems like I'd need to eat MORE to bulk up, and LESS to trim the abs... impossible simultaneously?

2 weeks? Lol dont expect more than water weight gains or loss.

Correct about gaining muscle and losing fat - one required a surplus the other a deficit. If you lean out you seem more muscular, so that could be an option.

Without seeing a picture, given your stats I would bulk. Lift heavy and one you reach a decent weight slowly cut to minimize muscle loss.

[F30guy]

Taking every set to failure is a formula for over-training, which is not a good thing.

Originally Posted by kennyfrc

Lift weights taking all sets to failure and never more than 10 reps. Go heavy, go hard, if it hurts to move the following day you've got it right. Cardio; 30 minutes per day at the maximum of the range for your age. Diet; Eat clean, protien equal to your body weight, evenly spaced troughout the day, healthy low GI carbs, and healthy fats. Sleep 9 hours per night even it if it means kicking her out early!

[Crazylegs]

OP the best way to lose it is to diet. don't eat and bleached carbs like white rice, pasta, white bread... if you eat carbs stay with multi/whole grain. try and get most of your carbs from vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, or sweet potato even. try to maintain a 3 to 1 ration of protein to carbs for every meal and break your meals down of 4-5 meals if you can. make sure to drink water consistently. when your body is hydrated you tend to digest better since being hydrated speeds up you metabolism.

as for exercise if able do weights that a body with more muscle tone will burn more calories, as far as cardio you don't want to do one exercise consistently you want to do interval training, a great class to take for this are spinning classes or aerobics classes offered in gyms. interval training keeps your heart rate altering which is the fastest way to burn fat without losing muscle.

another thing to take into consideration are supplements ask your trainer what he recommends. I would say take Multi vitamins, B-12, 10000 iu vitamin D, Glutamin, creatine, protien, arginine.

-Crazy