Can't lose my gut - wtf??

[micbain]

Alright - I'm about 6 foot 1 and weight in at 170lbs. Sounds decent but man, I have a gut I can't get rid of. I used to weight 200lbs + and lost 30lbs over a year through eating better and exercising more; however, I can't lose the love handles.

What I'm doing (and have done in the past to lose weight):

1. Cardio for 30-45mins 3x a week (treadmill jogging)
2. Caloric intake of 1500 a day (on average)

Anything you fitness/health guru's can suggest? I've tried lowering the caloric intake to 1000 calories but I can't survive more than a few days on that.

I don't lift weights as I've been told that you can't build muscle when on a caloric deficit.

Thoughts?

 

[BubblyMasquerade]

tone up that gut? situps? wat?

 

[Matt]

boxing and jumping rope killed mine. Lifting helped too. So did switching to Diet Coke.

 

[sbbbjm]

you answered your own question.

your probably wanting a six pack or at least a resemblance of one. you can get skinny all you want but you got to build some muscle/tone it up for it to look trim and defined.

most guys that lift pretty regularly and do bigcompound lifts will have built there core up pretty decently just through that, its just a matter of getting down to a certain body fat percentage for those abs to show.

 

[why]

Because you eat 1500 calories/day....except when you don't.

That and you eat 1500 calories of garbage.

Eat 1500 calories of steak, then post again.

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by why

Because you eat 1500 calories/day....except when you don't. That and you eat 1500 calories of garbage. Eat 1500 calories of steak, then post again.
No - I eat a pretty healthy 1500 a day. No fast food, No junk food, no cola's, etc. I eat alot of whole grains, good protiens (cottage cheese, lean meats), I get in fresh fruit on a dialy basis. And when I say on average - That is true. One day I may have 1300 other I may have 1700. I don't vary much especially since I've given up on eating out. My diet does have a higher level of carbs though, but **** - Can't eat red meat all day. I also don't drink very much - Maybe 2-3 beers a week.

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by sbbbjm

you answered your own question.

your probably wanting a six pack or at least a resemblance of one. you can get skinny all you want but you got to build some muscle/tone it up for it to look trim and defined.

most guys that lift pretty regularly and do bigcompound lifts will have built there core up pretty decently just through that, its just a matter of getting down to a certain body fat percentage for those abs to show.

lol - I wish man. I'm not at a stage where I want the six pac to show - there is way too much flab right now.

Compound lifts are the way to go? I have some severe back problems, so I can't do alot of compound lifts.

 

[warlok1965]

Originally Posted by micbain

Alright - I'm about 6 foot 1 and weight in at 170lbs. Sounds decent but man, I have a gut I can't get rid of. I used to weight 200lbs + and lost 30lbs over a year through eating better and exercising more; however, I can't lose the love handles. What I'm doing (and have done in the past to lose weight): 1. Cardio for 30-45mins 3x a week (treadmill jogging) 2. Caloric intake of 1500 a day (on average) Anything you fitness/health guru's can suggest? I've tried lowering the caloric intake to 1000 calories but I can't survive more than a few days on that. I don't lift weights as I've been told that you can't build muscle when on a caloric deficit. Thoughts?
1500 kcals/day sounds awfully low for a guy your size. If it is accurate I wonder if you are putting your body into starvation mode which triggers fat storage as a defense mechanism. Your BMR should be around 1800 depending on your age. Add to that whatever activities you do throughout the day (walking, typing, eating) plus your jogging (300-400 calories every other day). You should be burning 2200-2300 daily (a rough guess). Anything less than that and you should be losing, unless you are too low. I have the same problem, can't get rid of the damn luv handles, so I am doing the following which you could try. I've never quite reached 6 pack territory because I lose my discipline after a few weeks, but I can testify that this stuff shrinks the stubborn spare tire if you do it. I just end up falling off the wagon after a while. 1. Keep an accurate food diary. This really helps nail down your intake and prevents you from cheating. 2. Mix in weight bearing exercise at least 2x per week. Even if you don't gain, this ups your metabolism and prevents excess muscle loss while you catabolize fat. Without this, dieting and cardio may cause you to lose muscle in addition to fat. Don't listen to anyone who tells you not to lift. 3. Increase the intensity of your cardio. Run a little faster, mix in some stairmaster, whatever. Burn more calories in less time. 4. Increase protein and decrease sugar and enriched flour in your diet. While loss depends mostly on calories in vs. calories out, these help control the hunger and cravings that f up your dieting, ie they help you comfortably eat less. It also helps drop excess water which bloats you up, and it may aid in reducing abdominal fat depending which studies you believe. 5. Don't do a 1000 calorie shock diet. You'll lose lean muscle mass and slow your metabolism down, which is the opposite of where you want to be. 6. Accept the fact that you, like me, will probably never completely lose the handles. Also realize that the last 5 pounds are insanely hard to get rid of and even if you do they will come back if you don't maintain a rigorous routine for the rest of your life.

 

[why]

Originally Posted by warlok1965

1500 kcals/day sounds awfully low for a guy your size. If it is accurate I wonder if you are putting your body into starvation mode which triggers fat storage as a defense mechanism.
No. If that were true, wouldn't Ethiopians be fat? The problem is he doesn't eat 1500 calories/day. I hear this all the time...'I eat perfectly blah blah blah'...and then when you really look into it, it's just people lying to themselves or being ignorant (e.g. counting a 400 calorie donut as 100 calories). www.thedailyplate.com Really track it your food... And what do fast food and junk food have to do with calories? It's not like the chemical compounds that make up food magically change when your body detects a hamburger from McDonald's instead of a grass-fed piece of chuck you ground by hand.

 

[Grayland]

I know this is a controversial topic, but consider doing sprints or intervals instead of the long, slow jogging on a treadmill that you are doing. I see a lot, and I mean a lot!, of "joggers" who are flabby around the midsection. I rarely see people who sprint/do intervals who are flabby. Try 4 X 800 meters, or 6 X 400 meters, or 10 X 100 meters. I try and keep the rest between intervals the same: 800 meters, I rest 3 minutes, 400 meters, I rest 2 minutes, 100 meters, I rest 2 minutes. You'll know you're improving when your times don't drop off as much between the first run and the last run. It's hard work and I recommend you work up to it. I'm not a stretching person at all( I know it's good; I just don't do it), but I do find stretching after sprints is very helpful. Your hamstrings will be smoked. Google interval training or Tabata to see how effective shorter bursts of intense exercise can be. Many people swear by fitness boxing; 3 minutes hard, 1 minute of rest.

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by why

No. If that were true, wouldn't Ethiopians be fat?

The problem is he doesn't eat 1500 calories/day.

I hear this all the time...'I eat perfectly blah blah blah'...and then when you really look into it, it's just people lying to themselves or being ignorant (e.g. counting a 400 calorie donut as 100 calories).

www.thedailyplate.com

Really track it your food...

And what do fast food and junk food have to do with calories? It's not like the chemical compounds that make up food magically change when your body detects a hamburger from McDonald's instead of a grass-fed piece of chuck you ground by hand.

Dude - I do track my calories. I use http://www.calorie-count.com/ to keep track. I don't under estimate things - read the labels carefully and track them.

Fast foods/Junk food are very calorie rich. Having a home made turkey sandwich has a lot less calories then a bigmac or quarter pounder.

 

[sho'nuff]

i dont always trust those nutrition labels. the calories seem to be underexaggerated and the nutrient content over.

i always go by my own count by what i feel it is like in comparison to some standard mark items:

1/2 cup of fully cooked white rice: 150 calories

chicken breast roasted with skin: 250 calories

1 egg: 80 calories

1 medium banana: 120 calories

1 glazed donut: approx. 275 calories

etc

 

[warlok1965]

Originally Posted by why

No. If that were true, wouldn't Ethiopians be fat?
I understand that, the problem is starving people in west Africa are perpetually underfed so their bodies never have a chance to try and recover. The rest of us, if we try to starve ourselves, will eventually eat normally again only our metabolism has been shocked by the starvation event into conservation mode, which means trying to save up for the next famine in the form of fat storage. The bottom line is eating too few calories will, in the long run, end up making you even more unhealthy. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

 

[ed1066]

I have about the same stats as you, I'm 6'1" and fluctuate between 170 and 175 lbs. However, I don't have a gut or love handles. I'm wondering if age is a factor. I'm 35, if you're older it may just be gravity and age. I'm starting to notice it in myself as well, the skin is less elastic than it used to be. Also, you mentioned you lost weight, do you have slack skin in that area?

 

[micbain]

Originally Posted by ed1066

I have about the same stats as you, I'm 6'1" and fluctuate between 170 and 175 lbs. However, I don't have a gut or love handles. I'm wondering if age is a factor. I'm 35, if you're older it may just be gravity and age. I'm starting to notice it in myself as well, the skin is less elastic than it used to be. Also, you mentioned you lost weight, do you have slack skin in that area?

lol - I'm 25 yrs old. I shouldn't have this problem.