Tone up? Or lose more weight? Help please!!!

niallcoylelfc

Hi, my name is niall and i have been dieting for the past couple of months, i started at around 73kg and now i am down to around 67/68.

The problem is, my belly fat seems to have stayed put.
Although i havent being using MyFitnessPal religiously, i have been sticking to dieting and exercising most days.

My question is, if you looked at my profile pic now aswell as my other pictures, do i still need to keep dieting or just tone up? I hate my belly and although its not huge the lower section really annoys me.

I have read things suggesting to do ab exercises, then read other advice saying that ab exercises will only make it worse. Well under my calorie limit each day and feeling good about that.

1 month till i go on holiday and would love to get rid of this lower belly fat.

Any advice would be most grateful. Thanks.

refinedredbird

Strength training is a great way to lose weight, lose fat, lose inches and gain muscle. You can not spot reduce to one specific area of your body like your stomach, but with strength training, your overall fat percentage will go down. There is nothing wrong with doing ab exercises and they are beneficial.

Also, if you want to keep your healthy eating habits in check and keep yourself accountable, you really should be logging your food intake every day.

2013sk

Tone up!!!!!!!!

niallcoylelfc

I am logging in my food each day. Been doing a lot of intense cardio also. Do i stop with the cardio alltogether now ive lost a bit of weight or do that and strength training.

Its so confusing, different people/websites/videos telling all opposite information haha.

niallcoylelfc

How would i go about toning up? Specifically to get rid of my belly fat. Thanks. I havent got that much of it have i, just a little more to shred.

TavistockToad

i didnt look at the pics, but i would suggest to 'tone up' you want a small calorie deficit (as you dont need to lose weight as such), a decent full body strenght training routine 3 x a week, and a bit of cardio if you enjoy it.

darrensurrey

In a month, you might as well keep going with what you're doing. Search on YT for HIIT videos.

Long term (a year) I'd be looking at heavy compound lifting and/or tough gymnastics work. Look great in 2014.

WendyTerry420

Toning your muscles need not be exclusive to fat loss. Do both!

Keep your calorie deficit small, like about 200 calories. Do squats.

iNkedFiTmama

You can't exactly spot reduce but I agree with strength training. The more muscle you have on your body the more calories you'll burn naturally while resting throughout the day. I've started really paying attention to my carb intake lately - before just really focusing on calories and its made a big difference on my midsection! You could also try doing that too.

Beastmode454

I would say consume one gram of protein per lean muscle pound you have on you. also drinking herbal tea's like green tea and such on can also help with your metabolism. Eating spicy food, with alot of bell peppers and veggies really help. Keep up the water intake.

WendyTerry420

You can not spot reduce to one specific area of your body<snip>

^^ This too.

Beastmode454

Also you should search the Shrink Wrap Effect.

elisa123gal

you have to lose the weight for the belly to go away..diet and strength train.. it most likely may be the last to go.

niallcoylelfc

Thanks everyone!!!

Shall i keep doing the cardio that i do daily (hour walk, 30 min jog and around an 1 cycling daily commute) and add some strength training into the mix?

I know lower belly is hardest to lose, but I'm scared that if i do ab exercises that all that will happen is that the muscle will just be hidden behind the layer of fat to make my mid section look even worse.

BrownEyeAngel

Following

MightyDomo

I am logging in my food each day. Been doing a lot of intense cardio also. Do i stop with the cardio altogether now ive lost a bit of weight or do that and strength training.

Its so confusing, different people/websites/videos telling all opposite information haha.

Cardio is not enough and doesn't attack tummy fat like weight lifting and core training does. Also something else that helps the tum-tum hang around is bloating which can come from a number of things such as water weight (sodium bloat), gluten, dairy, or other food intolerances. For some people belly fat can also be the last thing to go so don't be upset if it takes longer than you'd hope as that could also be a reason it isn't gone yet.

So to summarize, make sure you are eating foods that aren't going to cause water retention or bloat and get into weight lifting or core strengthening exercises and it should help.

niallcoylelfc

Thanks a lot, not getting stressed about it at all as it was a lot worse than it looks today. I am keeping my overall food calories around the 1700 mark and with daily exercise this brings it down to around 1300.

Staying below 40g of sugar, 70g of fat daily and finding the dieting pretty okay.

Joehenny

This is the first time I've ever in my life heard a male use the term "tone-up".

You would probably benefit eating at maintenance and starting weight training. Beginners can gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously.

niallcoylelfc

So having much higher muscle value will help lose the fat?

ngyoung

How would i go about toning up? Specifically to get rid of my belly fat. Thanks. I havent got that much of it have i, just a little more to shred.

Your body really dictates where it decides to take fat from to burn. For most men it is the same as you, the last spot is the stomach. People can't just work out a specific region to isolate a certain fatty area. The one exception to that for appearance wise is the abs/core area. You won't be isolating fat loss but strengthening your core muscles will make them act like a girdle. Almost like you are sucking in your gut but it maintains that position without purposely flexing. Also helps your posture, you have to make sure you work out all your core muscles, even your back.

As for how to tone up just lift heavy stuff. There are tons of body weight workouts you can do without a gym or buying weights if you don't have any. Even if I don't get to the gym I always try to do a few sets of push-ups every day. That is one movement that engages a bunch of different muscles at once, including your core. Having more lean muscle mass will also help you boost your metabolism to get rid of that last bit of spare tire. I am in pretty much the same boat as you. I am close to my goal weight and I am now trying to focus more on increasing performance, strength, and body composition.

Boogage

The way I understand it is that cardio burns fat while you're working out and give you more calories to play with and strengthening muscles means that even after you've finished working out you still continue to burn fat which is awesome.

I try to do both and since I upped strength training I'm seen much quicker changes in my body.

niallcoylelfc

Thanks again everyone really grateful for all the replies. Is my goal seriously acheivable within the next month? I dont want to overdo myself, just wondering what others think.

toutmonpossible

What is your body fat percentage?

I would do strength training and some HIIT cardio ,as well as continuing the calorie reduction, although you don't look as if you have much to lose.

TavistockToad

Thanks a lot, not getting stressed about it at all as it was a lot worse than it looks today. I am keeping my overall food calories around the 1700 mark and with daily exercise this brings it down to around 1300.

Staying below 40g of sugar, 70g of fat daily and finding the dieting pretty okay.

net 1300 cals isnt really enough food if you want to keep what LBM you already have...

niallcoylelfc

I dont know what my body fat percentage is, if i find out later today what is your advice? Thanks

3foldchord

More votes for
"lift heavy weights" - heavy is relative- for me right ow, 60 pounds squat is super heavy!

"Eat enough protein". ~ 1 gram/1 pound Lean Body Mass. I do best with 120-140 grams, though my LBM is about 110.

"Small deficit" - set MFP for .5 pound loss a week (or whatever the metric equivalent is) or if using your TDEE value, only deduct 10%

niallcoylelfc

Finding it hard to eat over 1300 net but stay in line with my fat/sugar/carb/protein limits

3foldchord

Finding it hard to eat over 1300 net but stay in line with my fat/sugar/carb/protein limits

Maybe your macros are incorrect.

Don't worry about sugar limits, unless you have medical problems, just try to keep them more natural sugars (apples and carrots are high I sugar, but much healthier than candy and cake)

Fat and protein are not limits, they are 'minimum goals' - going over is fine. ( so I was told by a few trusted friends and I have been doing fine treating them as such)

Do a few searches on topics here on setting macros.

niallcoylelfc

Oh okay. Just checked and for the last few weeks I've been consuming around 90-100 protein a day.

How much sugar is actually ok? As ive been told that sugar is the worst in terms of losing fat.
I average around 40g of sugar a day.

mcibty

LIFT. HEAVY. THINGS.

darrensurrey

Oh, keep your salt levels in check and drink enough water, both to avoid water retention.