So you want a nice stomach

greengardendigs

Thank you!

libbydoodle11

Thanks for the post.

pomegranatemint

I have a question, when you say eat plenty of protein, what do you suggest? I cannot have protein shakes and bars, as I am on a strict intolerance diet, so I have to pretty much eat all fresh foods, no processed foods. I can eat meat, fish, but can't tolerate much egg.

Also in regards to strength training with weights, is there something you can recommend without needing to go to a gym? It seems the bodybuilder site is geared towards gym equipment.

usmcmp

pomegranatemint wrote: »

I have a question, when you say eat plenty of protein, what do you suggest? I cannot have protein shakes and bars, as I am on a strict intolerance diet, so I have to pretty much eat all fresh foods, no processed foods. I can eat meat, fish, but can't tolerate much egg.

Also in regards to strength training with weights, is there something you can recommend without needing to go to a gym? It seems the bodybuilder site is geared towards gym equipment.

I get most of my protein from chicken, beef and eggs. I'm sure you can eat enough meats to hit .8g-1g per pound of lean body mass.

There are many programs that have body weight exercises. You Are Your Own Gym is one. You can also start slowly investing in your own equipment.

4DML

peterseaford wrote: »

- trying for 1200 cal daily intake but am stuffed around 900 cal each day.
- never feel hungry and the wife give me all fresh cooked foods and we register every calorie but she is concerned that i should eat more because she was a weight watcher and they say that if your calories are to low the body will bot lose weight.

Are you having a hard time eating 1200 cal/day because of the composition of your diet? A lot of low carb folks struggle with problem that because the the lack of calorie dense foods. When starches, potatoes, rice, beans, bread, pasta corn, fruit etc. are eliminated, the quantity of food that needs to be consumed increases dramatically. For example, 8 oz of chicken breast + 8 oz of broccoli, is a ton of food, most folks would have a tough time eating that much, but its only 350 cal. Its tough to eat 1200 cal on a low carb low fat diet. If that's what you're doing, stop. Its not healthy. If you choose to follow a low carb diet, increase the calories by adding fat- nuts, fatty cuts of meat, oils, butter, etc. If you choose to follow a low fat diet, eat foods that have a lot of calories in them.

You have to figure a way to eat more than 900 cal/day. Prolonged periods of severe caloric restriction will cause your body to preserve energy by lowering your basal metabolic rate. If you continue this deficit, ultimately you will lose weight, but much of it will come from muscle loss.

mystiquecal

THANK YOU!! This is certainly VERY HELPFUL!!

mimiteh35

bump for reference!

GrnEyes839

bump for later

usmcmp

BFDeal wrote: »

What can you do to start losing again if you randomly stop losing? I've been 229 for almost a month. Same diet. Same exercise. No losses. TDEE is supposedly 2800ish. I eat 2300ish. This worked. Then stopped. Randomly. For no reason. The options I generally read: "Eat more to lose weight! Eat right under your TDEE and lift!" OK, but I'm 50lbs overweight. Not some chick looking to lose 3lbs to fit in a smaller bikini. Option two: "You're eating too much." Nope. Eating the same. What was working has stopped. "Oh well eat less" OK, so remember the girl losing 3lbs to fit in a smaller bikini? How is it she loses weight eating more than I do? Seriously? What happened to "don't starve yourself!" Do I really need to be eating 2000 calories a day? Meanwhile, some girls who's 5'1" 120lbs is shoving down 2500 calories and getting leaner?

If you want to talk about what I think I'd be happy to discuss it through PM. As per our previous discussions on other posts I have a feeling this would continue for 3-4 pages on this post and derail the topic. Feel free to send me a message if you would like help.

My first suggestion for you and everyone is to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and what sort of progress they are making.

ggeise14

bump for later

missingkitty

bump for later

mainesm

Amazing Post! Thank you for posting!!!

rabbyduby

bump

LazyButHealthy

Good intro.

Based on the link posted in the OP it has my TDEE at around 1800, so 80% is around 1400 which seems to link in to what I have - MFP has me at 1250, not including the exercise.

But my belly, *kitten* and thighs are definitely the centre of the weight I carry... jogging and cycling should help the thighs and bum.

Should I be doing crunches for the belly? I gues that's a stupid question - instead, how many crunches/day should I be aiming for?

usmcmp

LazyButHealthy wrote: »

Good intro.

Based on the link posted in the OP it has my TDEE at around 1800, so 80% is around 1400 which seems to link in to what I have - MFP has me at 1250, not including the exercise.

But my belly, *kitten* and thighs are definitely the centre of the weight I carry... jogging and cycling should help the thighs and bum.

Should I be doing crunches for the belly? I gues that's a stupid question - instead, how many crunches/day should I be aiming for?

Can't spot reduce by doing crunches (as I mentioned in the OP). Instead you should follow what I suggest in the OP. Do some resistance training that incorporates the entire body. Whether you prefer doing full body a few times a week or splitting it up into different parts is up to you. Work your muscles. If you have access to a gym look into a beginner program and if you don't look into a body weight program.

luvmysweats

usmcmp wrote: »

You want to lose belly fat and have a nice flat toned mid section? We see that a lot on this site. Hell, that was my goal for my birthday last year. We all want to be able to take our shirt off at the pool or beach and look great, but how do we do it?

1. Slight calorie deficit. Eating 800 calories and killing yourself in the gym is not going to get you there any faster. You need to fuel your body appropriately. I suggest the TDEE-20% method. www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc (If you have questions please feel free to ask them here). Make sure to weigh everything you eat! Guessing could put you well over your calories.

2. Strength training. If you want that toned mid section look you have to put some muscle there. If you just want a nice flat stomach muscle will still help it look tight. You can begin with Strong Lifts, a hypertrophy routine or a strength program from bodybuilding.com (free!). One that includes compound lifts like deadlift, squat, bench press and pull ups will help. Work on increasing the amount of weight you use. When the weight gets heavier you engage your core more and it builds the muscle.

3. Muscle insurance. There are a variety of studies done on the amount of protein the body needs. I like to think of higher protein as muscle insurance. My suggestion is about 1gram of protein per pound of lean mass. Make sure to get fat in your diet to help joints and metabolic processes. Make sure to get carbs in your diet to fuel workouts.

4. Cardio. I like cardio once or twice a week for 30 minutes. It's good for the heart and lungs. It doesn't add much to the calorie burn for the week, but it helps even things out in case you haven't been completely accurate weighing food.

5. Patience! It is not going to happen overnight. If you stick with it you could lose around 1% body fat a month. We aren't going to be perfect all the time. Enjoy birthdays and holidays. It is life and things will happen. Don't stress, learn to love the process.

FINALLY: Losing fat is like trying to dry out a sponge. You can't dry a corner while the rest of it is still wet. You won't magically lose belly fat or thigh fat or any other fat. It will come off where it wants to. Keep working at it! It is possible!

Thank you for info

squatmami

I liked your number 4 , I took it as its also important to keep your heart healthy ?

willowcreeklane

Thank you OP!