So you want a nice stomach

usmcmp · January 2015

BFDeal wrote: »

usmcmp wrote: »

BFDeal wrote: »

usmcmp wrote: »

xMeshi wrote: »

Even if this post is a year old. Thank you! It gives me hope and now I'm even more motivated! But how much calories should I eat each day? 1700 enough?^^

You're a 21 year old male. 1700 is probably not enough for you. Use this link to find a better calorie goal: iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

But take the calculators number with a grain of salt. I was eating what it said and it worked for a while then stopped. So there's that.

Our bodies adjust when we are in a deficit. This is simply a starting point for someone who is new. You know that many people lose lean mass as we lose weight because they don't do strength training. On top of that our hormones and metabolic activity adjust as well. I'm not saying that calculator is 100% accurate for every person and every situation. It's a reassurance that people can eat more than 1000 calories and still lose weight. It's trying to set an appropriate starting point to help them stick to a calorie goal.

Yes, we all have to eventually make adjustments or take a break from dieting because at some point hormones do play a role.

All I know is if it doesn't work this next time I'm just slashing my calories to 1500 inspite of everyone swearing you don't have to put them low. I've noticed the hip thing to do here is brag about how much you can eat and still lose. It's BS. And you never hear anyone mention anything about hormones or diet breaks. It's always "you're eating too much" or "you're not logging." Yeah, because the other 135lbs I knew how to log but I suddenly forgot last week. Ohhhhh, that's it. OK.

I really don't want to turn this thread into a pissing match about nothing. I'm sorry that you struggle and that others struggle. I talk about how much I eat and still lose to let many of the newer people know that they don't have to starve themselves to see success, but it's far from bragging because I try to help them find a great balance point of intake and fat loss. When people come to me with issues and swear they are logging 100% accurate and their blood work is normal then I give them suggestions such as leptin refeeds and diet breaks.

Sure, there are plenty of people who just don't have issues with losing fat and have no idea how to go about fixing the issue when someone has legitimately stalled. Those are few and far between because many cases on here the issue is inaccurate logging. I've tried to help you, but after giving you a few suggestions you stopped replying to me. To avoid further derailing the thread feel free to continue this by PM.

Hily93 · January 2015

Great post! Alot of things we don't think of!

shelleygold · January 2015

usmcmp: I really appreciate your response and advice. Also your reference to the calculator for which you even provided the link. You offer your time and exercise in a very generous manner in this forum and I am most grateful. I would like to discuss a more specific issue with my plan if that does not overload you and I am not sure how you prefer private messages so perhaps you could let me know the procedure. Again, thank you.
S

usmcmp · January 2015

shelleygold wrote: »

usmcmp: I really appreciate your response and advice. Also your reference to the calculator for which you even provided the link. You offer your time and exercise in a very generous manner in this forum and I am most grateful. I would like to discuss a more specific issue with my plan if that does not overload you and I am not sure how you prefer private messages so perhaps you could let me know the procedure. Again, thank you.
S

I don't mind answering questions at all. Click on my name below my picture <-- to go to my profile then click the send a message button.

estherlion · January 2015

usmcmp, you are an inspiration! I am barely getting into strength training and used to buy in to the fact that cardio is the only way to get a nice stomach. I hate cardio. I know you mention the You Are Your Own Gym program, which I'll definitely look into. Can you explain a little bit about how much actual weight I should be lifting as a beginner? Any other advice you can provide would be great. Thanks for all your time in responding to everybody. I am learning so much from you. Blessings!

usmcmp · January 2015

estherlion wrote: »

usmcmp, you are an inspiration! I am barely getting into strength training and used to buy in to the fact that cardio is the only way to get a nice stomach. I hate cardio. I know you mention the You Are Your Own Gym program, which I'll definitely look into. Can you explain a little bit about how much actual weight I should be lifting as a beginner? Any other advice you can provide would be great. Thanks for all your time in responding to everybody. I am learning so much from you. Blessings!

How much actual weight you should be lifting as a beginner depends entirely on you. There is no bad starting point. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. You do what you can and try to do a bit better each time. You might start out doing half of a push up from your knees and then in a few weeks manage two half push ups from your knees and eventually over months work up to a single regular push up. Some people may start out being able to do multiple regular push ups. There is no wrong starting point, just track where you start and work to get better.

gloriakcameron · January 2015

This is really helpful!!!!! I will definitely use this!

arditarose · January 2015

usmcmp wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

I'm working with a 250 calorie a day deficit, set to lose .5 a week (though it rarely happens as I'm obviously over eating and not too concerned).

I'm currently doing 5/3/1. Do you think doing the body building assistance work with it would be beneficial to get a balance of strength and hypertrophy?

I think when doing a strength program it's a very good idea to add in hypertrophy as assistance work. I know that Jim Wendler built a hypertrophy assistance template for 5/3/1 called Boring But Big. That way you aren't trying to build your own assistance work and hamper your progress in 5/3/1.

Ah okay, I wasn't sure if I should do the BBB or not. Didn't seem like enough variation, though when I did it I definitely felt like I got a good workout.

vs_shine · January 2015

bump!

amy_steel23 · January 2015

Some really good advice thank you ☺️

blankiefinder · January 2015

Thanks for the inspiration! I've now lost 31 pounds and am 3 pounds from the weight that I set for myself to start transitioning from a losing weight / cardio perspective, into starting to lift heavy. I bought myself NROLFW for Christmas and I figure I have about 4 weeks to get through it and figure out a plan of attack. The only area on me that's still really bad is my tummy, it's horrifying $:\$ I grew straight outwards during my second pregnancy 16 years ago, and even though I only put on 22 lbs, the scarring has prevented the skin from shrinking which has really discouraged me.

Muscletech25 · January 2015

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!

LOVE IT.

MaineSchnuir · January 2015

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!