So you want a nice stomach
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I'm doing what you have suggested, I've lost 18lb but now I'm stuck at the same weight regardless of resetting my goals. Ive gained muscle but my stomach is still not as toned as the rest of me, in particular my upper gut!Should I cut carbs?
Cutting carbs would just be a way to cut calories. There is no need to cut carbs. Stomach is often last to go, so you probably just need to lose more fat. If I was in your shoes I would make sure I'm logging accurately and double check my numbers to make sure my calorie goal is still appropriate. If both of those were good then I would add in a leptin refeed every other week. Most people simply are eating too much, whether it's inaccurate logging or goal is too high.0 -
Very inspiring0
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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!
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This was a great read! Thanks so much for the motivation and encouraging words:)0
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Decent diet, 45min of Zumba 2x a week, 45min of total body weight training 2x a week, walk 2miles 2x week.....been doing that for about 2 months now with ZERO results. What am I doing wrong?0
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CLanzaMartin wrote: »Decent diet, 45min of Zumba 2x a week, 45min of total body weight training 2x a week, walk 2miles 2x week.....been doing that for about 2 months now with ZERO results. What am I doing wrong?
Hard to tell, but most likely you're eating too much. Meaning that you aren't logging accurately 100% of the time (even on weekends and holidays).0 -
Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy
) Any thoughts?
Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs0 -
I love my cardio, I try and do an hour a day fast pace walking, maybe a bit of jogging in there. Abs and core strength training at home on the mat, as well as keeping under my calorie goal for the day. Bit by bit. Not expecting fast results, I am expecting results :-)0
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Love this post!! Thank you!! Can you explain to me what the TDEE-20% menthol is? My phone will not allow the link to open! Thanks
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!
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Thanks... Hope will motivate me to lose extra weight and be fit.0
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vanessafowler_777 wrote: »Love this post!! Thank you!! Can you explain to me what the TDEE-20% menthol is? My phone will not allow the link to open! ThanksYou 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!
Total Daily Energy Expenditure - 20% of calories. So, if you require 2,000 calories to maintain weight; you would eat at 1,600 calories.
2,000 * .20 = 400 calories
2,000 - 400 = 1600 calories0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy ) Any thoughts?
Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs
@blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.
Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy ) Any thoughts?
Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs
@blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.
Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.
Great, thanks. That's pretty much how I was feeling about my body, that my weight is okay but too much fat. Would it still be okay to do cardio like Zumba or something slower like walking, on non-lifting days?0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy ) Any thoughts?
Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs
@blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.
Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.
Great, thanks. That's pretty much how I was feeling about my body, that my weight is okay but too much fat. Would it still be okay to do cardio like Zumba or something slower like walking, on non-lifting days?
The cardio activity on the lower calorie days could aid in fat loss, just don't over do it. If you start losing weight then you'll need to increase calories on lifting days. The goal is basically to keep your weight about the same.0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy ) Any thoughts?
Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs
@blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.
Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.
Great, thanks. That's pretty much how I was feeling about my body, that my weight is okay but too much fat. Would it still be okay to do cardio like Zumba or something slower like walking, on non-lifting days?
The cardio activity on the lower calorie days could aid in fat loss, just don't over do it. If you start losing weight then you'll need to increase calories on lifting days. The goal is basically to keep your weight about the same.
Thanks so much! Now to start the next stage of this journey 0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy ) Any thoughts?
Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs
@blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.
Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.
Can you recomp simply by eating at maintenance every day? Or should you really cycle calories like this?0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy ) Any thoughts?
Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs
@blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.
Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.
Great, thanks. That's pretty much how I was feeling about my body, that my weight is okay but too much fat. Would it still be okay to do cardio like Zumba or something slower like walking, on non-lifting days?
The cardio activity on the lower calorie days could aid in fat loss, just don't over do it. If you start losing weight then you'll need to increase calories on lifting days. The goal is basically to keep your weight about the same.
What would you recommend for someone with similar stats (add 5 pounds) to blankiefinder, but who couldn't lift heavy? (but could do bodyweight and light high rep resistance)0 -
I only lose weight when I do cardio on most days, but that is just me. I prefer to be able to eat a bit more, and have room for dessert, or a couple beers if I feel like it. If not, I have more wiggle room for the week, or I just lose a bit more quickly.0
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arditarose wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy ) Any thoughts?
Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs
@blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.
Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.
Can you recomp simply by eating at maintenance every day? Or should you really cycle calories like this?
@arditarose I don't know that it matters either way. I haven't seen any studies that have really compared either method. I know the reasoning behind the cycling, but as we know our bodies don't quite function on a 24 hour system. I think it should be personal preference and adherence. Do what you can stick to and what mentally feels best.0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »Trying to figure out when to stop losing and work on a recomposition (maintain weight or add a bit, add muscle, drop inches). I'm getting close to goal, and using the simple spreadsheet done by one of the users here and all of my measurements, my current body fat is at ~28% (mostly the mommy tummy ) Any thoughts?
Current stats 5' 7.5, 136 lbs
@blankiefinder I can't tell you if the spreadsheet is going to help you or not because I have no idea what it is telling you. Recomposition takes a long time. It's combining a bulk cycle and a cut cycle, which each take a while to accomplish any meaningful gains and retain them as you lose fat.
Based on the stats you gave me I can tell that you have low lean mass. Continuing to just lose weight is not appropriate for you at this point because it could negatively impact your health. Bulking is not appropriate for you at this point because your body fat is too high. Recomposition is perfect for you. If I was to set yours up I would find your approximate TDEE then add 300 calories to 3 days (must be on days you lift) and subtract 200 calories from 4 days. That's how recomposition works in theory. Your average intake at the end of the week should be about your TDEE.
Great, thanks. That's pretty much how I was feeling about my body, that my weight is okay but too much fat. Would it still be okay to do cardio like Zumba or something slower like walking, on non-lifting days?
The cardio activity on the lower calorie days could aid in fat loss, just don't over do it. If you start losing weight then you'll need to increase calories on lifting days. The goal is basically to keep your weight about the same.
What would you recommend for someone with similar stats (add 5 pounds) to blankiefinder, but who couldn't lift heavy? (but could do bodyweight and light high rep resistance)
@tomatoey Look into You Are Your Own Gym. There are ways to add resistance to body weight exercises. To recomposition you have to add lean mass and that requires progressive overload. You have to eventually use harder exercises or more weight. You have to challenge the muscles. Higher reps don't quite do it. Once you hit a certain point you are working on muscular endurance and it's less effective for hypertrophy.0
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