8 Weeks to change (Need Help!!)
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TylerWhiite
Posts: 108 Member
Hey everyone, so in 8 weeks I am going on vacation with a friend. I want to lose as much stomach fat as possible. I am 6'3, and weigh 214 LBS. I also have a size 38 waist. I workout 6 days a week, and do about 20 mins of biking, and also basketball for cardio. My diet consists of: Chicken, Tuna, Broccoli, Eggs, Quest Bars, water, and green tea. Does anyone have any tips on how I can lose a ton of belly fat in these next 8 weeks? I'm losing weight each week, but I'm afraid I won't be where I want to. Anything helps, thank you!
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Replies
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2lbs a week is what is considered safe, however that is for those who have a lot to lose. You could realistically expect to lose 4-16lbs (.5 to 2 lbs a week).
It does not mater WHAT you eat but rather how many calories you consume.0 -
I also keep my carbs under 20G and eat less than 1500 calories daily.0
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No. As a male you should not be netting under 1500calories. If you only want to lose 2.5-3lbs than set MFP to .5 lbs a week and work from there.0
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2lbs a week is what is considered safe, however that is for those who have a lot to lose. You could realistically expect to lose 4-16lbs (.5 to 2 lbs a week).
It does not mater WHAT you eat but rather how many calories you consume.
I keep my intake under 1500 calories everyday. Not sure if I should bump it down to 1200 or not in order to be where I want. I would like to lose around 2.5-3lbs but my main goal is to lose my stomach fat, and I keep getting worried I won't be where I want to be in 8 weeks.0 -
Try intermittent fasting and DO NOT eat processed foods or foods with ingredients that you can't pronounce.
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/intermittent-fasting-methods/0 -
dmack073082 wrote: »Try intermittent fasting and DO NOT eat processed foods or foods with ingredients that you can't pronounce.
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/intermittent-fasting-methods/
There is absolutely NO reason to avoid the above. You can lose weight eating both.0 -
2lbs a week is what is considered safe, however that is for those who have a lot to lose. You could realistically expect to lose 4-16lbs (.5 to 2 lbs a week).
It does not mater WHAT you eat but rather how many calories you consume.
My aim is to lose 3 pounds a week and continue to lose weight. I'm not sure if there is another approach I should take as to burning as much stomach fat as I can in the 8 weeks, or just stick to what I've been doing.
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2lbs a week is what is considered safe, however that is for those who have a lot to lose. You could realistically expect to lose 4-16lbs (.5 to 2 lbs a week).
It does not mater WHAT you eat but rather how many calories you consume.
My aim is to lose 3 pounds a week and continue to lose weight. I'm not sure if there is another approach I should take as to burning as much stomach fat as I can in the 8 weeks, or just stick to what I've been doing.
3lbs a week is too aggressive and is not considered to be safe weight loss.
You are going to have to readjust your goals to be more realistic. 3lbs a week is not realistic or safe.
You also can't spot reduce.0 -
2lbs a week is what is considered safe, however that is for those who have a lot to lose. You could realistically expect to lose 4-16lbs (.5 to 2 lbs a week).
It does not mater WHAT you eat but rather how many calories you consume.
My aim is to lose 3 pounds a week and continue to lose weight. I'm not sure if there is another approach I should take as to burning as much stomach fat as I can in the 8 weeks, or just stick to what I've been doing.
3lbs a week is too aggressive and is not considered to be safe weight loss.
You are going to have to readjust your goals to be more realistic. 3lbs a week is not realistic or safe.
You also can't spot reduce.
Yeah unfortunately haha. Are there any certain actions I should take as to losing as much fat as I can in the next 8 weeks?
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If you want to lose fat, then an aggressive goal like 3 pounds a week will be counter-productive since you'll lose a fair amount of muscle mass that way. The diet you listed in your first post sounds incredibly restrictive. Is that really all you eat?
Have you had a chance to read through the stickies yet? This one in particular: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach0 -
Just consistency.0
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diannethegeek wrote: »If you want to lose fat, then an aggressive goal like 3 pounds a week will be counter-productive since you'll lose a fair amount of muscle mass that way. The diet you listed in your first post sounds incredibly restrictive. Is that really all you eat?
Have you had a chance to read through the stickies yet? This one in particular: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach
Yes that's all I eat. My breakfast and lunch usually are a quest bar or some eggs. And for dinner I eat the chicken and broccoli with my post workout protein shake. I'm just so worried about losing my stomach fat. I feel like I'm doing the best I can, and not getting results quickly enough. I keep my carbs under 20 and keep my calories under 1500. I just want to lose all my stomach fat, and it's getting me stressed out unfortunately.0 -
Unfortunately, you will make more work for yourself in the long run if you pursue the 3lb/wk goal. As dianne indicated, the risk is, in addition to stomach fat, you will lose muscle and bone. When you reach goal weight, you won't be happy with how you look or feel because of lost lean body mass. Also, your TDEE will be lower because of lost LBM. And gaining it back is lots of work-- you have to eat in a surplus to gain LBM while working out hard on the heavy weights. But of course, you will gain fat and LBM in equal proportions (if you're lucky), and so you will then have to cut again to lose the fat you gained while recouping the LBM you lost in too much of a deficit. See? You will feel and look better if you have a muscle-sparing approach to fat loss in the first place.
ETA: not sure how much you have to lose, but generally, people with lots of fat have a lower risk of LBM loss than those who are pretty lean to start with. At your height, 1500 sounds counterproductive, IMHO.0 -
Unfortunately, you will make more work for yourself in the long run if you pursue the 3lb/wk goal. As dianne indicated, the risk is, in addition to stomach fat, you will lose muscle and bone. When you reach goal weight, you won't be happy with how you look or feel because of lost lean body mass. Also, your TDEE will be lower because of lost LBM. And gaining it back is lots of work-- you have to eat in a surplus to gain LBM while working out hard on the heavy weights. But of course, you will gain fat and LBM in equal proportions (if you're lucky), and so you will then have to cut again to lose the fat you gained while recouping the LBM you lost in too much of a deficit. See? You will feel and look better if you have a muscle-sparing approach to fat loss.
Ok thank you! What would be the best approach for the next 8 weeks? I'm willing to do whatever it takes to lose this stomach fat and look better overall.0 -
Enter your stats into MFP and tell it you want to lose 2 lb/wk. it will tell you NET CALORIES to eat to spare muscle. That assumes no exercise. When you exercise, you estimate calories burned (easy to overestimate so search advice on this), and eat additional calories to reach NET CALORIES. Buy a $15 food scale and weigh everything you eat, even prepackaged individual servings. If time is a concern, be as accurate as you can right from the start. You will lose fat. It may be a steady rate, but it might seem to stay the same for 3weeks, then -whoosh- 3 weeks worth of loss in 1-2 days. Don't freak. It's normal. Just stick with it and be consistent.
Don't worry about IF or processed foods or avoiding particular foods. Have a beer now and then. Just count it all.
ETA: and read the stickies. They really are helpful.0 -
Unfortunately, you will make more work for yourself in the long run if you pursue the 3lb/wk goal. As dianne indicated, the risk is, in addition to stomach fat, you will lose muscle and bone. When you reach goal weight, you won't be happy with how you look or feel because of lost lean body mass. Also, your TDEE will be lower because of lost LBM. And gaining it back is lots of work-- you have to eat in a surplus to gain LBM while working out hard on the heavy weights. But of course, you will gain fat and LBM in equal proportions (if you're lucky), and so you will then have to cut again to lose the fat you gained while recouping the LBM you lost in too much of a deficit. See? You will feel and look better if you have a muscle-sparing approach to fat loss.
Ok thank you! What would be the best approach for the next 8 weeks? I'm willing to do whatever it takes to lose this stomach fat and look better overall.
If you ultimate goal is abs, like most guys, then you want a moderate deficit (various between 20-30% under TDEE/maintenance calories... lower when you dont have much to lose), follow a progressive lifting program, have moderate protein (.8-1g per lb of lean body mass) and add in cardio as you like. And while it's common to lose a little lean body mass while losing weight, your goal should be to not increase that, as muscle and overall body composition, will determine how you look. And in all of the years I have been here (about 7), I have yet to see anyone aggressively lose weight and get the body they want. In fact, there are a lot of people in the gaining weight section, trying to make up for their mistakes from aggressive dieting. And I can assure you, that it is a hell of a lot easier to maintain muscle then rebuild it.0 -
3 lbs/wk is not sustainable. I've done that and more to make weight at tournaments but it is a world of pain, dizziness and deprivation. 1500 calories is more AND less than we think. If you were eating way too much before then 1500 may get you the results you want.0
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Enter your stats into MFP and tell it you want to lose 2 lb/wk. it will tell you NET CALORIES to eat to spare muscle. That assumes no exercise. When you exercise, you estimate calories burned (easy to overestimate so search advice on this), and eat additional calories to reach NET CALORIES. Buy a $15 food scale and weigh everything you eat, even prepackaged individual servings. If time is a concern, be as accurate as you can right from the start. You will lose fat. It may be a steady rate, but it might seem to stay the same for 3weeks, then -whoosh- 3 weeks worth of loss in 1-2 days. Don't freak. It's normal. Just stick with it and be consistent.
Don't worry about IF or processed foods or avoiding particular foods. Have a beer now and then. Just count it all.
ETA: and read the stickies. They really are helpful.
Thank you so much for all your help! I am in the gym 6 days a week and always working out with heavy weights. Is it possible that I could still keep some lean body mass and lose fat if I continue to eat 1500 calories? Or do I need to increase my calories? I'm just worried if I increase my calories, I will gain fat along with muscle, and not be where i want.
0 -
Enter your stats into MFP and tell it you want to lose 2 lb/wk. it will tell you NET CALORIES to eat to spare muscle. That assumes no exercise. When you exercise, you estimate calories burned (easy to overestimate so search advice on this), and eat additional calories to reach NET CALORIES. Buy a $15 food scale and weigh everything you eat, even prepackaged individual servings. If time is a concern, be as accurate as you can right from the start. You will lose fat. It may be a steady rate, but it might seem to stay the same for 3weeks, then -whoosh- 3 weeks worth of loss in 1-2 days. Don't freak. It's normal. Just stick with it and be consistent.
Don't worry about IF or processed foods or avoiding particular foods. Have a beer now and then. Just count it all.
ETA: and read the stickies. They really are helpful.
Thank you so much for all your help! I am in the gym 6 days a week and always working out with heavy weights. Is it possible that I could still keep some lean body mass and lose fat if I continue to eat 1500 calories? Or do I need to increase my calories? I'm just worried if I increase my calories, I will gain fat along with muscle, and not be where i want.
You won't gain any fat if you still eat under your TDEE... which is probably quite high, considering your stats (you can find out here http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/).
I mean, it's up to you I guess. You can keep undereating and losing muscle mass in order to lose your belly fat (which you might not lose anyway...). Or you can pick a reasonable deficit and retain more muscles while still losing weight, although more slowly.
The bottom line is that it's MUCH easier to lose muscle than to build it, so ask yourself if you really want to do that to yourself just for a vacation, and if it's not better to think of the long term here.0 -
Enter your stats into MFP and tell it you want to lose 2 lb/wk. it will tell you NET CALORIES to eat to spare muscle. That assumes no exercise. When you exercise, you estimate calories burned (easy to overestimate so search advice on this), and eat additional calories to reach NET CALORIES. Buy a $15 food scale and weigh everything you eat, even prepackaged individual servings. If time is a concern, be as accurate as you can right from the start. You will lose fat. It may be a steady rate, but it might seem to stay the same for 3weeks, then -whoosh- 3 weeks worth of loss in 1-2 days. Don't freak. It's normal. Just stick with it and be consistent.
Don't worry about IF or processed foods or avoiding particular foods. Have a beer now and then. Just count it all.
ETA: and read the stickies. They really are helpful.
Thank you so much for all your help! I am in the gym 6 days a week and always working out with heavy weights. Is it possible that I could still keep some lean body mass and lose fat if I continue to eat 1500 calories? Or do I need to increase my calories? I'm just worried if I increase my calories, I will gain fat along with muscle, and not be where i want.
Most guys i know, especially when in the gym 6 days a week, need more calories than 1500. I have a desk job, am 5'11, 175lbs and exercise 5 to 6 hours a week and maintain at 3000 calories and set up my cuts around 2400.0
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