So you want a nice stomach

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Replies

  • JocelynDeshane
    JocelynDeshane Posts: 109 Member

    Hello! I was looking to get some advice on calorie and macro suggestions, I am 5'8 I weigh 157.. my goal weight is to get down to 145-147 ish.. I'm looking to lose my love handles and burn fat basically cut down... I go to the gym 5-6 days a week I do upper body about 3 times a week 2 HIIT cardio sessions a week and 1 low intensity session a week and 2 leg and booty days a week.. I started eating really healthy and all I drink a day is anywhere from 50-to over 100 ounces of water a day.. I'm a DSP working so I take care of people who have disabilities so my job isn't " too active ". Any suggestions on what my macros and calorie intake should look like? For someone who's trying to cut down and then do a lean bulk later on my goal is to prep for a fitness modeling photography shoot to start up a portfolio so I have a lot of work to do.
    1357i7uh48fs.jpg
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    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. http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ (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 .8 grams to 1 gram 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!
    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. http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ (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 .8 grams to 1 gram 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!

  • k80flec
    k80flec Posts: 1,623 Member
    The sponge analogy gets me every time ..... it's fab.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Jezreel12 wrote: »
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Jezreel12 wrote: »
    Idle_Moon wrote: »
    Currently, I'm 126 lbs at 5"4. I'm cutting to 116 lbs, hoping that my bodyfatpercentage will be low enough for a flat stomach.
    How much proteine should I eat to retain my muscles? Is 90-100g proteine enough?
    I think 100g of protein is close enough for you, although the preferred way is to keep it 1 gram per pound so that would be 126 grams of protein. But you shouldn't be worried though. 100 grams is still great ! B)

    I thought it was 1 g protein per 1 pound of lean mass.
    I go by my whole body weight to calculate how much protein is needed for muscle build up and it's always better to do more than less when it comes to protein since protein is what helps the muscles to heal after a workout also for your body change composition.

    Studies have shown that .8 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass is adequate for building lean mass.

    0.8-1.2g is the range recommended.

    Correct. The person I quoted was doing it by body weight rather than lean mass, I like to quote the low suggestion as a starting point.

    Check what you actually wrote ;)

    I said .8g per pound of lean body mass...what am I missing?
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Hello! I was looking to get some advice on calorie and macro suggestions, I am 5'8 I weigh 157.. my goal weight is to get down to 145-147 ish.. I'm looking to lose my love handles and burn fat basically cut down... I go to the gym 5-6 days a week I do upper body about 3 times a week 2 HIIT cardio sessions a week and 1 low intensity session a week and 2 leg and booty days a week.. I started eating really healthy and all I drink a day is anywhere from 50-to over 100 ounces of water a day.. I'm a DSP working so I take care of people who have disabilities so my job isn't " too active ". Any suggestions on what my macros and calorie intake should look like? For someone who's trying to cut down and then do a lean bulk later on my goal is to prep for a fitness modeling photography shoot to start up a portfolio so I have a lot of work to do.
    1357i7uh48fs.jpg
    e6vc6bixmfrh.jpg












    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. http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ (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 .8 grams to 1 gram 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!
    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. http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ (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 .8 grams to 1 gram 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!

    Based on your stats and pictures maybe you want to consider recomposition rather than losing more weight. I can't run your numbers from my phone, but I can do it tonight when I get home.
  • rprr
    rprr Posts: 28 Member
    edited November 2016
    Starting with the stats:
    Male age 48
    Height 5'5"
    Weight 130 lbs (was 150 lbs on May 2015, and came down to 130 lbs in January 2016).

    Body fat estimate: Roughly navy method using waist and neck diameter gives 18-19% body fat. Thus lean body mass is around 100-105 lbs.

    Macros: My diet is vegan and I usually have 60 carb/25 fat/15 protein. In terms of protein, I'm probably around 0.5-0.6 g per lb of lean body mass.

    My weight is good but am skinny fat with a considerable amount around abdomen. So how to get rid of it.

    Some constraints: Shoulder injury (frozen shoulder) on left shoulder. This limits upper body strength training to a considerable degree. Recovery from this will take a few months. Any further injuries can set this recovery process back.

    Have been doing mainly cardio. I run/walk/jog on average 4-5 days a week.

    Any help on how to get rid of this fat will be most appreciated!


  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Hello! I was looking to get some advice on calorie and macro suggestions, I am 5'8 I weigh 157.. my goal weight is to get down to 145-147 ish.. I'm looking to lose my love handles and burn fat basically cut down... I go to the gym 5-6 days a week I do upper body about 3 times a week 2 HIIT cardio sessions a week and 1 low intensity session a week and 2 leg and booty days a week.. I started eating really healthy and all I drink a day is anywhere from 50-to over 100 ounces of water a day.. I'm a DSP working so I take care of people who have disabilities so my job isn't " too active ". Any suggestions on what my macros and calorie intake should look like? For someone who's trying to cut down and then do a lean bulk later on my goal is to prep for a fitness modeling photography shoot to start up a portfolio so I have a lot of work to do.
    1357i7uh48fs.jpg
    e6vc6bixmfrh.jpg


    Based on your stats and pictures maybe you want to consider recomposition rather than losing more weight. I can't run your numbers from my phone, but I can do it tonight when I get home.

    @JocelynDeshane If you want to lose more weight I would go with 1600 calories with 100-120 grams of protein. Let fat and carbs be whatever helps you stick to it. You said you go to the gym and do various exercises, but are you following a program? If you're making it up as you go I highly suggest picking a program to follow instead.
  • rprr
    rprr Posts: 28 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    rprr wrote: »
    My weight is good but am skinny fat with a considerable amount around abdomen. So how to get rid of it.

    You fix this by gaining muscle. I know you say you have injuries, but you should be getting some sort of rehab for the shoulder that would be considered a form of resistance training. There are other upper body things you can do that don't require weights initially and lots of lower body things you can do that won't impact the shoulder.

    Doing more cardio will not get you there.

    @usmcmp -- Thanks very much. I start rehab on my frozen shoulder next week. I did post in a separate thread and received some good advice on how to deal with this. Pretty much, it looks like patience seems to be the key.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I'm just giving this a bump.

    tumblr_n0gkbvMkfq1qk08n1o2_r1_500.gif
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    7hrxhu00z4je.jpg
  • Cbestinme
    Cbestinme Posts: 397 Member
    These are great tips, pal pointed me here, thanks!
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    Bumping for newbies! :)
  • sims92
    sims92 Posts: 11 Member
    I do 20 sit ups and 20 side crunches every morning when I wake up. As you all know, excess salt will make you retain water and feel puffy and lethargic. If you do find yourself at the end of the day feeling bloated because you ate an exorbitant amount of sodium then drink an 8 oz glass of water and do some walking back and forth in your bedroom followed by 20 jumping jacks. I have been able to keep my stomach toned through these tips.
  • laurensohn22
    laurensohn22 Posts: 163 Member
    thanks for the info
  • schaferelsa
    schaferelsa Posts: 27 Member
    Great thread!! Just what I needed
  • myheartsabattleground
    myheartsabattleground Posts: 2,040 Member
    Bumping
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
    Bumping because everyone should read this and if you don't understand, you should read it again.
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,757 Member
    kali31337 wrote: »
    Bumping because everyone should read this and if you don't understand, you should read it again.

    Bump for above.
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
    After reading some of the threads, I thought this could use a bump today!
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    Debmal77 wrote: »
    After reading some of the threads, I thought this could use a bump today!

    Yeah, I guess people are starting to think about "bikini season" or something!
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
    SueSueDio wrote: »
    Debmal77 wrote: »
    After reading some of the threads, I thought this could use a bump today!

    Yeah, I guess people are starting to think about "bikini season" or something!

    Exactly. Cute summer clothes! ;)
  • kq1981
    kq1981 Posts: 1,098 Member
    I think I'm in love
  • This content has been removed.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Hasn't been bumped in a while.
  • LessCookiess
    LessCookiess Posts: 538 Member
    :) great post!!!