So you want a nice stomach

1…6869717374…77

Replies

  • brookekaczor
    brookekaczor Posts: 59 Member
    I have read through the whole post, and it is excellent. Thank you for the information, I now have plenty to think about and enact.... :)
  • ConquerAndBloom
    ConquerAndBloom Posts: 94 Member
    Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »
    I have bookmarked your post for future reference as it's comprehendable and sensible advice for someone like myself. Also I'm bookmarking it so I'm able to come back to it when I feel like eating cake then I can compare your impressive midsection with my profile pic showcasing my 9 month pregnant belly (which after evicting the tenant 22 weeks ago I am now on a mission to flatten the hell out of - the belly that is and NOT the baby :smiley: ) I can use you as motivation to stay on track....hope you don't mind??

    Evicting the tenant...I love it! Hahaha

  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    Could you please answer a few questions for me. I am down to about 20% bf and would like to lose another 10%. I am still eating at a deficit. I follow the keto diet. I do strong lifts to maintain muscle. I also swing the Kettlebell. Is there way that I can build muscle while still losing the fat? If so how? Also from reading your post from before I know that you mentioned using tape to help with loose skin. What kind of tape? And is it waterproof? How well does it hold?

    Thanks for any help that you can give me with these questions!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Could you please answer a few questions for me. I am down to about 20% bf and would like to lose another 10%. I am still eating at a deficit. I follow the keto diet. I do strong lifts to maintain muscle. I also swing the Kettlebell. Is there way that I can build muscle while still losing the fat? If so how? Also from reading your post from before I know that you mentioned using tape to help with loose skin. What kind of tape? And is it waterproof? How well does it hold?

    Thanks for any help that you can give me with these questions!

    @fanncy0626 If you are at 20% body fat I wouldn't suggest trying to lose another 10%. Trying to get that low will start costing you muscle. You may want to consider recomposition at this point, where you maintain your weight and continue to lift to try to add muscle.

    The stuff I use is called "Bikini Bite" and the spray works better than the roll on stuff. It's not water proof, but I have sweated fairly hard and had it stick still.
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Could you please answer a few questions for me. I am down to about 20% bf and would like to lose another 10%. I am still eating at a deficit. I follow the keto diet. I do strong lifts to maintain muscle. I also swing the Kettlebell. Is there way that I can build muscle while still losing the fat? If so how? Also from reading your post from before I know that you mentioned using tape to help with loose skin. What kind of tape? And is it waterproof? How well does it hold?

    Thanks for any help that you can give me with these questions!

    @fanncy0626 If you are at 20% body fat I wouldn't suggest trying to lose another 10%. Trying to get that low will start costing you muscle. You may want to consider recomposition at this point, where you maintain your weight and continue to lift to try to add muscle.

    The stuff I use is called "Bikini Bite" and the spray works better than the roll on stuff. It's not water proof, but I have sweated fairly hard and had it stick still.

    Thanks for the feedback. I was just thinking that I would need to get rid of all the body fat before building muscle. My question is if I maintain my weight and build muscle will that still eliminate the excess fat? I am eating a keto diet for health reasons will that way of eating allow me to build muscle? Do you have a suggestion for a group on here or a website for recomposition? Thanks for all your help! It may sound silly at my age but I am thinking of competition.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Could you please answer a few questions for me. I am down to about 20% bf and would like to lose another 10%. I am still eating at a deficit. I follow the keto diet. I do strong lifts to maintain muscle. I also swing the Kettlebell. Is there way that I can build muscle while still losing the fat? If so how? Also from reading your post from before I know that you mentioned using tape to help with loose skin. What kind of tape? And is it waterproof? How well does it hold?

    Thanks for any help that you can give me with these questions!

    @fanncy0626 If you are at 20% body fat I wouldn't suggest trying to lose another 10%. Trying to get that low will start costing you muscle. You may want to consider recomposition at this point, where you maintain your weight and continue to lift to try to add muscle.

    The stuff I use is called "Bikini Bite" and the spray works better than the roll on stuff. It's not water proof, but I have sweated fairly hard and had it stick still.

    Thanks for the feedback. I was just thinking that I would need to get rid of all the body fat before building muscle. My question is if I maintain my weight and build muscle will that still eliminate the excess fat? I am eating a keto diet for health reasons will that way of eating allow me to build muscle? Do you have a suggestion for a group on here or a website for recomposition? Thanks for all your help! It may sound silly at my age but I am thinking of competition.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest

    If you are thinking about competing I highly suggest looking into working with a trainer. Many people pick a trainer 6-12 weeks before a show and then ditch them after. For many people it's better to work with a trainer far before competing as well as after.

    As for keto and building muscle, I'm far from an expert on that one. I do wonder if you doing a competition and your medical need for keto would be at odds. Additionally, carbohydrate loading is one tool we use before competitions to fill muscles and pull water from the skin. This would be something to discuss with a doctor as well as with a trainer.
  • taco_inspector
    taco_inspector Posts: 7,223 Member
    edited April 2017
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Could you please answer a few questions for me. I am down to about 20% bf and would like to lose another 10%. I am still eating at a deficit. I follow the keto diet. I do strong lifts to maintain muscle. I also swing the Kettlebell. Is there way that I can build muscle while still losing the fat? If so how? Also from reading your post from before I know that you mentioned using tape to help with loose skin. What kind of tape? And is it waterproof? How well does it hold?

    Thanks for any help that you can give me with these questions!

    @fanncy0626 If you are at 20% body fat I wouldn't suggest trying to lose another 10%. Trying to get that low will start costing you muscle. You may want to consider recomposition at this point, where you maintain your weight and continue to lift to try to add muscle.

    The stuff I use is called "Bikini Bite" and the spray works better than the roll on stuff. It's not water proof, but I have sweated fairly hard and had it stick still.

    Thanks for the feedback. I was just thinking that I would need to get rid of all the body fat before building muscle. My question is if I maintain my weight and build muscle will that still eliminate the excess fat? I am eating a keto diet for health reasons will that way of eating allow me to build muscle? Do you have a suggestion for a group on here or a website for recomposition? Thanks for all your help! It may sound silly at my age but I am thinking of competition.
    First things first... Competition is an awesome path and provides drive and focus -- Don't short-change yourself by your current condition (age) or how you'll be in the future (more age); get on that stage and kill it!

    On the recomp reading: Take a wander through this MFP Thread (you'll recognize a few faces) http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat


    Your question, "... if I maintain my weight and build muscle will that still eliminate the excess fat" is addressed more solidly in the thread I linked, but the short story is that if you're adding muscle mass (weight) while not increasing your overall body weight, you will most-often be reducing your fat weight (a recomp axiom), additionally, since your muscle mass in increasing your body-fat percentage will decrease (again, provided that your overall body weight does not increase significantly).

    Go get em!


    ETA: @usmcmp beat me to the keyboard!
  • fanncy0626
    fanncy0626 Posts: 7,152 Member
    @usmcmp and @standenvernet thanks so much for the information and links. I now have a lot of reading to do!

    Mary
  • ibtmas
    ibtmas Posts: 111 Member
    Hi! Great thread! I'm 5'7 and i weighted 74kgs last year being a yo yo dieter for years(eating 12-1500 cal) and mom of 3. i went through a metabolic reset(i.e eating at tdee for 12wks) and gained back 13 kgs! Now i'm at 88kgs (193lbs approx) since February this year i've gone through 8 weeks cut at 20%. i strength train 3x and one kickboxing body weight session a week. also do some 20 -30 min walksStarted a third cut this time and I have not seen any weight loss till now. it has been almost 4 months. plz tell me when would one start seeing some results or should i change anything? my macros are 40/30/30CPF.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    ibtmas wrote: »
    Hi! Great thread! I'm 5'7 and i weighted 74kgs last year being a yo yo dieter for years(eating 12-1500 cal) and mom of 3. i went through a metabolic reset(i.e eating at tdee for 12wks) and gained back 13 kgs! Now i'm at 88kgs (193lbs approx) since February this year i've gone through 8 weeks cut at 20%. i strength train 3x and one kickboxing body weight session a week. also do some 20 -30 min walksStarted a third cut this time and I have not seen any weight loss till now. it has been almost 4 months. plz tell me when would one start seeing some results or should i change anything? my macros are 40/30/30CPF.

    @ibtmas Do you weigh your food? If you gained weight during your "metabolic reset" you were eating above TDEE. If you aren't losing weight currently you are not in a deficit and you need to double check your food logging accuracy.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    fanncy0626 wrote: »
    Could you please answer a few questions for me. I am down to about 20% bf and would like to lose another 10%. I am still eating at a deficit. I follow the keto diet. I do strong lifts to maintain muscle. I also swing the Kettlebell. Is there way that I can build muscle while still losing the fat? If so how? Also from reading your post from before I know that you mentioned using tape to help with loose skin. What kind of tape? And is it waterproof? How well does it hold?

    Thanks for any help that you can give me with these questions!

    @fanncy0626 If you are at 20% body fat I wouldn't suggest trying to lose another 10%. Trying to get that low will start costing you muscle. You may want to consider recomposition at this point, where you maintain your weight and continue to lift to try to add muscle.

    The stuff I use is called "Bikini Bite" and the spray works better than the roll on stuff. It's not water proof, but I have sweated fairly hard and had it stick still.

    Thanks for the feedback. I was just thinking that I would need to get rid of all the body fat before building muscle. My question is if I maintain my weight and build muscle will that still eliminate the excess fat? I am eating a keto diet for health reasons will that way of eating allow me to build muscle? Do you have a suggestion for a group on here or a website for recomposition? Thanks for all your help! It may sound silly at my age but I am thinking of competition.

    as a female you cannot be too low body fat,it can cause you to develop amenorrhea(lack of period) and other issues. I read that can happen if you are less than 16-18%.also why some gymnast lose theirs or get their periods later in life, low body fat and excess training for them are the culprits.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    ibtmas wrote: »
    Hi! Great thread! I'm 5'7 and i weighted 74kgs last year being a yo yo dieter for years(eating 12-1500 cal) and mom of 3. i went through a metabolic reset(i.e eating at tdee for 12wks) and gained back 13 kgs! Now i'm at 88kgs (193lbs approx) since February this year i've gone through 8 weeks cut at 20%. i strength train 3x and one kickboxing body weight session a week. also do some 20 -30 min walksStarted a third cut this time and I have not seen any weight loss till now. it has been almost 4 months. plz tell me when would one start seeing some results or should i change anything? my macros are 40/30/30CPF.

    As has already been said, you were not eating at TDEE or you would not have gained and you aren't currently losing because you aren't eating at a calorie deficit. You could be overestimating exercise calories but I highly suspect the culprit is not weighing all solids, measuring, all liquids, counting absolutely everything, and using accurate entries.
  • ibtmas
    ibtmas Posts: 111 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    ibtmas wrote: »
    Hi! Great thread! I'm 5'7 and i weighted 74kgs last year being a yo yo dieter for years(eating 12-1500 cal) and mom of 3. i went through a metabolic reset(i.e eating at tdee for 12wks) and gained back 13 kgs! Now i'm at 88kgs (193lbs approx) since February this year i've gone through 8 weeks cut at 20%. i strength train 3x and one kickboxing body weight session a week. also do some 20 -30 min walksStarted a third cut this time and I have not seen any weight loss till now. it has been almost 4 months. plz tell me when would one start seeing some results or should i change anything? my macros are 40/30/30CPF.

    @ibtmas Do you weigh your food? If you gained weight during your "metabolic reset" you were eating above TDEE. If you aren't losing weight currently you are not in a deficit and you need to double check your food logging accuracy.

    I am not sxale measuring but neasure food using cup method. i am currently at 1750 cals during cut and i maintain at 2250.if i go below 1750 i may get under my bmr which is 1600 according to my height and weight. I am following em2wl and they say that due to my suppressed metabolism i may need some time before seeing some scale movement and i did lost some inches loss during my secong cut. Also muscles weigh more that fat so if i lost inches i gained muscle, which show no scale movement or more.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    ibtmas wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    ibtmas wrote: »
    Hi! Great thread! I'm 5'7 and i weighted 74kgs last year being a yo yo dieter for years(eating 12-1500 cal) and mom of 3. i went through a metabolic reset(i.e eating at tdee for 12wks) and gained back 13 kgs! Now i'm at 88kgs (193lbs approx) since February this year i've gone through 8 weeks cut at 20%. i strength train 3x and one kickboxing body weight session a week. also do some 20 -30 min walksStarted a third cut this time and I have not seen any weight loss till now. it has been almost 4 months. plz tell me when would one start seeing some results or should i change anything? my macros are 40/30/30CPF.

    @ibtmas Do you weigh your food? If you gained weight during your "metabolic reset" you were eating above TDEE. If you aren't losing weight currently you are not in a deficit and you need to double check your food logging accuracy.

    I am not sxale measuring but neasure food using cup method. i am currently at 1750 cals during cut and i maintain at 2250.if i go below 1750 i may get under my bmr which is 1600 according to my height and weight. I am following em2wl and they say that due to my suppressed metabolism i may need some time before seeing some scale movement and i did lost some inches loss during my secong cut. Also muscles weigh more that fat so if i lost inches i gained muscle, which show no scale movement or more.

    you arent going to gain the same amount of muscle as fat lost. and lb for lb it doesnt weigh the same.measuring cups for food are inaccurate. why do you think your metabolism is supressed and if you lost inches then it sounds like you are eating in maintenance and changing your body(recomping).and if you lost inches doesnt mean you gained muscle either.inches lost means fat lost.for the scale to not move you would have to gain as much muscle as fat lost. it not going to be in most circumstances equal
  • ibtmas
    ibtmas Posts: 111 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    ibtmas wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    ibtmas wrote: »
    Hi! Great thread! I'm 5'7 and i weighted 74kgs last year being a yo yo dieter for years(eating 12-1500 cal) and mom of 3. i went through a metabolic reset(i.e eating at tdee for 12wks) and gained back 13 kgs! Now i'm at 88kgs (193lbs approx) since February this year i've gone through 8 weeks cut at 20%. i strength train 3x and one kickboxing body weight session a week. also do some 20 -30 min walksStarted a third cut this time and I have not seen any weight loss till now. it has been almost 4 months. plz tell me when would one start seeing some results or should i change anything? my macros are 40/30/30CPF.

    @ibtmas Do you weigh your food? If you gained weight during your "metabolic reset" you were eating above TDEE. If you aren't losing weight currently you are not in a deficit and you need to double check your food logging accuracy.

    I am not sxale measuring but neasure food using cup method. i am currently at 1750 cals during cut and i maintain at 2250.if i go below 1750 i may get under my bmr which is 1600 according to my height and weight. I am following em2wl and they say that due to my suppressed metabolism i may need some time before seeing some scale movement and i did lost some inches loss during my secong cut. Also muscles weigh more that fat so if i lost inches i gained muscle, which show no scale movement or more.

    you arent going to gain the same amount of muscle as fat lost. and lb for lb it doesnt weigh the same.measuring cups for food are inaccurate. why do you think your metabolism is supressed and if you lost inches then it sounds like you are eating in maintenance and changing your body(recomping).and if you lost inches doesnt mean you gained muscle either.inches lost means fat lost.for the scale to not move you would have to gain as much muscle as fat lost. it not going to be in most circumstances equal

    As i told that i was a yo yo dieter and used to eat below my bmr almost my whole life and could not maintain my weight loss even at 1200-1300 cals which shows a suppressed metabolism.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    ibtmas wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    ibtmas wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    ibtmas wrote: »
    Hi! Great thread! I'm 5'7 and i weighted 74kgs last year being a yo yo dieter for years(eating 12-1500 cal) and mom of 3. i went through a metabolic reset(i.e eating at tdee for 12wks) and gained back 13 kgs! Now i'm at 88kgs (193lbs approx) since February this year i've gone through 8 weeks cut at 20%. i strength train 3x and one kickboxing body weight session a week. also do some 20 -30 min walksStarted a third cut this time and I have not seen any weight loss till now. it has been almost 4 months. plz tell me when would one start seeing some results or should i change anything? my macros are 40/30/30CPF.

    @ibtmas Do you weigh your food? If you gained weight during your "metabolic reset" you were eating above TDEE. If you aren't losing weight currently you are not in a deficit and you need to double check your food logging accuracy.

    I am not sxale measuring but neasure food using cup method. i am currently at 1750 cals during cut and i maintain at 2250.if i go below 1750 i may get under my bmr which is 1600 according to my height and weight. I am following em2wl and they say that due to my suppressed metabolism i may need some time before seeing some scale movement and i did lost some inches loss during my secong cut. Also muscles weigh more that fat so if i lost inches i gained muscle, which show no scale movement or more.

    you arent going to gain the same amount of muscle as fat lost. and lb for lb it doesnt weigh the same.measuring cups for food are inaccurate. why do you think your metabolism is supressed and if you lost inches then it sounds like you are eating in maintenance and changing your body(recomping).and if you lost inches doesnt mean you gained muscle either.inches lost means fat lost.for the scale to not move you would have to gain as much muscle as fat lost. it not going to be in most circumstances equal

    As i told that i was a yo yo dieter and used to eat below my bmr almost my whole life and could not maintain my weight loss even at 1200-1300 cals which shows a suppressed metabolism.

    the only real way to know this is if you had your metabolism tested. there could have been any number of reasons why you didnt lose on that amount of calories.if you use measuring cups you could have been (then and now) eating more than you think. even as a yo yo dieter.if your metabolism is damaged you would be having a lot of health issues.yes,your metabolism will adapt to lower calories if you eat low calories for a long period of time. but that is adaptive thermogenesis. if you think something is wrong with your metabolism then you need a dr to test it and also see if you have any health issues causing it. if your BMR is 1600 and you maintain at 2250 then your metabolism IMO is not suppressed. to me that would signal a normal metabolism
  • ibtmas
    ibtmas Posts: 111 Member
    @CharlieBeansmomTracey and @usmcmp thanx for your advice. Would invest in a food scale real soon.
  • Jezreel12
    Jezreel12 Posts: 246 Member
    I love the sound advice that you all gave ibtmas ! Excellent post.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Bumping and sharing an amazing success story: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10555324/1200-days-logging-in-progress-pics-incl
  • goatsoapgirl
    goatsoapgirl Posts: 17 Member
    Walking did it for me .. 5 miles a day.. i jad a muffin top.. healthy eating and walking daily!!
  • Muana1005
    Muana1005 Posts: 172 Member
    Walking my 10k steps in one go or two halves everyday helped me. It helped tone my upper arms and thighs/bum too. And improved my posture.

    Running or biking isn't for everyone
  • leadslinger17
    leadslinger17 Posts: 297 Member
    Hi usmcmp, great post. I do have a question about #4, because the wording is a little confusing to me. What if you just like a form of cardio such as running? Are you just saying all you need is an hour a week but more is fine, or are you suggesting that me going for a run a few times a week is actually counterproductive to me trying to get a flat stomach? If so, how would you suggest balancing the physique you want with the type of activities that you find enjoyable?

    I seem to be doing a recomp (I am hovering at my current weight but losing inches) so I am either logging inaccurately or have incorrectly figured out my calorie/macro goals. I am going to use the calculator you suggested.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    leadslinger17 wrote: »
    Hi usmcmp, great post. I do have a question about #4, because the wording is a little confusing to me. What if you just like a form of cardio such as running? Are you just saying all you need is an hour a week but more is fine, or are you suggesting that me going for a run a few times a week is actually counterproductive to me trying to get a flat stomach? If so, how would you suggest balancing the physique you want with the type of activities that you find enjoyable?

    I seem to be doing a recomp (I am hovering at my current weight but losing inches) so I am either logging inaccurately or have incorrectly figured out my calorie/macro goals. I am going to use the calculator you suggested.

    If you enjoy running that's fine. My point with #4 (as I explained multiple times through the last 71 pages) is that there is a misconception that you get a flat and toned stomach through running, rather than through dieting and building muscle. There are people who do too much cardio and don't fuel their body enough so that the body starts using lean mass as fuel. That's when cardio can be counterproductive.

    Cardio isn't necessary for fat loss. If you aren't losing weight you are eating at maintenance and logging is the usual culprit. If you enjoy running you could up your mileage while maintaining your current intake and you would lose, but at some point increased mileage makes it harder to be productive with lifting.
  • xchocolategirl
    xchocolategirl Posts: 186 Member
    Bump! :) this post is so helpful.
  • ISweat4This
    ISweat4This Posts: 653 Member
    Great info!! I am learning to be patient and taking it one day at a time. In the past I wouldn't give it enough time and then quit, but I'm ditching those old habits.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    I had a six pack through my early 30's. Super low body fat is the key.

    Now that I'm a decade past that, maintaining that kind of 'look at me' physique is way too much work. I'm happy enough with a body that looks decent when clothed!

Categories