Lost weight but not belly fat

BogdanB84
BogdanB84 Posts: 17 Member
edited November 19 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, need your help :)
I lost 20kg in the last 9 months. I'm currently 69kg which apparently is an ideal weight for me (male/175cm/33yo). However, while I'm happy with my progress, my belly fat is still present and I find it hard to lose it. I'm open for suggestions at this stage.

I'm currently on IF 12-8 2k calories intake. Exercising 3 times/week, heavy weights.

Should I introduce cardio? But I'm worried I will lose even more weight but not the fat. Should I change my diet? Maybe introduce more protein and/or fibre?

Thanks in advance for any tips!

Replies

  • 43501
    43501 Posts: 85 Member
    On some level it's genetic, but this is less likely to be the case since you're a man (in women, estrogen will stubbornly try to maintain a layer of fat on the lower abdomen as insulation/protection for the womb - this happens in men too if you have particularly high estrogen, though).

    My suggestions are as follows:

    Yes, introduce cardio. Keep on losing weight. The lower your bodyfat percentage, the smaller your gut. Cardio is just good to do anyway.

    Do core/ab exercises if you don't already. Obviously this doesn't do anything about the fat on top, but if your core muscles are weak/loose they might be bulging out more and giving your midsection a bigger appearance. You want to help tighten and tone it.

    Ensure that you're not bloated. Lots of gas in your intestines makes your belly swell out and look bigger than it is. Fermented foods (yogurt, sauerkraut, etc) are great for you but they tend to fill you with gas. Carbonated drinks will do it too.

    Probably the first point is the most important though, the others are just things to consider.
  • amyteacake
    amyteacake Posts: 768 Member
    Belly fat is always the hardest place to lose fat. I've lost around 27lbs and I still have belly fat. It will go away eventually, it just takes some time.
  • BogdanB84
    BogdanB84 Posts: 17 Member
    Thanks all!

    Yeah the only option that I see is keep losing weight as it will also cause my body fat to go down too. But how far can I go? I'm worried that if I lose additional 5kg or more, I will look somewhat unhealthy.

    I was hoping that there is a way to lose the body fat while maintaining the overall weight. I'm guessing it's possible with a correct diet but just takes a lot more time.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Without knowing your body fat, there is not much to say other than speculation. There are many men who have an inherited body type that disproportionately stores fat around the midsection. The only way to address that will be to reduce your overall body fat percentage to a lower level.

    If your concern is fat, then I would focus on fat and not scale weight. Don't throw in a bunch of qualifiers or look at scale numbers out of context.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Pick things up and put them back down again. It will server you (and me, I'm not doing it) better to add muscle than will going nowhere and back again (cardio). Focus on more protein, others can say how much but I'd say at least 100g per day.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Hopefully someone can post the "So you want a nice stomach" thread, it is probably also in the sticky post with the most useful threads, that will give you a lot of good info.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Hopefully someone can post the "So you want a nice stomach" thread, it is probably also in the sticky post with the most useful threads, that will give you a lot of good info.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited June 2017
    You are in a good weight range for your height but sounds like your body composition is poor - assuming you have a lot of belly fat and not just a normal amount. No idea what standards you are comparing yourself to, hope it's not fitness models or professional athletes!

    FYI - I'm 5'9 and 77kg. Certainly no six pack and no aspiration for that either.
    But I've also got four decades of training behind me.
    Have you been weight training?
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    Be sure to actually track your progress through measuring your waist measurement on MFP.

    I have a belly and don't expect to ever have a 6 pack. But I sporadically did waist measurements and logged them. I hadn't really fully realized that I've lost 4 inches (10.16 cm) since October! That gave me a pleasant wake-up call that yes, my belly has gone down a LOT!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    WhassgoodSun wrote: »
    Cut down on carbs.

    Which will do exactly nothing. Low carb doesn't cause spot reduction in the midsection.
  • 2plebeian
    2plebeian Posts: 16 Member
    I made a post about this recently as well; lost about 1-1,5 more kg. Sometimes I look flabby, other days you can see a six pack. Guess it just needs time. My weight loss is the same as yours (95 kg to 75 at 1.85m), with also 3x a week power lifting. No need for additional cardio; just eat around 2000-2200 a day, keep working, and walk about 1-2 hours a day.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    WhassgoodSun wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    WhassgoodSun wrote: »
    Cut down on carbs.

    Which will do exactly nothing. Low carb doesn't cause spot reduction in the midsection.

    Hey, it worked for me.

    You're drawing a false conclusion likely based on coincidence. You may have lost fat in the midsection but low carb had nothing to do with it. Calorie deficit did and that was where the fat reduction was most noticeable.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    To the OP, forget about ideal weight per height stats. They are too general. As has been suggested, body fat % is the most important data point. The last place for you to lose fat is your belly. That's your genetics. Mine is my love handles.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Don't focus on the scale. Focus on the mirror. No 2 people will look the same at equivalent weight/heights.

    Keep lifting, getting enough protein and being in a calorie deficit until your happy.
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
    While I normally roll my eyes at the low carb suggestions, this is one example of where I've heard it works especially well for men. Keep you calories the same and shift your macros. Try it for a month and if nothing happens, then no harm no foul. But if it works, then yay for you!

    Are you stillprogressively adding weight to your lifting program?
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    WhassgoodSun wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    WhassgoodSun wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    WhassgoodSun wrote: »
    Cut down on carbs.

    Which will do exactly nothing. Low carb doesn't cause spot reduction in the midsection.

    Hey, it worked for me.

    You're drawing a false conclusion likely based on coincidence. You may have lost fat in the midsection but low carb had nothing to do with it. Calorie deficit did and that was where the fat reduction was most noticeable.

    But I didn't partake in a caloric deficit... I used macros and adjusted to a high protein, low fat, low carb diet... and my calories were around 2,800 daily.

    Then 2800 calories was a deficit for you, whether you realized it or not. You don't magically lose weight/fat when you're eating in a surplus. That's not how it works. Low carb diets do not defy the laws of energy balance.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    WhassgoodSun wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    WhassgoodSun wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    WhassgoodSun wrote: »
    Cut down on carbs.

    Which will do exactly nothing. Low carb doesn't cause spot reduction in the midsection.

    Hey, it worked for me.

    You're drawing a false conclusion likely based on coincidence. You may have lost fat in the midsection but low carb had nothing to do with it. Calorie deficit did and that was where the fat reduction was most noticeable.

    But I didn't partake in a caloric deficit... I used macros and adjusted to a high protein, low fat, low carb diet... and my calories were around 2,800 daily.

    Then 2800 calories was a deficit for you, whether you realized it or not. You don't magically lose weight/fat when you're eating in a surplus. That's not how it works. Low carb diets do not defy the laws of energy balance.

    +1
    Or possibly you lost water weight that seemed like a fat loss in the belly. That is what competition body builders do with low carb diets before competitions. But no deficit = no fat loss. You can't reinvent physiology based on your N=1 experience.
  • BogdanB84
    BogdanB84 Posts: 17 Member
    Katiebear_81 wrote: »
    While I normally roll my eyes at the low carb suggestions, this is one example of where I've heard it works especially well for men. Keep you calories the same and shift your macros. Try it for a month and if nothing happens, then no harm no foul. But if it works, then yay for you!

    Are you stillprogressively adding weight to your lifting program?

    Yes, I am! But I've noticed that my strength is not growing too much anymore. Who knows, maybe I hit my upper limits already.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    BogdanB84 wrote: »
    Katiebear_81 wrote: »
    While I normally roll my eyes at the low carb suggestions, this is one example of where I've heard it works especially well for men. Keep you calories the same and shift your macros. Try it for a month and if nothing happens, then no harm no foul. But if it works, then yay for you!

    Are you stillprogressively adding weight to your lifting program?

    Yes, I am! But I've noticed that my strength is not growing too much anymore. Who knows, maybe I hit my upper limits already.

    When you're lifting and in a caloric deficit, it's not at all uncommon that at some point the strength gains will slow/stop. You can only milk neuromuscular adaptation for so long.

    If you're close to your goal weight, close to your desired bodyfat percentage and want to maintain weight while losing fat, look into recomposition. Eat at/near maintenance, get adequate protein intake and continue lifting:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
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