Best way to loose stomach?
Discussion
Hi All,
I'm 30, male, don't drink or smoke, and fairly inactive.
I have a slight "pot belly" and wondering, what's the best way to tone this and lose the stomach? Preferably without going to the gym (something I can do at home).
Due to a serious knee injury and permenant vulnerability in my knee, I'm not the type to play football/cricket/rugby, etc.
Thanks!
I'm 30, male, don't drink or smoke, and fairly inactive.
I have a slight "pot belly" and wondering, what's the best way to tone this and lose the stomach? Preferably without going to the gym (something I can do at home).
Due to a serious knee injury and permenant vulnerability in my knee, I'm not the type to play football/cricket/rugby, etc.
Thanks!
1- as said. You cannot spot reduce fat.
2- there is no such thing as 'tone'. what you want to say is definition, which is achieved by low body fat % and having some muscle.
3- The only way to lose weight is to consume less calories then you burn.
Google 'TDEE' calcualtor. punch your numbers in then pick a calorie deficit (most people do 300-500 below their TDEE). regularly maintain a calorie deficit and you'll lose weight. plenty of topics on this and on the internet. There's also plenty of myths/bro science. Ultimately it all comes down to consistently maintaining a calorie deficit in order to lose it.
If you want to add exercise to increase the cals you burn a day in order to be able to 1-eat more 2-have a greater deficit while overall having a deficit then maybe try one of the bicycle machines at a gym (if your knee is ok to use it). Do some LISS cardio (look it up).
2- there is no such thing as 'tone'. what you want to say is definition, which is achieved by low body fat % and having some muscle.
3- The only way to lose weight is to consume less calories then you burn.
Google 'TDEE' calcualtor. punch your numbers in then pick a calorie deficit (most people do 300-500 below their TDEE). regularly maintain a calorie deficit and you'll lose weight. plenty of topics on this and on the internet. There's also plenty of myths/bro science. Ultimately it all comes down to consistently maintaining a calorie deficit in order to lose it.
If you want to add exercise to increase the cals you burn a day in order to be able to 1-eat more 2-have a greater deficit while overall having a deficit then maybe try one of the bicycle machines at a gym (if your knee is ok to use it). Do some LISS cardio (look it up).
Edited by ambuletz on Sunday 27th November 18:35
As per the thread title, you need some laxatives 
As per you post though, as others have said, there's no way to target weight loss, the body just stores or burns fat as it sees fit. It's a simple 'calories in' and 'calories out' equation; if you have a smartphone I'd recommend 'MyFitnessPal' to track this. The difficulty will be the 'calories out' bit due to your knee injury. Swimming front crawl (never breast-stroke!) will be fine, just take it easy with the legs, they cause more drag than propulsion anyway. The trouble is that swimming doesn't burn many calories... Cycling can actually be very good for your knees, and can burn up to 600+ calories an hour, just remember to keep your cadence (rpm) high, but it does depend how serious your knee injury is. You could try walking? I walk 3 miles every lunchtime (I eat my lunch at my desk whilst I'm working) and it's surprising how the exercise builds up if you do it every day. Carrying a big belly of fat isn't normal, and eating a sensible die should shift most of it, but exercise is really going to help if it's possible without upsetting your knee.
As per you post though, as others have said, there's no way to target weight loss, the body just stores or burns fat as it sees fit. It's a simple 'calories in' and 'calories out' equation; if you have a smartphone I'd recommend 'MyFitnessPal' to track this. The difficulty will be the 'calories out' bit due to your knee injury. Swimming front crawl (never breast-stroke!) will be fine, just take it easy with the legs, they cause more drag than propulsion anyway. The trouble is that swimming doesn't burn many calories... Cycling can actually be very good for your knees, and can burn up to 600+ calories an hour, just remember to keep your cadence (rpm) high, but it does depend how serious your knee injury is. You could try walking? I walk 3 miles every lunchtime (I eat my lunch at my desk whilst I'm working) and it's surprising how the exercise builds up if you do it every day. Carrying a big belly of fat isn't normal, and eating a sensible die should shift most of it, but exercise is really going to help if it's possible without upsetting your knee.RobM77 said:
The trouble is that swimming doesn't burn many calories... Cycling can actually be very good for your knees, and can burn up to 600+ calories an hour, j
What a load of nonsense!Swimming doesn't burn many calories? Compared to what?
http://www.swimming.org/justswim/calorie-cruncher-...
johnwilliams77 said:
RobM77 said:
The trouble is that swimming doesn't burn many calories... Cycling can actually be very good for your knees, and can burn up to 600+ calories an hour, j
What a load of nonsense!Swimming doesn't burn many calories? Compared to what?
http://www.swimming.org/justswim/calorie-cruncher-...
Calorie deficit is the answer, whether that is all diet or offset by cardio.
selym said:
johnwilliams77 said:
RobM77 said:
The trouble is that swimming doesn't burn many calories... Cycling can actually be very good for your knees, and can burn up to 600+ calories an hour, j
What a load of nonsense!Swimming doesn't burn many calories? Compared to what?
http://www.swimming.org/justswim/calorie-cruncher-...
Calorie deficit is the answer, whether that is all diet or offset by cardio.
The reason I mentioned both calories in and calories out is that just losing weight through eating obviously takes longer if you want to stay healthy and eat enough food. Typically, if you go off and burn 600 calories you won't feel like eating 600 calories afterwards (if you stick with healthy food!), so the effects of exercise are positive. Plus muscle (gained through exercise) increases RMR, which helps lose weight even further.
At the end of the day however swimming still raises your HR and still burns calories. You're better off doing an exercise you enjoy and do regularly. No point doing an exercise you don't like or enjoy that might make you less likely to keep doing it.
Consistency is ultimately the key.
Consistency is ultimately the key.
I was going to suggest senakot... (as an aside, it works really well, don't ask me how I know).
I guess its just to do the usual; cut out s
t sugary crap, do some exercise (full body, perhaps do some CV type work and weights), do not over eat (plenty of places online where you can work out roughly what calories your body needs). Difficult of course because even values labelled on food can be off by +/-10% (so factor that in).
Exercise is hard if you're just going to gym to trudge up and down on a treadmill or bike on your own. I'd suggest going to classes at the least as the motivation is easier when you're with others. Better yet, find a sport.... its not exercise when you enjoy something and you go because you like it and you want to get better at it. Getting fit becomes the by-product.
I guess its just to do the usual; cut out s
t sugary crap, do some exercise (full body, perhaps do some CV type work and weights), do not over eat (plenty of places online where you can work out roughly what calories your body needs). Difficult of course because even values labelled on food can be off by +/-10% (so factor that in). Exercise is hard if you're just going to gym to trudge up and down on a treadmill or bike on your own. I'd suggest going to classes at the least as the motivation is easier when you're with others. Better yet, find a sport.... its not exercise when you enjoy something and you go because you like it and you want to get better at it. Getting fit becomes the by-product.
johnwilliams77 said:
RobM77 said:
The trouble is that swimming doesn't burn many calories... Cycling can actually be very good for your knees, and can burn up to 600+ calories an hour, j
What a load of nonsense!Swimming doesn't burn many calories? Compared to what?
http://www.swimming.org/justswim/calorie-cruncher-...
I will say this, and I am not sure if this is a real thing or just a conditioning thing (because I used to always have a second dinner after swimming when younger), but when I get out of the pool I am often totally ravenous and will eat anything in sight! This doesn't happen after cycling or running. Not sure if there is something about swimming that makes you feel ridiculously hungry when you get out?! Even if it is a gentle session, the hunger pangs are there.
End of the day though, I have come to understand that we have smaller influence over the total calorie burn than we do over total calorie input. I read somewhere that for most people, doing a reasonable amount of exercise (we can only do so much in a day), you have control over about 30% of the calories you burn. Of course at the other end you have 100% control over the calories you put in your mouth. IMO, best bet is to start there. A good exercise regime will only outrun a crap diet for so long.
Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Monday 28th November 11:43
RobM77 said:
There are a multitude of reasons swimming isn't that successful at shifting weight in practise. If you can get in the pool and swim non stop for an hour at a decent pace, then yes, you'll burn the same calories as a leisurely cycle. Most people can't do this; they'll spend an hour in the pool and swim for about 35-40 minutes of that hour. Once you're swimming though, the two problems are: a) Most people go nowhere near fast enough to burn proper calories, b) most people run out of breath before they exert themselves enough. Don't get me wrong, I love swimming and have spent thousands on coaching to a good level, but I'm well aware of what 95% of people in the pool are doing whilst I'm there, which generally isn't the case when out running or cycling.
The reason I mentioned both calories in and calories out is that just losing weight through eating obviously takes longer if you want to stay healthy and eat enough food. Typically, if you go off and burn 600 calories you won't feel like eating 600 calories afterwards (if you stick with healthy food!), so the effects of exercise are positive. Plus muscle (gained through exercise) increases RMR, which helps lose weight even further.
Of course it is good for shifting weight! I take your point about perhaps not burning as many calories as an hour running or cycling but it is great for low impact, all over workout and HIIT training if you want to do even just a bunch of fast lengths for 20mins. It is also enjoyable to mix up the exercises.The reason I mentioned both calories in and calories out is that just losing weight through eating obviously takes longer if you want to stay healthy and eat enough food. Typically, if you go off and burn 600 calories you won't feel like eating 600 calories afterwards (if you stick with healthy food!), so the effects of exercise are positive. Plus muscle (gained through exercise) increases RMR, which helps lose weight even further.
It is also believe HIIT training can burn more fat than steady state cardio: win win! http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/high-intensity...
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