Getting rid of fat around my middle...

[craig r]

Am I doing it right?

Basically I need to get rid of the fat around my middle, I generally eat quite well (but I have been known to demolish a bag of Haribo on a Saturday afternoon) and my training plan looks something like this:

Monday: 1 hour of Body Combat, 1 hour of Body Pump
Tuesday: 30 minute HIIT session, 1 hour of BC
Wednesday: 1 hour of yoga
Thursday: 30 minute HIIT session, 1 hour BC and 500m swim
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: 1 hour BP, 1 hour Insanity
Sunday: Rest day

As I said, I just want to get rid of my belly. I'm your typical 'fat skinny bloke'. Not looking for washboard abs, just a flat stomach and maybe a bit of definition, more Ryan Gosling than Ryback. I get bored lifting by myself which is why I like the Les Mills classes, there is also generally something better to look at in the mirror than my sweating purple face!

For info I'm 6'2" and about 82kg

Any tips / advice welcomed.

Craig.

[craig r]

Hoofy said:

Hehe. Just scroll through the various thread on weight loss over the last month.

I've done that and come up with my plan above - I think I'm just after impartial reassurance really.

vescaegg said:

As far as I know you cant target fat loss. It happens all over and will hit areas when it hits them.

I only have fat around my middle as far as I'm aware, good to know any other fat will also start to disappear.

[craig r]

Thanks for all of the replies. I do think my diet is the stumbling block. Definitely going to start counting calories

[craig r]

This is why I love the internet...

Foliage said:

All your exercise looks awesome to me.

272BHP said:

More diet, less training.

You are doing too much.

Hoofy said:

Nothing wrong with the training schedule. I would try to fit at least one session a week of heavy lifting

Lots of different opinions that means well informed decisions can be made.

One thing that is apparent and everyone seems to agree on is that diet is key, arguably more important than training.

bry1975 said:

Arrr skinny fat sounds like you need more protein in your diet.

Bry

It's funny you should say that - I was looking at protein shakes to up my intake, but as with all things health related there seems to be 2 schools of thought.

1. If you eat properly you don't need the shakes

2. You need the shakes because your body requires more because you're training

Not sure which camp I'm in on that front yet.

Wacky Racer said:

Aim to have no more than 1500 kcals in 24 hours, and check the labels on EVERYTHING you buy.

1500 kcals doesn't seem like a lot though. TBH I have no idea what my intake is currently. I know basically to you need to expend more in energy than you put in to lose weight, so I guess I need to find out what my intake is atm. I downloaded my fitness pal app last night so I will start monitoring my intake.

[craig r]

RJB_666 said:

Too much fruit can also be a problem. Full of carbs and sugars. I think a maximum of 3 pieces of fruit a day is recommended.

This is interesting, I do eat a lot of fruit, 4-5 pieces a day, but that's as well as a st load of veg.

So we have, less fruit more veg, less cardio more strength training / weights, and monitoring calorie intake.

This time next year I WILL look like a different person!

[craig r]

MURRAY007 said:

RJB_666 said:

If you're looking at protein shakes I would recommend Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard. It might look pricey but the nutrients, quality and taste can't be matched IMO.

AND they also Amino spike there protein so not really the true amount of protein per serving.
But amino spiking is a whole new thread on its own.

BUt agree that 1500kcal is very low, the whole idea of loosing fat/cutting, is to eat as much as you can while still being in a deficit.

work out your calorie needs via http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

then minus about 200-300 kacl from your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

once you have that, you can use simple ratio like advised 40/40/20 to start with, once you loose close to 10lbs you'll need to re-adjust your calorie intake again.

I don't think I need to lose weight per se, just redistribute it. I think 80-85kg's is about right for my height and natural frame, I just need to swap my beer belly for some muscle. At the moment I have a sort of Sid from Ice Age look about me, obviously not quite that extreme, but you get the idea.

[craig r]

Art0ir said:

Lift heavier weights. Cardio, franchised "pump" classes, etc are not enough for anyone IMO. You could lose another 10kg through diet alone but you'll still be skinny fat. I weigh nearly the same (79.5kg) at 5'7" but still have some definition in my abs. You need to build muscle.

The issue I have with throwing metal around is that I run out of motivation very quickly. I've just read the 5x5 thread and as it looks as though that might be worth intrducing to my plan and take out the combat / insanity classes?

I have booked a session with a PT at the gym next Friday(it's a 1 hour free type of deal) so I will see what he has to say.

[craig r]

LordGrover said:

Feck! That's a lot of exercise from a standing start!
Are you sure you can/want to do all that?

I have been doing most of that, the HIIT sessions are new addition, for most of last year, with some minor results, but due to holidays, chest infection, travel with work I did nothing through most of November / December and it srt of feels like I'm back at square 1. I know I can do it, and I feel good after the classes, but I think I have been goiing in the wrong direction...

[craig r]

BRMMA said:

If you're only 82kg at 6ft2" why do you want to lose weight? surely it's body recomposition you want, cutting out even more calories and doing those girls classes will only result in you being skinnier but still with flab

I'd aim for 3 decent heavy weights sessions a week focussing on compound movements and the rest of the time do your aerobics stuff

for calories 1,500 is a bad idea, with the level of exercise you're doing it needs to be at least 2,500 but made up from good quality sources

You're right, I think I said in another post that it's not weight lose, but weight redistribution, move it from my belly and into muscle.

Thanks for all the responses so far - it's given me lots to go on

[craig r]

So I used myfitnesspal over the weekend, ate like I normally do as a kind of 'benchmark' to see what's going on...very surprised that Saturday I only consumed 1628 calories. Sunday was even less at 1351 calories! The weekends are usually my 'bad' days for eating cuz I don't have structured meals, I just graze. Maybe that's the problem?! I am clearly eating all the wrong things!

Serious diet overhaul is needed - starting today! Porridge for breakfast and a grilled chicken breast with salad for lunch!

[craig r]

LordGrover said:

Still sounds very low cal - you'll need a decent dinner/tea to keep your intake up.

I will. I think it's going to be a chilli made with quorn mince (OH is veggie, and according to Mo it's a good source of healthy protein) with brown rice tonight.

I've also bought the water bottle I use at the gym with me to work so I'm going to try and up my water intake replacing the tea I normally drink.

[craig r]

Username888 said:

GG89 said:

Fastchas said:

NEVER eat after 7pm. Eating before bed is for fatties.

Myth.

Yep, absolute load of twaddle.

Well that is good news as dinner tends to be after 8 o' clock most days.

[craig r]

BRMMA said:

The fact your current calorie consumption is so low yet you still don't have the physique you want should be all the evidence you need that it's your exercise regime that needs adjusting and possibly the quality of the calories you're consuming, the problem is though that when eating clean food it's tough to get in enough calories as you can't physically eat enough food as you're not used to the volumes required

So new plan is going to look something like this:

Monday: 30 minute HIIT
Tuesday: 5x5
Wednesday: 1 hour of yoga
Thursday: 30 minute HIIT
Friday: 5x5
Saturday: Swim possibly
Sunday: 5x5

After reading the 5x5 thread and looking at the Stronglifts website this looks like it could solve my issue of not wanting to spend hours/day lifting and get strong. I want to keep yoga because I enjoy it, and HIIT is supposed to be good for cutting fat without losing whatever small amount of muscle I might add.

I have also just had some whey protein land on my desk, so we'll see what happens.

[craig r]

didelydoo said:

No need to cut out anything- keep your protein high(ish) and make the rest of the cals up however/whenever you want, using common sense.

Lift heavy things and run/walk about more.

Be consistent and have fun.

Sorted.

This is the type of advice I like - simple and to the point.

Thanks!

[craig r]

I was scrolling through Facebook yesterday and a post from Mens Health pops up linking this article:

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/get-bi...

Basically it says the cure for being a skinny fat bloke is to eat more, eat well and lift heavy weights. The same as suggested on here - stronglifts 5x5 here I come! Although I am a bit nervous about the shoulder press as a recurring dislocation of my left shoulder has left it quite weak. Guess I'll just have to be careful

[craig r]

Hoofy said:

How many times do we have to tell you?

I believed you, just adding weight to your argument.

LordGrover said:

It's in Mens Health so it must be true.

I know, I know!

[craig r]

I had my first (free) PT session today...I had low expectations and to be honest they barely met them!

After 30 minutes of weighted lunges, front squats and leg extension drop sets he tried to sell me 2 sessions/week, quickly dropped to 2 sessions/month, told him I don't think a PT is right for me and left it at that.

Shame really.

[craig r]

Vocal Minority said:

Decent milestone today - weighed in this morning at 78.5kg, down from 85 kg at Christmas. That is one whole stone in old money. (I am 173cm/5ft 9' for the record)

I have run out of holes on my belt, and it is now fairly loose even on the last hole. Body fat (according to the dodgy bathroom scales) is still 3-5% north of proper at about 21%.

But progress is progress!

Cool story bro etc etc, just thought I'd share

Congrats! And it is a cool story, well, maybe not 'cool' but definitely something worth being happy / excited about.

[craig r]

I've upped my calories, been eating (mostly) clean for about 2 weeks and finally got round to using the machine at the gym that calculates body fat % and that over the weekend. Probably should have done it at the start 2 weeks ago, but at least now I have a marker! According to it I am:

13st 2lb (83.6kg)
6'1.6" (1.87m)
BMI = 23.9
Body Fat % = 16%
Body fat Mass = 13.3kg

Don't really match the pictures on the previous posters link though, so I'm not taking the results as gospel, I'll just use them as a marker.

Exercise is 30 min HIIT x 2/week, SL 5x5 x3/week, yoga 1hr/week.

5x5 I'm currently on:

Squat 40kg
OHP 27.5kg
Deadlift 55kg
Bench 30kg
Row 40kg

Really enjoying it, and I'm in and out in less than an hour! That part of the gym is still a bit intimidating, but everyone started from somewhere!

[craig r]

LordGrover said:

30 minutes HIIT is quite a long session though, is including some kind of warm-up/down?

A good combination of workouts which would be perfect for me and I suspect many others.
You can add a few yoga positions/stretches into your 5x5 sessions too - really helps my flexibility.

There is ~5 min either side for warm up / cool down, so it's really only 20 minutes. I tend to suffer from tight hamstrings so I do a lot of forward bends / downward dog type poses, although that is a struggle after doing OHP!