Building muscle but ...

[Trunks]

can't get rid of love handles. Working out 3-4 days/wk. Eating mostly chicken. Any suggestions?

 

[mrgoodstuff]

can't get rid of love handles. Working out 3-4 days/wk. Eating mostly chicken. Any suggestions?

Cardio daily. Remove alcohol. Limit carbs. Drink enough water

 

[amazingswayze]

Planks, Side planks, Side crunches. Obviously you want to lose fat but training those obliques will help too.

 

[speed dawg]

I'd cut the chicken way down and eat mostly fruits and vegetables.

 

[Trunks]

I'd cut the chicken way down and eat mostly fruits and vegetables.

Curious. Why do you think so? I assumed a low-fat, low-carb, high-protein diet would be the way to trim fast without looking like a runt.

 

[speed dawg]

Curious. Why do you think so? I assumed a low-fat, low-carb, high-protein diet would be the way to trim fast without looking like a runt.

From my perspective, after reading tons of literature over countless years, and sifting through bro-science, youtube, my own doctors, and all things in between, I've settled on a diet of 80% fruits/vegetables being the best for the modern lifestyle. The rest is primarily protein. Add carbs in as your physical workload increases.

Protein packs a lot of calories too. I also don't think the human body was meant to gorge on meats. Fats are meant to add flavor and they are good in small amounts. But again, like meat, the caloric content can add up quickly.

One things I'm still undecided on, for me, is frequency/timing of meals. I tend to do best with an intentional breakfast/lunch/dinner. I don't do well with multiple meals because my tendency is to overeat. Same thing with fasting, I tend to gorge because I get too hungry.

 

[user43770]

You need to have a caloric deficit from week to week. Calculate your BMR with activity level, eat more than that on workout days and lower on the 4 off days.

Chicken is a good choice when you're trying to lose weight. It's low calorie and high protein. You ever try to eat a pound of chicken in one sitting? Not an easy task haha. A pound of chicken breast is like 640 calories, if I remember correctly.

But yeah, fruits and vegetables and all that.

Edit - It's actually less than 640.

 

[blind_one]

I whole heartedly agree with posters above.
It is always about balancing your calorie intake over a period of time vs your spending.

On another note.

1: Sleep well ( around 7.5 hours +/- some depending on person )

You have to get plenty of sleep since this is where most of the fat burning occurs, plus you are regenerating like a champ, not going to build muscle if you don't let your body build it properly.

2. Drink a gallon of water a day.

If you are dehydrated, and majority of people are, you are straining your body and intentionally slowing down your fat burning, since it requires water to occur. Plus you will be stronger and think better when hydrated.

3. Avoid ****ty sugars. Candy, sweets, SODA.

It is very easy to binge, and overshoot your calorie intake.
Don't get me wrong I like candy from time to time but I know it is not beneficial to me and I would rather eat a nice grilled chicken breast with awesome seasoning.

 

[user43770]

In my opinion, if you're not losing weight, then you need to exercise more and eat less.

It's really that simple.

You can do crunches and planks until you're blue in the face. Won't make a difference if you've got a layer of fat covering your abs and obliques.

I would just emphasize the eating less. You don't necessarily have to exercise more.

 

[Trunks]

You need to have a caloric deficit from week to week. Calculate your BMR with activity level, eat more than that on workout days and lower on the 4 off days.

Chicken is a good choice when you're trying to lose weight. It's low calorie and high protein. You ever try to eat a pound of chicken in one sitting? Not an easy task haha. A pound of chicken breast is like 640 calories, if I remember correctly.

But yeah, fruits and vegetables and all that.

Edit - It's actually less than 640.

Yeah, I would still need the diet to be low-calorie overall. In the past, I have lost weight while still building muscle by sticking to two meals a day of fish or chicken and greens. Thanks for the advice.

 

[amazingswayze]

Something that's been working for me this past month;

3 square meals. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. ~600 cal each. No snacks, period. No protein shakes on rest days.

If you can teach yourself to go upwards of 3 hours with only a small meal inside of you, you'll be doing great.