I can't shake the gut

Solomon

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Been lifiting seriosuly since the beginning of the year
My arms and legs have getting leaner
But my gut is still there
I do cardio 3-5 times a week, and lift 2-3 times a week.
My diet isn't the best, not gonna lie

My body looks like this

http://www.youjustmademylist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/hipster_beer_belly_gut.jpg

my gut is prolly a lil bigger though, my body just looks weird lean arms and legs but a big gut wtf????
 

The Experience

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Diet.
 

AAAgent

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It's the diet. I'm currently 170 pretty cut and strong for my size. muscles are clear all over, you can even see my six pack....the thing is, there all this flab below my top 2 abs. You can kind of see the 2 abs below it but it's impossible to see all 6 abs unless i grab my fat away. I hate dieting, but i've started to cut out cheese, eating egg whites as opposed to the yolk too, cut back on carbs and its been getting better.

As a vegetarian i really don't have much to work with. dieting is key though. If you eat the correct foods, you don't even need to work out as hard to get a good looking body.

working out hard just makes you stronger or bigger.
 

marmel75

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Could potentially be cortisol related as this is where it holds the fat
 

The Experience

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Eggs are grand, including the yolk. Eat them.

As far as other foods go, eat foods that you cook yourself such a chicken, beef or fish. Then of course add in things like brown rice and vegetables and you're set.

If you do eat processed or frozen foods look for those with more ingredients you know and fewer total ingredients which are bound to be more healthy. Kashi and amys are good choices.
 

ebracer05

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Whole foods bro. You are going to want to maximize your protein intake and keep carbs under very strict control. You will also want to give yourself a metabolic boost by eating more frequently, 5 or 6 meals a day rather than 3. That will make a big difference.

To keep yourself full, eat a broad range of dark vegetables. Those are packed with antioxidants that are great for your overall health, lots of vitamins, and fiber that will help keep you full. Most vegetables are essentially calorie free for all intensive purposes, so you can eat as much as you want without worry. Broccoli, kale, peppers, any leafy vegetable... walk down the supermarket isle and take your pick. Broccoli is good because it has beneficial effects on your testosterone levels.

Eat lean meats. Fish, chicken, and top round steak are all good. Stay away from soy based products as they contain chemicals called phytoestrogens that chemically mimic estrogen in the male body and have produced symptoms as severe as gynocomastia in men who consume heavy amounts of soy milk!

Get your carbs, as often as possible, from sources like whole grains. Oats, brown rice, Ezekiel bread. Those are all great options.

At the end of the day though, you need to figure out what your maintenance calories are and go below those if you want to lose your mid section. You cannot lose fat if you are supplying your body with sufficient energy to maintain or exceed what it already has. You will probably not be able to do this effectively if you are not writing down a detailed list of what you are eating, keeping track of calories, net carbs, fat, and protein. You also need to figure out your basal metabolic rate (BMR - the calories you burn by virtue of being alive) and your total daily energy requirements (TDER - the calories you burn by virtue of the things you do during the day). BMR + TDER = the number of calories you need to consume in order to maintain what you currently have. Any more and you will gain weight, less you will lose.

As far as exercising goes, you will get the greatest metabolic boost from heavy weight training. You will probably burn more calories during the actual exercising event if you do low intensity cardio, but studies have shown that your metabolism peaks after heavy weight training and remains elevated for up to three days afterwards. The boost you get after low intensity cardio diminishes after a few hours at best. High intensity cardio is the second best option. It sucks, really to be honest. But it is effective.

If I were you, I would get my diet under control first. I haven't seen EFFORT post here in a while, but he knows his stuff very well. You might try PMing him or Fuglydude.

Second, I would be less concerned about the cardio and focus more on heavy weight training. Muscle mass is metabolic insurance. Per unit mass, muscle requires more basal calories than fat. That means more muscle = higher basal metabolism. You're not only getting the metabolic boost from the activity, you're also getting a boost from the added muscle. I would switch your lifting and cardio numbers around. If you want good results, you need a minimum of a 3 day split, IMO. I was getting great results on a 6 day split, but I just don't have time for that right now.

The diet is the most important part though.

If you have any questions about any of this, please ask!
 

Quiksilver

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How long do you spend sitting down and/or on the computer each day?
 

speed dawg

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Run some sprints to shake up the cardio part of your workout.
 

MetalFortress

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It's the diet. I've had a six pack twice: after an 8 month span of eating nothing but high protein, low carb and low fat (MISERABLE) and after a 4 month span of intermittent fasting. The gym is important too, don't get me wrong, but it's 40 percent of the equation at most.
 
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