the tummy...

[jlr12584]

ok heres the deal, i work out about 2-3 times a week, and i run about 15 min after each work out session. my physique is lookin pretty good but my stupid belly wont go away? i dont consider myself to eat that unhealthy but what should i drink to slim my stomach down, and what foods should i avoid like the plague? now im smart enough to know not to go pig out on eating chips and coke and candy and crap but how much is okay to eat when it comes to junk food?

 

[DonJuanMonk]

You cannot "SPOT REDUCE" - Do more cardio, eat right, work those abs and you will get those 6 pack when your body fat goes down to 8% you've always wanted. I'm already developing one right now and it was very hard work.

 

[DDevil]

I thought running after a workout was bad.

 

[Warboss Alex]

Originally posted by DDevil
I thought running after a workout was bad.

Cardio after a workout can be or good depending. If your workout is to maintain muscle and lose fat then yes, after an intense weights session your glycogen stores should be empty or low so you'd be burning stored energy (fat) in the cardio.

Running chews into leg mass though, so I would recommend lower intensity cardio. Actually for optimum fat burning I'd recommend long-duration, low-intensity cardio on an empty stomach in the morning as opposed to post-workout (pop a caffeine pill, green tea extract or thermogenic to burn more kcals) combined with a carb cutoff from the previous day to burn fat.

Once you've got those down it's just a matter of patience. There's further techniques to get down to real paper-thin bodyfat levels but no-one on this board (including myself) needs that; patience, consistency basic cardio and nutrition will get 95% of people where they want to be, body-fat wise. If your fat loss plateaus then do more cardio, make the morning session longer or add another session (in the evening or post-workout as above are best times). This never fails for the majority - the exceptions are those people who want to get down to crazy low bodyfats.

 

[Adone]

You probably have my same problem: I've been having a big tummy since I was a child. I remember when I was in Primary School, I was severely underweight (I was 30 lbs below my ideal weight), but I still had a protruding tummy.

Now, I've been bulking for 6 months or so and my bodyfat is 14%. I'm not fat by any means, and I can even see my arms' veins (barely). Guess what? I have a really large waist.

The only time I managed to have a flat stomach was last year, when I managed to get my bodyfat down to 8%. Anyway, after meals, my bell was still huge. The "funny" thing was that I looked like a pregnant girl in the evening, but the following morning had a awesome 8 pack.

Never understood why. Any ideas?

 

[Warboss Alex]

Originally posted by Adone
Never understood why. Any ideas?

Food/water bloat.. perfectly natural, and shows up much more easily on skinnier guys.

 

[Shiftkey]

You'll lose fat quicker if you run first thing in the morning before breakfast. My GF at the time had a similar problem. Running in the morning on an empty stomach made a huge difference for her.

 

[Adone]

Originally posted by Warboss Alex
Food/water bloat.. perfectly natural, and shows up much more easily on skinnier guys.

That's true, it shows less nowadays, but it's still annoying. Any ideas about how to make it go away, beside bulking up? I'm now trying to trim my waist down to 30" as it was before gaining weight.

Would stronger abs help?

 

[Warboss Alex]

Originally posted by Adone
That's true, it shows less nowadays, but it's still annoying. Any ideas about how to make it go away, beside bulking up? I'm now trying to trim my waist down to 30" as it was before gaining weight.

Would stronger abs help?

Nothing I can think of really besides getting bigger all over as you mentioned. If you've got a load of food in your belly it'll show.

You'll have to live with it - but be consoled with the fact that I'll never have a 30" waist, you lucky git.

 

[PeterNorthisawesome]

I'm already in pretty good shape and my 6-pack is pretty visible. Anyone know how to make the muscle bigger so it becomes more difined and ripped looking? I heard using weights and doing fewer sets help? Any idea of how much to use?