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difficult to avoid belly fat with age?

J

jingramm

Senior member
I consider myself a guy who is in good shape but I've been working full-time for the past 4 years now sitting inside a cubicle and even though I try to eat healthy, it's hard to avoid the gain in the belly area. It's the only place where I'm noticing fat. I focus on ab workouts at the gym and I might start running now. Considering that I put a lot of effort in trying to stay in shape and eat healthy, I can only imagine how drastic the "average" person would notice belly fat with age
 
heath and fitness, perhaps?

lifting weights doesn't burn fat. it might build more muscle which in turn helps burn fat, but overall i think people are probably just going to tell you to do more cardio.
 
I think it depends on the person. I know people who are 40, don't work out, don't eat healthy, and have virtually no belly fat at all.
 
You can't spot reduce fat. You'll be far better off focusing on a well-rounded workout. Your diet is also going to be very important if you want to lose that fat. Eat clean and maintain a caloric deficit.

Also, read this. AT Health and Fitness Fat Loss thread.
 
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Where fat goes on your body depends on hormones and other factors.

Easiest way to keep your testosterone levels up is general exercise and eat right. That doesn't mean count calories. It means eat more protein, less sugar.

Another thing is to actually try to sleep 8 hours per day. This has a major effect on how your body works. Example: lack of sleep can completely throw your blood sugar out of whack. Lack of sleep also has a profound effect on your mood and how you respond to things. Sleeping right could be the difference between having the motivation to do this and saying "ah fuck it"
 
-Eat less. If you're gaining weight, chances are you're taking in more calories than you burn. Your metabolism slows with age, so one amount of food that didn't make you fat before might now.

-You're wasting your time doing ab exercises to lose stomach fat. You cannot spot reduce fat - your body will burn fat from whereever it pleases. Exercising muscles that are hidden under a layer of flab doesn't make a difference.

-Start lifting. If you cut down your calories to the point that you're starting to lose weight, you'll want to lift to keep your body burning fat instead of muscle.
 
with reasonable amount of workout (something that anybody could do!) and diet that avoids unnecessary fats and sugars, I actually trimmed down my belly fat in last yr or so... it is possible, just don't eat pizza, burgers and milkshakes for lunch
 
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rcpratt said:
You can't spot reduce fat. You'll be far better off focusing on a well-rounded workout. Your diet is also going to be very important if you want to lose that fat. Eat clean and maintain a caloric deficit.

Also, read this. AT Health and Fitness Fat Loss thread.
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this

fat burns off where it wants to, not next to a muscle group you work at lol
else you could really create some really odd body shapes if u wanted to
 
I'm definitely noticing it. When I was 18-20 I could eat as much as I liked...fatty foods, candy... drink soft drinks, beer etc. without putting on weight. Now at 25 I have to run or swim regularly... Doesn't seem to matter how little/much I eat. If I don't exercise I put on weight even if all I ever have in a day is an apple and a glass of water...
 
I read somewhere today (can't find the article) that a downside of great abs from crunches is you look great in the front but bad from the sides. the article recommended doing left lifts to strengthen the underlying muscle and lesson chance of injury. of course you also want to do cardio X amount of hours a week to burn off the stomach fat.
 
jingramm said:
I consider myself a guy who is in good shape but I've been working full-time for the past 4 years now sitting inside a cubicle and even though I try to eat healthy, it's hard to avoid the gain in the belly area. It's the only place where I'm noticing fat. I focus on ab workouts at the gym and I might start running now. Considering that I put a lot of effort in trying to stay in shape and eat healthy, I can only imagine how drastic the "average" person would notice belly fat with age
Click to expand...

Yup sux. hit me at about 26, you know marriage, kid, cubie, tripple cheeze burgers for lunch, bar nights after work, get home be glued to TV until passing out, get up get a P&J, go back to bed and so forth. Been there done that. Blew up to 320. My frame can handle it without looking obese, even at 320 I never had over 38" waist, however the bigger issue was heart rate and blood pressure. You gotta keep muscle tone and keep active.

I found best way was just start running again ...no diet... running makes you eat right and stop drinking if you don't want to leave lunch on track each day....YMMV.
 
alkemyst said:
the fuck what?
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Well lifting weight certainly burns calories and hence fat. The statement that it doesn't it just stupid. However it is true that on average cardio is probably going to burn a lot more than weights given the same amount of time.
 
Locut0s said:
Well lifting weight certainly burns calories and hence fat. The statement that it doesn't it just stupid. However it is true that on average cardio is probably going to burn a lot more than weights given the same amount of time.
Click to expand...

Depends on the type of routine (for both weights and cardio). Also, keep in mind that lifting weights builds muscle mass, which actively burns fat even when you aren't working out.

"On average" can be a vague term, although I'd agree that the average person would likely burn more calories doing cardio than lifting weights. This, in my mind, would be at least partially due to the fact that the average person may tend to lift weights very inefficiently/ineffectively (e.g., do one set of five low-weight reps, stop and talk for five minutes, rinse and repeat; have only one routine that consists of three sets of flat bench, three sets of curls, and 500 sit-ups; etc.).
 
Focusing on abs at the gym will not reduce fat the fat in your belly. Contrary to popular belief, You cannot spot reduce fat!

Also, I would look closely at a healthy diet. I am willing to bet that you are not eating as healthy as you think. It is amazing what what people think are healthy and are really not.

Do you drink sodas? If so, cut those out completely. It doesn't matter if they are diet or say zero calories. Cut them out!
 
Locut0s said:
Well lifting weight certainly burns calories and hence fat. The statement that it doesn't it just stupid. However it is true that on average cardio is probably going to burn a lot more than weights given the same amount of time.
Click to expand...

Not true at all. Endurance exercises inhibits muscle hypertrophy and actually utilizes the body's muscle stores as energy to restore fat and glycogen stores. Lifting weights puts muscle mass at the top of the body's priorities. If you are in a caloric deficit, are not burning your muscle, and restoring your glycogen... the only thing you have left to lose is fat. That's what lifting does. Cardio, in very repeatable research, leaves body fat at the exact same percentage it started at. From a calorie standpoint, yes, cardio will frequently burn more calories. However, it will also burn more muscle than weightlifting.
 
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