Fat loss - how to lose the bulge and gain the ripples

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Amol

Originally posted by: brikis98
I wrote an entry in my blog about how I lost 43lbs this year. It is quite relevant to this post so anyone that bothers to read all the way to the end may want to take a look 🙂

I have a question about how it says here that fitness beginners can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time because the fat is primed to become muscle but that it doesn't last. How long does it usually last? A few weeks? A few months?

I started exercising more rigorously and consistently in about mid-to-late May and have lost some fat and gained some muscle, but was wondering how long this'll last ...

Fat isn't primed to become muscle. As a beginner, the body's adaptations will be quick and more favorable. It's an interesting phenomenon that doesn't have much research on it. When it comes to biology, nothing ever lasts a specific amount of time. It varies from person to person. Just ride the train as long as you can. After a while, you're going to have to decide if you want to cut or bulk since your body will have completely adapted to your newfound exercise habit.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
fat doesn't become muscle. I am not sure what you are asking, if you are talking about the quick early gains when starting training then you could be looking at about a year or so if you keep pushing yourself and your nutrition.

You are never going to 'put on muscle' during a cut...you will lose fat just by a by-product of training which will indeed make you stronger.

However, the best gains will come when you are packing on some slight fat. Most don't need to train at that level though.

Bold part is incorrect. Beginner gains have shown that somehow, some way, people can gain muscle and lose fat. It doesn't stay for very long, but it happens. It doesn't have to do with strength, it's actual muscle. I've seen people's body fat % decrease while in a caloric deficit while losing very little actual weight. That means BF% went down and lean muscle mass went up.

 

[MJohn]

For me this works well: go to the gym twice a week and eat little, drink a lot of water and green tea. And: don't run to the fridge right away when ur stomach requests it. Stand the hunger for a while, then the hunger feeling will be gone automatically.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: MJohn
For me this works well: go to the gym twice a week and eat little, drink a lot of water and green tea. And: don't run to the fridge right away when ur stomach requests it. Stand the hunger for a while, then the hunger feeling will be gone automatically.

Or you could just eat right, be in a caloric deficit, and not be hungry at all. You don't have to be hungry. Don't tell people to be hungry. It's not your place because that just shows that you have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[pennylane]

How much is a little above the BMR? I'm a 24 year-old weighing 170 lbs at 5'8" (I'm trying to lose 10-15ish lbs in the next few months). I don't do thaaat much exercise (trying to do more but just starting). I mainly bike to work, about 3 miles each way.

My BMR is currently about 1800. Is 2200 calories per day a reasonable amount to shoot for? Too much?

Thanks.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: pennylane
How much is a little above the BMR? I'm a 24 year-old weighing 170 lbs at 5'8" (I'm trying to lose 10-15ish lbs in the next few months). I don't do thaaat much exercise (trying to do more but just starting). I mainly bike to work, about 3 miles each way.

My BMR is currently about 1800. Is 2200 calories per day a reasonable amount to shoot for? Too much?

Thanks.

At 170 and 5'8", I'd say you could do 2000-2200.

 

[Shadow Conception]

My mom always told me I could eat as many veggies and fruits as I wanted, and it would not hurt my quest to lose weight. However, if I work off 200 calories, and then eat 200 calories worth grapes... aren't you just back to square one?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Shadow Conception
My mom always told me I could eat as many veggies and fruits as I wanted, and it would not hurt my quest to lose weight. However, if I work off 200 calories, and then eat 200 calories worth grapes... aren't you just back to square one?

Well, you can essentially eat as much leafy, fibrous veggies as you want as they are low in calories - spinach, lettuce, celery, etc. However, fruits can contain a lot of sugar and you have to watch out for that. Grapes are especially calorie dense due to their very high sugar concentration. You really have to moderate overall calories, but having a diet high in fruits and veggies is very healthy. However, if you eat too much of anything - even the good stuff - it can hinder weight loss.

 

[Blackjack200]

Abbreviated version of Starting Strength?

I've been able to stay pretty consistent on my diet and lost 35 pounds in the last 3 months. I still want to lose another 25 but I'm becoming more focused on hanging onto my muscle as my weight goes down.

I have done starting strength before, but my time is severely limited at this point since I play on a hockey team, a softball team, and a soccer team that practices 5 times a week. I was considering doing just powercleans as it is a whole body exercise and I could probably warm up, knock out 4-5 sets and be out of the gym in about 40-45 minutes.

I realize that I won?t be getting the benefit of squats, deadlifts, etc., but I?m planning on doing the full starting strength program again once my soccer season and softball season are over. I guess I?m wondering if this is an acceptable substitute in the meantime.

Thanks

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Blackjack200
Abbreviated version of Starting Strength?

I've been able to stay pretty consistent on my diet and lost 35 pounds in the last 3 months. I still want to lose another 25 but I'm becoming more focused on hanging onto my muscle as my weight goes down.

I have done starting strength before, but my time is severely limited at this point since I play on a hockey team, a softball team, and a soccer team that practices 5 times a week. I was considering doing just powercleans as it is a whole body exercise and I could probably warm up, knock out 4-5 sets and be out of the gym in about 40-45 minutes.

I realize that I won?t be getting the benefit of squats, deadlifts, etc., but I?m planning on doing the full starting strength program again once my soccer season and softball season are over. I guess I?m wondering if this is an acceptable substitute in the meantime.

Thanks

No, a power clean does not replace any of those. Starting Strength is already reduced to the core components. Even if you took one of the movements out, you would be severely limiting yourself. What's more important to you right now - weight loss or the 3 team sports? You're going to have to choose which one is more important to you. If you really like them, do 'em. However, you're not going to get the same results and you're not going to maintain muscle like you would if you were lifting as well. I wish that weren't true, but cardio in sports is a very different stress than lifting weights.

 

[3dfan]

Wow, was going to start the fat loss programms - many tips are really useful, however think over hiring a fitness instructor

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: 3dfan
Wow, was going to start the fat loss programms - many tips are really useful, however think over hiring a fitness instructor

Fitness instructors, personal trainers, etc don't really have to have much experience with the body to be able to tell you what to do. They take a test and then they can teach. That doesn't really mean they know anything. Just do the programs and follow the suggestions. You will not find a better program than Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5 to start out with.

 

[jackson2009]

cardio in the morning is the one, you burn calories throughout the day much more

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: jackson2009
cardio in the morning is the one, you burn calories throughout the day much more

Weightlifting often times has a much more prolonged effect on metabolism than cardio. On top of that, if you're restricting your calories, you don't have to worry about exercising more or less to lose weight. If you do it right, you will lose 1-1.5lb of fat per week. Any more than that and you're losing too much muscle.

 

[KoolDrew]

Fitness instructors, personal trainers, etc don't really have to have much experience with the body to be able to tell you what to do. They take a test and then they can teach. That doesn't really mean they know anything.

You're not kidding. You should see and listen to all the trainers that have approached me for a job. I've turned every single one of them down. There are good trainers out there, but it's amazing how many more are not.

Lyle McDonald actually just put up an article about choosing a reliable personal trainer and a lot of the problems with personal trainers:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.c...-personal-trainer.html

 

[shubh09]

Burning the fat from the stomach and achieving a toned belly are totally different goals that require different approaches. A healthy diet, slightly lower in calories than the body requires will help burn fat from all over the body including the stomach area. Food intake should only reduce calories a little at a time over the course of many months. This allows the body to develop into a fat burning mode and reduce fat around the stomach gradually.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: shubh09


Burning the fat from the stomach and achieving a toned belly are totally different goals that require different approaches. A healthy diet, slightly lower in calories than the body requires will help burn fat from all over the body including the stomach area. Food intake should only reduce calories a little at a time over the course of many months. This allows the body to develop into a fat burning mode and reduce fat around the stomach gradually.

Uh, what? First of all, tone is a function of body fat %. If you want to reduce the body fat around your stomach, you clearly have to reduce it overall since you cannot spot reduce fat. There is no different approach since they are the same thing. Being in a caloric deficit while lifting to maintain muscle mass enables the body to lose that body fat and become more "tone" overall. Of course, if you do ab exercises (especially weighted ones) that induce extra hypertrophy, you will see abs sooner due to larger muscles.

But really, what you said are two different things was you saying the same thing twice. I'm not sure if you even read the thread, but it advocates a slight caloric deficit (losing 1-1.5lbs per week), exercise (emphasis on a resistance program), and learning how to eat healthier. You just tried to say the same thing in fewer words while making less sense, while confusing people with the "two different things" statement.

 

[damage424]

Great guide. If I may suggest one thing it would be to make a note to watch how much servings of fish and shellfish they have daily. Eating too much fish could lead to mercury poisoning. This might be well known to some people, but it wouldn't hurt to add it. 🙂

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: damage424
Great guide. If I may suggest one thing it would be to make a note to watch how much servings of fish and shellfish they have daily. Eating too much fish could lead to mercury poisoning. This might be well known to some people, but it wouldn't hurt to add it. 🙂

It actually really depends on what fish you eat. If you eat tuna, you might want to watch it. If you eat shark, you definitely have to. However, if you eat trout, kipper snacks, anchovies or sardines, you don't really have much of a problem. They have very, very tiny amounts since they're not especially large and aren't usually predatory.

 

[damage424]

Sorry if this is a dumb question (it is), but if I eat a lot of shrimp would that fall into the mercury category? And salmon too. Thanks

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: damage424
Sorry if this is a dumb question (it is), but if I eat a lot of shrimp would that fall into the mercury category? And salmon too. Thanks

You have just as good of an idea as I do. However, it's usually larger fish that have higher mercury contents since they are predatory and concentrate the mercury of their prey. Shrimp should be fine, but you should research salmon. I don't think there's much in salmon, but you're gonna have to look it up.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: damage424
Sorry if this is a dumb question (it is), but if I eat a lot of shrimp would that fall into the mercury category? And salmon too. Thanks

You have just as good of an idea as I do. However, it's usually larger fish that have higher mercury contents since they are predatory and concentrate the mercury of their prey. Shrimp should be fine, but you should research salmon. I don't think there's much in salmon, but you're gonna have to look it up.

The latest data I've seen showed shrimp had a non-detectable amount of mercury in it. Fresh salmon isn't anything to worry about either as it's only about 0.01 parts per million per 3oz serving. Things to watch out for are things like Marlin, Orange Roughy, Halibut, and tuna depending on specifics (fresh vs light vs albacore etc.).

I have the paper laying around somewhere with recommended limits as well.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: damage424
Sorry if this is a dumb question (it is), but if I eat a lot of shrimp would that fall into the mercury category? And salmon too. Thanks

You have just as good of an idea as I do. However, it's usually larger fish that have higher mercury contents since they are predatory and concentrate the mercury of their prey. Shrimp should be fine, but you should research salmon. I don't think there's much in salmon, but you're gonna have to look it up.

The latest data I've seen showed shrimp had a non-detectable amount of mercury in it. Fresh salmon isn't anything to worry about either as it's only about 0.01 parts per million per 3oz serving. Things to watch out for are things like Marlin, Orange Roughy, Halibut, and tuna depending on specifics (fresh vs light vs albacore etc.).

I have the paper laying around somewhere with recommended limits as well.

Nice, thanks, man.

 

[damage424]

Thank you very much for this info.

Mercury poisoning sucks. I *think* I had it when I ate tons of tuna years ago. Everywhere on my skin were pimples. EVERYWHERE (use your imagination), yea that bad. I went to the doctor and told me it was just acne; I laughed at him and told him I never had acne in my life, and if you saw what I looked like you would think I was from a horror movie. After that, I went to the dermatologist. They actually took some samples off me and ran tests on them. THEY had no idea what it was (originally they thought it was chicken pox, the adult version). I told them I was eating too much tuna and maybe that had something to do with it. They gave me some antibiotics for fish or something like that. They started going away when I was on the medication.

Sorry for that rant, I think it is a very important subject though and I definitely wouldn't want someone having this kind of problem.

I'm guessing light tuna would be the best one to buy?

Thanks

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Mercury poisoning damage is permanent without something like chelation treatment. It's a result of heavy metals such as mercury and lead binding to structures in your brain. It also results in diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It's safe to say that you didn't have it. However, you may have had just a general reaction to fish. If you can eat fish without any problems now, you may have grown out of it.