How do I cut out the tummy flab once and for all?

[TehMac]

I run about 3 miles (stopping halfway in the middle to stretch/workout) and do situps, pushups, pullups twice a week. I also *mostly* eliminated sugar and carbs (I will occasionally slip at work, but have no candy/sugar in the house).

Lunch for me looks like an in-n-out burger in lettuce, butternut squash or stir fried cauliflower with red onions and mushrooms with chicken thighs.

I even cut out peanut butter/hummus and use almond butter as a snack with carrots now. Also snack on cashews, roasted (unsalted) sunflower seeds, and almonds.

So why is my stomach still not flat yet? To be clear, I can live with it, but I keep wondering if there's something I'm doing wrong or something else I am missing. A close relative on a similar regimen has really flattened his stomach down with very little exercise, so wtf?


Is it possible I have parasites or a tumor? Not sure why my stomach still slopes outwards from my abdomen...

 

[VulgarDisplay]

You are skinny fat probably. A wise man once said...

"Everyone wants to look like a body builder but no one wants to lift this heavy ass weight."

Start lifting.

 

[TehMac]

Not sure I understand-- I do sets of pushups/pullups while on my run. Not weight lifting, but not exclusively running either.

My question isn't how to get a six pack, it's how to cut down on stomach fat given that other folks have accomplished it without even exercise.

 

[deadken]

Short answer: Burn more calories than you take in and you will lose weight. Do it right and you will burn fat. Do it wrong and you will burn muscle and store fat.

EDIT: It's great to watch what you eat when trying to lose weight. But, don't forget to watch what you drink.

EDIT #2: D'Oh! I forgot to mention the highly rated guide that is the ONLY sticky at the top of this forum:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=162171
Many a thanks to Socially Challenged for writing an excellent guide. I haven't used it yet (I still want to lose a little more weight), but I haven't heard anyone say something bad about it. And, I tremendously respect SC for his contributions in this forum!

Long answer:
While what you eat sounds reasonably healthy (assuming you meant 'looks' like an in and out burger, and not is an in and out burger), you don't mention how much you eat. Until you start running a calorie deficit, you won't lose weight. Running 3 miles is great, but it isn't clear if you are doing it twice a week or the situps, pullups, and pushups twice a week.

For me, I run 2 miles Tuesday - Friday mornings before work and run longer distances on Saturday and Sunday (from 5.4 to 13.2 miles). Now that the warmer weather is here, I'll likely cut out one run day on the weekend and ride or paddle instead. Doing all of that while eating decently had me looking decent. Now that I really started watching how much I eat, I'm starting to lose weight.

BTW: I don't know why you'd stop halfway in the middle of 3 miles to stretch / etc... Take a drink, sure. But, why stop for anything else? Stretch and 'work out' before or after. For me, running is running. Also, have you considered what your heart rate is? Simply put, for a male, take 220 and subtracting your age will give your maximum heart rate. There are a zones that correspond with what percentage of max your heart rate is. If you are running, you can track your HR and determine if the zone you are in meets your goals. Take a look at what these two websites have to say about what zones do what:
http://www.polar.com/us-en/training...ormance/running/polar_sport_zones_for_running

http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/heart-rate-calculators/hrzone

You'll see some big differences in explanations, but my point is if you aren't elevating your heart to the right rate, you won't see the results that you want. Running while at %50-%59 is great for a warm up or cool down, but it won't get you the results that you are looking for. I'm going to add a link to what the AMA has to say about heart rates. Not the greatest for what we are talking about, but perhaps it is a good baseline to compare what others have to say:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Getti...ics/Target-Heart-Rates_UCM_434341_Article.jsp

I started checking my HR with my fingers on my neck. Then, I got a HR monitor watch (around $30 at Amazon). Now, I use my smartphone and an app called 'Sports-Tracker' along with a (Sports-Tracker) HR chest strap that I got from Radio Shack for $80. Certainly, it is easier for me to review post workout now. But, I also typically 'have-a-feel' of where I'm at now. So, don't be afraid to start with the cheapest method and work up to where you are comfortable.

Of course, these are my opinions. Also, please consider, that what works well for me might not be the best for others. I read about a lot of people going to the gym here, people who run or ride don't seem to be as well represented. Be sure to check out the: 100,000 miles for AT thread. Sometimes it's just a posting of how many miles a person does in a day or week, but if you ask a question there, you are likely to get it answered by a runner. I'm not saying that one type of person is better than another. But, I am saying sometimes one type of persons answer is better suited to a similar type of person.

 

[futurefields]

OP what is your age?

How long have you been exercising on a regular basis? Twice a week is not enough.

What is your day job? Do you sit at a desk all day?

Twice a week is not enough. You need to step it up to 4 days a week. Are you sweating every time you work out?

You need to work out until you are exhausted and sweating, and then go for another 20 minutes past the point you are exhausted. Are you truly exhausting yourself on these workouts?

Stomach fat is the hardest part to get rid of.

 

[HeXen]

Short answer: Burn more calories than you take in and you will lose weight. Do it right and you will burn fat. Do it wrong and you will burn muscle and store fat.

What can you do wrong to burn muscle and store fat? I wanted to know cause I usually calorie watch but do little else. It usually works for me as far as losing weight but I don't want to lose muscle.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Not sure I understand-- I do sets of pushups/pullups while on my run. Not weight lifting, but not exclusively running either.

My question isn't how to get a six pack, it's how to cut down on stomach fat given that other folks have accomplished it without even exercise.

So you exclusively work out your upper body and wonder why you don't have abs?

You can't "spot" tone a body part like many uninformed people think. If you want to really start burning calories think of your muscles as engines and calories as fuel. Does a big block v8 or a vespa scooter engine get better gas mileage? Smaller muscles burn fewer calories just like smaller engines consume less fuel.

If you build those bigger engines in your body then they will consume more calories in every task you perform. You are currently concentrating your muscle building exercises on your upper body, but just think about how much bigger your leg muscles are in comparison. If you build them up they will burn a lot of calories.

 

[deadken]

What can you do wrong to burn muscle and store fat? I wanted to know cause I usually calorie watch but do little else. It usually works for me as far as losing weight but I don't want to lose muscle.

As always there are different schools of thought on this, but my understanding is that:

1) Starvation diets can push the body into starvation mode (AKA Famine Response) in which muscle is burned alongside or in place of fat.
http://voices.yahoo.com/starvation-mode-dispelling-myths-2900886.html

2) When you do aerobic exercise you supply enough oxygen to your muscles for a 'complete burn', the by products are carbon dioxide and water. Once you can't supply enough oxygen for the complete burn, you get into an anaerobic state, the by products of that are carbon dioxide, water, and lactic acid. My understanding is that it is the lactic acid that burns muscle away (and can also cause cramping, etc... after the workout if a cool down isn't done to remove it from the muscle).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_respiration
(section 1 and 4, although I find 4 lacking on anaerobic in humans)

I think there may be more ways, but these are the 2 that I'm familiar with and so I'll leave it at that. I added the links to give an idea of what a quick search provided, they are not responsible for where I learned about this stuff.

The reason I mentioned it is because I use a heart rate monitor. I typically get up to or exceed my theoretical Max HR. At that point I'm in anaerobic territory and it isn't ideal. I don't consider myself elite by any means, so while many may think that stuff is only for die-hards, it is consistently possible for a 47 YO guy to get past where I should. I don't always recognize that I'm there (you'd think I'd be VERY winded) until after my run and I review where my HR was. Typically, I get a Max HR (of around %100) pretty quick, but then I 'drop down' into my where my Average HR is around %90. A HR monitor might be of great use to the OP to get him into the right 'zone'. Running half the distance, stopping to 'exercise' and then running the other half just kills the chance of someone getting into a really good 'burning' zone.

 

[Ventanni]

One of the more remarkable differences between humans and other animals is our incredible capacity for bi-pedal endurance. After a while, running becomes cruise control, so if you're wanting to continue losing that gut, you'll want to turn it up a few notches and focus on building muscle. Not only does muscle shape your physique, but it also increases the passive caloric burn. After all, building muscle constitutes as a rather large investment in part of the human body, and is somewhat inefficient to maintain.

With that said, I'm a huge fan of "exercise" while I run. I frequently go across the street where I live to a large park and incorporate dips, pull-ups, sit-ups, and lunges into a 5 mile run. In combination with hitting the gym several times a week for more anaerobic focus, I've achieved pretty great results over the years.

Time to reconsider your diet, though. You seem like you eat fairly healthy, which is good, but nuts and seeds can be pretty high in calories, and from the sounds of it, maybe there isn't enough complete protein being incorporated in your diet. Everyone is slightly different, so I encourage you to find what works best for you, but I can speak on what works well for me since our workouts are somewhat similar. Despite being more of a "runner first" type, I excel on a high protein diet. I eat large quantities of fruit, chicken breast, and peanut butter sandwiches (wheat + peanut butter = complete protein). I rarely snack.

My take is that if you're keeping your workout the same, you'll probably see good results simply by switching the diet up a bit. With a bit less snacking and a lot more protein, you'll see that gut disappear in no time.

 

[gar655]

High intensity training- think crossfit but do it without becoming a crossfit douche.

 

[z1ggy]

You are skinny fat probably. A wise man once said...

"Everyone wants to look like a body builder but no one wants to lift this heavy ass weight."

Start lifting.

Ah, the wise words of Mr. R Coleman.

And yep basically you sound skinny fat. Otherwise in decent looking shape, but you have a stomach still.

1) Have you read the fat loss sticky? If not.. What are you waiting for?
2) Heavy compound lifting.
3)Interval training. Running a slow paced jog (even if you burn a lot of cals) isn't going to hike up your metabolism.
4) Eat more protein. Try for at least .75g per lb of body weight...closer to 1g/lb body weight would be even better.
5) It takes time. Don't expect to lose the last 5-10lb in a just few weeks...

 

[PricklyPete]

Diet, diet, diet.

 

[Koing]

DIET DIET DIET

How long has it been since you've had a flat stomach? How long has it been since you started exercising and eating properly? It'll take at least 8-16 weeks depending on what sort of condition you are in currently to get a flat stomach. And yes a flat stomach isn't a visible 6 pack either but that isn't what you want.

Just be patient and keep doing what your doing. I'd recommend adding in some weight training as well.

Your close relative, was he in the same shape as you before you started your training regime? Or was he in better shape? Some people can get in to shape very fast.

Koing

 

[blackdogdeek]

Please read the fat-loss sticky.

The short answer is that you're eating too much. I know you think you're eating much better now but if you were eating in a proper deficit you would be losing the unwanted fat. You need to be completely honest and accurate with what and how much you are eating. Those extra calories that are maintaining that extra fat are coming from somewhere.

 

[brad310]

It sounds like your body has adapted to the stress you put on it. Change the stress. About every few weeks.

 

[norseamd]

After a while, running becomes cruise control

most true

 

[TehMac]

DIET DIET DIET

How long has it been since you've had a flat stomach? How long has it been since you started exercising and eating properly? It'll take at least 8-16 weeks depending on what sort of condition you are in currently to get a flat stomach. And yes a flat stomach isn't a visible 6 pack either but that isn't what you want.

Just be patient and keep doing what your doing. I'd recommend adding in some weight training as well.

Your close relative, was he in the same shape as you before you started your training regime? Or was he in better shape? Some people can get in to shape very fast.

Koing

That's the thing, he's NEVER done any exercise (doesn't run, jog, lift etc) but pretty much just by cutting carbs and pasta from his consumption, he's slimmed way the hell down.

For context, I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight. I'm 165 lbs at 6'.


My emphasis is in building muscle and slimming down my stomach.