How to lose those last few pounds of fat?

[boxleitnerb]

Hi guys,

I've lost about 45 pounds during the last 12 months, I started at 205 lbs and now I'm at 160. Obviously I'm very happy with this accomplishment, yet I can still "grab" my belly and the spare tire around my waist. It's not that bad, but I would like to lose especially the rest of my belly fat which I estimate at 4-6 pounds or so.

Problem is, despite a radically changed diet and relentless workout (5x per week 1-2h running, cycling or swimming), my weight loss has crawled to a halt. I know that muscles which I certainly have gained to some degree are heavier than fat, however the belly just won't go away completely.

Is there anything else I can do, do you have any tips for me?

 

[jaedaliu]

That last bit of stomach fat is a pain in the ass. If the active work of dieting and exercise aren't getting rid of it, you could try switching your cycle to some muscle gain, then tackle it again. That way, you hopefully won't gain too much fat while packing on muscle, and your body will burn more calories at rest.

I've been doing a good job of putting on the tire and getting some muscle recently, but my doctor's order of no val salva (bearing down when lifting or on the can) is limiting my ability to lift heavy (I'm weak, so my heavy is light, and my light isn't much)

Good luck! I'll probably be in your position this winter when I try to slim down.

 

[colonelciller]

Hi guys,

I've lost about 45 pounds during the last 12 months, I started at 205 lbs and now I'm at 160. Obviously I'm very happy with this accomplishment, yet I can still "grab" my belly and the spare tire around my waist. It's not that bad, but I would like to lose especially the rest of my belly fat which I estimate at 4-6 pounds or so.

Problem is, despite a radically changed diet and relentless workout (5x per week 1-2h running, cycling or swimming), my weight loss has crawled to a halt. I know that muscles which I certainly have gained to some degree are heavier than fat, however the belly just won't go away completely.

Is there anything else I can do, do you have any tips for me?

it might just be excess skin... you can't burn that away through exercise.

assuming it isn't skin here's a possible remedy... it is insane though.
1) learn proper rowing technique
2) get a heart-rate monitor
3) find a concept II rowing machine at your local gym
4) use this table as a workout guide... alternate days between longer sets at lower stroke rates with days that you are working on anaerobic threshold (more shorter sets at higher stroke rates and pulling HARD).

to make the most of these workouts you'll need to pace yourself... you should be dead at the end of each workout but not necessarily before.

for the 1-3 minute sets you should be dead pulling full-boar before you even finish a single set... and they keep pulling until the set is finished.

if you do this on a 6 days a week rotation you will lose weight.
--> (sundays off) saturdays light aerobic... not necessarily rowing.

If you want to lift weights as well do that before you row or you'll suck terribly when trying to lift and might hurt yourself.

quantity colums is the meat of the workout... with Quality as descriptors of specific targets.
don't forget the recovery (last 2 columns)

 

[colonelciller]

also the cycling & swimming are great workouts, although cycling is kinda easy-mode and will be difficult to lose weight.

swimming is awesome however it is difficult to lose weight with swimming as well for some reason. if you're really into swimming and really want to make it into a great workout try joining a local "Masters" club... they'll teach you proper form, it'll be a blast... and you'll have structure for improving and pushing yourself.

 

[Blackjack200]

How many calories are you eating? You need to continue to reduce your calories as you lose weight.

 

[boxleitnerb]

Thanks your guys!
I'm pretty sure it isn't skin - it's to taut for that.
After reading your posts, colonelciller, I admit I'm a little scared 😀
I cannot join a gym right now since I'm in the process of moving, but later I might. Generally, I don't like gyms, though, since the light and the music and the ambience is so artifial and depressing. Maybe I'll get a rowing machine for my new appartment, instead.

OT question as a non-native English speaker:
If I begin a sentence with a preposition (?) like "generally" or ending it with "though", do I separate the word with a comma from the rest of the sentence or not?

How many calories are you eating? You need to continue to reduce your calories as you lose weight.

Don't know exactly. I only drink tea and water, rarely low fat milk. I eat lots of salad (oil & vinegar as dressing), vegetables including all sorts of beans and sprouts, lots of fruit & low fat yogurt and little meat (only poultry and beef). Little to no sauces, sweets and empty carbs in general (like bread & noodles). I think I got the eating right part down - I couldn't have lost 45 pounds otherwise.

 

[blackdogdeek]

1. read the fat-loss sticky at the top of this subforum
2. lift more
3. eat less

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Dieting while only doing cardio is infamous for creating this problem. When you do that, you not only lose fat, but significant muscle mass. At this stage of the game, to meet that goal you will have to begin doing some strength training. That will allow you to continue to cut body fat and gain some muscle to fill the loose skin. Read the fat loss sticky for more details.

 

[boxleitnerb]

I certainly have more muscles/firmer muscles than when I started, so that cannot be entirely correct. And I didn't really have any meaningful amount of muscles to begin with. Now I have gained muscles especially on my thighs, calves, breast and arms. Not that much, but definitely more than before. It's not like I was trained or strong, I was a complete couch potatoe 😉

Aside from that, I've been doing some body weight exercises more or less regularly like pull-ups and chin-ups and push-ups.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I certainly have more muscles/firmer muscles than when I started, so that cannot be entirely correct. And I didn't really have any meaningful amount of muscles to begin with. Now I have gained muscles especially on my thighs, calves, breast and arms. Not that much, but definitely more than before. It's not like I was trained or strong, I was a complete couch potatoe 😉

Aside from that, I've been doing some body weight exercises more or less regularly like pull-ups and chin-ups and push-ups.

That's not actually true. Your perception of the size and firmness has increased because you've lost the soft layer of fat hiding them. I have met people who had their body fat % tested before and after dieting and doing cardio, and it went up. That means they lost an obscene amount of muscle, even though they could technically feel it and see it better.

Strength training has to be challenging. To be honest, training at 60-80% of your one rep maximum is necessary during this process. Most people don't challenge themselves that much. In addition, those movements only address your upper body. You need to get your legs involved to start pushing the process from a hormonal and metabolic level.

 

[boxleitnerb]

So you're telling me from the 45 pounds weight loss a large amount is muscles? I cannot believe that since that would affect me quite a bit. But I have more strength than before and when looking at my body, I lost quite a bit of fat on the stomach, the arms etc. I can feel it, too. Where there was fatty tissue before, there is much less now, and in some areas it is gone completely, only skin and muscle below remain.

I read around a bit and several guides and websites said that while you cannot build up muscles with cardio as much as with weight training, the continuous usage of all muscle groups during cycling, swimming and running at least prevents muscle loss - on the condition that your energy intake is sufficient enough (at most -20% of what your normally eat and lots of proteins).
Dieting != dieting. If I skip like 50% of my calories, of course my body would adjust and not only go after fat, but also muscles. But I don't do that 😉

I also just read that if a muscle that is already trained for strength rather than endurance then is continuously strained with cardio exercise, it will become smaller. But untrained muscles do something else, they grow - at least a bit. So it also depends on muscle type if a reduction in size and weight takes places or not during cardio.

 

[Blackjack200]

OT question as a non-native English speaker:
If I begin a sentence with a preposition (?) like "generally" or ending it with "though", do I separate the word with a comma from the rest of the sentence or not?

Generally, yes. There are exceptions to every rule, though.

Don't know exactly. I only drink tea and water, rarely low fat milk. I eat lots of salad (oil & vinegar as dressing), vegetables including all sorts of beans and sprouts, lots of fruit & low fat yogurt and little meat (only poultry and beef). Little to no sauces, sweets and empty carbs in general (like bread & noodles). I think I got the eating right part down - I couldn't have lost 45 pounds otherwise.

You have the eating part down to lose 45 lbs. from 205 to 160. That doesn't work any more.

Let's imagine if a power lifter said what you just said:

"I've gained a lot of strength over the last year, my bench press went up from 160 to 205, but how do I get it to up another ten pounds? I'm stuck...

... I don't exactly have a program, I do lots of reps and sets, the weight is always heavy. I think I got the lifting part down, I couldn't have improved my 1 RM 45 pounds otherwise."

If you want to lose more weight, apparently, you will have to eat fewer calories. I don't know how you can do that without tracking calories. It's the only way I can. (I've lost 55 lbs. myself.)

 

[_Rick_]

Personally - I just wouldn't obsess about something purely aesthetic.
Work on being functional instead. Be more like an athlete, and less like a body builder, from the mindset.

And keep in mind, that genetics play a role.

A nice sport to get into, to get into shape is triathlon. I'm not talking Ironman idiocy, but rather Olympic or sprint distance (200-700m swim, 40/20 bike 10/5 run). That's a good balance of strength, aero, variable intensity and touches all muscles. Unless you're serious about competition, you won't need a TT bike or a neoprene suit, so it's pretty cheap to get into (club fee, running shoes, bike + bikewear, pool fees) and outside the swimming bit, it's not very technical. Cycling and running technique can be learned pretty easily.

 

[Koing]

So you're telling me from the 45 pounds weight loss a large amount is muscles? I cannot believe that since that would affect me quite a bit. But I have more strength than before and when looking at my body, I lost quite a bit of fat on the stomach, the arms etc. I can feel it, too. Where there was fatty tissue before, there is much less now, and in some areas it is gone completely, only skin and muscle below remain.

I read around a bit and several guides and websites said that while you cannot build up muscles with cardio as much as with weight training, the continuous usage of all muscle groups during cycling, swimming and running at least prevents muscle loss - on the condition that your energy intake is sufficient enough (at most -20% of what your normally eat and lots of proteins).
Dieting != dieting. If I skip like 50% of my calories, of course my body would adjust and not only go after fat, but also muscles. But I don't do that 😉

I also just read that if a muscle that is already trained for strength rather than endurance then is continuously strained with cardio exercise, it will become smaller. But untrained muscles do something else, they grow - at least a bit. So it also depends on muscle type if a reduction in size and weight takes places or not during cardio.

First CONGRATS on losing 45lbs 🙂, great job.

I'm going to say
-You lost fat, but you would have lost some muscle as well, there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY you did not lose muscle along the way, as to how much, no one can tell without measurements.
-gaining strength is no indication of gaining muscle, beginners can get stronger in various lifts without gaining any muscle as they are new to lifting and with CNS adaptation
-the fact that you don't mention a high proportion of protein consumed would also have made losing muscle mass even worse than it would have otherwise been

To drop the last bit of fat you will have to be much more *accurate* with what you are eating. You need to track calories to account for *everything* you eat to understand a few things.

E.g. fruit has a lot of carbs in it. Which fruits are you eating? An apple has 22g of carbs in it. If you eat 3 a day that is 66g of carbs a day. Cut back down to one a day, eat strawberrys as they are low in carbs.

You can then see which % of carbs, fats and proteins you are eating.

Lots of fruit, bread and noodles will not get you the next 10lbs dropped. Cut down on the amount of fruit to 2 pieces a day, drop bread and switch to wholemeal pitta for training day or only to once a day. Drop noodles to once or twice a week. Track what you eat. See how much fat you are losing. If that isn't enough you will have to drop more as you are already doing a lot of exercise. You can't sustain doing more exercise.

You will need to do some strength training. This will help greatly in adjusting your fat loss. No doubt about it. If you want to drop that last bit of fat you will have to CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. You have done a great job dropping 45lbs but what you are doing will not simply cut it for the extra 10lbs you want unless you change things up.

Koing

 

[boxleitnerb]

Thanks 🙂
My diet already includes lots of protein like turkey, chicken breast, eggs, tuna, milk and yogurt. For the most part, I substituted noodles for rice and skipped baked goods of any kind (bread, croissants, muffins etc) and sugar too.

As for fruit, I eat all kinds. Mostly apples and grapes, sometimes bananas, kiwi, nectarines, strawberries, melon, blueberries...often with yogurt.
I know they got lot of carbs in them, but what else should I eat? I cannot eat bread (carbs) or eggs (cholesterol) every morning and I hate tofu. I need to mix it up to keep my motivation going. When I'm hungry in the afternoon or evening, I usually eat some fruit instead of cake, sandwiches etc. I think the amount of food I eat is okay. I have 2-3 meals a day (mostly 3) and some small fruit snacks between meals. Also important to note: I don't buy anything pre-made or instant if there is an alternative. I make everything myself from scratch, like sauces or pizza (not the dough, though) etc. and put little fat and little sugar in.

 

[Koing]

Fruits is fine, just don't eat 5 bits a day. Eat 2 or 3 tops and see how your fat loss goes. Eating more veg is better than eating fruits for vitamins and minerals.

Yogurt you can make better choices. Go with greek yogurt or a high protein yogurt. We have 2 varieties in England. Danios and Chobani ones. I'll eat them after on training days or may have one in non training days if it it's my macros (2400cals, 150carbs, 93fats, 240protein) for the day.

How often do you eat pizza? Probably best to eat it once a week at the very max. Pizza has a lot of calories in it.

You seriously need to *track your calories* to see how much you eat. It really is the only way to know what you are eating.

I think you are in 2 camps:
-track what you eat, you find you are eating a lot of carbs from fruits, yogurts and unexpected food sources and need to adjust accordingly
-after dropping 45lbs you need to build some muscles which will allow you to eat more and then cut back in 2-3months time. Get your metabolism in a better shape.

My personal split is
2400cal
150carbs : 25%
93fats : 35%
240protein : 45%

Eat what you want once a week as well. This will keep you sane and keep you going.

List out what you ate over the past few days.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/koing

I have kept a food diary for the past 9 weeks of dieting. Ignore yesterday as that was an epic cheat day. 8.4k!

Koing

 

[boxleitnerb]

Hm, low fat yoghurt has about 4% carbs, not that much, isn't it?
I very rarely eat pizza, once a month perhaps. That was just to say I don't buy frozen pizza from the supermarket.

I find it difficult to track calories since I would have to weigh my food; do you do that? And if I eat at a restaurant or at my parents house, I cannot possibly know what and how much is in the food.

I could give you an example of today (most days are roughly like this):
- 1x apple + 1x kiwi before running
- scrambled eggs (2) with spinach and two small wholemeal toasties
- green salat, green beans and white beans and 200g of chicken breast
- tomato-tuna-salad
- yoghurt with strawberries

That's it for today (or will be).

 

[Blackjack200]

I weigh all of my food. My parents are coming down for a visit tomorrow, and we'll probably go out to a restaurant, I won't weigh it or throw a fit if they can't tell me the calorie counts of their dishes, I will just try to be conservative with my estimate. I very rarely eat out for this reason.

I personally can't have cheat days. I tried it last weekend (well, two cheat days) and I gained five pounds. I was so upset that I didn't even update my log this week. I've lost a good chunk of it back now, and will probably update my log next week, but my point is that everyone is different with this stuff.

You might be different from me and not need to count calories, but whatever it is you're eating, the reason you're not losing weight is because you're eating too many calories. If you figure out your caloric maintenance (there are many online) and eat less than that, you will lose weight, no exceptions. Even if you're eating twinkies and snickers bars.

 

[Koing]

Hm, low fat yoghurt has about 4% carbs, not that much, isn't it?
I very rarely eat pizza, once a month perhaps. That was just to say I don't buy frozen pizza from the supermarket.

I find it difficult to track calories since I would have to weigh my food; do you do that? And if I eat at a restaurant or at my parents house, I cannot possibly know what and how much is in the food.

I could give you an example of today (most days are roughly like this):
- 1x apple + 1x kiwi before running
- scrambled eggs (2) with spinach and two small wholemeal toasties
- green salat, green beans and white beans and 200g of chicken breast
- tomato-tuna-salad
- yoghurt with strawberries

That's it for today (or will be).

As long as you understand to look at the nutrition of foods that is cool.

Well nothing is given to you for free. Yes I weigh my foods out. You have to make a best guess and add 10% to be on the safe side if you don't find a match for the foods. But the point is you really have to track your foods if you want the last 10lbs out.

You look like you are getting about 100g of protein tops. If you eat that and you do not lose the last bit of fat you need to really switch up your training. You need to build some muscle to help with the fat loss. I take it you wouldn't care if you weighed 155-160lbs but with no tyre right?

100g of protein is not enough and you have wasted away a lot more muscle than you think. More so as you were at a calorie deficit to lose the 45lbs in the first place. You train 5x a week? Your metabolism is probably shot/ exhausted now if you eat what you do it but not lose the fat.

I'd start starting strength, up your calories with good fats (olives, olive oils in salads, nuts, peanut butter, avacados) and proteins. Take a shake or two as well if you can't eat more. Try this out, keep your eating clean, build some muscle. Continue for say 4-6months then cut down on your fats a tiny bit and lose some weight. Then tidy up your diet even more and you would look much better at 155-160lbs this time around 🙂

Koing

 

[boxleitnerb]

Just to be clear:
What muscles can one lose if one starts out after a long long period of muscular inactivity (couch potatoe)?
I read this study where runners ran 4500 km in 64 days and only lost muscle tissue (7% loss) in their legs (no regeneration days, intensive energy consumption), but not the rest of their bodies:
http://www2.rsna.org/timssnet/media/pressreleases/pr_target.cfm?ID=506

 

[Koing]

No one can say what % of muscle mass you have lost but I'm going to say you lost muscle from what you have told us.

NO ONE loses 45lbs without losing *some* muscle. More so if you are only eating 100g of protein and doing no weight training. The best natural body builders on a solid high protein, long slow 6month diet and weight training will lose muscle to some degree. Do you really think you lost no muscle in this time frame? But either way it doesn't really matter.

What matters is you want to lose the last 10lbs and you are not seemingly losing anymore fat with what *you are currently* doing right?

Koing

 

[boxleitnerb]

That statement I can live with 🙂
It just sounded like I lost like 50% muscle tissue before which would feel weird in a way, diminishing what I've accomplished. Anyway, I'll certainly look into weight training once I've moved. Thanks for all your advice you guys!
Btw I think I lost another 1-2 pounds, first time under 160 in 15 years 😀

 

[Koing]

That statement I can live with 🙂
It just sounded like I lost like 50% muscle tissue before which would feel weird in a way, diminishing what I've accomplished. Anyway, I'll certainly look into weight training once I've moved. Thanks for all your advice you guys!
Btw I think I lost another 1-2 pounds, first time under 160 in 15 years 😀

Yes look to do weights. Most people who diet will do this once they realise as they get to their ideal weight they don't look like what they want to. Or they are happy with their weight but want to build some muscle and have a better physique.

There is a huge difference in being 160lbs at 15% (136lbs of muscle mass) and 160lbs at 10% (144lbs) with visible serratus muscles. You may think 8lbs doesn't make a lot of difference, but when 8lbs is of *fat* it makes a HUGE difference to a persons appearance.

http://files.builtlean.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/body-fat-percentage-picture-men-women.jpg

Koing

 

[billbobaggins87]

its within your intake. If they remaining belly weight isnt skin you can adjust your intake properly to finish this.