Newcomer with a few questions

[Fatback]

This is a great board with alot of great information. Hopefully this post will not be duplicated but it didn't seem to take last time.

So here goes.....

1. Someone mentioned ALA as a great fat loss aid, what is that?

2. To give some background on myself... I am 4'11 and 125lbs. I have maintained a 35lb weight loss the last 10 years. I try to eat 5-6 small meals a day and drink 64-72 ozs. of water a day. I'd say I am successful with this routine at least 85% of the time. Admittedly, I do not think I get the recommended per lb. protein intake each day. I cycle my workouts so as not to become bored, however I am consistent with them I do cardio 45 min. a day and lift weights. I take fatburners, usually hydroxycut. I am fit and toned in ways I never was in my twenties, however, it seemed no matter what I did I could never lose the fat in my midsection, so I had lipo. When I went for consultation the doctor mentioned he thought the fact in my back was probably due more to loose skin, this being the true bane of my existence. Anyway after surgery my stomach is flat, though minimally cut (working on that), but my back still looks as if I have another ass, does anyone know how one gets rid of this short of stapling? I need help!

Forever grateful for any advice
FatBack

 

[freak daddy]

It can't be as bad as you make it sound Fatback! I am impressed with your determination to sculpt your body, and your attitude toward living a healthy life! My recommendation for you is to cut your carbs and sugar intake(carbs under 80 grams a day) and increase your protein! Start cranking your cardio to burn more fat! Just my 2 cents!

 

[Phemomena]

welcome to elite fb...

basically fd has the right idea, you may want to up the cardio once or twice a week, (try intervals, high intensity, change it up and challenge yourself)...

you didn't post your diet specifically, but going by what you said, i'd say you definately need to up the protein...
to increase your protein, try adding in whey shakes (i personally make mine with chocolate whey, peanut butter, half a banana, soy milk and ice... make sure to mix it well and they taste pretty good)

Other things that you may want to make sure is that you're getting enough of the "good fats" (EFAs), flax seed oil is the most popular, but there are some good blended ones... (all natural peanut butter is also another good way, i go through about a jar every 3-4 days), you can't be afraid of fat when cutting...

well, as far as the weight training goes, make sure you are going as heavy as possible, especially on the back exercises (pulldowns, rows, pullups etc) as well as the shoulders... this will give you more width and a v-taper, which will probably help your back problem on a visual level (it sounds like lower back that you are talking about)... going heavy on the weights will also, of course increase lean muscle mass, which will help increase the metabolism and in turn, burn body fat...

remember, we generally have to contort ourselves to see our back so the view you get in the mirror is never accurate, if you haven't already, get someone to take a pic.. chances are it's probably not as bad as you think...
also...

well... sorry for the long post, just feeling chatty welcome again... keep up the good work and congrats on what you've already accomplished.. concentrate on the positive and bring that postive attitude on improving the negative...

take care
phem

 

[Sassy69]

FB - I'll second what Phemomena said. I will add that even while I was preparing for my first natural bb comp, the last thing to go was my "back fat" - even guys will tell you how hard it is to get a tight back. Lots of cardio will help that. Definitely get some good back workouts to help create the illusion of a smaller waist as well. Cutting carbs and filling in good fats for energy will help. Don't give up hope and understand that that is usuallly the hardest part to tighten up!

Sometimes it just takes an extra effort to get your usually clean diet, 100% clean for a while. Make sure you are cycling your ECA - you need a break from that stuff every 6-8 weeks i think.

Good luck and welcome to Elite!

 

[Fatback]

Freakdaddy, Phemomena, Thanks for the replies and encouragement!

I just cycled off a 6 day circuit training routine, weights 1 day, cardio the next, six days a week. Now I started running 3-4 miles in the morning, 5 days a week. It is the lower back, particularly below the bra line. Thing is naked, I look better now even than when I was in my twenties (I'm now 40 and I didn't exercise then), and frankly getting to the point where you actually like the way you look naked is a heady achievement in itself. However, once I put on that bra and shirt, the overhang and bulge in back makes me feel like I haven't accomplished what I've set out to do. Of course, I'm not the type to get easily discouraged but I definitely need help. By the way, does anyone know what the ALA is?

FatBack

 

[freak daddy]

I'm not familiar with ALA! Try using the search engine at the top of the screen! You find some info! Have a great night and keep motivated, and welcome to the board!

 

[Phemomena]

i'm not sure about the ALA, but i'd like to make a quick comment that i know may seem obvious (yet so many people really just don't get it)...

maybe its your clothes that are giving you the most issues... i mean if clothes are fitting too tightly then they dig into the skin and make even the smallest amount of fat hang over... (take the slim girl with the elastic waist pants that has that roll of fat going over the waist... its not bad, but she could look a lot better if she wore pants with a tie waist... get the pic?)

maybe you need to experiment with different style of clothes until you find one that flatters your new shape better... when we change our bodies we don't always change our choice of clothes (we tend to buy the same things we were wearing before only in smaller sizes)....

just a quick comment, and as i said it may seem obvious... but i personally had problems accepting that, even though i'm 110lbs with no boobs to speak of, i had to wear a medium (or even a large in some cases) sports bra to workout in... otherwise i got the back skin thing going on too...

well... hopefully you'll find someone to help you out on that ALA thing... personally i don't know, but I'll be looking out since i just love to learn new things...

 

[Fatback]

Sassy69, sorry it seem we were posting at the same time, I appreciate your feedback also. Phemomena, you're absolutely right in that often the obvious is overlooked, unfortnately for me that's not the case, it doesn't matter what I wear, I can even see the bulge in a loose blouse, not that it is as noticeable to anyone els, but as we all know we are often very sensitive to our sore spots. Even in terms of the bra I've attempted to enlarge the width, I'm very busty and already wear a healthy cup size. But even naked in certain positions like sitting it's like "what happened" Actually I took freakdaddy's advice, it's alpha linoic acid (spelling may be incorrect for linoic).

FatBack

 

[flex4life]

Maintaining your 35 lb weight loss for 10 years, good water intake, 5 to 6 meals per day, cardio & weight training- Congrats to you for making some real lifestyle changes!
It sounds as if you are looking for good info on healthy fats, along with viewing the info here, perhaps you would enjoy the following sites:
massquantities.com- flax seed oil- good article
thefactsaboutfitness.com
Good luck in your quest for continued fitness accomplishments- welcome & enjoy elite.
Flex

 

[keiko]

I know what you mean--it's like midrift bulge on your back. The bad news is that if you've ever tanned, lost a significant amount of weight and had the balls to get past 35--your skin's just not as tight as it was. You're probably not that fat--it's that your skin isn't tight enough. I'm 48, and have this same issue but not on my back.

What to do--I'd try to stay out of the sun, use some collegen cream, spray your back with a blast of cold water every shower, and any other beauty tricks you can find. Squalene (like in Prep. H) will help temporarily.