stubborn stumach fat

[localgirl]

Hello all,
I have decided that this year will be my fittest year ever. I am commited to diet & excercise, willing to follow any program known to work.

I am 5"6 135lbs. in pretty decent shape. I work out 6 x a week. Doing cardio everynight & either a split or a large muscle group. My main problem areas (heres where I need advice on what excercises to do) Lower abs, I have read a lot of different articles, some people say cardio isn't the answer, nor are crunches, leaving me confused.
Inner thighs. My legs are very strong( many years of sports) but that stubborn jiggle is very annoying.
Please help, summer is approaching & I refuse to spend another summer wearing surf shorts & looking down @ my little belly buldge. yuck. lol
Thank you in advance!! undefined

 

[Tatyana]

Yes, tummy fat, the last place it often goes, same with inner thigh fat.

Would you mind giving us a bit more information, like what your weight training looks like, in particular, what exercises, how many sets and reps you are doing for legs?

Also, what is a typical day's diet for you? For example

Breakfast 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 eggs, I cup coffee, ..........etc

 

[localgirl]

Yes, tummy fat, the last place it often goes, same with inner thigh fat.

Would you mind giving us a bit more information, like what your weight training looks like, in particular, what exercises, how many sets and reps you are doing for legs?

Also, what is a typical day's diet for you? For example

Breakfast 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 eggs, I cup coffee, ..........etc

I am currently doing this: 3 sets 15 reps or to failure for all muscle groups.

Monday- off
Tuesday- 45 min. cardio/ abs
Wenesday- 40 min. cardio/ shoulders
Thursday- 40 min. cardio/ legs ( leg press/ extention/ calf raises/ curls)
Friday- 30 min. cardio/ arms/ abs
Saturday- 40 min. cardio/ back
Sunday- 40 min. cardio/ abs

Diet:
Meal 1: 1/2 cup Oatmeal w/ single packet of splenda or 1 cup Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup of black coffee
2 fat free/ 40 cal. yogurts
Meal 2: Protien shake

Meal 3: Spinich Salad
1 Tin Tuna in water
500 ML. water
1 fat free/ 40 cal. yogurt
1-2 Fresh fruit ( oranges/ apples/pears/ bananas)
Calorie wise salad dressing
Meal 4: Protien shake

Meal 5: Protien shake ( this is after the gym)

Meal 6: ( usually very late 9 pm)
Chicken or Fish
Brown rice or salad

I am not too sure if I am not taking in enough with this diet, but I seem to stay full unti lmeal times, and I allow a cheat meal during the week.
Also, should I be having so many protien shakes? They are whey & low fat, I drink with water about 6-800 ml.

Thanks!

 

[Tatyana]

I am currently doing this: 3 sets 15 reps or to failure for all muscle groups.

Monday- off
Tuesday- 45 min. cardio/ abs
Wenesday- 40 min. cardio/ shoulders
Thursday- 40 min. cardio/ legs ( leg press/ extention/ calf raises/ curls)
Friday- 30 min. cardio/ arms/ abs
Saturday- 40 min. cardio/ back
Sunday- 40 min. cardio/ abs

What type of cardio are you doing? Do you ever take a break from cardio? Is it before or after weights?

Legs - I would add in squats, lunges, stiff leg dead lifts. I wouldn't do more than 2 or three exercises for legs. I have split my legs into quads and hamstrings.

Train the stronger half of your legs (or the one you think needs less improvement) first in the week. One to two days rest and then do the other half i.e.)

Tues - Hamstrings/Glutes

Lunges - I love doing these single legs at a time in the smith machine, but walking lunges with dumbells or alternating lunges with a bar on your shoulders in good also

Stiff-Leg Dead lifts

Leg Curls ( I also like to alternate seated, laying leg curls, standing single leg curls)

Wed - Chest or whatever you fancy

Thursday - Quads

Leg Extensions (pre-exhaust)

Frog/Front Squats or Squats

Leg press

OR do leg curls at the end

Avoid doing cardio on leg days, except for a light warm up


Diet:
Meal 1: 1/2 cup Oatmeal w/ single packet of splenda or 1 cup Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup of black coffee
2 fat free/ 40 cal. yogurts

Add protein into your brekkie, either have a protein shake with this or eggs when you have oatmeal
Meal 2: Protien shake You were thinking of cutting back on protein shakes, good idea, they are not a meal, they are a supplement, so unless you are really hard pressed............

Meal 3: Spinich Salad
1 Tin Tuna in water
500 ML. water
1 fat free/ 40 cal. yogurt
1-2 Fresh fruit ( oranges/ apples/pears/ bananas)
Calorie wise salad dressing (have you read the ingredients in this? I am always dubious about pre-fab salad dressings, Olive oil, herbs and vinegar)

Meal 4: Protien shake You need a meal here, AND some carbs for training

Fruit before gym is a good idea as well, take it out of your lunch
Meal 5: Protien shake ( this is after the gym)

Meal 6: ( usually very late 9 pm)
Chicken or Fish
Brown rice or salad
You could try having most of your carbs earlier in the day, and only having the fibrous carbs and more fats later in the day (like salad or steamed veggies)

I am not too sure if I am not taking in enough with this diet, but I seem to stay full unti lmeal times, and I allow a cheat meal during the week.
Also, should I be having so many protien shakes? They are whey & low fat, I drink with water about 6-800 ml.

Thanks!

Have you worked out the calories and macronutrients in this (protein, carbs and fats)?

Women seem to have this tendency of eating too little, and if your body thinks it is starving, then it will hang onto fat for dear life.

We have spent most of our time on this planet surviving in harsh environments, and fat was our buffer against starvation. Our bodies don't know if the calories are low because we want to look good for the summer, our bodies think we are starving.

I find I get much better results with dieting when most of my meals are real food.

Also, carbs are not the enemy. Fat used to be the 'baddie' as far as dieting went, and after 20 years of low fat food, we have an obesity crisis going on.

With cardio and training, you also want to make sure you are not over-training, as that will also halt any progress.

Are you taking any supplements besides whey protein?

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Great abs are made in the kitchen.

 

[Newgrl08]

The only thing I could offer as advice is if there is hidden sugars like in your yogart. Fat free, but is there 22 grams or more of sugar/serving? I'd do a week or two of really writing everything down exactly and calculating cals and macronutrients to find out what you're eating and then start to adjust it. Also I find for myself if I eat later at night I hold onto weight or put it on. (Not sure if you have an option to eat earlier than 9pm as your last meal. Of course if you're up until 12 or 1am, then it's OK but if you go to bed shortly after you eat, that's harder on your system I have heard.)

 

[localgirl]

Great abs are made in the kitchen.

Thanks Tat~

What do you recommend for Meal 4? Im usually about an hour to go @ work around then, but I've noticed I need something to fill that void( I'm pretty hungry when I get home).

For cardio, I switch it up between the bike, treadmill, stepper( my fav!) and the elliptical. & no I do cardio everytime I go to the gym ( which doesn't leave much time for what I'd actually like to be accomplishing with weights( I do cardio first, should I switch this up? I've heard many different opinions on which is more effective)

Another question, when I split legs up( def. going to try that) what other muscle group is good to do with that, would it fit in well on a cardio & abs night??

My goal is not to lose too much weight( 10lbs. max) but to strenghten & tone.
What kind of diet intake should I be getting? If I have an idea, I can calcuate & follow. As you can tell, diet is my downfall, absolutely love working out, but I am not fully aware of what I should be putting into my body to provide me with exactly what I need for this kind of training.

* today I start taking steps, so that one day I can rock a hard body like you*

thnx 4 your help

 

[fitness-rubber]

Great abs are made in the kitchen.

So key to remember, so often forgotten...

 

[localgirl]

So key to remember, so often forgotten...

I have heard that too, eating late isn't the best for losing the weight.
I really don't have much option there though, I go to the gym late & have to eat after. I suppose I can start staying up later, may be run down @ work though.....

Ok, I also heard that certain food help eliminate that stubborn buldge, any comments on that?

 

[Bikini Mod]

How long have you been doing all that cardio?

And there is no "magic food". I mean, some people hold a bit more water eating some foods more than other but we are talking dieting down for competition. I don't think that is what you are talking about.

Have you ever had any children? Do you have a lower stomach bulge genetically?

 

[localgirl]

How long have you been doing all that cardio?

And there is no "magic food". I mean, some people hold a bit more water eating some foods more than other but we are talking dieting down for competition. I don't think that is what you are talking about.

Have you ever had any children? Do you have a lower stomach bulge genetically?

BikiniMom,
I have always done cardio when I go to the gym( which has been steady on & off for years). I have never had any kids, but last year I went on many vacations & balloned up to 160lbs. When I came home, I was disguisted with myself, so I busted ass & dropped 30lbs. pretty easily actually. I am just stuck right now, its like that last few lbs., the cling-ons! lol

I wasn't reffering to any "miracle" food, just have heard that for exmpl. avocado, nuts & oil help attack that spare tire fat.( raised my eyebrow, but figured someone here would know).
Not ready for comp. yet..lol. I'd like to see how well I can progress this year, if its good, then it's definately a thought. Have many friends who do
Thank you!!

 

[Bikini Mod]

BikiniMom,
I have always done cardio when I go to the gym( which has been steady on & off for years). I have never had any kids, but last year I went on many vacations & balloned up to 160lbs. When I came home, I was disguisted with myself, so I busted ass & dropped 30lbs. pretty easily actually. I am just stuck right now, its like that last few lbs., the cling-ons! lol

I wasn't reffering to any "miracle" food, just have heard that for exmpl. avocado, nuts & oil help attack that spare tire fat.( raised my eyebrow, but figured someone here would know).
Not ready for comp. yet..lol. I'd like to see how well I can progress this year, if its good, then it's definately a thought. Have many friends who do
Thank you!!

As far as any foods that "attack" spare tire fat - you were right to raise your eyebrows. Ain't no such animal.

If you've been doing so much cardio for so long your metabolism has adjusted and you have become catabolic. In other words you have to keep doing more and more cardio just to maintain the same metabolic rate and you are actually tearing muscle down which is very counterproductive to burning fat. The more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate - the more bf you will burn.

SO - STOP ALL CARDIO FOR ONE WEEK and focus on your lifting. Then add it back in slowly, eating clean and lifting as intensely as you can. Start cardio like 3 times p/week 30 minutes at a clip. And only increase the time/intensity once you have failed to progress with fat loss.

Eat clean all week but DO have at least one CHEAT DAY. Again, this is to keep your metabolism from adjusting and halting your fat loss progress.

We have plenty of knowledgable ladies here to guide you on your quest.

 

[Tatyana]

I have heard that too, eating late isn't the best for losing the weight.
I really don't have much option there though, I go to the gym late & have to eat after. I suppose I can start staying up later, may be run down @ work though.....

Ok, I also heard that certain food help eliminate that stubborn buldge, any comments on that?

I am getting the impression you may be overtraining.

You don't need to do anything else with legs, maybe abs on one day, two to three exercises max, and calves on the other.

This is a hard thing for women to get, but muscle is the key.

I know if I wasn't competing, I wouldn't be doing any cardio, and intense training in the gym with some variation every week to two weeks (mix up exercises, rep ranges), three to four times a week for about 30 -60 min and I would maintain what I got going on now.

With a sensible diet of course.

I eat before bed all the time, that is when my muscles are repairing themselves and growing.

I just minimise the amount of starchy carbs I eat late at night.

So something like tuna, steak with cooked spinach, steamed asparagus, cauliflower, brocolli with sesame seeds, a bit of olive oil, some nuts are things I like to eat before bed.

I also like micellar casein with some other sort of whey (I use a combo of soya, hemp, whey) with a wee bit of peanut butter, cinnamon and some splenda in tofu yogurt. YUM, one of my favs before I sleep.

 

[localgirl]

I am getting the impression you may be overtraining.

You don't need to do anything else with legs, maybe abs on one day, two to three exercises max, and calves on the other.

This is a hard thing for women to get, but muscle is the key.

I know if I wasn't competing, I wouldn't be doing any cardio, and intense training in the gym with some variation every week to two weeks (mix up exercises, rep ranges), three to four times a week for about 30 -60 min and I would maintain what I got going on now.

With a sensible diet of course.

I eat before bed all the time, that is when my muscles are repairing themselves and growing.

I just minimise the amount of starchy carbs I eat late at night.

So something like tuna, steak with cooked spinach, steamed asparagus, cauliflower, brocolli with sesame seeds, a bit of olive oil, some nuts are things I like to eat before bed.

I also like micellar casein with some other sort of whey (I use a combo of soya, hemp, whey) with a wee bit of peanut butter, cinnamon and some splenda in tofu yogurt. YUM, one of my favs before I sleep.

Thanks Ladies!
I will definately try out your advice.
Tat- I am going to try spiltting my leg work outs( I am only going to do 3 excercises each go @ it).
Definately taking your diet advice to heart. and please let me know about what your friend recommends for supp.'s.
BikiniMom- Well, you both recommended that I cut back on the cardio, it seems a lot of people have a different opinion about this. I am not competing anytime soon, so I really want to focus on weights & sculpting muscle.
The nights that I will do cardio, should I do it before or after weights?
IS switching that up important too?
I sincerely appreiciate all your words of wisdom. I am serious about this & it is important to have knowledgeable people to talk to about this.
I'll keep ya'll updated :0
Don't know how much weight I should be losing( if I want to build more muscle, should I be shooting for 120?) any more info. would be fab!

 

[Tatyana]

Don't get fixated on the numbers, focus on how you look, how your clothing fits.

To put this in perspective, I have to buy Nike XS-S clothing, wear a US size 4-6, UK size 8-10 but I weigh 143 lb/64 kg.

When I tell my office ladies who are always on a diet that I weight 10 stone 2, some of them are completely freaked out, as some of them weight that amount but are probably 6-8 inches bigger on all their measurments than I am.

Muscle weighs a lot more than fat but takes up far less space.

If you have to track progress with numbers, then use bodyfat percentages.

 

[localgirl]

Don't get fixated on the numbers, focus on how you look, how your clothing fits.

To put this in perspective, I have to buy Nike XS-S clothing, wear a US size 4-6, UK size 8-10 but I weigh 143 lb/64 kg.

When I tell my office ladies who are always on a diet that I weight 10 stone 2, some of them are completely freaked out, as some of them weight that amount but are probably 6-8 inches bigger on all their measurments than I am.

Muscle weighs a lot more than fat but takes up far less space.

If you have to track progress with numbers, then use bodyfat percentages.

Alright, I have heard this before..
being a girl in a town where there are a lot of tiny women, I can get easily caught up. Knowing full well that my build is built more towards athletic than dainty.
Sometimes when I hear them discussing their weight, saying they are overweight being 5"4 and a buck ten..honestly makes me want to pick them up and give em' a shake.lol
But it can be hard on the self esteem, especially when men seem to go after the dainty ones. But you are right Tat!! I read some statistic that the average woman is 140lbs. and wears a size 10-12.

 

[Tatyana]

Alright, I have heard this before..
being a girl in a town where there are a lot of tiny women, I can get easily caught up. Knowing full well that my build is built more towards athletic than dainty.
Sometimes when I hear them discussing their weight, saying they are overweight being 5"4 and a buck ten..honestly makes me want to pick them up and give em' a shake.lol
But it can be hard on the self esteem, especially when men seem to go after the dainty ones. But you are right Tat!! I read some statistic that the average woman is 140lbs. and wears a size 10-12.

Here is a bit more brain candy for you hun.


In survey after survey, it has been found that the majority of men prefer women who are athletic and/or curvy.

For example, more men prefer Rene Zelwigger when she was Bridget Jones, than when she was in Chicago.

Don't get caught up in the whole media thing that promotes unhealthy images of what a woman should look like.

Also being athletic and developing muscle will allow you to have a much nicer physique for most of your life, without all the silly starvation diets most women put themselves through.

Having muscle also promotes good bone health and a sense of psychological well-being.

When you are strong, you feel strong and have a whole confidence that most women who don't train with weights completely miss out on.

If you want to be a sexy older woman and a sexy grannie, lift weights.

Don't worry about what the numbers on the scales say. I know it is a bit of a head trip, I have been going through that as of late myself as I weigh A LOT for my height. I do know it means I have put on muscle, but it did take me a couple of months to get over the OMG, you weigh HOW MUCH.

 

[localgirl]

Well that is good to hear!! And you are dead on about having confidence when you are strong. It is also nice to know that I can back my mouth up when I get aggervated & put someone in they're place..lol.

I definately want to be a sexy older woman

Oh, what do you think is best, cardio before or after weights? Is mixing that up good? How is this for a leg split:
Tuesday- leg presses, calf raises, & leg extentions
Thursday- Lunges, squats & hip abductions
Is that still too much?

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Well that is good to hear!! And you are dead on about having confidence when you are strong. It is also nice to know that I can back my mouth up when I get aggervated & put someone in they're place..lol.

I definately want to be a sexy older woman

Oh, what do you think is best, cardio before or after weights? Is mixing that up good? How is this for a leg split:
Tuesday- leg presses, calf raises, & leg extentions
Thursday- Lunges, squats & hip abductions
Is that still too much?

Cardio is best done post lifting.

 

[localgirl]

Cardio is best done post lifting.

Sounds good. Thanks