Oh yeah, I forgot to add I still have love handles.
I know there is a layer of fat everywhere, but literally my stomach does not stick out when I am sitting down. I do the "pinch" test on most areas of my body, and there is very little, if any fat. My weight is now 170/171.I can see it in the picture. I have a 32 inch waist too but weigh 30 lbs more, and i'm still at 13ish % bf. Theres fat in EVERYONEs forearms, biceps, all over their entire body. Its a layer under the skin. the fact that its no so heavy in any one spot that its obviously fat and jiggly is meaningless, its still there. Its 30lbs of fat, not 30lbs of "extra" fat. a healthy reasonable "normal" level is around 15% for males.
IF you were even just 15%, there would be some more definition on your body.
That is what I have been doing. I bought the P90X Ab Ripper DVD. I make sure I do every single repetition on the tape....If I am feeling too tired to go forward..I pause it..get a little rest..and continue through the rest of the set. It takes me a while sometimes, but I make sure I get 25 reps per exercise..no cheating.A lot of good advice here. I had a similar problem. I would starve myself of carbs and run 13 miles at a time trying to keep my stomach tone but I could never really get the love handles off completely.
Obviously I realized this wasn't working and had to try something different. I started trying to tone up my midsection and lower back. I concentrated on deadlifts, squats and clean and press. Another good move is doing weighted side crunches on the roman chair. Tone up in those areas and the fat will start to come off. (A good thermogenic can't hurt either.)
I have had a lot of success since I changed things up. I am about 15 pounds heavier with the same waste size and I can eat carbs again.
If your body was 20% fat, you'd have 20 pounds to lose to look like a bodybuilder going on stage for a national level show, or 7-8 pounds to have your body start having some definition.I know there is a layer of fat everywhere, but literally my stomach does not stick out when I am sitting down. I do the "pinch" test on most areas of my body, and there is very little, if any fat. My weight is now 170/171.
If my body was 20% fat, that would mean I would have 34 pounds to lose.
I just don't see 34 pounds of fat.
Your diet is terrible. Ultra low fat is health negative. And there is nothing wrong with sugar and starched in reasonable quantity. Your body has chosen to store excess fat as you'v kept it in starvation mode, and made sure you didn't eat enough in fats to create normal levels of hormones. not a perfect diet by any stretch of the imagination.As I have said previously, my diet has always been exceptional in terms of fat/calories, and I have always worked out. I actually was on an ultra low fat diet for most of my life..which means low calories because I don't eat sugars or starches either.
Your diet is terrible. Ultra low fat is health negative. And there is nothing wrong with sugar and starched in reasonable quantity. Your body has chosen to store excess fat as you'v kept it in starvation mode, and made sure you didn't eat enough in fats to create normal levels of hormones. not a perfect diet by any stretch of the imagination.If your body was 20% fat, you'd have 20 pounds to lose to look like a bodybuilder going on stage for a national level show, or 7-8 pounds to have your body start having some definition.
As I have said previously, my diet has always been exceptional in terms of fat/calories, and I have always worked out. I actually was on an ultra low fat diet for most of my life..which means low calories because I don't eat sugars or starches either.
I'm telling you. Squats, dead lifts and clean and press. Learn these moves and it will change your body. Get on a squat rack, start with low weight and work your way up. Get a good pre workout sup if you are tired.That is what I have been doing. I bought the P90X Ab Ripper DVD. I make sure I do every single repetition on the tape....If I am feeling too tired to go forward..I pause it..get a little rest..and continue through the rest of the set. It takes me a while sometimes, but I make sure I get 25 reps per exercise..no cheating.
I have been doing that twice a week. Also, when I am at the gym, I have been doing the weighted curl machine..descending sets starting at 115 and down to 65...I have also been doing leg lifts there..and I have been using the pulley machines to work my obliques..I do a movement I saw online..sort of like a baseball swing where I hold my arms straight and keep my legs set and can only "pull" with a twist of my midsection..sort of like swinging a baseball bat.
Ya, but the lactose in dairy is a killer.Milk spikes insulin quite high, which does cause fast gains in sedentary people. But if the goal is to first put on muscle, and then burn off the fat, elevated insulin levels are a good thing. That's why bulk up routines like the old "milk and squats" routine work so well.
C'mon... really?Your diet is not perfect. The lactose from the dairy you consume is making you fat along with the gluten in the wheat products you consume like special k.
Cut out the dairy and the gluten and you will lose weight, guaranteed.
I don't know if you are being sarcastic or not, didn't see any green font.C'mon... really?
Lol, ya, Kale is great stuff. Along with tons of various nuts; almonds, macadamia, pistachios, cashews, etc.You were using kale as one of your protein sources? No wonder you lost 20lbs!
Not being sarcastic, really just asking if you are really serious in your statements.I don't know if you are being sarcastic or not, didn't see any green font.
I switched to a true vegan diet for 2 months, cut out all dairy and gluten. Along with meat too. Was getting my protein from plant based sources like nuts and kale. I shed 20 pounds and most of it was fat.
You are absolutely right to look at cutting calories as being the most important factor in determining weight loss.Not being sarcastic, really just asking if you are really serious in your statements.
Neither dairy, gluten, nor meat, by themselves, make people fat. In fact you could go on a 100% whole milk diet @ 1 liter per day (approx 600 kcal) and would lose a lot of weight. In fact you might even starve to death on it. Now if you drank 10 liters per day (6000 kcal) then yeah, most people would put on a ton of fat.
I apologize for getting cranky in my old age, but it slays me that with the length of time that this board has been up and its collective knowledge people still post crap like 'cut out food X and you will lose those love handles.'
You lost those 20 pounds because your particular vegan diet gave you a sustained energy deficit not because you chose to eat nuts and kale.
Sure but now we're getting into medical condition territory and as such we really have to get into specifics because each case will be individual.Removing a cortisol reaction from a food someone is sensitive to is going to help body composition even if calories are the same.
Naturally it won't work with everyone for obvious reasons.
:thumbsup:You are absolutely right to look at cutting calories as being the most important factor in determining weight loss.
I'm not arguing with you on that point.
Correct. He 'thought' that he was following a perfect diet. In reality he was guessing what his daily calories were and this is not a sufficiently accurate way of counting. An average person needs a 500 kcal daily deficit to lose about 1 lb of fat per week with minimal muscle loss. This target is really easy to miss if youre not following a set plan with MEASURED portions.However, the original poster complained that despite him maintaining a calorie deficit as evidenced by his low calorie diet plus working out....he could not lose his love handles. He thought he was following "a perfect diet".
Possibly, I'm not arguing that but that has nothing to do with weight loss. The OP never mentions that dairy causes him gastrointestinal problems.Most people on Earth are actually lactose intolerant.
All it does it makes you fat? So eating 2 grams of gluten per day just causes fat gain? Didn't you just agree that calories are what matter most?On the subject of Gluten there is absolutely ZERO ARGUMENT supporting it is healthy for you. There is nothing good about Gluten and all it does is make you fat. Google it, don't take my word for it.
Actually, 100 calories is 100 calories as far as fatloss goes. there was someone who did a study using twinkies for weight loss. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=T2Calories do matter the most.
However, quality of calories cannot be overlooked either. High Glycemic Index Foods or Foods that fatten the human body such as Gluten and Dairy play important roles in weight gain and loss too.
The overall goal is to lose weight. First thing you do is try to reduce calories, after that you must improve the quality of your calories.
For example, you can eat a 100 calorie candy bar or choose a 100 calorie apple. If you were only counting calories then they'd both be of the same value. However, the candy bar has dairy, refined sugar, has a bunch of chemicals, and has a High Glycemix Index Value. (High Glycemic Foods turn into fat very fast and don't give your body enough time to burn off)
The Apple is simply not the same as a candy bar even if they are the same calories. Why? The Apple has a lot of fiber and fiber calories don't even count as they get pooped out. The Apple also has some vitamins and minerals that aid the body in overall living healthy. Not to mention the Apple is low glycemic so your body won't turn it into fat, it will burn it off.
Anyone who is truly serious about losing weight will cut out dairy and gluten from their diet completely. It's a smarter and more efficient way of going about things.
Ya, I read that study and it's a crock of shet if you ask me. He still ate protein and vegetables.Actually, 100 calories is 100 calories as far as fatloss goes. there was someone who did a study using twinkies for weight loss. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=T2
My diet was naturally low fat/low calories. If you cut fat out of your diet, it's very hard to put on weight unless you started eating tons of pure sugar i.e. sodas. My Erase and Alpha T2 came in today..going to stack that with the Hydoxycut..We will see how it goesright and I don't think the original poster's diet consists solely of snickers either. Saying dropping junk food will help is a crock of shet if you don't change total calories too.
I feel that this entire quote is very incorrect. 1) I don't think people are calling for you to cut fat COMPLETELY out. But having low fat will not make it difficult to gain weight. You will just need to increases caloric intake in proteins and carbs. I'm sure i will be corrected if I am wrong. 2) don't sodas contain refined sugar, artificial sweeteners... et cetera and not "pure sugar"? In your case it may be true that "fat and pure sugar i.e. soda" would help you gain weight but i think in many cases it is quality food intake with the correct number of calories and proper protein, carbohydrate, and fat consumption i.e. almonds vs fast food french fries.If you cut fat out of your diet, it's very hard to put on weight unless you started eating tons of pure sugar i.e. sodas.