Perfect diet/Cannot get rid of love handles

[pittguy578]

32 year old male. I am 5'9, 165 I was one of the few guys with an eating disorder so I have been eating healthy since 8th grade. Low fat diet. Not a lot of carbs. I have some muscle definition. I have never been huge, but I work out 3-4 days a week. I do cardio, free weights, and total gym.

The one area I have always had problems with is my love handles. They are not huge. My waist is not large..33 inches. 40-42 chest. I don't have huge muscles, but I am fairly strong. I can bench press 250/8 times and can do 200 on the military press 8 times.

I am not sure if I will ever get rid of them. I have tried everything. I will lose fat everywhere else but those area.. Nothing really to change in my diet. I don't eat fat or junk at all. I do cardio 3-4 days a week. I don't do more than that because I don't want to start going catabolic and losing muscle mass.
I have tried diet pills/green tea/cartinine stack and even tried nicotine gum...I can't get rid of that fat.

Is there anything I can do other than liposuction? If I could get rid of these handles, I would be happy. They are not unsightly or gross. Just bigger than I like.

 

[ZamaMan]

The awnser is simply. If you want less fat on your body than keep cutting. Simple as that. It's actually surprising how 10% bf has more fat around the lower stomach than you'd think.

 

[Island_Girl]

Unfortunately you cannot target fat loss. We all have 1 area that the fat comes off last. Diet and cardio is what burns off fat.

 

[hypo]

You may be eating healthy, but do you count calories? Try fitday, its a free calorie/macro counter. Find out what you're consuming per day, on average, and cut out 500 or so per day.

The equation for losing weight, as you know, is simple! Since you're already doing lots of cardio cutting calories is the way to go.

 

[heavypieces]

You may be eating healthy, but do you count calories? Try fitday, its a free calorie/macro counter. Find out what you're consuming per day, on average, and cut out 500 or so per day.

The equation for losing weight, as you know, is simple! Since you're already doing lots of cardio cutting calories is the way to go.

Or if you have an iPhone check out the application LoseIt. Drop your total calories, eat 1.5 g protein per lean body mass lb and lift 4x a week and those love handles will be gone in 3 months.

 

[james122]

Unfortunately you cannot target fat loss. We all have 1 area that the fat comes off last. Diet and cardio is what burns off fat.

^^what she said^^ Its not what I wanted to hear when i had the same question, but its true.. more diet, more cardio, try 5 days a week, or 7. :bigeyes:

 

[STPlover]

Hows your sleep?

 

[mixedup]

have you tried a topical fat burner??? napalm worked wonders for me when I'm cutting

 

[B5150]

32 year old male. I am 5'9, 165 I was one of the few guys with an eating disorder so I have been eating healthy since 8th grade. Low fat diet. Not a lot of carbs. I have some muscle definition. I have never been huge, but I work out 3-4 days a week. I do cardio, free weights, and total gym.

The one area I have always had problems with is my love handles. They are not huge. My waist is not large..33 inches. 40-42 chest. I don't have huge muscles, but I am fairly strong. I can bench press 250/8 times and can do 200 on the military press 8 times.

I am not sure if I will ever get rid of them. I have tried everything. I will lose fat everywhere else but those area.. Nothing really to change in my diet. I don't eat fat or junk at all. I do cardio 3-4 days a week. I don't do more than that because I don't want to start going catabolic and losing muscle mass.
I have tried diet pills/green tea/cartinine stack and even tried nicotine gum...I can't get rid of that fat.

Is there anything I can do other than liposuction? If I could get rid of these handles, I would be happy. They are not unsightly or gross. Just bigger than I like.

You are considerably lacking muscle mass. For a 5'9" and 165" you have a large waist and little upper body mass.

You have the classic skinny fat physique and I suspect it is because your are under eating. You may want to consider giving all the dieting a break for a month or more and putting on some more muscle mass and pick up on the fat loss through cardio rather than caloric deprivation and supplements.

 

[MrBEEF]

I have the EXACT same problem. I am actually sort of in your ballpark #'s too, except weight:

203 lbs, 13/14%bf, 5'9", bench 380 lbs 1RM....

I also have love handles from being overweight (up to 257 lbs) in my undergrad days. I slowly lost weight, but my skin around that area is slightly stretched out. Like you, it's not horrible but it bothers me the same. My diet M-F is baller, but weekend I mess up a lot. For me, I think b/c of the tad looser skin, it tend to exaggerate the fat in that area. I also notice that when I hold water (salt, etc.), I also hold it there and it kills my side-tapered look...depressing.

Unfortunately, the answer is there...it's your diet. I used to try to take a bunch of crap like T3/Clen etc. etc. hoping it would go away. But honestly...it comes down to your diet. I am not sating your is bad but you gotta really look at it and see what/how you can improve it.

Perhaps trying a low-carb, or healthy fat diets vs. the dry diet...or some sort of alternation to keep metabolism up...like a hybrid.

Perhaps go 3 days low-carb/higher fat (>80-100g Carbs), and then hit up a single day of dry( < 20g fat).

If you want to consider a fat burning supplement, I'd recommend something like a T3/Clen (while on anabolic cycle, AAS or PH), or perhaps a Clen Transdermal like people do...the Clenviscerate.

Bottom line is probably no one has the exact answer for you, but you got some options....never give up.

For me, I think "oh..my diet is perfect" and it is....M-F lol, until I go to donutman LOL.

Work on consistancy and perhaps mix it up a bit.

 

[Nitrox]

You may be eating healthy, but do you count calories? Try fitday, its a free calorie/macro counter. Find out what you're consuming per day, on average, and cut out 500 or so per day.

The equation for losing weight, as you know, is simple! Since you're already doing lots of cardio cutting calories is the way to go.

This.

It doesnt matter if you are eating low fat, or how much cardio you do. It all comes down to how much energy you expend vs how much food energy that you take in. Usually the more you train the hungrier that you get. If you eat to your appetite you are probably not going to lose much because your body does not like to lose weight.

Make a meal plan at 500 calories below maintenance and stick to it for a couple weeks. Aim to lose 1 lb per week. Adjust calories as necessary. The first time you do this you probably wont get it spot on.

Keep the weight training up to preserve muscle.

The rest is gravy.

 

[pittguy578]

In terms of calories, I am not sure where I can cut back. This is my usual diet.
Bowl of Special K High Protein or Kashi cereal (the high protein-low sugar one) One Met RX protein bar mid morning. Two protein shakes throughout the day (EAS with Skim Milk) and for dinner..usually eat at work. I put a can of chicken and a can of chic peas together and use fat free/sugar free dressing. That is probably the highest "calorie" meal of the day. Probably around 500-600 calories, but 50-60 grams of protein.

So let me see. 300 for cereal
400 for the METRX Bar.
Two protein shakes with skim milk (maybe 600 total)
and the dinner which is around 600 calories. No junk in between.
I am guessing the total amount of calories I take in is around 2000-2100.

Even when I was "cutting" before..good diet..25-30 minutes of cardio a day.
I could not get rid of the
love handles. I put on a few pounds over the past 2-3 months (maybe 5-6 ) because I was lifting and switched to whole milk protein shakes to get more calories in. I have not gained or lost more than 5 pounds since my senior year of college. I have never had a "weight problem". I was probably one of the few guys that had an eating disorder..had it back in high school..and have always eaten very healthy.

Are topical weight loss solutions my only hope to target love handles?

 

[B5150]

In terms of calories, I am not sure where I can cut back. This is my usual diet.
Bowl of Special K High Protein or Kashi cereal (the high protein-low sugar one) One Met RX protein bar mid morning. Two protein shakes throughout the day (EAS with Skim Milk) and for dinner..usually eat at work. I put a can of chicken and a can of chic peas together and use fat free/sugar free dressing. That is probably the highest "calorie" meal of the day. Probably around 500-600 calories, but 50-60 grams of protein.

So let me see. 300 for cereal
400 for the METRX Bar.
Two protein shakes with skim milk (maybe 600 total)
and the dinner which is around 600 calories. No junk in between.
I am guessing the total amount of calories I take in is around 2000-2100.

Even when I was "cutting" before..good diet..25-30 minutes of cardio a day.
I could not get rid of the
love handles. I put on a few pounds over the past 2-3 months (maybe 5-6 ) because I was lifting and switched to whole milk protein shakes to get more calories in. I have not gained or lost more than 5 pounds since my senior year of college. I have never had a "weight problem". I was probably one of the few guys that had an eating disorder..had it back in high school..and have always eaten very healthy.

Are topical weight loss solutions my only hope to target love handles?

You need to invest more in knowing exactly what you are eating. "Probably", "guessing", "maybe" and "around" is not quite knowing and can be a very big deal.

1 -1.5 gram of protein per lb of body weight.
20% of your total calories from EFA (healthy fat)
Balance of calories from lo GI carbohydrates.

What exactly is this "eating disorder" you refer to?

 

[pittguy578]

Only thing that may be slightly off is the cereal in the morning depending on how tired I am. If I am off, it is not by much. Worst case scenario even if I put more Special K in the bowl than normal, my total calories would go up to 2100-2200. Back in the 8th grade, I became anorexic. I was always really skinny growing up, and then through my parents divorce, I put on some weight. I started dieting and couldn't stop. I am not as crazy as I was back then, but I just have always eaten healthy-no fat and no junk sugar. I don't eat candy..no fast food..etc.

 

[schwellington]

dunn it sounds kinda like he is mildly anorexic OR has a body image disorder that he is referring to as an eating disorder


These are just guesses im not a professional in any way, I have experince with body image disorder tho


either way man good luck

 

[pittguy578]

I am fine now. No body image issues. Just want to get rid of these love handles They are getting on my nerves. I am just worried about losing muscle mass if I go on the cardio too hard and have a major calorie deficit.

 

[pittguy578]

I will take some pics in a bit. I just went to the gym to do more cardio. I did 20 minutes this morning. I did 45 minutes this evening. On the treadmill at a 15% incline and 4.1 MPH. According to the machine, I burned over 900 calories today.

 

[dsade]

Looking at your diet, you are lacking EFAs big time.

 

[pittguy578]

Ok I attached a pic. Just took it this evening. Not sure why it is slightly out of focus. I had a remote shutter for the camera, but the battery died on the remote.

 

[B5150]

Enough with the dieting already. You are wasting away the little muscle mass you already have.

Add 20lbs to your frame and your proportions will balance out.

Enough with the dieting!

 

[pittguy578]

I will start hitting the weights harder. Problem is my job has been so crazy lately. I am there 11 hours a day on top of an hour commute. Hopefully things will slow down after the holiday so I can get back to some type of normalcy. I used to go to the gym every day on my lunch hour-we have a gym in our building. I haven't been able to take a lunch so I stopped going there..I joined a 24 hour gym this past month and am sometimes there until 9.

 

[B5150]

I understand completely. I'm at the gym at 4:00AM and work from 5:30 to 4:30-5:00 every day.

Good luck!

 

[pittguy578]

Am I skinny fat or just fat or normal?

 

[cpekz]

The fat would probably begin to disappear on it's own if you added a decent amount of lean mass... low calories is the exact opposite of what you need. You'd be surprised how many calories those extra pounds of muscle consume to stay there. Pack on mass first, then cut the fat after (if you've gained any).

 

[Carcaya]

Find a lifting partner and get serious. Don't make excuses for this or that. Its going to take time but if you truly want to be ripped, you have to be willing to pay the price.

 

[AE14]

Enough with the dieting already. You are wasting away the little muscle mass you already have.

Add 20lbs to your frame and your proportions will balance out.

Enough with the dieting!

I couldn't agree more. You will need to add good weight. If you are sill concerned about cutting even alittle, I would recommend post lifting cardio. Hit the treadmill for a fast walk (4.0mph), on the highest incline. It will help you stay lean while trying to add quality mass

 

[pittguy578]

I hit the treadmill for 20 minutes at 4.1 for the past two nights. I would have done longer, but I didn't get there until after 9 PM. I am going to go for an hour on Thanksgiving morning. I am actually noticeably dropping weight in the midsection. I am using Smolder on my Upper Abs and Dermatherm Target on my love handles. I am also working my abs on the weighted ab machine every time I am there. I start at 100 pounds and do descending sets until I reach 60. I also lifted last night with the machines-had no spotter. Military pressed over 200 and did descending sets. Started the bench press at 225 and did descending sets. Also did the row and fly.

I think my biggest problem was the fact I didn't know there was a 24 hour gym in my town. I just found out this past month and joined right away. I am going to go every day this week..Maybe twice on Friday. I have the day off and am not going shopping.

 

[TonyMaserati]

I'm not sure if I can help, but after reading this, I wanted to give my 2 cents, so take it for what it's worth.

If I were you, I'd add some mass like people have said. How? Aside from the obvious, try varying your rep scheme/negatives. This has done WONDERS for me. I guess I hit plateaus pretty quick and my body adapts. Try this with NO SUPPS.

I do slow 4 second negatives for 3 sets at 8 reps. Trust me, if you've never done this before, you'll be sore.
And...I use mostly machines as my joints are shot and I have a partially torn pec. Machiens aren't bad, it's just how you use them. I'll stay at the 4 second negs for 3 weeks and then go to 3 sets of 12 reps in a standard rep speed. Do this for 3 weeks and then do 5 sets for 5 reps as heavy as youcan go.Then youcould go back to the 4 second negs.
Shovel the lean protein down your neck. Chicken. Ground Turkey. Lay off the Met/rx bars. Ugh. Crap. Try whole foods. Chicken, ground turkey. I noticed a big difference when I went from bars/powders as my main source to a package of chicken breast each night before bed. Your body absorbs all of that meat and builds muscle. I try to limit my carbs. A few after working out and that's it.
Your goals will be reached a lot faster if you:
1. Overload the muscle.
2. Repair that muscle with copious amoutns of protein.
3. Water, water, water.
4. Fish Oil (8 gms/day)
5. Hit each muscle group 2x/week
6. Take a multi vitamin.

Mon: Chest/Shoulders/Tris
Tues: Back/Biceps/Calves
Wed: Legs
Thurs: OFF
Fri: Chest/Shoulders/Tris
Sat: Back/Bis/Calves
Sun: OFF
Mon: (skip legs) Chest/Shoulders/Tris
Tues: Back/Bis
Wed: Legs
Thu: OFF

This is too long and I apologize for that. Hope this helps.
Oh, the cardio. Try 20 minutes of HIIT 4x/week AFTER working out. I'll never do traditional cardio again. Takes to long and bores me to death.

 

[sreed11]

Long distance fast walking is great and all but high intensity sprints would be extremely beneficial. I'm not sure of your shape so you'd have to do some self exploration in a way to find the times that you need to be hitting but look into running fartlecks, 300's, 400's, mile splits... for instance on the mile splits, say you run a ten minute mile. Go 10 min. mile, 10 rest and stretch, 10 min mile, 10 rest and stretch, 10 min mile, rest.... I think it's great how far you've come from the eating disorder that you have overcome. The thing is now you have to get tough. Like the guys said earlier, you have to put in the work. The phrase no pain no gain really applies. So if you wanna look great, you're gonna have to bust your ass and endure some pain. Of course it's possible to just lift hard and maybe do a bit of cardio and watch your diet and you may look good eventually as long as you bust your balls lifting. But if you want the quickest and best results, i personally feel like busting your ass in every aspect will get you the quickest results. Just my .02 from experience and a decent amount of knowledge. Kill the cardio, kill the weights, kill the diet... kill the fat.

 

[pittguy578]

I hit up the cardio hard this week. I did at least 30 minutes per day..Walking 15% incline at 4.1+ MPH-sometimes up to 4.4 for short bursts. I actually did two 20 minute sessions yesterday. One at noon and one at midnight. I took the day off today. I am going to go to cardio/lift weights tomorrow morning. I am in fairly decent shape to begin with. I may not have mass, but I am not weak. I used to go to the gym 5x days a week (did the treadmill every day) for 15 minutes..That is when I could actually take a lunch hour..Then work got crazy..and I don't even have a chance to eat let alone work out. I just found out about the 24 hour gym this month and joined ASAP. I am combining the cardio with ALCAR, Smolder, Dermatherm, VPX, and CLA. I have never really been "out of shape" or in poor health. As I indicated above, I have always watched what I eat..and have been the same weight since age 21. I do have more muscle than I have had in the past. People that haven't seen me in a while are surprised..Obviously I am not ripped but my shoulders/back have gotten larger. I should take a new pic tomorrow.

 

[sreed11]

Good luck. Thought about bagging the treadmill and hitting up some 400's and some sprints outdoor?

 

[spool]

Remove all milk. Whether its skim or not, for some it causes bloating and inflamation which could lead to storing fat. When I took it out and replaced whey with other sources of protein I lost 2" from around my waist. It would just require 1 modification to your current regime and it would also take away almost 500 cal.

 

[poorejj]

Being that I'm new to this website, and this is my first post, what I have to say will probably be ignored. However, I have had similar problems in the past, shedding those last few pounds of body fat, and I have something to say... It is my opinion, based on experience, and self-education, that the majority of what I've read in these posts about dieting for maximum FAT loss, is wrong. I've tried just about every type of diet you've ever heard of, and when I follow a diet I am VERY strict (to the point that some would call me insane!). I've done these diets along with a moderate amount of cardio, and a lot of weight training. I had, at one point, been on a diet similar to yours. I ate a low fat, moderate carb, moderate/high protein diet. I did lose weight, a lot of which was fat, but also lost bone and muscle mass. The end result of that diet wasn't what I was looking for, and I'm sure it IS NOT what you're looking for either! I never did lose those last few pounds of fat on that diet, and the more I cut the calories following that macronutrient ratio, the more bone and muscle I lost, and I just couldn't get rid of those last few pounds of fat STILL! Anyway, I could talk about diet longer than I have the time for (at work right now! ) But, I had to tell you that I have found the best FAT loss diet and have been on it for going on two years now. It is a ketogenic style diet. My macronutrient ratios according to fitday are: 63% fat, 32% protein, and 5% carbs. The fats I eat are Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Butter, Cream, Nuts, Seeds, Fatty meats, Cheese..... The small amount of carbs I do get are all from nuts, seeds, cheese, and LOTS and LOTS of high fiber, low net carb, vegetables. I get all the fiber, potassium, vit C, Calcium, and all that other good stuff that a lot of people say you can't get on a a low carb diet from eating a lot of sardines, dark leafy greens, and lots of nuts. According to fit day, I never have anything in red on the nutrient tab. I also take a multi, ALA, and Chromium. Oh, something you might want to think about is that your body only has two sources of fuel that it can use for energy, and those are glucose (sugar), and fat. Even eating a moderate amount of carbs. per day, like you do, on a low fat diet, will train your body to be good at burning sugar, and then when you go to sleep at night and there's no food coming in, your body breaks down your bone and muscle to make its own glucose. Become a good fat burner by getting rid of the carbs, upping your fat intake, and eating the right amount of protein each day (1gm/lb rule), and when you go to sleep at night, your body will break down your body fat for energy instead! There's so much more to say, but not the time to say it. Check out www dot drrosedale dot com

 

[poorejj]

Oh, and I shouldn't have said that most of the posts I had read were wrong. There were a lot of things I agree with!! For instance, the milk thing... TOTALLY AGREE... Also, the guy that said something about eating real foods (whole foods, not protein bars...), cutting carbs, and eating a lot of protein while at the same time overloading your muscles...... I agree with all that.... What I meant was that I am in complete opposition to the stance that many people take that you need to cut fat, and eat plenty of "good" carbs. along with protein. I've been there, done that, and the results weren't all that great. The high fat diet is awesome. It raises testosterone, growth hormones, and the diet puts you in a highly anti-catabolic environment!

 

[saggy321]

Its taken me over a year to get rid of my love handles completely. Why...the same reason as you not enough muscle. You just have to go through cycles of lean bulking and cutting, eventually as your bf drops you do start to lose fat around your lower waist.

But seriously, looking at your pics....you are not particularly lean anywhere. You're bf % I reckon is fairly high as you don't have much muscle.

Go for a long, slow clean bulk...I reckon around 12 - 16 weeks and then do a cutting cycle.

 

[pittguy578]

My body fat percentage is actually relatively low. The only fat I have is around the abdomen area. No fat on my back or on my legs. I had done cardio 3-4 days a week for nearly three years and always had an ultra low fat/no junk diet..As I said before, I am anal about what I eat. I had an eating disorder. My "cheat" foods are MetRx brownies. I put on weight because I was trying to put on muscle switching to skim milk to whole milkprotein shakes to get my testosterone and calories up. Plus a little of it was due to the fact I was taking something for sleep that causes weight gain. I didn't think it would happen to me, but it did. I switched to something that has no negative side effects. I will take a new picture tomorrow. I have lost weight in the midsection. I did 30 minutes of cardio tonight and did abs (weighted crunch) and then used the cable system to work my obliques by doing twists. I must have put on muscle somewhere else because my weight has not dropped significant, but I definitely have less body fat. I take in 120-140 grams of protein per day and keep my calories at around 2K. I am using ALCAR, CLA, Lipo 6 black, Green Tea plus Mega Men energy and Metabolism multivitamin plus Gutamine/Arginine before bed.

 

[Carcaya]

My body fat percentage is actually relatively low. The only fat I have is around the abdomen area. No fat on my back or on my legs. I had done cardio 3-4 days a week for nearly three years and always had an ultra low fat/no junk diet..As I said before, I am anal about what I eat. I had an eating disorder. My "cheat" foods are MetRx brownies. I put on weight because I was trying to put on muscle switching to skim milk to whole milkprotein shakes to get my testosterone and calories up. Plus a little of it was due to the fact I was taking something for sleep that causes weight gain. I didn't think it would happen to me, but it did. I switched to something that has no negative side effects. I will take a new picture tomorrow. I have lost weight in the midsection. I did 30 minutes of cardio tonight and did abs (weighted crunch) and then used the cable system to work my obliques by doing twists. I must have put on muscle somewhere else because my weight has not dropped significant, but I definitely have less body fat. I take in 120-140 grams of protein per day and keep my calories at around 2K. I am using ALCAR, CLA, Lipo 6 black, Green Tea plus Mega Men energy and Metabolism multivitamin plus Gutamine/Arginine before bed.

Hate to burst your bubble, but you have no definition in arms, delts, chest, etc. These are some of the first places to get defined on a person with a bit of lifting, thus i can see the gentleman's thinking about your bf%. You need to Lift! Quit cardio'ing like a little bitch, rev your metabolism and shoot to get some muscle. The sups arent going to carry you into magic ripped land.

Also, to the boy blowing the keto trumpet saying everyone else is wrong. Every successful bodybuilder i personally know who competes and has an awesome physique uses low carbohydrate diets near pre contest and thats it. Carbs are included in their diet most of the time. I really don't think the OP is in a position to worry about a low carb diet. He needs to get motivated, not energy depleted. Btw, does smoking work well for you on your keto diet?

 

[pittguy578]

I am not trying to get huge. I have tried when I was younger i.e. 18-22 when I was eating a lot (all you can eat cafeteria at college)..wasn't eating junk, but I still could not pack on mass. I am not sure if maybe I have lower than normal testosterone levels? Is there any way to get that checked out? I gain strength, but not mass when lifting weights.

I am not avoiding carbs at all. My diet is mostly protein and carbs. I am just not eating processed sugars right now. No desserts on Thanksgiving..no Christmas cookies. I get plenty of carbs with my cereal and fruit intake plus through the milk in my protein shakes as well as through my protein bars-sometimes I have two a day if I am on the run.

And cardio is not just to lose weight. I suffer from depression and it helps my mood.

 

[saggy321]

Hate to burst your bubble, but you have no definition in arms, delts, chest, etc. These are some of the first places to get defined on a person with a bit of lifting, thus i can see the gentleman's thinking about your bf%. You need to Lift! Quit cardio'ing like a little bitch, rev your metabolism and shoot to get some muscle. The sups arent going to carry you into magic ripped land.

Also, to the boy blowing the keto trumpet saying everyone else is wrong. Every successful bodybuilder i personally know who competes and has an awesome physique uses low carbohydrate diets near pre contest and thats it. Carbs are included in their diet most of the time. I really don't think the OP is in a position to worry about a low carb diet. He needs to get motivated, not energy depleted. Btw, does smoking work well for you on your keto diet?

Ditto....When ever I've hit anywhere near 11% bf I can easily see the separation between my muscle groups and abs are visible. You have none of this and coupled with the little muscle you have, your bf % is fairly high. I have the same phenotype as you...ie skinny fat. Your overall structure looks thin, but rather than being ripped you hold a lot of fat and can't put on muscle easily. That's why its taken me 18 months of effort to get to 10% bf and a decent amount of muscle.

And as the fella says above, low carb diets work, but only for a limited period. Its to get the last few pounds of fat off. Doing it for prolonged periods will screw up your metabolism, speaking from personal experience. But judging from your pics your not particularly insulin sensitive, so I would have moderate carbs....maybe a couple of small meals a day with one of them being post workout.

I've read somewhere the three hormones that contribute possibly the most to a 'skinny fat' body type are: oestrogen / test ratio, cortisol and insulin. If you can manage / optimise these you will start to see positive changes in your body composition rather quickly. And the two things you should work on first before anything else to optimise these three hormones....diet and training.

Have moderate carbs.
Increase healthy fats.
Train hard and heavy with weights...really work on lifting heavier every week
Limit the amount of cardio you do. I would even suggest no more than a couple of times a week.

 

[pittguy578]

Ditto....When ever I've hit anywhere near 11% bf I can easily see the separation between my muscle groups and abs are visible. You have none of this and coupled with the little muscle you have, your bf % is fairly high. I have the same phenotype as you...ie skinny fat. Your overall structure looks thin, but rather than being ripped you hold a lot of fat and can't put on muscle easily. That's why its taken me 18 months of effort to get to 10% bf and a decent amount of muscle.

And as the fella says above, low carb diets work, but only for a limited period. Its to get the last few pounds of fat off. Doing it for prolonged periods will screw up your metabolism, speaking from personal experience. But judging from your pics your not particularly insulin sensitive, so I would have moderate carbs....maybe a couple of small meals a day with one of them being post workout.

I've read somewhere the three hormones that contribute possibly the most to a 'skinny fat' body type are: oestrogen / test ratio, cortisol and insulin. If you can manage / optimise these you will start to see positive changes in your body composition rather quickly. And the two things you should work on first before anything else to optimise these three hormones....diet and training.

Have moderate carbs.
Increase healthy fats.
Train hard and heavy with weights...really work on lifting heavier every week
Limit the amount of cardio you do. I would even suggest no more than a couple of times a week.

Thank you for your help. I am going to ask my doctor to test my testosterone levels. I am going to go for a physical. I have worked out and always kept active. I never eat junk food. I really do mean never. I don't even eat candy or cake or anything that might be fattening. My cheats are protein brownies from MetRx. I have noticed fat loss, but not much despite the fact I am stacking multiple weight loss supplements/amino acids and watching what I eat.

 

[pittguy578]

I am not sure what the heck is going on. I have been hitting up the gym and eating a good diet. I have actually put on weight. . My weight is over 170 now. I do not think it is fat though. Not sure how that would happen with all of the stacks I have been taking..the Green Tea, Alcar, Hydroxycut, CLA, along with the Dermatherm Target on my abs.
If I put on fat, then there are some serious health issues I need to get fixed.

I am trying to set up an appointment to get an accurate BMI so I know exactly where I am at. I definitely do not see "a lot" of extra fat on my body..not more than 20-25 pounds-all in the midsection. No fat on my legs, etc.

I am 5'9, and my waist is 32. I don't see how I could have a lot of fat if all of the fat I have is on my midsection.

 

[poorejj]

I have a lot I would like to say, but I hate typing on my phone, so I'm only going to say a couple things. Low fast diets (such as what you have been following) significantly LOWER testosterone. Low calorie diets do, as well. High fat diets have been shown to significantly raise testosterone. Also, of all the different types of fat, saturated fats raise testosterone the most! Eat red meat, and eggs, and plenty of them. Don't be afraid to eat them!

 

[poorejj]

Hell, with that low calorie, low fat, high fiber diet you're on, I'd be surprised if you didn't have any trouble getting aroused!

 

[bashman]

Get off the deit bro, bump the calories back up to maintenance for a couple weeks, then slowly start to reduce again.

Try HIT on rowing machine - so underated, and will help further define your upper body.

 

[pittguy578]

I have a lot I would like to say, but I hate typing on my phone, so I'm only going to say a couple things. Low fast diets (such as what you have been following) significantly LOWER testosterone. Low calorie diets do, as well. High fat diets have been shown to significantly raise testosterone. Also, of all the different types of fat, saturated fats raise testosterone the most! Eat red meat, and eggs, and plenty of them. Don't be afraid to eat them!

I have been eating more fat lately again-just started the other day.
I added 2% milk to my protein shakes, and I am eating toast with peanut butter. I also have had eggs twice in the past two days. I feel that I am getting stronger. I was able to lift weight longer and more of it last night when I hit the gym. I have been taking the Testopro.

 

[poorejj]

Right on man! Check out a book called the anabolic solution for bodybuilders. Keep us posted! Mmmm... I'm getting ready to eat half a dozen eggs myself!

 

[EasyEJL]

My body fat percentage is actually relatively low.

no, its really not. Maybe compared to "obese america" it is, but i'd guess you to be in the 18+% bodyfat range, and yes you will have love handles at that.

 

[pittguy578]

no, its really not. Maybe compared to "obese america" it is, but i'd guess you to be in the 18+% bodyfat range, and yes you will have love handles at that.

I don't think it could be that high. That would mean I would have over 30 pounds of fat. am just not seeing where I have 30 pounds of extra fat on my body when I have a 32 inch waist. I have been consistently working out since 2006-2007. This is not something I just started up and with my diet, I don't think I could have that much extra fat.I should have a definite answer this week.

 

[EasyEJL]

I don't think it could be that high. That would mean I would have over 30 pounds of fat. am just not seeing where I have 30 pounds of extra fat on my body when I have a 32 inch waist. I have been consistently working out since 2006-2007. This is not something I just started up and with my diet, I don't think I could have that much extra fat.I should have a definite answer this week.

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.

 

[hugeswole]

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.