How to shed unwanted body fat

[Stefan]

Hey. So I've been going pretty steady (again) to the gym since Januaryish. Prior to this, I was off and on for 2 years.. But had interruptions from injuries and bronchitis which ultimately lead to me being lazy.

Anyways. This time I've been serious... I did a lot of research on nutrition, re-structured my gym routine, added more cardio... But I seem to be carrying a layer of body fat that I'd really like to cut.

So, I admittedly get too much carbs. The problem is due to time restraints, and a lack of income because of car payments, these are the most viable way of eating.

I'm not talking crazy amounts. Just more than I'd like. So I know I could cut back... But that's sort of a 'last resort'.

I have patellofemoral pain syndrome, so hardcore running is sort of out of the question for cardio. Biking is a good alternative, and I know I could increase that. Will that alone do the trick though?

More intense ab workouts? I do abs once every 3 days roughly. Give or take a day...

I could post my current steady diet if that helps.

But if anyone has any pointers to shed that extra fat without losing any mass, I'd really appreciate it.

Currently weigh 218, 6'3". Can post a body shot. Wanted to spare being called a douche bag... Or whatever.

And I post here because I saw the one fitness thread above, so I assume there's at least a handful of health junkies. (As opposed to posting on bodybuilding.com or something)

[:D]

Just gotta feel the pump, bro.

I've never been a fan of the bike though as far as efficiency when working out.

[Intoewsables]

Just eat a big breakfast and drink lots of water throughout the day to keep your metabolism going. Your meals should get smaller and smaller as the day goes on (breakfast being the biggest, dinner being the smallest) and aim to consume at least 80% of your bodyweight in pounds in grams of protein.

Lifting is probably the best way to burn body fat, while other cardio exercises such as running are obviously great as well. Ab workouts actually aren't as good as you'd think they are.

I'd add more to this if I had time, but I might expand on this if I remember to check the thread again.

[RonMexico]

It boils down to, do you want to look like a sprinter or marathon runner when comes to exercise? So train accordingly. However, diet is more important than spending hours in the gym. But really, anyone who can spend 3 hours at the gym is merely there to get a jaw workout talking to everyone. If you seem to be able to have the energy to work out for 3 hours, you aren't working very hard. So do some research on diet. Try all of them and find one that works for you. If your current eating style is not helping shed the lbs, then abandon ship and try another approach....and stop doing abs so much. You won't see abs until you get your body fat under 10% so until then, once a week is fine.

[Guest BuckFoston]

I know you said keeping a good diet is a bit hard with money restraints, but honestly it all starts there. Exercise is a great bonus to keep everything toned, firm and lean - but it has to start from what you put inside.

That's why it always pains me to see guys and gals at the gym or wherever working really hard on doing 500 crunches or something when they have a giant beer belly hanging there. And then later wonder why they don't have a six pack showing after all that work.

If at all possible, really look at your budget and restructure it so you can spend more on good food even if it means cutting out some entertainment or personal expenses. Changing the one thing that you already identify as a real issue shouldn't be the "last resort" as you say, but the first thing to jump on and change.

[King of the ES]

Just eat a big breakfast and drink lots of water throughout the day to keep your metabolism going. Your meals should get smaller and smaller as the day goes on

[King of the ES]

So, I admittedly get too much carbs. The problem is due to time restraints, and a lack of income because of car payments, these are the most viable way of eating.

I'm not talking crazy amounts. Just more than I'd like. So I know I could cut back... But that's sort of a 'last resort'.

[Sanj]

This is absolute, 100% horsecrap.

OP - fat loss is accomplished in 1, and only 1, way; a CALORIE DEFICIT. Most likely, you're eating too much - if you're like most people, you're probably eating far more than you realize (in terms of calories).

So you can create a calorie deficit through 2 ways:

1: Eating less

2: Moving more

Meal frequency is not at all relevant. I never, ever eat breakfast. This has no effect on metabolism whatsoever. Don't listen to the above guy's advice, he's just spewing Shape Magazine drivel.

[Sanj]

You don't get too many carbs, you get too many calories.

Carbs by themselves don't make you fat. What they are is the least satiating macronutrient (relative to fat or protein), so they tend to lead to overeating. For example, you can eat a pack of Mike & Ike's, which are all carbs, or you can eat 3 oz. of chicken breast, which is predominantly protein. In which case do you think you're going to be more full?

Carbs aren't the problem. Get that out of your head.

[Biasbieksa]

Count Calories. Worked great for me. Run intervals (HIIT) and keep the workouts different.

[Sanj]

Count Calories. Worked great for me. Run intervals (HIIT) and keep the workouts different.

[King of the ES]

Incorrect again. Carbs are a significant problem. Eating too many carbs is not good, eating too little is also bad. Its all about balance. Where the hell do you get your information from?

[RonMexico]

Explain to me why they're a "significant problem" if "it's all about balance". How are they a "significant problem"?

[Matt Beattie]

go for a run, take diet pills

[UFCanuck]

Wake up at 5:15, eat a banana or nothing at all and drink a bit of water.

Go out for a morning run at 5:30am run 30min-1hr.

Eat healthy 6 meals a day.

Chicken breast or Fish for protein. A small portion of brown rice. All the vegetables you can eat to fill you up.

Weight training to tone up.

There's no magic formula, just make healthy choices for the rest of your life. Diets are temporary and rarely work.

[Sharpshooter]

Hey. So I've been going pretty steady (again) to the gym since Januaryish. Prior to this, I was off and on for 2 years.. But had interruptions from injuries and bronchitis which ultimately lead to me being lazy.

Anyways. This time I've been serious... I did a lot of research on nutrition, re-structured my gym routine, added more cardio... But I seem to be carrying a layer of body fat that I'd really like to cut.

So, I admittedly get too much carbs. The problem is due to time restraints, and a lack of income because of car payments, these are the most viable way of eating.

I'm not talking crazy amounts. Just more than I'd like. So I know I could cut back... But that's sort of a 'last resort'.

I have patellofemoral pain syndrome, so hardcore running is sort of out of the question for cardio. Biking is a good alternative, and I know I could increase that. Will that alone do the trick though?

More intense ab workouts? I do abs once every 3 days roughly. Give or take a day...

I could post my current steady diet if that helps.

But if anyone has any pointers to shed that extra fat without losing any mass, I'd really appreciate it.

Currently weigh 218, 6'3". Can post a body shot. Wanted to spare being called a douche bag... Or whatever.

And I post here because I saw the one fitness thread above, so I assume there's at least a handful of health junkies. (As opposed to posting on bodybuilding.com or something)

[King of the ES]

Too many poor carbohydrates (all forms of fructose) leads to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a primary factor in the inability to lose fat.

[King of the ES]

Here's one of my favorite posts about fat loss, what it takes, its fundamentals, etc.: http://www.bodyrecom...-different.html

A few snippets:

-Individuals who have a lot of fat to lose either think that they can magically gain weight eating only a few hundred calories per day, or that they can lose weight just by rearranging their food in some special way. Because their metabolism is different. Diets play on this of course, hiding the simple fact that they are causing you to eat less in a complicated pseudoscience of macronutrient ratios and such. But there is never any magic to be had when you look at these books critically: it all comes down to making the person eat less, exercise more, or both. It’s just hidden in complex schemes and pseudo-physiology.

-In short: you can’t beat thermodynamics anymore than anything else in the universe. You. Are. Not. Different. You can’t gain bodymass unless your energy intake exceeds your energy output because you can’t make something out of nothing (muscle or fat). And you can’t lose bodymass unless your energy intake is less than your energy ouput. These are rules that every system in the universe has to follow, including the human body. Nature’s rules, not mine to quote the all-knowing Mr. Miyagi. We may not like them, but we have to live by them anyway.

-People all want desparately to believe that the fundamental law of weight loss (or weight gain) really isn’t as simple as calories in vs. calories out. I assure you, I wish it weren’t really the case. I really do. I’m mentioning that so you don’t just think I’m peeing on your parade. I wish that through some nifty manipulation of macronutrient percentages you could magically get fat loss or muscle/weight gain without changing the energy balance equation. I’d sell a lot more copies of my books if I told you it was possible.

[Intoewsables]

This is absolute, 100% horsecrap.

OP - fat loss is accomplished in 1, and only 1, way; a CALORIE DEFICIT. Most likely, you're eating too much - if you're like most people, you're probably eating far more than you realize (in terms of calories).

So you can create a calorie deficit through 2 ways:

1: Eating less

2: Moving more

Meal frequency is not at all relevant. I never, ever eat breakfast. This has no effect on metabolism whatsoever. Don't listen to the above guy's advice, he's just spewing Shape Magazine drivel.

[zombieksa]

I may not know a lot on this subject but I do know that swimming is one of the best workouts easily available to you. Start with laps, at least 2 different strokes to start, then bring in weights and do aerobic work outs for 45 minutes, do a cool down easy swim for 20 minutes, and end with atleast 75% of the laps you started with and within 4 weeks you will see a huge difference (if doing this routine 3 times a week at approx. 2hrs a workout).

Not to mention you will sleep like a baby if you do this routine later then 6pm.

Drink a protein shake an hour before, and eat pastas + breads 20-30 minutes after.

hope that helps, it worked for me!