Hip Fat... What to do???

[klynn86]

Workout 5-6 times a week... eat high protein low carb diet, get enough sleep... tried cardio in the morning, and I AM NOT a morning person.. Should I suck it up? Ive been reading that cardio in the morning is best on an empty stomach because your body fuels from stored fat... makes sense to me, Im just not crazy about getting up at 5:30 and doing cardio for 45 mins tho.... My body is building beautifully...Im gaining lean muscle, becoming stronger.. BUT my hips... cant get rid of them..I have lost about 2 inches since the beginning of January (when I started hitting the weights hard). I do cardio about 2-3 times a week.. def not a cardio queen... Should I be doing more cardio?? My main goal is to lose as much hip fat as I can and gain the muscle.. Im 5"7 and my weight fluctuates from 125-127.. hip size is 31.5in. I lift heavy and eat right for the most part and drink a gallon of water a day... Im assuming I need to do more cardio to fix this problem? And if that is the answer, would HIIT be the answer? If so for how long and how many days a week??? What are the best type of cardio for this problem... don't wanna lose my muscle :(

[CrabbyCakes]

This is just a guess, but I have a feeling that the ladies are going to tell you this: double check your diet and make sure it's REALLY in order and do more muscle building exercises for your legs.

Getting rid of fat = getting your diet in order

[kait123]

Get your diet in check, meet your macros, and stay consistent with it.
No amount of cardio or training is going to do anything unless you have your diet in order.
Make sure you're lifting a good amount of weight for your lower body as well.

[dreahere]

I'm sorry, I may be crazy, but if your hip measurement is 31.5 inches, what is there to lose? I just checked online for ****s and giggles, and 31.5 inches is a size 12 girls pant. So unless you're 11 years old and haven't hit puberty yet, I'm thinking your pelvic bones aren't going to let your hips get smaller than that.

But pics would help in case you're just measuring completely wrong.

[klynn86]

I'm sorry, I may be crazy, but if your hip measurement is 31.5 inches, what is there to lose? I just checked online for ****s and giggles, and 31.5 inches is a size 12 girls pant. So unless you're 11 years old and haven't hit puberty yet, I'm thinking your pelvic bones aren't going to let your hips get smaller than that.

But pics would help in case you're just measuring completely wrong.

My apologies, my waist the layer of fat that sits on my lower back sides (love handles).. I guess we all know that I am not 11.. and im sure puberty has nothing to do with this... again I should of been more specific... Sorry my mistake..

[summertown74]

I can't help it....I have to say it.....at 5'7", your hips are that small, the fat above them might be invisible to the naked eye (except yours of course). Pics required to see this fat. If it's really there, you need to build more muscle and give it time..... :)

[dreahere]

My apologies, my waist the layer of fat that sits on my lower back sides (love handles)

Okay, 31.5 for a lower ab measurement is a lot less scary. Whew. :) But still, at 5'7, 125, you aren't at all overweight. Just keep lifting and eating at maintenance, don't worry about the cardio, and you'll recomp.

[klynn86]

Okay, 31.5 for a lower ab measurement is a lot less scary. Whew. :) But still, at 5'7, 125, you aren't at all overweight. Just keep lifting and eating at maintenance, don't worry about the cardio, and you'll recomp.

HAHA... no its not so scary... Yeah im def not overweight by any means... the rest of my body seems to be shaping and forming fine, just my damn love handles... and I know I am the most critical of them because they are on me.. i just hit a frustration point and want them GONE!! I will start lifting heavier, I know i need to do this anyways.. hopefully I will see a difference... maybe tweak my meal plan... push a little harder! Thanks for the motivation!!! :)

[Iskierka23]

Our stats are a little similar. I am 5'7" and about 31.5 around my lower abdomen, sort of where my jeans sit. I'm not exactly sure where you were measuring. I'm working on getting rid of the last bit of body fat I am unhappy with, too. I am doing this through a combination of diet, cardio, and strength training.

For what its worth, years ago I went a little diet crazy, and got down to about 125. I am now about 140 and a size SMALLER than I was at 125, and I am about a million times happier with how I look. I contribute this all to the strength training. Just bringing this up because you may be happier with the way your body looks if you start lifting more.

[klynn86]

Our stats are a little similar. I am 5'7" and about 31.5 around my lower abdomen, sort of where my jeans sit. I'm not exactly sure where you were measuring. I'm working on getting rid of the last bit of body fat I am unhappy with, too. I am doing this through a combination of diet, cardio, and strength training.

For what its worth, years ago I went a little diet crazy, and got down to about 125. I am now about 140 and a size SMALLER than I was at 125, and I am about a million times happier with how I look. I contribute this all to the strength training. Just bringing this up because you may be happier with the way your body looks if you start lifting more.

Yeah, I hardley ever weigh myself, only because I am not concerned with what the scale says, don't get me wrong, I will weight myself once a week or sometimes every two weeks.. I was at 135lbs, and started to lift heavy and dropped lbs like crazy, now Im done to 125-127, I am happy with my weight and my the majority of my body parts are toned, I am just having heck trying to lose the few inches that is on my waist line... I always look for gals who share the similar stats, because its easier for me to understand them... it kinda shows me, hey she is 5"7 to and she looks like that, so I can do it.. I tend to have a perfectionist attitude, not just with my body, everything I do.. and when I work hard and don't see results I get frustrated... I just started squatting 100lbs, almost my body weight, im super stoked about that!!!! I am currently working on my upper body strength tho, I really want to do a pull up... im sick of doing negative pullups, but I know I need to keep on keeping on.. :) Thanks for the insight!

[freebirdmac]

When there's not enough muscle mass, the problem areas can look worse than they are and tend to not go away with a hypocaloric diet. But we are trained, pretty much since birth, to go on a diet and lose weight to improve our physiques :rolleyes:. Stop eating below maintenance and focus on gaining needed underlying mass. Hit the problem from a completely different direction.

[klynn86]

When there's not enough muscle mass, the problem areas can look worse than they are and tend to not go away with a hypocaloric diet. But we are trained, pretty much since birth, to go on a diet and lose weight to improve our physiques :rolleyes:. Stop eating below maintenance and focus on gaining needed underlying mass. Hit the problem from a completely different direction.

So basically, continue to lift heavy and eat at maintenance?

[juliacheh]

So basically, continue to lift heavy and eat at maintenance?

Slightly above to gain muscle.

[HackSquat Heather]

The bonus is that the more muscle you put on, the higher your metabolism will get. Which means you will shed more body fat with the same caloric consumption. :)

[bBOLDnBEAUTIFUL]

Workout 5-6 times a week... eat high protein low carb diet, get enough sleep... tried cardio in the morning, and I AM NOT a morning person.. Should I suck it up? Ive been reading that cardio in the morning is best on an empty stomach because your body fuels from stored fat... makes sense to me, Im just not crazy about getting up at 5:30 and doing cardio for 45 mins tho.... My body is building beautifully...Im gaining lean muscle, becoming stronger.. BUT my hips... cant get rid of them..I have lost about 2 inches since the beginning of January (when I started hitting the weights hard). I do cardio about 2-3 times a week.. def not a cardio queen... Should I be doing more cardio?? My main goal is to lose as much hip fat as I can and gain the muscle.. Im 5"7 and my weight fluctuates from 125-127.. hip size is 31.5in. I lift heavy and eat right for the most part and drink a gallon of water a day... Im assuming I need to do more cardio to fix this problem? And if that is the answer, would HIIT be the answer? If so for how long and how many days a week??? What are the best type of cardio for this problem... don't wanna lose my muscle :(


Best cardio to shed fat is HIIT. since your on low carb, you dont want to do it more than 2 times a week, each time 15mins

[freebirdmac]

So basically, continue to lift heavy and eat at maintenance?


Slightly above to gain muscle.

Yep, slightly above. And do not use cardio to try and stave off fat gains! Keep it simple, use diet and lifting to heavy to gain mass. Table cardio for awhile. Yes you'll gain some fat but it won't be nearly as much or as bad as you think. And the more you can eat over maintenance the better your bulk will be. Provided you put the work in at the gym. Going up 200-300 cals is not unreasonable.

Go through the bulking thread. You'll see. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=128051673

[lexinak]

Workout 5-6 times a week... eat high protein low carb diet, get enough sleep... tried cardio in the morning, and I AM NOT a morning person.. Should I suck it up? Ive been reading that cardio in the morning is best on an empty stomach because your body fuels from stored fat... makes sense to me, Im just not crazy about getting up at 5:30 and doing cardio for 45 mins tho.... My body is building beautifully...Im gaining lean muscle, becoming stronger.. BUT my hips... cant get rid of them..I have lost about 2 inches since the beginning of January (when I started hitting the weights hard). I do cardio about 2-3 times a week.. def not a cardio queen... Should I be doing more cardio?? My main goal is to lose as much hip fat as I can and gain the muscle.. Im 5"7 and my weight fluctuates from 125-127.. hip size is 31.5in. I lift heavy and eat right for the most part and drink a gallon of water a day... Im assuming I need to do more cardio to fix this problem? And if that is the answer, would HIIT be the answer? If so for how long and how many days a week??? What are the best type of cardio for this problem... don't wanna lose my muscle :(

5'7, 125lbs, 31.5" hips? That's not fat or even large. Your hips are actually quite small for your frame.

[elaina08]

31inches around the belly button area on someone 5'7 is still crazy small, no??? I wouldn't imagine you want to get smaller or you'd just look like a ruler. Just add more muscle.

[klynn86]

31inches around the belly button area on someone 5'7 is still crazy small, no??? I wouldn't imagine you want to get smaller or you'd just look like a ruler. Just add more muscle.

Thanks! :))