Trying to lose the middle section bulge

[teqqlee]

I'm a female body builder trying to lose the middle section bulge...along with 15 lbs (almost all in my stomach/hips! ~ NOTHING I have tried so far is working. My caloric intake is down to 1200-1500 per day (very quality-oriented calories divided into 5-6 small meals). I work out 6 days a week with weights, and 3 days of 30 min aerobic sessions. I tried the Body For Life method, and only lost 5 lbs over the 12 weeks. In the past, I have tried 1-1.5 hour aerobic sessions x 4-5 days a week in addition to weight training - no loss whatsoever! I do not handle "fat-loss" products very well, getting a severe reaction to ephedra, guarana, etc., type supps. I am at a complete loss on what to do next. Can anyone suggest anything?

[theman71]

I don't know much about the female caloric intake rate but, I think 6 days with weights and 3 days of 30m cardio with only 1200-1500 calories might be a bit overtraining no matter what kind they are (I would try raising your protein intake and lowering your carbs a bit except before and after a workout, and slowly tapering off carbs as the day goes on cutting them down significantly by 4pm and having your last meal contain no/almost no carbs), and you may be losing muscle and is why you still have the fat on you mid section. Try doing cardio in the morning (if you don't already) on an empty stomach, cause your insulin levels are low and your body will go to fat storage for energy. Do it a minimum of 8 house before your weight training to avoid further overtraining. I don't know your split or what kind of workout you do but I suggest a hight volume a.k.a. high rep scheme for your abs, glutes, and hip's (using an aductor/abductor machine) I have used a high rep scheme on my traps (not with the intention of getting them ripped but getting maximum pump) but after a couple of months I noticed that they were ripped, so I decided to incorparate this into my ab routine it is working quite well. As for fat burners I have heard that xenadrine efx (has no efedrine) works well also.

[teqqlee]

Thanks ~ TheMan71 ~ for your response. I have tried SO many combinations and am finally losing "some" weight over the last several weeks. My protein intake is 'slightly' higher than my carbs, but I will try to increase it a bit more and do what you suggested about no/min carbs towards the end of the day. I try to get the cardio in as early as my job allows, but it is hard to separate my weight training sessions away from my cardio as my schedule is pretty tight. I also have Karate in the eve several days a week making the whole thing quite a juggle. My body appears to adapt easily to caloric intake and will work easily off the reduced food intake; that's why I thought I'd shock it with 1200-1500 cals only. I know doing weights 6 days a week may be a little much, but have noticed a good result since starting this about 3 weeks ago; I alternate with one session being an easier lift day whereas the other is the intense day. I work in my aerobics on the easier lift days ~ so I am hoping it is not overtraining. Also, of late I have been doing high reps for my ab section and am glad for the tip you gave...feels like I'm on the right track (finally). Again, thank you! =O)

[Miss Margaret]

I'm new here. Hope you don't mind my chiming in. Have you ever considered calorie cycling? I did this in my last 12 week session and was able to shed quite a bit of fat. I set my ratios at 50% protein/30% carbs/20% fat. There are other splits that you can do depending on your goals. This one works well for me. Gives me enough of everything I need.

The calorie cycling worked for me in that I was always changing up and my metabolism had to work extra hard to keep up with me.

HTH

[Cissy]

Please elaborate ?

Why do you lose fat when you do that ?
You may end up losing only muscle ???

[lmc]

teqqlee,

What has worked well for me is high protein (ie: 150-175, I weigh 132), moderate fat (35-35 g of polyunsaturated), and moderate carb (<100g). Also, I do cardio 3 days too, but only lift (fullbody) 3 days.

I have had significant gains in a short period of time.

[Misty]

Your calorie intake does sound very low. With someone as active as you stated you are, you need more calories than that. Chances are that you are losing muscle instead of fat for the same reason that theMan71 said. His response is very true in all that he put out ot you. I would be interested to know your height and weight because that could make a major difference in a lot about your workout and calorie intake. I do suggest, though, at any weight, doing cardio in the morning. It will lower your body fat percentage faster than many other methods. I am also on the Xenadrine EFX and it works great. It gives me the energy I need and also curbs that appetite.

[Chris_25]

I think you would be overtraining like the man said. I was wondering if you have tried high intensity cardio? I know you said you did 30 min cardio sessions and up to an hour. They burn more fat during exercise but it is proven doing all out sprints at short distances burns more fat after and helps you lose fat more quick than long distance running.

[KISAWA]

I think that we need to know your bodyweight to determine how much cal you need per day.
Bodyweight x 10-12 is a good weight loss methode: works for me!! But if you do it all year long or for mooonnnnths the your body fights against it to retain the last fat. You gotta surprise it!!

Post your diet ,water intake, supps etc;;;

[Cissy]

How do we surprise it ??

I've been on (12X wt ) calories for years ...

[SPRWMN]

TEGGLEE,
YOU ARE DOING A LOT!!! CARDIO, KARATE, WEIGHT TRAINING: THESE ALL NEED MORE PROTEIN. ARE YOU TAKING IN A PROTEIN SHAKE ONCE OR TWICE A DAY? I DO THAT AND ALSO LIKE THE EAS AVANT EDGE COOKIES N CREAM PROTEIN BARS (25G). WITH THE WEIGHT TRAINING AND EXTRA PROTEIN YOUR BODY FAT DISTRIBUTION WILL GRADUALLY RE-DISTRIBUTE ITSELF. NOT TO MENTION THE ADDED MUSCLE WILL LOOK AWESOME.

[teqqlee]

Wow! Lots of great feedback from everyone! I have been off the boards for a while - reeaaallly busy at work - and it was great to read all the terrific replies. One of the posts asked about my weight - I started at a weight of 167, and I am 5'5" tall. I am down to 146 lbs, but ideally would like to reach 130-135; if I get lower than that, I look very "sucked up." I have a medium frame build. I have tried aerobic intensity training (another post made reference to this), and this does work well; however, I do this along with endurance and other types of aerobics as the high intensity for short periods of time can be exhausting. With regards to the calories, I do scatter my caloric intake throughout the week. What I am finding is that if I keep my calories low, I am in a state of hunger most of the time (not uncomfortable, but enough to be aware) and this is where my body appears to respond. Total caloric intake is in the 1200-1500 range (at this time - I increased it for a while). Of note, my friend just went through a body building contest; he used to consume anywhere from 5000-7000 calories per day; he looked great! But, to enter into the contest, he definitely needed to cut-up. He went down to 2000 cals per day; he came in for the show at 210 lbs at a height of 5'11.5". Needless to say, on his diet/training (did the training 6 days a week), he was STARVING! Now, he indicates he will stay within 20 lbs of his contest weight so he doesn't have to diet down so hard. After watching him, I feel although my course is slow, it is progressive. For a while (the last 5 weeks or so), I maintained a caloric intake of close to 1800-2000 per day, and just stayed in limbo; no weight reduction (but no weight gain either). Okay, will stop for now - sorry for writing so much!