2 months ..pics..... still no changes... : /

[rxghost]

here is a pic i took back in early january





here's now (sorry it's kinda dark.. )


i've been doin cardio 3-4 times a week.. and have been lifting for the past 3 weeks... my diet has been good.. i've been having about 1700-1800 calories a day. have absolutely cut out all junk from my diet.


i'm currently 156 lbs on the scale.... but this stomach fat just won't go away. what am i doing wrong?!

[hockey4life28]

what kinda of cardio are we talking about here. we talking 20 minutes of walking on the treadmill, or HIT, or like an hour of biking? thats whats gonna make the true difference. maybe switch your lifting to a circuit routine to keep you heart rate up and burn more calories

[rxghost]

inclined 15% ... @ about 2.6-3 speed.... it definately gets my heart rate up.

mostly 25 minutes or so.. but recently i've upped it to 45 minutes...
weightlifting is usually 30-40 minutes.. 3 times a week.

[Tussmann57]

30-40 minute weight lifting sessions? I would rather do an hour of that and skip some cardio

[user90389024394]

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) seems to do wonders for me. I do it outside or the only machine I do HIIT comfortably in the gym is the eliptical.

30 seconds all you got (80-90% your HR)
1.30min walking


Repeat the above 7-8 times in a session. But when I say all you got, I mean ALL YOU GOT - it's like a lion is behind you and trying to get you. Otherwise it will not be effective. Make sure you fuel your workout before with a little bit of carbohydrates and a little bit of protein.

Also from your post I see incline 15% on 3 speed? Better don't do any incline and start running on 5.5 speed or just take your jogging outside.

Good luck buddy!

[user90389024394]

30-40 minute weight lifting sessions? I would rather do an hour of that and skip some cardio

I disagree. Mix of cardio and weight lifting is the best for fat loss and overall toning in my opinion.

[rxghost]

i mean 15% incline @ 3 speed.. is just as effective as jogging at 5.5 speed with no incline imo.. after about 40 minutes or so it says i've burned around 330 calories...

and I am doing HIIT in a way.. because i go from 15% to 2% every few minutes...

nonetheless, 2 months should have still shown some progress... i'm beginning to worry that this is loose skin that won't go away : /

[rxghost]

btw the scale now says im 156 lbs.. in early january it said 161... surely this can't just be water weight or muscle...i believe i've lost steadily...but it hasn't shown yet... : /

my bf % used to be 21% on the tanita scale i use and now it says 17%

[Kuruptr]

It has to be the diet...


What are you eating daily?

[user90389024394]

i mean 15% incline @ 3 speed.. is just as effective as jogging at 5.5 speed with no incline imo.. after about 40 minutes or so it says i've burned around 330 calories...

and I am doing HIIT in a way.. because i go from 15% to 2% every few minutes...

nonetheless, 2 months should have still shown some progress... i'm beginning to worry that this is loose skin that won't go away : /

It was just my suggestion man, I think that 3speed is not enough... in my opinion. HIIT from 15% incline to 2%... not quite high intensity if you do 3 speed.

I guarantee you if you start doing your cardio hardcore (30min jogging on 5.5 or 6.0 or even better, take your cardio outside) and do HIIT at 80-90% of your max heart rate for 10-12mins, you will DEFINITELY see results.

Good luck!

[rxghost]

should i only do HIIT on the days that i don't lift? i'm mainly trying to build some muscle while shedding fat at the same time... which is why i'm doing moderate cardio over high intensity based cardio. i don't want to lose the little muscle i have right now. (crash diets of the past are to blame for this :X)

[user90389024394]

should i only do HIIT on the days that i don't lift? i'm mainly trying to build some muscle while shedding fat at the same time... which is why i'm doing moderate cardio over high intensity based cardio. i don't want to lose the little muscle i have right now. (crash diets of the past are to blame for this :X)

I do HIIT on my days off. I try to combine low intensity steady pace running in the morning and weight lifting afternoon or if you don't have time to do am/pm cardio/lift you can weight lift first and then do steady pace cardio. But HIIT is pretty taxing (at least for me) and I try to do it on days off of lifting or on the least taxing weight lifting day.

Don't forget to fuel your workout before!

Hit it harder and you will see results. I just don't think 3speed will cut it.

Good luck bro!

[Joezilla]

i think at 15% incline and 3 speed is pretty solid for steady lower intensity cardio. maybe up it just a bit or do stair stepper, remember to switch up the cardio to difference machines, body may be adapting to the treadmill. stair stepper really shreds fat.

it kind of looks like you may need to lift more with high intensity and a bit less cardio.

but my guess would be diet. what is your diet? are you sure youre getting enough calories? metabolic testing might be a good idea

[patrick983]

you sound like you are on the right track. If you have the time, try doing your cardio on an empty stomach, say first thing in the morning before breakfast. This is especially effective for slower metabolisms and people trying to burn off fat. Just keep in mind what you eat before any workout is going to burn up first before your body burns "itself". Consistency is the best policy, even if you dont always see the results in the time you think you should, they will come eventually.

[rxghost]

here's my diet currently (i'm vegetarian)

egg whites- 60
whole grain bread (1 slice) - 100
plain oatmeal-200
----------

almonds (12) - 82 calories
---------------

whole wheat pasta-360
low fat 1% cottage cheese-110
morningstar veggie burger-170
---------------

almonds (12) - 82 calories
----------------

veggie hotdog- 80 cal
bun - 120 cal
mustard-10 cal
red kidney beans- 180 cal
----------------

veggie burger-160
cottage cheese-90
veggies

[Boots754]

Without seeing your diet it is hard to say, but assuming it is good try this. Do HIIT three or four times a week for 18-20 minutes. When I do it I do it on the treadmil and I run at about 9.5-10.00 miles per hour for 30 seconds and then I back it down to 6mph for one minute, and I do that twelve times. That keeps my heart rate up and it is hard. As you get use to it increase the speed. It will leave your legs feeling like jello. On the days that you lift, even if it takes an hour to lift do thirty minutes of low intensity-medium intensity cardio afterward. Also, in two months you have not lost that much weight so your stomach won't go away that quick. You might try posting your diet and letting someone critique it and see what they think. Otherwise if your diet is good, just add good hard cardio sessions that leave you worn out, work hard, and you should be fine.

[Boots754]

here's my diet currently (i'm vegetarian)

egg whites- 60
whole grain bread (1 slice) - 100
plain oatmeal-200
----------

almonds (12) - 82 calories
---------------

whole wheat pasta-320
low fat 1% cottage cheese-110
morningstar veggie burger-170
---------------

almonds (12) - 82 calories
----------------

veggie hotdog- 80 cal
bun - 120 cal
mustard-10 cal
red kidney beans- 180 cal
----------------

veggie burger-160
cottage cheese-90
veggies

Just now saw your diet.

Personally I would lay off the bread except on rare occassion. I would also lay off the pasta, even though it is whole wheat. If you want good carbs stick with oatmeal or brown rice. Also, you need more protein. I understand that you are a vegetarian but some of the very best protein comes from meat and if you are not going to eat meat you need to figure out another way to get that protein.

[rxghost]

Without seeing your diet it is hard to say, but assuming it is good try this. Do HIIT three or four times a week for 18-20 minutes. When I do it I do it on the treadmil and I run at about 9.5-10.00 miles per hour for 30 seconds and then I back it down to 6mph for one minute, and I do that twelve times. That keeps my heart rate up and it is hard. As you get use to it increase the speed. It will leave your legs feeling like jello. On the days that you lift, even if it takes an hour to lift do thirty minutes of low intensity-medium intensity cardio afterward. Also, in two months you have not lost that much weight so your stomach won't go away that quick. You might try posting your diet and letting someone critique it and see what they think. Otherwise if your diet is good, just add good hard cardio sessions that leave you worn out, work hard, and you should be fine.

posted it above

[Boots754]

posted it above

I posted another, but your post beat mine to the board.

[rxghost]

this is the pasta i have everyday after my workout ( i have 2 servings of it)



if not this... i'll just just pick up some brown rice this weekend, and substitute it for the pasta.


and i also get a good amount of protein from the veggie burger patty

[sprawl360]

Whatever you do just because its not happening quickly don't give up. The problem with most people is they give up to early. Stick with it and definitely do HIT workouts!

http://beachbodytips.com/workouts/wh...y-training-hit

[rxghost]

definately not giving up.. i actually enjoy the whole healthy lifestyle...

never want to look like this again.. :X

[Devisissy]

You are almost exactly where I am. Except I appear much more lean, I can see your dilemma. I do cardio every day but three times a week should be efficient. Although, 3mph at 15% is more for muscle building than cardio or fat burning. Example my run is 7mph or 7 speed for 20mintes then 6.7speed for 10 more. Thats 30 minutes with 165 to 175 beats per minute. Good cardio.

I do see some issues with your diet that is holding you back.

egg whites- 60
whole grain bread (1 slice) - 100
plain oatmeal-200
----------

The bread is going to keep that stubborn fat clung to you. It just does. I don't see any reason for bread here. You have a carb and a protein. Leave it at that. Make sure you are eating 3 to 4 oz of egg whites here.


almonds (12) - 82 calories
---------------
Is this your snack? Protein yes, but fat too. You can't have that right now you need to lose them. Go out and buy a quality Soy Protein shake. That would be perfect here, and then add a fruit. Strawberries, grapefruit, half a banana, those are good choices.


whole wheat pasta-360
low fat 1% cottage cheese-110
morningstar veggie burger-170
---------------
Pasta, starch, only good for gains not loss. Lose it. The cottage Cheese looks good but leave it out of this meal. The veggie burger...Oh those damned veggie burgers. Salt, fat, galore! You got to lose that too man. I'm sorry. It's holding you back big time. This is what I would do. One cup of veggies steamed or stir fried. 1/2 cup of brown rice, and tofu without salt added. Make a stir fry! YUMMY! Without the salt too! Add hot mustard for taste! Or use a super low salt veggie broth!


almonds (12) - 82 calories
----------------
Lose it. Soy shake and 1/2 cup of fruit. Blueberries are almost in season again!


veggie hotdog- 80 cal
bun - 120 cal
mustard-10 cal
red kidney beans- 180 cal
----------------
Veggie dogs...I have some in my freezer actually. Here is what I found. These are Morning Star America's Original Veggie Dogs. One link is 80 cals, .5 grams of fat, and 580mg of sodium!!! Sorry they have to go. Salt is as important as cals because it will retain water around your middle. The bun, got to go, the kidney beans 7.7 grams of fat in one cup. Out of here! The mustard again is salt but eh. Have instead half a pita bread with veggies, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, a tiny bit of mustard, and tofu, with a bit of cottage cheese for flavor.

veggie burger-160
cottage cheese-90
veggies

The veggie burger, to much salt. Lose it. Rule of thumb. Anything frozen or packaged has too much salt. Drink another soy shake and have half a fruit, or if this is right before bed have a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese instead.

Vegetarians have it a little bit harder than the rest of us, but it can be done. Once you get down to weight you can add more breads and lactose, but getting rid of all that salt, the weight you are holding around your middle will just fall off of you.

[rxghost]

You are almost exactly where I am. Except I appear much more lean, I can see your dilemma. I do cardio every day but three times a week should be efficient. I see some issues with your diet that is holding you back.

egg whites- 60
whole grain bread (1 slice) - 100
plain oatmeal-200
----------

The bread is going to keep that stubborn fat clung to you. It just does. I don't see any reason for bread here. You have a carb and a protein. Leave it at that. Make sure you are eating 3 to 4 oz of egg whites here.


almonds (12) - 82 calories
---------------
Is this your snack? Protein yes, but fat too. You can't have that right now you need to lose them. Go out and buy a quality Soy Protein shake. That would be perfect here, and then add a fruit. Strawberries, grapefruit, half a banana, those are good choices.


whole wheat pasta-360
low fat 1% cottage cheese-110
morningstar veggie burger-170
---------------
Pasta, starch, only good for gains not loss. Lose it. The cottage Cheese looks good but leave it out of this meal. The veggie burger...Oh those damned veggie burgers. Salt, fat, galore! You got to lose that too man. I'm sorry. It's holding you back big time. This is what I would do. One cup of veggies steamed or stir fried. 1/2 cup of brown rice, and tofu without salt added. Make a stir fry! YUMMY! Without the salt too! Add hot mustard for taste! Or use a super low salt veggie broth!


almonds (12) - 82 calories
----------------
Lose it. Soy shake and 1/2 cup of fruit. Blueberries are almost in season again!


veggie hotdog- 80 cal
bun - 120 cal
mustard-10 cal
red kidney beans- 180 cal
----------------
Veggie dogs...I have some in my freezer actually. Here is what I found. These are Morning Star America's Original Veggie Dogs. One link is 80 cals, .5 grams of fat, and 580mg of sodium!!! Sorry they have to go. Salt is as important as cals because it will retain water around your middle. The bun, got to go, the kidney beans 7.7 grams of fat in one cut. Out of here! The mustard again is salt but eh. Have half a pita bread with veggies, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, a tiny bit of mustard, and tofu, with a bit of cottage cheese for flavor.

veggie burger-160
cottage cheese-90
veggies

The veggie burger, to much salt. Lose it. Rule of thumb. Anything frozen or packaged has too much salt. Drink another soy shake and have half a fruit, or if this is right before bed have a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

Vegetarians have it a little bit harder than the rest of us, but it can be done. Once you get down to weight you can add more breads and lactose, but getting rid of all that salt the weight you are holding around your middle will just fall off of you.

i can definately get rid of all the bread (during breakfast and with the hotdog), replace the almonds with whey protein shakes (low fat)..replace the pasta with brown rice, ditch the veggie burgers (i can't even have one a day?), etc.

however, would these changes still give me a good amount of protein for weight training? i'm looking to build some muscle while still losing fat.
thanks.

[rxghost]

You are almost exactly where I am. Except I appear much more lean, I can see your dilemma. I do cardio every day but three times a week should be efficient. I see some issues with your diet that is holding you back.

egg whites- 60
whole grain bread (1 slice) - 100
plain oatmeal-200
----------

The bread is going to keep that stubborn fat clung to you. It just does. I don't see any reason for bread here. You have a carb and a protein. Leave it at that. Make sure you are eating 3 to 4 oz of egg whites here.


almonds (12) - 82 calories
---------------
Is this your snack? Protein yes, but fat too. You can't have that right now you need to lose them. Go out and buy a quality Soy Protein shake. That would be perfect here, and then add a fruit. Strawberries, grapefruit, half a banana, those are good choices.


whole wheat pasta-360
low fat 1% cottage cheese-110
morningstar veggie burger-170
---------------
Pasta, starch, only good for gains not loss. Lose it. The cottage Cheese looks good but leave it out of this meal. The veggie burger...Oh those damned veggie burgers. Salt, fat, galore! You got to lose that too man. I'm sorry. It's holding you back big time. This is what I would do. One cup of veggies steamed or stir fried. 1/2 cup of brown rice, and tofu without salt added. Make a stir fry! YUMMY! Without the salt too! Add hot mustard for taste! Or use a super low salt veggie broth!


almonds (12) - 82 calories
----------------
Lose it. Soy shake and 1/2 cup of fruit. Blueberries are almost in season again!


veggie hotdog- 80 cal
bun - 120 cal
mustard-10 cal
red kidney beans- 180 cal
----------------
Veggie dogs...I have some in my freezer actually. Here is what I found. These are Morning Star America's Original Veggie Dogs. One link is 80 cals, .5 grams of fat, and 580mg of sodium!!! Sorry they have to go. Salt is as important as cals because it will retain water around your middle. The bun, got to go, the kidney beans 7.7 grams of fat in one cut. Out of here! The mustard again is salt but eh. Have half a pita bread with veggies, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, a tiny bit of mustard, and tofu, with a bit of cottage cheese for flavor.

veggie burger-160
cottage cheese-90
veggies

The veggie burger, to much salt. Lose it. Rule of thumb. Anything frozen or packaged has too much salt. Drink another soy shake and have half a fruit, or if this is right before bed have a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

Vegetarians have it a little bit harder than the rest of us, but it can be done. Once you get down to weight you can add more breads and lactose, but getting rid of all that salt the weight you are holding around your middle will just fall off of you.

i can definately get rid of all the bread (during breakfast and with the hotdog), replace the almonds with whey protein shakes (low fat)..replace the pasta with brown rice, ditch the veggie burgers (i can't even have one a day?), etc.

however, would these changes still give me a good amount of protein for weight training? i'm looking to build some muscle while still losing fat.
thanks.

[rxghost]

You are almost exactly where I am. Except I appear much more lean, I can see your dilemma. I do cardio every day but three times a week should be efficient. I see some issues with your diet that is holding you back.

egg whites- 60
whole grain bread (1 slice) - 100
plain oatmeal-200
----------

The bread is going to keep that stubborn fat clung to you. It just does. I don't see any reason for bread here. You have a carb and a protein. Leave it at that. Make sure you are eating 3 to 4 oz of egg whites here.


almonds (12) - 82 calories
---------------
Is this your snack? Protein yes, but fat too. You can't have that right now you need to lose them. Go out and buy a quality Soy Protein shake. That would be perfect here, and then add a fruit. Strawberries, grapefruit, half a banana, those are good choices.


whole wheat pasta-360
low fat 1% cottage cheese-110
morningstar veggie burger-170
---------------
Pasta, starch, only good for gains not loss. Lose it. The cottage Cheese looks good but leave it out of this meal. The veggie burger...Oh those damned veggie burgers. Salt, fat, galore! You got to lose that too man. I'm sorry. It's holding you back big time. This is what I would do. One cup of veggies steamed or stir fried. 1/2 cup of brown rice, and tofu without salt added. Make a stir fry! YUMMY! Without the salt too! Add hot mustard for taste! Or use a super low salt veggie broth!


almonds (12) - 82 calories
----------------
Lose it. Soy shake and 1/2 cup of fruit. Blueberries are almost in season again!


veggie hotdog- 80 cal
bun - 120 cal
mustard-10 cal
red kidney beans- 180 cal
----------------
Veggie dogs...I have some in my freezer actually. Here is what I found. These are Morning Star America's Original Veggie Dogs. One link is 80 cals, .5 grams of fat, and 580mg of sodium!!! Sorry they have to go. Salt is as important as cals because it will retain water around your middle. The bun, got to go, the kidney beans 7.7 grams of fat in one cut. Out of here! The mustard again is salt but eh. Have half a pita bread with veggies, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, a tiny bit of mustard, and tofu, with a bit of cottage cheese for flavor.

veggie burger-160
cottage cheese-90
veggies

The veggie burger, to much salt. Lose it. Rule of thumb. Anything frozen or packaged has too much salt. Drink another soy shake and have half a fruit, or if this is right before bed have a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

Vegetarians have it a little bit harder than the rest of us, but it can be done. Once you get down to weight you can add more breads and lactose, but getting rid of all that salt the weight you are holding around your middle will just fall off of you.

i can definately get rid of all the bread (during breakfast and with the hotdog), replace the almonds with whey protein shakes (low fat)..replace the pasta with brown rice, ditch the veggie burgers (i can't even have one a day?), etc.

however, would these changes still give me a good amount of protein for weight training? i'm looking to build some muscle while still losing fat.
thanks.

[rxghost]

also, the cottage cheese has about 380 mg of sodium in it (friendship's low fat cottage cheese 1%).... should i still have it?

how much sodium should i be having a day? i had no idea that the sodium was the problem..

[Boots754]

i can definately get rid of all the bread (during breakfast and with the hotdog), replace the almonds with whey protein shakes (low fat)..replace the pasta with brown rice, ditch the veggie burgers (i can't even have one a day?), etc.

however, would these changes still give me a good amount of protein for weight training? i'm looking to build some muscle while still losing fat.
thanks.

Well getting rid of the pasta is a good idea. As far as protein, I think you should really look into something that will substitute the meat that you are not getting. The veggie burgers are probably ok, but I did not see the specs on them to be able to know for sure. One thing that I have always been told is that putting on new muscle while cutting weight is virtually impossible. The best you are probably going to be able to hope for is that you do not loose to much muscle while you cut your weight. Almonds are also not bad as long as you do not over do it, but I would definately cut out the hotdog and bread, or at least minimize it. I think if you clean up your diet, cut your fat intake a bit, and eat good complex carbs, but don't overload on them you will do better. Try going to www.fitday.com. You can register there and enter all of the food that you eat and it will tell you how much of the calories you eat come from protein, fat, and carbs.

[Julian_H]

stick with real food instead of protein powder, except after your workout. lean meats burn a fair amount of calories in the digestive process. you'll feel more full as well.

[terracotta]

I think your sodium is way too high from all that processed fake-meat crap. Since you eat dairy, I suggest decreasing the fake-meats as much as you can and eating more low fat or fat free cheese/cottage cheese. Also there's nothing wrong with low fat (1% or skim) milk, you can have up to 1 L a day.

And I don't see anything wrong with bread.

Don't try to change everything with your diet. You might not stick with it.

Read through a few of these articles for tips
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbin...ge=vegetarians