Need to lose 10 lbs of fat, getting fed up!!!

[RAMAIR57]

I am 23 years old and have been working out for about 7 years. Id like to think Im fairly advanced; I have done alot research about working out and nutrition over the years. I work out just to look good and be healthy, Im not competitive or anything. Ok, Im 5'10 and weigh about 185. I am in good shape, but I noticed that year the last year or so, Ive put on about 10 pounds of fat (Im guessing). Im not nearly as cut as I used to be, and I want to take off this fat that is hiding my muscle. I used to be able to do 20 minutes of cardio daily and take off fat like crazy, now it isnt working (this is when I weighed about 165, but Ive put on considerable muscle since than - and I really dont think I looked good at that weight). Ive bumped up my cardio to 45 minutes (lifting on alternate days), and still nothing. I even got really strict with my diet. What is going on?? Ive never had this problem before, and Im embarassed to take my shirt off now, lol. I think at 175 Id be in awesome shape, but nothing is working. I want to lose about 10 pounds of fat and keep my muscle. Please help guys. Im getting very frustrated!!!

[scott_donald]

do a search on hiit....thats imo is the best cardio...

[akaMarko]

I'm going to take you at your word that you are doing plenty of cardio. That said...

What's your balance between Carbs, Protein, and Fats. Chances are that a little tweaking of these percentages can be all you need to make some difference. Also, post the carbs you do take in. I know you need them but some are better than others.

[Es Dubya]

Calories are calories. Fats, Carbs, Proteins, they can all end up as fat if you go over your base caloric needs. (Unless you're doing Atkins and trying to get into ketosis, then the ratio matters.)

Big Bump on HIIT. Best of luck.

[akaMarko]

Originally posted by Es Dubya
Calories are calories. Fats, Carbs, Proteins, they can all end up as fat if you go over your base caloric needs. (Unless you're doing Atkins and trying to get into ketosis, then the ratio matters.)

The type of Carbs one chooses makes a huge difference. Many carbs like Baked potatoes, cooked carrots, bananas, breads and pastas made from white flour are all high on the glycemic index (converts to sugar quickly). Whatever sugar is not burned up by physical activity is then converted to fat. Switching to whole grain breads and watching your starches (potatoes, bread, rice, patsa), as well as eating more green leafy vegetables can do wonders for weight loss without having to drastickly reduce portion size.

For a good look at where common foods fall on the glycemic index, check out:

http://www.fatwars.com/CA/lifestyle_glycemicindex.php

BTW, my wife was diagnosed with diabetes type 2 (last May) and through diet modification and a basic workout plan, she has lost 32 pounds in 7 months and as of last week her glucose level is down to 5.5. (Normal range)

No, calories are not equal. If this were true than those of us bulking could scarf down pizza and beer and have wonderful results.

[Es Dubya]

You're right. I assumed he was already staying away from potatoes and simple carbs. Sometimes I forget that not everyone is a bodybuiler.

[RAMAIR57]

thanks for the replies guys. I am relatively knowledgeable about bodybuilding nutrition. I have stayed away from all the sugary carbs, and tried not to eat any at night. This used to work wonders for reducing my bodyfat with only 20 minutes of cardio a day. Now I do 45 and watch my food intake, and nothing. I just dont get it. Im happy with the extra muscle and strength I put on recently, but I have no clue where this fat is coming from. Here is a sample of what I eat in a day
8 a.m: protein bar (25 gram protein, 25 grams carbs
11 a.m.: Protein bar (25 grams of protein and 18 grams carbs - only 3 grams impact carbs)
2 p.m: 6 inch trukey sub - no cheese, mustard
5 p.m: a reasonable dinner; maybe a grilled chicken sub or a turkey wrap - no cheese and mustard
9.pm.: protein shake (no carbs); maybe a few pretzels or fat free chips

Why cant I get cut anymore??

[akaMarko]

Here is a list of carbs to avoid if your not getting rid of that last 10 lbs.

Excerpt from fatwars.com:

HIGH-GLYCEMIC FOODS: Rated 70-100 (EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK)

FRUITS:
* Raisins
* Bananas (ripe)
* Papayas

VEGETABLES:
* Parsnips
* Potato (baked)
* Cooked carrots
* French fries
* Sweet corn

GRAINS:
* White bread
* Whole wheat bread
* French bread
* Bagels
* Breakfast cereals (refined with added sugar)
* Corn chips
* Cornflakes
* Rice cakes
* Crackers and crispbread
* Doughnuts
* Hamburger and hotdog buns
* White bread
* White rice
* Muffins (due to the processed flour)
* Pancakes
* Puffed rice or wheat
* Pretzels
* Shredded wheat
* Toaster waffles

DAIRY:
* Ice cream

BEVERAGES:
* Soft drinks and sport drinks (added sugars)
* Carrot juice

SWEETENERS:
* Corn syrup solids
* Sucrose (table sugar)
* Glucose and glucose polymers (maltodextrin-based drinks)
* Honey
* Maltose
* High-fructose corn syrup

[akaMarko]

Also, what kind of bread are you using for these subs? Are they store bought or homemade? Use wholegrain not wholewheat or white. Where are your vegetables?

[sma]

Go here:


http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

Spend 20$ and do this for 3 weeks. It drops fat like a bastard! I have been on it for 2 weeks, and am down close to 5lbs, WITH no loss in LBM (based on a 7point caliper test).

It combines exercise and diet, sort of like BodyOpus...but much better i think.

[Fanatikk]

hmmm...
well, it could be a few things
How long have you been on that type of diet? If it has been a while(like over 2 months)...it might be that you're actually not getting enough calories

let's see protein bar...about 200 cals x 2 meals
6" sub..maybe 500 cals..probably less
dinner...another 500-600 cals
protein shake-maybe 100 cals

That's a total of 1500 to 1600 cals a day...which seems to be a pretty low amount of cals. Your body might be in starvation mode...because you eat so little..whatever food you digest it immediately stores as fat. A way to combat this is to find out what your maintenance calories are and to eat only a couple hundred calories less..enough to lose weight but not enough to send your body into starvation mode.

Another possibility is that you've eating this way so long..that you've slowed down your metabolism. When eating high amounts of calories your body's metabolism is higher. Your metabolism lowers with lower calories. A lot of guys when cutting...self included...cycle carbs(or cals). For example I would eat around 2000 calories thru the week then on Friday and Saturday I would up my cals(usually carb calories) to around 3000 or 3500...This would boost my metabolism. Now I would gain a little weight by Sunday but then lose it and more throughout the week. I was losing about 1 to 2 lbs a week this way.

Another suggestion I would give is to keep your calories close to equal for each meal...for example eat 350 cals 6 times a day. Now I know this can't be done that easily..but you can get close. Your first two meals of the day are only 200 cals each. If anything you want to get more cals earlier in the day and taper it off towards the end of the day.

Good luck

[thompsbj]

Go to the Keto Forum. Keto is great for losing fat quickly. And it tastes good.

[LadyLara]

I am 23 years old and have been working out for about 7 years. Id like to think Im fairly advanced; I have done alot research about working out and nutrition over the years. I work out just to look good and be healthy, Im not competitive or anything. Ok, Im 5'10 and weigh about 185. I am in good shape, but I noticed that year the last year or so, Ive put on about 10 pounds of fat (Im guessing). Im not nearly as cut as I used to be, and I want to take off this fat that is hiding my muscle. I used to be able to do 20 minutes of cardio daily and take off fat like crazy, now it isnt working (this is when I weighed about 165, but Ive put on considerable muscle since than - and I really dont think I looked good at that weight). Ive bumped up my cardio to 45 minutes (lifting on alternate days), and still nothing. I even got really strict with my diet. What is going on?? Ive never had this problem before, and Im embarassed to take my shirt off now, lol. I think at 175 Id be in awesome shape, but nothing is working. I want to lose about 10 pounds of fat and keep my muscle. Please help guys. Im getting very frustrated!!!

Hi Ramair57,

Just checking in to see how it all turned out. Were you able to lose those 10 lbs?

All the best,
Lara

[SuffolkPunch]

Thread is 13 years old.