Short torso, long legs - flat abs?

[ShootTheMoon03]

Hey everyone!

So I'm coming across a problem in my workout regimen. Like pretty much everyone out there I would love to have flat abs. I'm 22 years old, 5' 3.5" and I weigh 120 lbs. I currently consume about 1300 calories/day of healthy food (yogurt, meats, whole grains, fruit, etc) in about 5-6 small meals per day and allow myself 1 indulging meal per week (ex: last night I had a piece of ice cream cake for a birthday party). I workout 6 days/week doing HIIT 3 days, lifting every day (rotating muscle groups) and cardio those other 3 days (elliptical, stairmaster and bike). I also recently started Insanity in an effort to spice up my workout routine and shock my body out of it's plateau. According to my caloric needs I should be losing weight at a rate of at least 1 lb/week on this diet and exercise regimen but I can't seem to bust past 120 lbs. I have good abdominal muscles that are hiding under a very thin layer of fat and I can't seem to burn it off. Any suggestions would be welcome!

[Miranda]

are you truly eating 1300 calories or just guesstimating/eyeballing? you should weigh everything you eat and log it.

how long have you been at your current setup? too much exercise on too little calories is a major stressor to the body. it can cause water retention that masks fat loss, assuming you're truly @ 1300 and not only think you are - big difference it can also lead to a slight decrease in your metabolic rate and make you lethargic so your 'deficit' isn't as big as you think it is.

1/ check your calories. read the calories and macros sticky in the nutrition section for more help.
2/ cut down on the cardio and find a more effective lifting split. six days a week is too much of a spread.

the best way to go about it would be to take a week completely off training and eat at maintenance. if you're holding water, you should deflate quite quickly. get your diet/training sorted in the meantime.

[ShootTheMoon03]

are you truly eating 1300 calories or just guesstimating/eyeballing? you should weigh everything you eat and log it.

how long have you been at your current setup? too much exercise on too little calories is a major stressor to the body. it can cause water retention that masks fat loss, assuming you're truly @ 1300 and not only think you are - big difference it can also lead to a slight decrease in your metabolic rate and make you lethargic so your 'deficit' isn't as big as you think it is.

1/ check your calories. read the calories and macros sticky in the nutrition section for more help.
2/ cut down on the cardio and find a more effective lifting split. six days a week is too much of a spread.

the best way to go about it would be to take a week completely off training and eat at maintenance. if you're holding water, you should deflate quite quickly. get your diet/training sorted in the meantime.

Trust me, I am no stranger to food diaries! I measure and log everything that goes into my mouth in myfitnesspal on my phone. So yes, I am actually eating only 1300 cals/day. Which makes this whole process extremely frustrating. And ok, I will try taking it a little easier, although when I switched from my more intense workout to insanity which was less difficult, I automatically went up 2 lbs.

[Elkano]

This may sound a bit crazy, but I'd venture to say that you aren't eating enough to compensate for how much you're exercising. Thus, your body is holding on to all the food you take in. Do you eat back exercise calories or is 1300 your total intake? Try looking at the stickies and calculate the proper amount of calories that works for you and judge how much of a difference it is. Even if you just took a diet "break" for a week, eating more towards your maintenance calories, it might be good to kick-start your body back into fat loss.

Of course, I'm new to all of this and don't want to spout nonsense, so listen to the others that reply, just as well! Good luck!

[wakechica]

You're not eating enough and doing far too much cardio. Drop the DVD, keep the HIIT if you must and drop the elliptical stuff. Find a solid lifting program such as 531, starting strength, new rules of lifting for women etc and do a decent full body workout 3-4 times per week. And have a rest day. Rest is just as important as working out. As is consuming the right number of calories. I would say at your stats that 1500-1600 would be more up your street; I assume you want to lose fat and develop some lean muscle?

[natasor]

Hey everyone!

So I'm coming across a problem in my workout regimen. Like pretty much everyone out there I would love to have flat abs. I'm 22 years old, 5' 3.5" and I weigh 120 lbs. I currently consume about 1300 calories/day of healthy food (yogurt, meats, whole grains, fruit, etc) in about 5-6 small meals per day and allow myself 1 indulging meal per week (ex: last night I had a piece of ice cream cake for a birthday party). I workout 6 days/week doing HIIT 3 days, lifting every day (rotating muscle groups) and cardio those other 3 days (elliptical, stairmaster and bike). I also recently started Insanity in an effort to spice up my workout routine and shock my body out of it's plateau. According to my caloric needs I should be losing weight at a rate of at least 1 lb/week on this diet and exercise regimen but I can't seem to bust past 120 lbs. I have good abdominal muscles that are hiding under a very thin layer of fat and I can't seem to burn it off. Any suggestions would be welcome!

It is real "Insanity" How do you expect to loose your necessary for life fat? This what a mother nature has given to you to concieve and nurish babies. I am the same 5'4.5'' 122lb, but when I was young and was 105lb my hubby and me tryied to make babies and could not make them for 3 years. My genecologist told me that I had an under-developped uterus and never get pregnant or will give premature birth. I went to other obstetritian and she simply gave my series of shots of fat with vitamins A, E, D, K, PP. These are vitamins are dissolved only in oil, they are responsible for child bairing functions of woman body. If woman has no fat she simply becomes unable to consive and baire child. My story is short: I got period in 1 week and got pregnant in 4 weeks. My two children now healthy and grown up 28 and 34 y/o. What is seems to me that your plato is that bare minim of the fat; your own body fights to hold on. You doing insane number of training 6 a week is killing your body resourses.
I am 58 y/o and I stay on very low cal/low carbs diet for 3 decades. I eat only 700-900 cal a day and have 2 days a week anything I want. I practice skipping breakfast and eat only if I feel hungry. If I am busy and don't have time or hunger till 4PM, I just don't eat anything. I go to train on empty stomach also at 12PM on Sunday, train hard and then have only protein shake at 2-3 PM. Latest discoveries prooved that humanbeing is very officient machene, doesn't require strict timing in meal time. If you skip one or two meals it doesn't mean that your metabolism dropped. You just have great opportunity to detox your body, to release additional HGH, to kill some deformed cells (possibly canserous) and get your body produce the same positive effect as of good intence training session without having to stress your joints. muscles, tendons. It is effect of the short-term fasting. 18-24hrs fasting does so much good for your body. Practicing it I can do only 2x week intence training and have no worries about my next meal. For the food listed in your regiment I 'd just skip whole grain, but the rest is perfect. Your carbs come from veggies, berries and fruits. Some bread possible just treat it like pice of cake.
I am now 58 y/o. but I look like 35 y/o. my body parameters as of 20 y/o girl. I am talking abiout Blood pressure, triglycerades, bone density, flexibility (still can do split, I never had back ache). Sure, I can not lift heavy (this is not my goal), but I feel young and vigor. I am 5"5" 122lb. not bad for 58 y/o I fit im my high shool jeans. I can overrun some girls from our boot-camp group, full of energy, never get tired. How else one can describe health and happiness?
Actually, eating once or 2 times a day it is part of Paleo theory and Calory restriction theory. I decided stick to them. From the other hand, I free myself from 6 times a day feeding task. A lot of free time for reading, working out or anything else.
Good luck to you girl