Fat loss advice URGENTLY needed

[Uss017]

Hi,

I'm new here and need guidance from people who are knowledgeable in the subject.

Goal: my desire is just to get a flat stomach. Don't care about having abs; just for once in my life I want a stomach which I don't have to hold in all the time. That's all.

Stats:
Age: 43
Weight: 84.4 kg
Height: 5'8

I'm not massively fat and have lost 6-7 kgs over the past 8-9 weeks. Mainly by brisk walking 4 km 4-5 times per week and some light cardio workouts in my bedroom.

My diet is generally clean and I can easily maintain it. When I set my mind to it, I become very disciplined. Protiens form the bulk of all my meals (I love eggs, chicken and fish)...I do have carbs, but have reduced their intake.

In the past, several years ago, I did the "Insanity" workout and kept doing it for 18 months...losing a massive amount of weight. But even when I reached 63.5 kgs, fitting into small sized shirts, I had become skinny fat, with a protruding stomach.

I can no longer do high intensity cardio and just want to do something which is sustainable over the long run and brisk walking 4-5 times per week seems to be the answer. I love walking and can maintain this easily.

As noted above, I am losing weight. But, I fear my stomach, while reducing, will remain protruding like before. The answer seems to be focussing on muscle gains.

I haven't don't much weight training before and my goal is NOT to gain massive massive muscles. As stated above, I'm happy having just a reasonably flat stomach; even if I retain love handles, I don't mind. I only want to smarten up a bit.

I want to know:

1. Is now the right time to start lifting weights?

2. If yes, should I go for 4 days per week lifting, and 2-3 days brisk walkings?

3. Calorie intake: I am currently in a caloric deficit (my rough estimate is that I'm consuming around 1500-1700 per day). Should I maintain this because I already have a lot of fat in my body? Or should I increase my calories a bit (but then won't I accumulate more fat!!??)

4. Is there any strength training free programme available online that you can guide me to that I can follow for 12-18 weeks? I don't have access to a gym, but have gathered stuff in my home (dumbells, barbell, bench). I can't do pull ups as it damages my door hinges.

When it comes to weight training - with my above goal in mind specifically - I'm just ignorant and need urgent advice and answers to my above questions from people who are knowledgeable.

Can knowledgeable people here help me out and give guidance? Thanks.

[SuffolkPunch]

Firstly, be careful about your expectations of the rate of weight loss. A lot of the initial loss could be water weight. If you are getting 0.5kg per week in the last 4 weeks then that's fine, your net calorie deficit is fine.

1. Yes, now. Dieting without resistance training will cause muscle loss, especially if you aren't very overweight. It gets worse as you get leaner

2. Pick a routine from the sticky threads like Fierce 5. Typically 3 days a week weight training is fine. You can do whatever cardio you want on other days.

3. Stick with your current calorie intake. Perhaps use an app like myfitnesspal to measure your calorie intake for later reference (don't just guess, this is always a source of problems). Also check that you are getting at least 130g protein a day.

4. See 2 - All Pros routine might be better with your limited equipment.

Expect your rate of weight loss to slow or even temporarily stop when you start weight training - this is because the muscle loss is being halted (muscle gives up its mass more cheaply than fat). But keep going because you are still losing fat, it's just harder to measure for a while.

[BS57]

1- Actually, that should have happened years ago. Cardio and weight loss, without the addition of muscle has left you in your current condition.

2- Start with a novice 3xweek full body.

3- I doubt you're accurately "estimating" your intake, get a food scale and accurately measure it.

4- Answered

"Urgent" replies don't lead to fast results. Know you'll be required to invest the time to see results.

[Uss017]

1- Actually, that should have happened years ago. Cardio and weight loss, without the addition of muscle has left you in your current condition.

2- Start with a novice 3xweek full body.

3- I doubt you're accurately "estimating" your intake, get a food scale and accurately measure it.

4- Answered

"Urgent" replies don't lead to fast results. Know you'll be required to invest the time to see results.

Thanks a lot for the reply. Just a clarification, "advice urgently needed" does not equate to me requiring "fast results." My current weight loss is a modest 0.3-0.4 kgs per week and I'm more than happy with that. I have been using an app (NHS app) for calorie estimation, though I recall hearing that even these aren't reliable. But given the definite weight loss which I've experienced over the past 8-9 weeks and considering what I'm consuming, I'd be flabbergasted if my caloric intake is approaching even 1900 calories. Regardless, I'll invest more time in more accurately figuring out my caloric intake.

I'll look into the workout routine you mention. Thanks again!

[Uss017]

Firstly, be careful about your expectations of the rate of weight loss. A lot of the initial loss could be water weight. If you are getting 0.5kg per week in the last 4 weeks then that's fine, your net calorie deficit is fine.

1. Yes, now. Dieting without resistance training will cause muscle loss, especially if you aren't very overweight. It gets worse as you get leaner

2. Pick a routine from the sticky threads like Fierce 5. Typically 3 days a week weight training is fine. You can do whatever cardio you want on other days.

3. Stick with your current calorie intake. Perhaps use an app like myfitnesspal to measure your calorie intake for later reference (don't just guess, this is always a source of problems). Also check that you are getting at least 130g protein a day.

4. See 2 - All Pros routine might be better with your limited equipment.

Expect your rate of weight loss to slow or even temporarily stop when you start weight training - this is because the muscle loss is being halted (muscle gives up its mass more cheaply than fat). But keep going because you are still losing fat, it's just harder to measure for a while.

I cannot thank you enough for such a detailed reply. I've looked into Fierce 5 routine. It would require gym membership to do it, which I cannot from my current location. Nevertheless, I'll explore the threads to see if I can find something which I can do with my limited equipment - given my fairly modest goal, I would think that should be doable with a good collection of dumbells, barbell and free weights.

I'll download the app you've mentioned (I have been using the NHS app for calorie count to date).

[th3pwn3r]

Thanks a lot for the reply. Just a clarification, "advice urgently needed" does not equate to me requiring "fast results." My current weight loss is a modest 0.3-0.4 kgs per week and I'm more than happy with that. I have been using an app (NHS app) for calorie estimation, though I recall hearing that even these aren't reliable. But given the definite weight loss which I've experienced over the past 8-9 weeks and considering what I'm consuming, I'd be flabbergasted if my caloric intake is approaching even 1900 calories. Regardless, I'll invest more time in more accurately figuring out my caloric intake.

I'll look into the workout routine you mention. Thanks again!

Tip, less messing around with the numbers and more being active. If you're not seeing results in a couple of weeks you need to move more or eat less. Just use common sense with your diet and you'll be alright as long as you're working out with moderate effort. In the long run less is more and the more numbers and junk you consume time with the worse off you are.

[xsquid99]

Tip, less messing around with the numbers and more being active. If you're not seeing results in a couple of weeks you need to move more or eat less. Just use common sense with your diet and you'll be alright as long as you're working out with moderate effort. In the long run less is more and the more numbers and junk you consume time with the worse off you are.

^^^^ This.

So many people fall victim to "paralysis by analysis" instead of just eating less and moving/working out more. Weight not coming off fast enough? Add another 2 miles of walking to your daily activity level or remove another 250 calories from your daily diet.

Also, there's nothing "urgent" about fat loss. You didn't gain it all in a hurry so you shouldn't expect the reverse to occur.