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Burning off that last excess belly flab; do I actually need to eat MORE?!

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' Forum started by mrrossi, Nov 4th, 2016 at 13:55 PM.
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Nov 4th, 2016, 13:55 PM  
mrrossi
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 2

Burning off that last excess belly flab; do I actually need to eat MORE?!

Hi all

I couldn't work out which particular forum would be best so just thought I'd put this under the 'general dieting' one for now...

I'm just after some advice on how to burn off some excess fat on my stomach.

For years I've eaten well and exercised. I cut back on beer years ago (although still drink too much wine), and it's very rare for me to have any junk food/chips/pizza etc. People often comment on me being slim (in clothes you don't notice that excess fat) or will ask if I've been to the gym as my shoulders are fairly broad/arms look good etc. But if I stand badly (often) or eat the wrong foods, my belly can look awful.

Recently, through a combination of an intolerance test and trial and error, I discovered that certain foods (wheat - but oddly not gluten?, milk, potatoes) bloat me and by avoiding these my stomach looks 'flatter' more often, but the fact remains that there is a certain about of 'blubber' I'd like to be rid of.

I've tried many different gym routines. Cardio one day, weights the next, cardio and weights the same day, interval training, jogging, cycling, swimming, different weight routines/patterns (pyramid, reverse pyramid, consistent weights, low weight high reps vs high weight low reps more sets, combination/supersets), mat work (also in a 'superset' format) etc etc etc. Changing routines after 6 weeks, etc. I'm not sure there's anything 'new' I can try.

The fact is, some things work better for me than others (generally the best for me seems to be mixing the cardio and weights and doing reverse pyramids weights, fairly high reps and lots of mat work, and applying a superset method, to make even a weight workout a good cardio workout) losing weight and regaining the muscle pretty quickly whenever I've put on excess weight or lost muscle mass (holidays, busy work periods, when I've injured myself or been ill and not been able to exercise); but I also hit 'the wall' every time and get to more or less the same condition I'm in now: pretty fit (although I still struggle a little with endurance), well toned and defined muscles (hell, I've had a 6 pack for years, it's just under the stomach fat!!!) but with the same 'saggy' stomach.

Diet wise, I've been following more or less the Montignac diet (I can't post links yet; search google for 'myasto blog montignac'), i.e. avoiding eating high GI carbs with fat. In general I don't eat much high GI carbs anyway - I may have pasta and rice once each a week. My lunches are salads (salmon, chicken, avocado, mozzarella or prawns) or omelets (sometimes with cheese) and evening meals consist of meat/fish + salad or veg, sometimes egg (i.e. no potatoes/rice/pasta), or a lentil/bean type meal, or veggie curry/veggie bake etc. For years I struggled with being hungry after 2 hours eating no matter what I ate (unless I stuffed myself, and then felt awful!); I got past this after using a fibre drink to fill me between meals (apple fibre and glucomannan based - I can't post links yet; search google for 'myasto blog dieting aid') as well as eating 'life changing bread' (oat and seed based bread/cake - search google for 'myasto blog life changing bread') and now I will have the fibre drink twice a day 4 days a week just to 'help' fill the gaps (usually in the office) and to prevent snacking, and 'LC bread' or porridge in the mornings/after work before the evening meal.

So, conventional thinking may say I just need to eat even less (although it would be hard to cut back more) or simply exercise more (again, difficult, I'm going to the gym 4 times a day for 35-60 min long sessions, and also keeping as active as I can), to burn off this excess. Other thinking would say do more cardio rather than weights, but other thinking suggests you also need to do the weights to burn the fat. I've previously done more weights and bulked up more, but had to eat a lot more else I felt 'weak' and didn't gain so much muscle; but my stomach was the same; at another point I was eating less (more fibre drink to fill me - but I'd rather eat 'properly' than really on something 'unnatural' like that) and doing more cardio; I lost muscle mass, but again, my stomach didn't improve.

However, my recent thinking is the somewhat less conventional (but seemingly more popular) thinking that I might not be eating ENOUGH.

I believe the idea here is that my body is in a mode where is says "nope, won't shed any more fat, this is the last bit for survival" but if I eat more (and continue doing the same exercise), it will have to adjust it's mode and my metabolism will increase and I will be able to burn off more fat.

What are peoples thoughts on this; worth a shot? Would eating more carbs during the day (I know it's a bad idea to have them too close to bedtime) be best? Maybe some pasta/rice with the salads? Or some non-wheat based wraps/sandwiches? Or should I just eat more protein (rather than carbs) at key points of the day (lunchtime/evening)? BTW my fiance is vegetarian and I also try to reduce my meat intake so it's mainly seafood, veg and cheese (shouldn't eat too much due to the milk bloating issue) I eat, with the occasional chicken/pork (once/twice a week) and rare lamb or steak for a treat (couple of times a month). How should I change my exercise routine to reflect the increased intake - more cardio or more weights?

I was thinking of consulting a nutritionist but I guess that could be quite expensive... wanted to see what sort of information I could find online first.

Thanks!!!

Mr Rossi
 
Nov 28th, 2016, 15:57 PM  
Wobbles
Maintainer
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Here!
Posts: 5,930

Fact is everyone can look different in different angles and positions and also you can be slender and slim but depending on what you eat bloat is a real thing for everyone.

I have tum issues, I lost over 4 stone, when I'm fully on working out you can see my abs but the bottom of my tum is another story, usually concealed by pants, jeans etc.

Combination of cardio and strength is a good mix, you already know that by the sounds of it.

My rules around strength and conditioning are:
High intensity conditioning - High protein, low fat, higher cards
Strength days - high protein - moderate fat, moderate carbs
Rest days - High fat, high protein
After any workout - No fat (if having eggs more white than yolks)
* I try and have my carbs in the evening if moderate carb day
* Carbs are good after a workout (if it's a snack it's a banana)
* Protein always after a workout

That said when my macros were changed by my coach as I was feeling 'weak' he upped my carbs, I gulped and shockingly lost 4lbs in a week for upping my carbs. I get nutritional advice from the coaches where I train.

Pork should be in moderation. Fish & chicken great choices.
 
 
Nov 28th, 2016, 17:35 PM  
mrrossi
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 2

Thanks Wobbles, some good info there! I've upped my food intake (carbs mainly, a bit of extra protein and fat is more or less the same) in the last couple of weeks and not seeing any differences yet - except I'm not feeling weak or hungry, which is definitely a positive anyway!
 
 
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