Tummy trouble

[Fit Freak]

The most irritating part of my body is no doubt my tummy. I tend to store fat there quite easily, and although Im not fat, Im not flat either

Ive heard that I should follow a low carb, high protein diet, but Im not so keen on Atkins as after one week on the program Ive piled on the weight... Im concidering doing the Zone from Dr Barry Sears. I think its more of a lifestyle diet than Atkins, which in my opinion, one has to be overly discipline to stick to that.

Any suggestions on how I can flatten my tum? My ribs are visable, its just in the center by the belly that needs to be flattened, and its always the LAST PLACE to show loss. I know spot training does not work, nor do i intend to do that, Im just sure that other girls have this problem too and Id like to know what they do to get results in that area.

 

[Sassy69]

DIET DIET DIET! You are correct in that in the middle is where lots of women tend to hold fat - its a natural result of estrogen. You can do all the ab work in the world and it won't get you the washboard. The idea is that if you tend to have more fat cells in certain areas, those areas are going to appear to lose the least amount of fat - say if you have dropped 5% bodyfat (measured by calipers, BodPod or whatever), you will start to see some really great cuts in your normally leaner areas. But the ol' gut won't be so impressive. So you have to step up your cuting evey more.

When you talk about diet, you don't necessarily talk about a canned diet like "Atkins" or "Zone" or whatever. You are talking more about a meal plan/eating schedule that optimizes your fuel & fuel intake for YOUR body. Then you review your eating plan to make sure that it is OPTIMAL. If you want to accomplish something more than you already have, you need to identify some appropriat changes in what you are currently doing to shock your body into responding to what you want.

The best way to start is if you can post up your typical day's menu & schedule. Then we can make suggestions based on what you want to accomplish and what fits your lifestyle. Also include some detail about your training schedule, your stats, your specific goals and how long you've been training.

 

[Fit Freak]

Hey Sassy

Thanks for the reply. Im going on a serious dropping phase as of next week (need you guys to help Psyche me up ) and my plan going to look something like this...

My Diet plan is as follows:
Meal 1 - 1 soy sausage, 24grams low fat chunky cottage cheese
- 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1 small fat free fruit yoghurt
- 1 cup coffee
Meal 2 - Myoplex Lite shake
Meal 3 - Hake fillet/ chicken breast with broccoli (about 1 - 1.5 cups)
Meal 4 - Myoplex Carb Sense RTD
Meal 5 - Hake fillet/ chicken breast/ steak with 1 cup of mixed veggies
Meal 6 - Myo Pro whey shake

As for cheat days, Im going to try eat clean from Monday to Friday as well as on Saturday and Sundays but if I do have a chocolate on Sat and Sunday Im not going to kick myself

My training plan is as follows:
Week 1 & 2
Monday - Friday Mornings - Cardio @ 30-40min on the Stairmaster which usually burns between 150-250 calories
Monday Afternoon/evening - Chest and back
Tuesday Afternoon/evening - shoulders & calves & abs
Wednesday Afternoon/evening - biceps and triceps
Thursday Afternoon/evening - Legs
Friday Afternoon/evening - a combination of exercises, one week upper body, one week lower body.

Week 3-4
Monday - Friday HIIT cardio for 10 minutes to warm up before exercise
Monday Afternoon/evening - Upper Body
Tuesday Afternoon/evening - 30 min cardio
Wednesday Afternoon/evening - Lower Body
Thursday Afternoon/evening - 30 min cardio
Friday Afternoon/evening - Upper body, following week lower body

Week 5-6
Mon - 10 min cardio warmup + Back and Shoulders
Tue -10 min cardio warmup + Biceps and Triceps
Wed - 40 min cardio session
Thu - 10 min cardio warmup + Chest & abs
Fri - 10 min cardio warmup + Legs

Im hoping that this change of training styles every two weeks is going to keep my workouts challenging

My Goals:
Height; 164cm
Current Weight - 134lbs (Goal is to be at 118lbs)
Current Body fat - 26% (Goal is to get it down to 13%)

 

[ashley2212]

My Diet plan is as follows:
Meal 1 - 1 soy sausage, 24grams low fat chunky cottage cheese
- 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1 small fat free fruit yoghurt
- 1 cup coffee
Meal 2 - Myoplex Lite shake
Meal 3 - Hake fillet/ chicken breast with broccoli (about 1 - 1.5 cups)
Meal 4 - Myoplex Carb Sense RTD
Meal 5 - Hake fillet/ chicken breast/ steak with 1 cup of mixed veggies
Meal 6 - Myo Pro whey shake

You could try cutting out a couple of those Myoplex products and put in some fibrous carbs and protein. They might be making you feel a little bloated, which is why you're having problems with your tummy. Just a thought

 

[Fit Freak]

Hmm, I think ive got enough protein and broccoli is a good fiberous carb?

 

[ashley2212]

Hmm, I think ive got enough protein and broccoli is a good fiberous carb?

I meant the processed supplement in general... not quantity of macros or fiber... just a thought... feel free to take it or leave it

 

[Sassy69]

Ashley's talking about putting in more real food. Protein bars are good when you are in a bind to get fresh / real food, on the run or just as an emergency food source, but making them a regular & repeated part of your daily meal plan is not an optimal choice. Particularly if you are looking to make a push past a plateau or a significant change, looking at EVERY part of your diet and cleaning out the excess is what will get you to that next level. Those bars have a lot of processed "stuff" in them and just aren't the best solution. I also understand that they do make life easier when you are at work or runnign around during the day, but if you plan ahead you can accommodate a very clean, yet easy to manage diet. I've been carrying a small (well not tiny) cooler w/ 3 meals & an ice pack every day to work for years. I just about always have a protein bar w/ me because I'm away from my house for a usual 12 hrs / day, but I still keep my regular eating schedule around my work schedule (eat at my desk alot & dont' need a microwave or a fridge, though they are available). Lots of water and 1 cup of coffee /day. I also keep a spare supply of r-ALA & vitamins at work as well.

 

[Fit Freak]

I meant the processed supplement in general... not quantity of macros or fiber... just a thought... feel free to take it or leave it

Thanks ashely

 

[The_Monster]

Now Im an anti-supplements person to the point of irrational hatred , but Yohimburn really does work. It even works at maintainance calories, much less when dieting...

Other than that, try adding fiber to every meal, it will make a difference and you should think about dropping the whey at bedtime and switching to casein for a slower release through the night...

You could also try rotating calories up and down for a metabolic boost.

 

[velvett]

Hey Sassy

Thanks for the reply. Im going on a serious dropping phase as of next week (need you guys to help Psyche me up ) and my plan going to look something like this...

My Diet plan is as follows:
Meal 1 - 1 soy sausage, 24grams low fat chunky cottage cheese
- 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1 small fat free fruit yoghurt
- 1 cup coffee
Meal 2 - Myoplex Lite shake
Meal 3 - Hake fillet/ chicken breast with broccoli (about 1 - 1.5 cups)
Meal 4 - Myoplex Carb Sense RTD
Meal 5 - Hake fillet/ chicken breast/ steak with 1 cup of mixed veggies
Meal 6 - Myo Pro whey shake

As for cheat days, Im going to try eat clean from Monday to Friday as well as on Saturday and Sundays but if I do have a chocolate on Sat and Sunday Im not going to kick myself

Lose meal 1 - try oatmeal with splenda and cinammon and/or whole egg/egg white omlette - throw in whatever turns you on (no cheese) or you can have a regular meal (protein and a veggie or protein and a 1/2 sweet potato)

2 & 4 - If you can replace these with real food do so (same I idea - veggie and protein)

Re-work the cals you probably don't need meal 6.

Think fish, chicken any green leafy veggie and depending on your time frame try a Sunday cheat meal every other week to start.