Question for Y'all

A

annalivia_03

0
Hi all,

First time posting - hate being a noobie but want to bounce a question of you;

I'm 29 years old, malenot too unfit but not too fit either. Have beeing hitting the free weights and machines pretty hard noe for 3 monts (4/5 times a week). For the past 2 weeks, i've been taking Creatine (for the first time) and I've been enjoying it so far. Feel less stiff the next day and makes it easier to push myself to do more reps.

I start with a 3 K run and then do mostly chest, back, shoulders and arms and always finish with 100 - 150 sit ups.

Problem is this; I can see improvement in my chest, shoulders and arm but I can't shift the fat around my belly.

So questions is this: Sould I be doing more running (or other aerobic excercise), more sit ups, pay more attention to diet, get off the Creatine or what? I presume all the above would help but in terms of most effective...

Any opinions would be appreciated
 
"Abs are made in the kitchen."

Sounds like you might need to clean up your diet. What have you eaten in the last 3 days?
 
was hoping that wasn't going to the reply!

My problem is that i work alot and have to cook for myself (boo hoo hoo)

I have a coffee for breakfast and I try to eat only fruit for lunch an apple and 2 bananas. Problem is that once i leave work, i try to go straight to the gym. Meaning that once i finish the gym I'm starving.

I try to have a healthy dinner but don't always manage it.

This is embarassing but in the last 3 days I've had:

Day 1:
Breakfast: Coffee
Lunch: Fruit
Dinner: Pizza

Day 2:
Breakfast: Coffee
Lunch: Fruit
Dinner: beef stir fry with white rice

Day 3
Breakfast: Coffee
Lunch: Fruit
Dinner: Boiled fish and boiled potatoes. (with ice cream for desert)

Insert ashamed smiley face here.
 
Ill say it straight man but thats a poor diet :)

Coffee for breakfast? You should be eating something man! Cereal or something!
Do you have snacks inbetween lunch and Dinner? Id advise you do.

Your more likely to keep the fat there from not having breakfast as your body will be starving and burning more muscle than fat. Dont go more than 2-3 hours without eating! Just eat clean and you should be good ;)
 
Personally, I eat fruit as my snacks in between meals to keep my energy levels up. I have a sweet tooth, so eating fruit keeps me away from bad snacks. For my real meals though, I always have a lean protein and carbs or fats...I try not to mix the two too much as it makes it hard to track. Also helps me keep my carb/fat ratio in check.

annalivia, when you DO start eating more meals a day, make sure you slowly give yourself more calories each week. This will allow your body to compensate and adjust to the extra calories accordingly. If you just start eating 500 more calories a day all at once, your body will store that as fat until your metabolism starts burning evenly throughout the day.
 
Metabolism?

Well, I don't know about you, but personally, my metabolism goes through the roof when I begin weight training of ANY kind. I only owkr out three times a week, and if I don't eat a big breakfast as well as eat after working out, i nearly am nearly to the point of passing out. I'm just learning how to rebuild, but if you don't fuel your body, it has nothing to build with. You will not be able to gain any muscle or substance by having coffee for "breakfast". I personally LOVE oatmeal, it's fast (I'm a student, working full time), it burns fat, and give you the quick carb pick-up I need. I eat every two or three hours, but I know that's not nescessarry for EVERYONE, I like to have low sugar protein bars, fruit, low fat protein shakes, or yogurt for snacks. If any of you have any better suggestion, I would appreciate it too!! I'm new here, so, I appologize for being a "newb", I'm not trying to tell you how to eat, only you know your body and what you need. If I was any help though, I'm glad, I couldn't find this kind of help back when I needed it most.
 
Firstly, you cant spot reduce fat. The body decides where it comes from. 150 Sit-ups will do nothing to remove the fat around your gut.

From the info you provided, you need to eat more, more often and better foods. You need to up your protein intake too. Good sources of protein are lean meats, chicken, fish, eggs, natural yoghurt and almonds. If you cant get enough protein then a whey protein supplement can be useful.

Have you calculated you daily calorie intake needs?

I would also recommend that you do your running after weights or better still on your off days. By doing it before your weights it depletes the energy needed to lift. Don't run for too long either as it can become counter-productive.

You need to include some leg exercises.... Incorporate some squats, lunges, split-squats or step-ups. working the big muscles releases more testosterone which aids in building all the muscles plus it will eliminate the need to do 150 sit-ups at the end of each session (which is a waste of time). The abs are like any other muscle, so work them the same.
 
Last edited:
JTM pretty much said what I would have.

To clarify, when I say eat clean, I mean what Berardi's talking about here.

(ie. You need to eat breakast. Fruit by itself isn't a meal. Etc, etc, etc).

I understand it may be difficult for you, but if you really want it, you have to work for it. Only the mutants get 6 pack abs by skipping meals and eating junk; God I hate them. :p

Anyway, with a little practice 30 mins a day, or 2-3 hours on a weekend, can be enough time to prepare and package all that nutrition so you can take it with you wherever you go. Or, if the money aint a thang, there are services that will do it for you and deliver it to your door. There are no excuses.

Or, you can wuss out like I am right now by heavily supplementing healthy eating with a good meal replacement. (I recommend the Myoplex Deluxe bars. I find them nutritious, delicious, and most importantly... extremely convenient. The shakes taste like rotten taint though, be warned). It's not ideal, but it's a damn shade better than a pizza diet. Trust me, I've been there. :D
 
Last edited:
diet is the main factor! I say try for 4-6 small meals per day, which means a real breakfast with egg whites, granola or a protein shake! I used to eat 3 larger meals per day but now I have seen the most difference since this change. I also say no to pizza (unless I make it myself) but delivery is a NO NO atleast for now. gotta get the fat % down to show of the abs. The stomach is the hardest part to show off muscles so you have to work hard for it. Good luck! Oh and make sure not to work out abs every day, they need a day of rest to rebuild and grow like everyone muscle group in the body.
 
Guys and Gals,

Thanks a million.. really helpfully tips.. I've bought some museliand had it for breakfast this morning. Am gonna try to get my diet together...

Will take all the above on board and see what happens. Really great to get the suport from people who seem to know what they are talking about without sounding like a narcissistic freak.

But while you're all in fine answering form... Whats the story with drinking? Do any of you drink (beer, wine etc)? I'm not an alcoholic or anything, but I am Irish so.... the "odd" pint or 5 over the weekend. I'm going to stop anyway for a few weeks to get my diet kick started but what about wine and spirits?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top