I have been working out very hard now for approx. 10 mos. Usually 6-7 days a week. I do both cardio and weight lifting. I change it up here and there, but do upper body circuit training one day with 1 hour cardio and then lower body circuit training the next day with 1 hr. cardio, third day is 30 min abs with 1 hour cardio, and then repeat program. Some days I use free weights and go a little heavier weights for a change... My question is this - is the what I call "hip fat"purely from diet? I have toned my upper body, arms, legs, butt etc, all except my middle area which i thought the cardio would help with. I eat well, not perfectly, but no sugar, no white flour, approx. 1200 cal. a day, no fried foods, no soda, lots of water, protein shakes/bars fruit, nuts protein, veggies, salad......some fats - cheese, avacado here and there....
Im kind of frustrated, willing to change what I have to, but not sure what I need to change. Sorry this is so long, any advice? I am 43 yrs old, female, and weigh approx. 145 lbs - want to be at 130 (I have a muscular and athletic build) but for my age, would be comfortable and able to maintain 130.
With the amount of training you do, where did you come up with the caloric figure of 1200c for a female? You have to consider your training in the equation in configuring your bodily Maintenance Line. I too, believe its low without looking at the data in more detail.
Cardio burns calories, and can if intensity and duration in relation to the person is optimum, burn additional fat for a fuel source.
However, if your in a surplus on the caloric side, it can and it will erase the fat and calories burned in cardio.
Now on the flip side, if your at your MT line or in deficit already, one can use cardio to lose fat tissue further (or use it to burn calories more) (and muscle possibly), but in the END OF the day.........diet is is king and the laws of caloric balance.
This is true in its most basic format. Does this make sense: You need 2200c, but you eat 3300c, and you do cardio, say 250c burned, and
for sake of arguement, you did cardio long enough and intensified enough to burn fat as a source fuel.
But, your still in surplus........your gonna gain wgt.........over time with this simplistic example,,,,some will be fat (with everything considered equal)..............Make sense? So yes, DIET IS KING. And, yes, cardio can provide extra assistance, but does have its negatives with its positives.
Your have a very strong grapple on your food consumption. This a huge hurdle to have crossed--GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!! ROCK IT! Girl.
I personally think you need to eye your caloric consumption a bit more to stave off or limit muscle loss and still try to lose fat weight in the areas you mentioned.
Fat loss will occur, but it will happen all over the body, and is like a pool so-to-speak: The larger deeper end seems to drain slower than the smaller deeper end. This is just how it is. Once cannot spot reduce.
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Calculate your BMR:
The Harris Benedict equation determines calorie needs for men or woman as follows: (this just one version of other types one can use, but this will give you an idea)
• It calculates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calorie requirements, based on your height, weight, age and gender.
• It increases your BMR calorie needs by taking into account the number of calories you burn through activities such as exercise.
This gives you your total calorie requirement or approximated Maintenance Line (I call it the MT Line).
Step One : Calculate your BMR with the following formula:
•Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
•Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
Step Two : In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:
•If you are sedentary : BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active: BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (You exercise daily.): BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 1.9
Create a Calorie Deficit:
In order to lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit. It is easier and healthier to cut back your calorie intake a little bit at a time.
Every 3,500 calories is equivalent to approximated 1 pound.
If you cut back 500 calories a day, you will lose approximated 1 pound per week. (not necessarily all fat)
If you exercise to burn off 500 calories a day you will also lose approximately 1 pound per week.
The -500c is just an example, one could make it: -200,-300, or -400.
The calorie deficit margin is just an example:
Apply this knowledge by backing off the approximated MT Line (approximated Maintenance line), say for example, a -500c per day, for about 1 week. Before the week begins, weigh yourself in the AM when you FIRST get up (do not eat yet) (remember your clothing, preferably with just underwear and t-shirt or like clothes). Note the time, and the approximated wgt.
Each day spread your caloric content out throughout the day (keep the body fed, with calories in the 300 to 500c approximated calories each meal), or a like division which mirrors your end caloric deficit limit (meaning MT-500c).
This way you have your entire day and body encircled with nutrition (I assume you already know to eat clean), which if your eating right, will give an approximated good energy (not optimal because your in deficit) to fuel your training and exercising schedule.
At the end of the week, on the same day, the same time, with the same like clothes, weigh yourself again. Note whether you lost or gained tissue (or weight I mean). To further assist you, I want to tell you that for every approximated caloric deficit of (-3500c), one could lose 1lb of fat tissue. (though some may not all be fat tissue, this information is for another question, and isn't presently suited here).
Now, in this example you were calculating a -500c per day deficit. There needs to be -3500c to lose approximated 1lbs of fat. Now lets do some basic math. -500cX7=-3500c. With all things considered equal, and you were meticulous and faithful on the diet, you should have been CLOSE to losing at least one pound of tissue in the week.
If this didn't happen, this means you need to make finer adjustments, and the MT line is not accurate, and you need to adjust this on your own.
Based upon the FEEDBACK your body is giving you, ask yourself how faithful you were on the diet, AND how faithful in training (whether you kept the training schedule (if you didn't, this would effect the caloric equation, no?!), AND how accurate you figured in your activities caloric wise.........but, you have the base information to begin making adjustments.
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Do some personal calculations with your Wgt, height, age, gender, and activities, I would ascertain it would probably be higher than 1200c, and then back off a HEALTHY margin.
Best regards,
Chillen
