Weighing me down

T

toughguyyy

0
I run track(distance, 2 mile) and i think im losing some speed due to the weight in my upper body that im gaining, which has been mostly in my chest because ive been doing a lot of benching, so the result is like a big chest which is both fat and muscle.

so what im wondering is, how i can slim down my chest and upper body and bit, i dont want to be like huge, i just wanna be toned, and lose the fat off my chest

(i originally thought benching would cut the fat off my chest and make it stronger, but it just made my chest huge)
 
Yeah, I could see being a distance runner that you don't want to have a lot of extra weight. I ran cross country in high school and when I went through puberty and gained a few pounds I got significantly slower.

Cleaning up your diet will help you lose weight and slim your entire body down. You'll still be toned. Try to eat 6 small meals a day with one portion of protein and one portion of carbs in each. I know it's hard in high school but at the very least eliminate the junk food out of your diet if you eat any. You don't really want to cut any calories because I'm sure you're doing a lot of running in track but try to make the calories healthy. Does that make sense?
 
Yeah, i'll try cutting the junk food out but i really cant do that 6 meals a day thing.

I was wondering if there is any workout or lifting exercise that can burn some of the fat away on my chest.

oh and hey is cereal bad? like cinnamon toast crunch, because i eat that constantly.
 
Nah, unfortunately you can't spot reduce or I'd be working certain parts of my body constantly. You just have to lose overall fat.

Cinnamon toast crunch isn't the worst thing you could eat but if you're overdoing the carbs and/or calories you may gain fat from that. Maybe try to cut it down a little and add some protein in it's place. It really depends on how active you are . How much weight did you gain?
 
Lifting will increase muscle mass (particularly because you're a guy). So you probably added muscle in your chest but never reduced fat. This gives you the look you described in your post.

If you run track I would assume you want to reduce body fat and focus more on endurance than anything else, right? I mean I rarely (if ever) see big bulky guys on the track team.

To lose fat you have to watch what you eat, keep going with endurance cardio and short intervals and add in weight training, but not for bulk.
 
Umm i dont really know how much i gained/lost its hard to tell, i jump around from 137 to 145 and i check my weight every day, i dont really know whats happening with my body, between running on and off and lifting on and off and trying to diet i have no idea whats happening, i currently weigh 140 though, and i'd just like to strip some fat off my upper body and go for the cut look that you see on like sprinters in the olympics.

What stuff should i eat to replace the oreos and crap that i eat? btw, i hate anything "diet" like diet coke or something like that or "low fat cookies" or whatever, but i dont mind eating bananas and fruits and stuff.
 
Fruits and vegetables are good as well as lean proteins and whole grain carbs. Here are a couple of lists of both taken from the body for life website. you also need to eat some healthy fats. And, of course, you can still eat the oreos but in moderation :)

Lean Proteins
Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Lean ground turkey
Swordfish
Orange roughy
Haddock
Salmon
Tuna
Crab
Lobster
Shrimp
Top round steak
Top sirloin steak
Lean ground beef
Buffalo
Lean ham
Egg whites or substitutes
Trout
Low-fat cottage cheese
Wild-game meat

Carbs
Baked potato
Sweet potato
Yams
Squash
Pumpkin
Steamed brown rice
Steamed wild rice
Pasta
Oatmeal
Barley
Beans
Kidney beans
Corn
Strawberries
Melon
Apple
Orange
Fat-free yogurt
Whole-wheat bread
High-fiber cereal
Rice cake
Popcorn
Tortilla
Whole grains

Healthy Fats
Avocado
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Cold-water fish
Natural peanut butter
Low-fat cheese
Low-fat salad dressing
Low-sodium nuts
Olives and olive oil
Safflower oil
Canola oil
Sunflower oil
Flax seed oil
 
It's really important for you eat often. I know it's hard with busy schedules, but try to squeeze something in when you can. Even a piece of fruit.

Your diet has a lot of processed foods in it, which isn't good as far as fat loss is concerned or for your energy levels. Terese gave a great list and I'd like to make a few additions:

Fruits: the best fruits you can eat are actually blueberries, raspberries and balckberres. Full of antioxidants and fiber. Nothing wrong with any fruits though, since they're something quick and simple that you can take with you.

Try whole grain cereals. Look in the health food section of your store. There are lots of great choices like Kashi or Optimum Zen. You can take some cold cereal with you and eat it dry.

You've gotten some great suggestions here. Good luck!

Sarah
 
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