Belly and love handles page 2

[CRise]

dfast: Thanks for the link. I enjoyed the read and it makes sense. I am trying to build a grocery list anyway, so I am going to have to make sure I find the good high fat stuff.

My focus right now is to stay as strict primal as possible, I tried balancing on the fence that first week, not sure if I wanted to give up my precious junk food I was so programmed to eat and I just can't do it that way. I need this. So, my mind set right now is to try and keep the carbs low, stay as strict as possible and see what happens and adjust from there after about 2 more weeks, that will make a month. Coming from the bender of junk and crap that i was munching on I would suspect some good results over the next couple of weeks. How does that game plan sound?? oh, and some IF.

[mayness]

I'm a primal belly-fat-loss success story! That's where I always stored most of my fat. I've got a downright scary waist-to-hip ratio. =[


I've been mostly-primal for a few weeks, usually around 75g of carbs a day, and I've been "moving slowly" and sprinting but I just started lifting heavy this week.


I had been losing weight sloooowly on a calorie-controlled diet full of junk, and my husband had noted that I seemed to be losing weight from the outside in... first my legs and arms and face, then my chest and hips, and the tummy seemed to be hanging around for last.


Well, since going primal, I already notice a lot more belly fat loss... which of course I attribute to the low carbs, while my rather CW husband thinks that's silly and that he predicted it all along. =] I guess I don't really care WHY it's happening, it's just nice!

[Sterling]

CRise: Make protein your base; about 50% of your calories AND, unlike some on the forum believe, you have to be in a calorie deficit to lose body fat. It is simple thermodynamics; any fat loss expert will tell you that.


I'd recommend eating higher calories and carbs (it's relative) on your larger muscle days (chest, back, legs), lower calories on smaller muscle days, and lowest calories on 'rest' days.


Think of your calories in terms of a week. For you, I'd keep it at 12,600 calories/week. IF is also a key. Either IF with a daily 16/8 (fasted/fed) schedule or (2) 24-hr or 36-hr fasts per week. Your calories won't be low enough to affect metabolism so don't worry about that. In fact, multiple studies have shown that metabolism is nearly unaffected even after a 72-hr fast; it's after 72 hours of no food that metabolism changes significantly -- so don't worry.


Also, workout in a fasted state. If you can, do some light bike riding or fast paced walking for 30 minutes after your workouts. This will burn off any fatty acids that are left floating around after your intense workouts.


Protein, fat, natural carbs. Eat in that quantity order.


Hope this helps.

[Kane]

@ Sterling


I know cutting calories is a way of losing bodyfat, but it is not the ONLY way. I have lost body fat by changing what I'm eating, not how much I'm eating. I still drop calories when I'm trying to cut those final few pounds and that is it.


The food you are eating matters, not how much of it.


-Kane

[MichaelA]

There is NO way to loose fat in a certain area specifically in natural way. You can do a liposuction thou but I doubt that's what you want. The belly and love handles usually go the last...


I second Sterling about thermodynamics with one note: Don't make it a system about how you eat. Keep carbs down (under 100 g a day) and make sure you eat a total of calories that's you maintenance level. Make fat over 70%. Do IF without scheduling... eat when you are hungry only and give it a little time for things to happen. Let's say at least a month or two. Nothing works overnight.

[dfast]

Interesting thoughts on thermodynamics, worth a read:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC506782/

[chocolatechip69]

Or better yet, stop relying on getting some real to-the-point help from this thread and do your own research Take it slow.

Look at all of the advices you've been given. So far, most of them contradict each other.

Sterling seems to know exactly how many calories you need to eat to loose FAT, and how much to increase your protein to. He must be a psychic because either I missed something here, or you DID NOT state your age, weight, what you eat on a regular basis, etc.

Oh, another thing for all of those who think you need to be in a calorie deficit in order to loose weight, you may want to look into hormonal imbalances. Trust me, how much you eat will not do a darn thing to correct it. It's only WHAT you eat and how you eat it that will likely help an individual with hormonal imbalance to correct the problem.


I'm sorry for venting here, but I'm just so tired of certain individuals here giving people advice like "cut the calories and create a deficit" simply because it worked for them. Enough with the talk about thermodynamics and how every weight-loss expert will tell you to drop calories in order to loose weight. Those weight-loss experts are as much of experts as your expert physician who tells you to start taking statins after your regular blood check.

[Timothy]

Sterling, I consider you the king of belly fat reduction. Your Success Story and call to action was a major factor in drawing me into the PB.


Would you tell me what your motivation was when you decided to go full-bore on the PB around March 2008 and stopped backsliding? Also, what do you think about carbs -- is it better to shoot for zero, or do you eat them strategically in some way? And how long did it take you to reach the level of body fat shown in your picture?


Most of my own fat seems to have fled to a tattered redoubt around my navel. I'm looking for ideas on how best to besiege it.


Chocolatechip makes some valid points. There's more than one way to skin the blubber, and everyone's a little different.

[jo]

Yeah I'm with you Chocchip. I find it depressing to see all the CW creep into this site.

[jrherring]

I think the key words are 'worked for them'.