[Closed] Losing weight - the last few lbs and man boobs

Run and don't stop 🙂

I struggle to keep my weight where it is since I've been running more, always thinking I'm not hungry but I better eat something. That is on a 99% vegan diet though.

exercise for fitness - diet for losing fat

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/25/1046064037018.html

Swing your moobs in the air like you just don't care - is my party manifesto.

Bigger weight concentrating on large muscle groups. Squats, with weights is the easy one. Find a weight you can do 7 or 8 with comfortably, then do 3 sets to failure, should be 12 ish reps. You won't walk very well the next day but you will burn fat.

Every body is different and every body seems to prefer to store its fat in different areas. So, yes, unfortunately for you the moobs might be the last thing to go. For other people it may be their arse or double chins or wherever. However you are on the right course- more calories out, fewer calories in = less subcutaneous fat + more muscle definition.

The other thing that will mess with your head is that adipose cells (that the body uses to store fat) use up energy, so as you lose them as part of your weight loss regime you also need less energy (calories) to just 'tick over'. What this means is that as you cut down on your calorie intake from, say 3,500 to 3,000 you may find that you lose a few kilos before reaching a plateau and stop losing weight again, until you make another cut in your daily calorie intake.

A more painless way (and possibly more sustainable) to lose weight is to not eat less but eat smart- by knowing what food types have the most calories, ie:

Fat/oil = 9 calories per gram
Alcohol = 7 calories per gram
Carbs/sugar/protein = 4 calories per gram

So it doesn't take an Einstein to see where you get the best return for your effort there, hey?

Footnote: the 4 calories per gram for sugar might look a little surprising but it's true. The reason why sugary foods are so effective at adding weight is because they taste amazing and therefore moreish and therefore you eat them in larger quantities. Simples.

If it's really moobs then that's female breast tissue probuced by excess estrogen. Liposuction will be needed to shift that.

5thElefant - Member
If it's really moobs then that's female breast tissue probuced by excess estrogen. Liposuction will be needed to shift that.

And the belly? Put that down to anatomical differences I suppose?

As lunge says, squats, add deadlifts, pullups, dips and hanging leg raises and the remaining fat will disappear in no time. I know this works because its the foundation on which my six pack at the age of 52 is built.

Yeah what lunge said too.
Increasing testosterone is the key.
Distance running reduces it post exercise. Increasing oestrogen. Thus thrupenny's and paunch.
proper Weights or HIIT. Low impact stuff tho. Not insanity or any thing like that.

Diet and weights.

To expand on my original post, you basically need damage the muscle tissue so that you burn fat as it repairs (I know this isn't strictly correct but it's close enough for this discussion). The bigger the muscle that's damaged, the more fat it burns.

So, lunges (yes!), squats, core work, basically, identify the biggest muscles in your body and hurt them. I do weighted squats, 3 sets to failure which is 12 ish reps, that really hurts and I can barely walk the next day. Does a job though. If you want to do bike based stuff make it short and hard, HIIT type sessions, GCN have some very good 20 and 30 minute workouts [url=

that are very good too, again, they will hurt your legs and lungs but they will also burn fat.

Ticks this thread.

Not got moobs, but the fat around my stomach is proving difficult to shift.

Thanks for all the replies so far - I have been concentrating (using fixed equipment rather than dumbells) on chest press, pec deck, shoulder press and abs. I can feel the difference and beginning to see it in my chest (underneath that damn fat). Unfortunately a recent strain (caused by climbing) has limited how much weight I can do without it flaring up but I will focus on the weights more as and when I can.

Cheers

"Get fit in the gym, lose weight in the kitchen"

Whilst the heavier weights things is important (and good) diet is more important.

I'm just amazed that at 5'7" I weigh what you started at (after losing quite a bit of weight) and I fit 32" trousers! Then again if you are a climber that would explain a lot.

Yep, as per gonefishin. Using free weights somewhere near your rep max is great for hypertrophy, but you are never going to see those lovely big muscles if they are hidden under a layer of fat. That fat will go when you are eating fewer calories than you are using. However you wish to achieve that is up to you, pick whatever method appeals to you the most but be aware that it needs to be sustained. Meaning that you'll be sticking with it, foreverrrrrr. So if a life of fasting for two days every week or only eating nuts and berries like our prehistoric forebears appeals to you, then get stuck in.

Fwiw my own preference has been to tinker with my diet by learning where the calories are, having a think about where I'd be happy to make a relatively small change, and then sticking with it. Permanently.

chest press, pec deck, shoulder press and abs

Yes, "you can't out exercise a bad diet" is very true, you can help your diet with the right exercise.

So what's best for cardio, and burning some fat in the gym? Treadmill, Cross Trainer or Rowing machine. I like to mix some cardio in before and at the end of doing weights.

@johndoh - I moved from the machines to dumbbells and have noticed a difference in my build and amount I can lift. And just being able to vary positions can make those muscles hurt!

I'm just amazed that at 5'7" I weigh what you started at (after losing quite a bit of weight) and I fit 32" trousers! Then again if you are a climber that would explain a lot.

Sports Bra and a corset?

....only you will know 🙂

So what's best for cardio, and burning some fat in the gym? Treadmill, Cross Trainer or Rowing machine. I like to mix some cardio in before and at the end of doing weights.

All of these will work for cardio. I always say that the best exercise is the one you actually do, so pick the one you enjoy the most as you are likely to do it more. Personally I'd rotate between all of them to keep it interesting.

I always say that the best exercise is the one you actually do

So what's best for cardio, and burning some fat in the gym

Cardio - Whatever you fancy, 15 mins on the bike to warm up, a couple of KM run, whatever really. Do it at the start to work up and the end to warm down.
Burn fat - Heavy free weights, weight that will mean you can do 8 reps, do this to failure which should be 12 reps or thereabouts, repeat 3 or 4 times.

Be self critical, do the muscles you worked on hurt the next day or 2? And I don't mean a gentle ache, I mean proper soreness. If yes, then you're doing it right and will burn fat, if no then work harder.

Anyone of you knowlegeable people got links to a simple set of worthwhile exercises with free weights for this purpose? They seem to be what's generally available in hotel gyms.

@lunge...

So a hard 2km Row, or 3km run won't burn much fat then?

@molgrips I could send you a copy of my last 2-3 programmes I've used. These were generated by one if t trainers in the gym I go to. If you're interested let me know.

So a hard 2km Row, or 3km run won't burn much fat then?

You may burn some fat in repairing the muscles after the session but you can do more more damage, more quickly, by using weights.

OP, maybe I missed it but how old are you? If you are over 45-50 you could have low testosterone.

My suggestions pretty much mirrors what the others have said.
Heavy weights, free weights rather than machines.
I would however suggest you get some coaching to make sure your form is perfect.

Exercises:
Squats (start with Goblet Squats before moving to Front Squats and then finally to Back Squats)
Bench Press (use dumbbells if you don't have a spotter)
Deadlift (start using Dumbbells or kettlebells before moving to normal Barbell dead lifts)
Heavy Rows (machine or dumbbell single arm rows)
Shoulder presses (standing using a kettle or dumb bell)

Cardio:
Lets assume you ride your bike for a few hours a week.
Try doing a 2000m row for time.
Interval Training helps with work capacity.

Start eating more. Moderate carbs, moderate (healthy) fats and high protein.

This time a year ago I was 95kg (@6ft1), now I'm 103kg. BUT I'm visibly leaner, bigger across the shoulders, chest, back, thighs and glutes and a hell of a lot stronger. I'm 37. According to Strava I'm about as fast on a bike as I was a couple of years back.

where you suddenly get forced to go slower, feel like crap and want to eat anything in site

If you are over 45-50 you could have low testosterone

And the belly? Put that down to anatomical differences I suppose?

Phantom Pregnancy?

I'd recommend doing a couple of sessions with a personal trainer, this will make sure your doing the exercises to their best advantage and stop you from injuring yourself. I tend to do antagonist exercises back to back without any rest, beats steady state cardio hands down. An example would be 20 pull ups then drop down for 40 push ups, then back up for the pull ups, 4 x sets is enough to get your heart ready to bust its way out of your chest.

Spot on - 48 years old. So how do I get more testosterone? (My libido suggests I have very high testosterone BTW)

Go see your doc and get tested to know for sure.

Increasing your resting metabolic rate will reduce fat. Starving or dieting will not. Take a bodybuilder for example. They have a lot of muscle mass, they have to eat 5000+ calories per day. They don't get fat. They eat a certain ratio of protein to carb to veg.
1lb of muscle burns 50 cals per day. 1 lb of fat 1 cal per day.
HIIT or decent weight sessions raise testosterone and increase your RMR and burn fat.
A healthy balanced diet works best. Rather than a reduced, carb, cal diet or an unbalanced diet.

The short answer is also 'yes'. During exercise, especially lower intensity exercise, your body will use a mixture of systems to provide the energy, using a mixture of sources.

Despite the amount of energy that fat 'contains', obtaining it is a relatively slow process, definitely in comparison to obtaining energy from glycogen stores. The bonk comes about when you have depleted your glycogen stores and are solely reliant on the much, much slower fat metabolism.

Putting on muscle also has the benefit of raising your metabolic rate, so you actually use more energy, even before you take exercise into account. Basically if you operate a calorie deficit and increase muscle mass, you should be onto a winner.

Matt

Just read about low testosterone - definitely not that if any of the symptoms listed are to go by. I think my wife would probably wish I did have it sometimes though...

Basically if you operate a calorie deficit and increase muscle mass, you should be onto a winner.

Bloody hard trick to pull off that.

Further Reading: https://gymjones.com/ and http://breakingmuscle.co.uk/uk

Inspiration: https://www.instagram.com/bobbymaximus/ and https://www.instagram.com/vodilated/

@molgrips I could send you a copy of my last 2-3 programmes I've used. These were generated by one if t trainers in the gym I go to. If you're interested let me know.

Yes please.

Increasing your resting metabolic rate will reduce fat. Starving or dieting will not.

As I wrote on the keto thread - last summer I did lots of riding, much of it fasted, and I dieted. I didn't lose any weight, I didn't recover quickly. I got a bit faster but my endurance became epic.

Now I've done much less riding, but I'm eating carbs (sensibly) and I'm a kg or so lighter than last summer. When I do ride, I can go way further into the red now than I could last summer because I'm well fuelled. And I get metabolic benefits from that.

Then there was the time I was strictly iDieting and riding lots. I bottomed out at 84kg, then started eating more Twixes and drinking more coke, and I started losing again.

During exercise, especially lower intensity exercise, your body will use a mixture of systems to provide the energy, using a mixture of sources.

Despite the amount of energy that fat 'contains', obtaining it is a relatively slow process, definitely in comparison to obtaining energy from glycogen stores. The bonk comes about when you have depleted your glycogen stores and are solely reliant on the much, much slower fat metabolism.

Putting on muscle also has the benefit of raising your metabolic rate, so you actually use more energy, even before you take exercise into account.

And this, as far as we presently know, is how the body actually works.

I'm naturally suspicious of any advice that claims that some type of exercise or diet will specifically target your fat stores and not your glucose/glycogen stores for two reasons:

1) Lack of solid, peer reviewed evidence
2) It gives an overly complex, confusing picture which is discouraging and therefore interferes with the single, most important element of all- adherence. So, in summary:

If you want bigger muscles: heavy weights
If you want to see those bigger muscles: calorie deficit

Keep it simple, stupid.

If you want bigger muscles: heavy weights
If you want to see those bigger muscles: calorie deficit

Very difficult to do both at the same time, unless a) you're pretty much untrained b) you have amazing genetics c) you are "hormonally assisted".

Very difficult to do both at the same time, unless a) [b]you're pretty much untrained[/b]

Interesting, care to expand on that particular factor?

Some spot on comments here.

Sustained fat loss is all about diet - Note, fat loss, not weight loss. Resistance training will grow muscle (which will increase your base metabolic rate) and burn that stubborn fat better than cardio; although HIIT is excellent as well if you have the mental fortitude to push yourself to the max required!

I'm not a climber, but a weightlifter competing in weight limited classes, so the strength vs weight equation is equally as important. I can get to about 10% fat through diet - high protein/fat, low carbon - which is as low as you really need to get to.

For interest here is a graph of my fat/weight loss for a competition last March. The blip is a Guiness fuelled trip to Dublin to watch the rugby...

[img] [/img]

I agree. For losing fat, a carefully planned diet that is strictly adhered over a prolonged period of time is more important than increasing exercise. Of course exercise helps but if all comes down to energy in - energy out And most people underestimate what they eat.

I have been at my heaviest during some of my most active periods (training for half Marathons etc).

Your stubborn chest fat could be a combo of fat and glad (gynocomastia) and this is usually only completely fixed with surgery.

Very difficult to do both at the same time, unless a) you're pretty much untrained
Interesting, care to expand on that particular factor?

I have never experienced it but Newbie Gains is defo a thing!

From Stronglifts
1. You’re weak. Strength is directly related to muscle size. If you can’t even Squat 225lbs, then you will gain muscle fast by gaining strength on that lift. As a result, your body fat % will decrease and you’ll look leaner at the same weight. This is why so many StrongLifts Members have built muscle while losing fat with StrongLifts 5×5: they gained strength fast, built muscle as a result, and thus their body fat went down. We call this “newbie gains”. It’s much harder for a guy who has already a foundation of strength to build muscle while losing fat.
Read more: http://stronglifts.com/4-ways-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat/