Fat Around Belly Button Area?

[cassiegose]

Ok,

I've located a couple of articles for you to read and see if they make sense as to why you should be eating after working out. Here they are:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bodybui ... t_meal.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/berardi4.htm

Now, when i said that you're not getting enough protein... you really should try to increase your lean proteins.

I'm sure wheatabix and milk have a little protein... but probably not more than 10-15 grams (thats a complete guess so please correct me if i'm wrong).

Apple is good... i would add some nuts or some kind of protein to this meal though.

Did the sandwiches have meat in them? If so then that would be a good choice for that meal... i would still rather you have wheat bread but if you must have white then so be it.

Good job on not going to the cafe Martin! I'm proud of you for that decision!

For dinner.. i'm not sure what a sausage role is? Is it quite fattening? Good job on the salad!!

The problem Martin is that when i add up your calories for the day (again i'm totally guessing when I add them up) I'm coming to maybe 1000 (1200 tops). This is not enough calories for you. I would DEFINITELY increase the calories by adding in more protein and healthy fat. Adding eggs to breakfast is rather easy. I usually grill my chicken the night before then take it in my lunch the next day... and when i grill chicken i usally grill about 5 breasts so it will last me a couple of days. You could also buy some protein powder and simply drink that when there is no way you can get in solid protein. I would also buy some nuts (I usually get plain almonds) and take them to work/college with you so you can snack on them throughout the day.

For the cardio and weights I would alternate it... you could do something like this:

Monday: weights
Tues: cardio
Wed: weights
Thurs: cardio
Friday: weights
Saturday: cardio
Sunday: off

This way you get a rest between cardio workouts and a rest between weights... it should help your muscles recover a little better from the weight workouts this way.

For the reps and sets how about you just do 3 sets of however many reps you can do... or 3 sets of each exercise to failure.

If your neck is sore you could be doing those ab exercises incorrectly. Are you straining with your neck when you come up or focasing ONLY on your abs? Make sure your abs are doing ALL of the work. You might try not coming up so far on the crunch also... not sure how you're doing them though so thats just a guess. Have you tried putting your legs up on something (like your bed) and crunching up just until your shoulder blades come off the floor... then hold for a good second or two... then come back down?

This exercise should not stunt your growth. Here is an article (I kind of feel like your teacher giving you all of these reading assignments):
http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/derek42.htm.

As for the roll of fat... give it some time!!! Did that fat develop over night? NO! Its not going to go away over night.

I hope i've answered all of your questions. Let me know if i missed something. :)

Cassie

[MartinBoy]

Ok thanks i will leave out the cardio today though, however i feel like i need to do cardio and burn off calories everyday to lose the fat? And as for the protein, what would you recommend is easiest for me to do, as i am limited to what i can eat as im not sure how to cook/don't buy the food.

Also, the way im going, will i still lose the fat on my stomach so it's flat?

If so do you have an estimate of how long?


Sorry didn't see the second page. Thank you so much for all your help ive really learnt alot the last few days. That excercise page could not be found, also i thought none of this stunted my growth? im worried that the weights might?

The sausage roll was 200 calories.

Today i ate, 3 wheetabix and milk, sprite can zero (4 calories) bottle of water, sandwiches (3 cut up so like 1 and a half slices of white bread) and i had ham in them. I also had a cup of fizzy limeade when i just got in however no sugar and just 2 calories. However im drinking water now. For dinner i had some potatoes (the watery ones out of the can) and some ravoli. So hopefully not tons of calories there.

As for snacking on nuts i am thinking of that, however, i heard nuts are really fatting. And im trying to keep the calories down as much as possible, the protein powder stuff you was on about? i was talking to the man i work with today at work and he said he had a 8 pack when he was younger and he said for whey protein just buy like a tub of it or something?

Ive learnt so much from you and i wish i could return the favour somehow, thank you so much. I just hope this will end up in good cause as 5 hard days have been.

I will try to adjust my diet to get the protein in, is the powder healthy? does it stunt growth? any side effects?

Lol, i keep mentioning stunting growth because i am 17 and hopefully haven't grown to my fullest yet and hope to get taller

Thanks again, as for the weight training. http://www.shapefit.com/shoulder-exerci ... esses.html
I usually try to do about 40 of them. By weight training do you mean using weights, or doing stuff like crunches, ive done crunches correctly now i think, i watched a video on it. I managed to just about do 30 as it is alot harder the right way but hey i still did some. I also did 20 push ups which was surprisingly hard. Should i do some more as i keep feeling the fat fold over it makes me think have i done enough.

Sorry to drag the words on, i understand i need more protein and will try to as i find out more about these power stuff, however will the fat from my stomach go like this, i realise i won't be muscley so i will try to find out more about protein like i said but will my stomach still flattern if i didn't get enough protein?

[cassiegose]

Hi Martin,

As for protein I've listed protein sources that you can try several times now. I would go back and review the sources that I listed and see which ones would be the easiest for you to use. If nothing else... go buy yourself some protein powder as that doesn't require preparation... simply put a scoop in a glass of water and stir.

The way you are going you will lose some fat, however doing the plan that i have provided will give you the best results. If I were you I don't think i would want to just look "skinny" I think i would rather look "fit". There is defintely a difference between the two.

As for how long is going to take... I have no idea how much fat you are carrying and everybody looses weight at a different pace. It takes my body FOREVER to let go of fat and I have known people that can workout for 2 weeks and see significant results. Don't worry about how long it will take though. As i've said before, you didn't put it on over night and its not going to come off over night. It takes time, diligence, and patience.

Cassie

[MartinBoy]

Ok thanks, also did you see the pictures i posted of my stomach as maybe that could help for knowning how much fat. I will try to get some protein powder than i suppose. Any side effects you know of? Also how many calories do you think i should be consuming a day and burning when it's cardio days.

As for how long it's taking i know things take time and this is the 5th day now, i just hope it doesn't take too long because i would love to have a slice of cake and stuff but don't want to ruin my hardwork so far. Also if i go out with mates and get hungry i will be tempted to eat stuff which maybe i shouldn't so i wouldn't but it would cause problems if that makes sense.

Also is protein powder expensive? As i don't have a ton of money at this age

If i wouldn't have to use protein powder than i wouldn't however i don't seem to be able to get enough protein? I think i weight 11 stone which is about 154 pounds? Haha weird, i thought i was like 136 pounds lol :p But yeah, breakfast egg whites, is that like a boiled egg? As for nuts, i heard there good for protein? but very fatty so don't want to be putting more fat on . I have defintely learnt from reading your responces and aim to lose my fat on the stomach as soon as. Thanks again.

[cassiegose]

Hi Martin,

I'm at work so can't access that pic you posted. Even if I could look at that picture I still wouldn't be able to tell you how long it would take to lose the fat. Everybody is different my friend. I can guarentee you that it is going to take you MUCH longer than 5 days though. Im not trying to discourage you, however if you go into this with unreasonable expectations your are going to be really let down. I have been on a STRICT (we're talking eggwhites, chicken, lean red meat, protein powder, oatmeal, sweetpotatoes, fish oil, and veggies) since March 30th and am just now starting to see results. I think my case is probably different than yours as i have been eating healthy and exercising religiously for over 10 years now so my body is pretty accustomed to the diet and exercise thing... where your body should give up the fat a bit easier since you just started working out... however I wanted to use this example to show you that (as I said several times before) this stuff takes time!!!


As for protein powder... Some can cause gas and bloating but other than that I don't know of any side effects. I currently have two different kinds and both are great. I don't think its too expensive, it does depend on the brand and amount that you purchase though. If your tight on cash you should shop around until you find a good deal.

For the eggs... take a pan, put in 5-10 eggs (cook more so you can eat them later), fill the pan about half way up with water, turn the stove on HIGH, put a lid on the pan, watch the pan until the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium, boil for 12 minutes, turn the heat OFF, pour out hot water, pour cold water on eggs so you don't burn your hands, peel shells off eggs, peal the whites off from the yolk, throw the yolk away (save one for the dog if you have one) and eat the whites. You could have one whole egg and 3-5 whites if you prefer... that is what I do. I also add in a bit of fat free mayo and mustard for taste.

Nuts are a great source of healthy fat and you NEED healthy fat for a number of reasons. Fat doesn't make you fat, calories make you fat (I know thats confusing but its true). Pretty much everything you eat has calories in it. Things like green veggies tend to have less calories then things like high in sugar and fried foods. Proteins (chicken breast, eggwhites, lean red meat) have 4 calories per gram. Carbs (oatmeal, bread, pasta, sugar) have 4 calories per gram. Fats (nuts and oils) tend to have 9 calories per gram. With that said, yes a cup of nuts (which are high in fat) will have more calories then say a cup of veggies so you don't want to eat too many nuts. However, the nuts are going to provide valuable nutrients that you be able to get from proteins or carbs so you do need to eat some in your diet. As far as fat loss goes, every 3500 calories is about 1 pound of fat. If you burn 3500 more calories than you consume "science" says that you should lose about 1 pound of fat. On the flip side, if you consume 3500 more calories than you burn off science says that you should gain 1 pound of fat. This isn't always the case though as our bodies can be funny sometimes... however i think that is a good example of how the body can store and burn fat. Now go back and notice that I said "calories" create fat gain and fat loss... NOT fat. If you are eating a ton of fat then yes you will gain fat because fat does have more calories then carbs and proteins. However, if you're eating a ton of sugar and not burning it off you should also plan on gaining some weight.

Does that make sense?

One last thing... You mentioned the slice of cake and wanting to go out and eat stuff that you maybe shouldn't. Martin these changes need to be lifestyle changes, meaning that you really should think about exercising and eating healthy on a regular basis, not just long enough to lose the fat. If you eat healthy and exercise just long enough to lose the fat, then go back to eating unhealthy and not working out I guarantee that in a few months you are going to be right back in the same position that you are in now. My best advice is to eat healthy most of the time, workout regularly, and have a slice of cake when you want it (as long as it isn't every day).

I hope this helps.

Cassie

[MartinBoy]

I know it should be lifestyle changes as if i ate loads of choclate and stuff straight after i would be back. However, i want to be able to eat some of the nice foods, which happen to be junk at times.

And it seems you said youve been eating that way for like 3 months and haven't noticed anything!?

Man i thought in 2-3 weeks i would be slimed right off

Basically when/if i do achieve some of what i want, fat lost bit of muscle, if i ate normally 3 meals a day, and just reguarly excercise would i keep the body. As i need some motivation instead of just being hungry all the time, i hope this doesn't take long lol

I want my stomach to be inwards so it doesnt stick out as fat

Thanks again for all your time and help

[MartinBoy]

Sorry to double post but i would like to keep my personal trainer updated (cassie)

Today i have eaten breakfast, wheetabix x 3 and milk. For lunch i had 2 boiled eggs, (looking to eat more of these) and slices of white bread with butter (not tons, it was cut up into very thin slices) Ive also eaten an apple and 2 crab sticks (fish sticks). Also a snack bar. Which contained oatmeal, wheat,raisin, and it had choclate on the bottom. (126 calories) i looked at the back and i think it was 1.6g protein, 4.4g fat. Not sure if thats good or not.

Anyways i haven't really done any excercise today, as i haven't had work or college, ive been doing crunches and a few push ups. Should i do some excercise on the cycling machine however as i haven't done none? Maybe about 15minutes? Im also thinking of buying some nuts, as you said there good for you even though they are high in fat? What nuts would you recommend. Also i might start boiling the eggs. We usually have eggs indoors, by boiling the egg is that what you mean by egg whites. Also i might start buying snack bars.

How many calories should i be consuming per day 2000? That seems alot seeing as you have to burn more than you consume.

I just hope i can lose the fat belly and make it flat and hopefully gain some muscle the way im going, how am i doing?

Thanks again

Also on the weight training days, how many crunches do you think i should be doing?

[cassiegose]

I think you can eat some junk foods and still be ok... however you must make sure that the majority of the food you eat is healthy and make sure that you continue to exercise regularly. Keep in mind too that eating healthy and getting regular exercise isn't just important for weight management. These things are important as they will make you healthier, can prevent a wide range of diseases and ailments, while helping you to live a longer more satisfying life.

I don't think you fully understood my post... I have been eating healthy and exercising regularly for more than 10 years now. A few months ago I started training for a show and REALLY cleaned my diet up and revamped my exercise routine. After I made those changes to my diet and workout I definitely didn't see results over night, it took a while for me to play with my diet and training to see what would work and I am now starting to see noticable results from my hard work. As I said before, my body is most likely going to repspond differently than yours because mine has already adapted to a healthy diet and exercise program. Again, the point of me telling you that was not to discourage you, just to let you know that this does take patience at times.

I think you should see some results in 2-3 weeks, however that is a total guess. If you do, the results in only 2-3 weeks will be subtle.... but will hopefully motivate you enough to keep going.

You're welcome for the help.

Cassie

[MartinBoy]

Thanks yet again cassie, i just lifted my dumbell weights and below my shoulder on my back it is aching a little, isit normal to be a little bit achey though after training?

Also about the egg whites, and post above, not sure if you saw it.

Should i do some cardio today as i haven't done hardly any excercise except for crunches push ups and some weight training.

And what do you think of what i said on the post above.

Sorry to make you read it

Food today ive eaten two of them snack bars, 126 calories each, 4.4g fat 1.6 protein, oats, raisins, and some other stuf (choclate at bottom) Shepards pie for dinner, 2 boiled eggs for lunch with thin sliced white bread and butter. An apple, 2 fish sticks, 3 wheetabix and milk.

Going to do a bit of cardio in a minute maybe 15mins on bike and maybe then some more crunches.

Also, what about when i want to go out with mates on weekends and have a drink

[cassiegose]

Hi Martin,

I'm not sure how i missed you other message.

Is your shoulder aching in the muscle or does it feel like its in the bone/ligaments/joint? Muscle soreness is normal, however other aches and pains could mean that you're not using proper form.

Good job on the eggs! I'm glad youre trying to get in more protein! As for the bars... how many grams of sugar do they have? Sometimes those bars are basically candy bars disguised as being healthy. If you do buy some find one with atleast 10 grams of protein... the more protein and the less sugar the better! To be honest instead of spending money on bars i think i would actually spend money on protein powder instead.

As for the cycling machine... did you do weights or cardio yesterday? If you did weights yesterday i would do the cycling machine today. However if you did the cycling machine yesterday I would do weights today. If you've workedout for the past 6 days without a break i would take today off or just do some light cardio (go for a walk or something).

For nuts, I usually buy almonds as I have heard that are best. I would do just plain unsalted. A serving of these is about 22 nuts (which has 170 calories and 14 grams of fat.. and a couple of grams of protein).

By the eggwhites.. when you boil the eggs the white part is the eggwhite and the inside is the egg yolk. The yolk has more calories and fat than the white. The white is an excellent source of protein but each eggwhite only has about 3-4 grams of protein so you need to eat a few of these to get enough protein. I would have one whole egg and a few eggwhites when you have them.

I would shoot for about 2000 calories a day.

I think if you stick with it you will lose that belly fat and gain some muscle. I'm glad that you want to gain muscle and not just lose the belly fat. Having a bit of muscle is definitely appealing and will help with metabolism.

On the weight training days... If you feel like you must do crunches i would do 3 sets of 50. Remember you can't spot reduce though meaning that simple doing crunches is not going to make you lose fat on the abs. you must first lose the fat by a healthy diet and solid workout routine... the crunches will help you build muscle on your abs to make them look better once you lose the fat on top. Does that make sense? I also sometimes hold a dumbell while i'm doing crunches to add a bit of extra resistance to the exercise.. when i do them with weight i only do about 25-30.

Good job Martin!

[MartinBoy]

Well this week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday i did cardio when i got in from work. (Burned 800 calories according to excercise bike) And Thursday, Friday and saturday (today) i have done weight lifting/crunches/push ups.

On the weight lifting days, i don't think im doing enough. Ive been doing the sitting in the chair one where u lift the dumbells above your head but apart from that i don't think im doing enough. And also the ache is gone now but felt like i had to push on it earlier if that helps. I heard not doing it correctly can stunt growth!?

How many grams of protein do i need to be eating? A couple of grams of protein for 22 nuts (170 calories doesn't seem like much) Would i be better off buying protein powder. (But if i use alot im gonna have to buy more and cost even more money) The main goal is just to make my stomach go inwards basically flat, anything else is a bonus.

As i mentioned earlier if i wanted to go out on weekends with mates and have a drink, does this mean i cant?

Am i doing well or am i not going to see results in 2-3 weeks?

Remember you can't spot reduce though meaning that simple doing crunches is not going to make you lose fat on the abs. you must first lose the fat by a healthy diet and solid workout routine... the crunches will help you build muscle on your abs to make them look better once you lose the fat on top.

For that, i take it the routine im doing is a solid workout routine?


Just another thing, i will try to do as many crunches as i can as i get neck ache, when i do them should i do them on the weight lifting days only?

Also when i do weight lifting i only seem to do a bit of this excercise

http://www.shapefit.com/shoulder-exerci ... esses.html

Also as tomorow is rest day, what do i do. Just no excercise/weight training? And then back to it on monday?

Thanks again

[cassiegose]

As I suggested earlier in another post try alternating weights and cardio:
monday: weights
tues: cardio
wed: weights
thurs: cardio
friday: weights
sat: cardio
sun: off

Or vice versa. This gives your muscles a chance to recover.

If you feel like the weights are too easier buy heavier weights or do more reps/sets.

I'm not sure where you keep getting your info about the stunted growth but i've been researching this stuff for a long time and have never heard anything about weights stunting growth. Incorrect form will not stunt growth, it will however make you more likely to injure yourself so make sure you're doing the exercises correctly. There are lots of sources online that will show you how to do the exercises properly.

If you want to go out on the weekends and have drinks go ahead. However I wouldn't go overboard and i would make extra sure to eat healthy the rest of the week of you are going to go out.

Shoot for 1 to 1.5 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. As i have suggested several times now, yes protein powder is a good idea if you can't get your protein otherwise. Its best to get it from solid food but if you absolutely can't then buy some protein powder and supplement with that.

I have no way of knowing whether or not your going to see results in 2-3 weeks. If you work hard you should see some results, however probably not the kind of results you are hoping for. If you stick with it for 2-3 months you should see significant results.

[MartinBoy]

Sorry to make you keep repeating yourself, i have also added a few things to the above post incase you didn't see them.

As for the grams of protein. I weigh 154lbs, so 154 grams of protein a day seems well overboard? I mean there is surely no way to fit that into my daily diet without using powder? and even if i did then that would cost a fortune?

Thanks again hopefully il see results soon as i haven't noticed a thing even after 6 days

[MartinBoy]

Sorry to bother you yet again cassie but i think it's important to alert you of this.

I was at my nans for dinner, a big dinner at lunch time possible 1000 calories? It was a sunday roast damn it was nice . For breakfast i had 3 wheatabix with milk. However, i was a bit naughty and had some apple crumble with ice cream for afters. It wasn't a massive bowl but it was a bowl. I also picked at a couple of sweets Possibly 5 jelly babies. However i was concerned about this so i just did 300 calories on the cycling bike (15mins) even though it's ment to be resting day. I also did 50 crunches and boy i never realised how hard it actually is. Should i be doing crunches daily?

Also, as for the routine, 3 days weight training and cardio, cardio is what burns fat and makes you lose weight right. So shouldn't i be doing this everyday to insure im doing the most i can to burn the fat. Also how many calories do i need to be consuming and burning to make sure im losing. I know ive asked this a few times and youve said 2000 calories daily. Well say i spend about 30-45mins on excercise bike on cardio days that's without the excercise included from being at college/work. How many calories does my body need to have to still being lose weight (1000 calories?) I don't have a clue im sure you might. Because say i consume 2000 calories in a day or even below. It's pretty damn hard to burn 2000 calories on the bike. (I would be starving, more hungry than i have been).

So yeah should i be doing cardio everyday to make sure i lose the fat. Obviously im a bit bothered bout gaining muscle but when i lay on the floor and lift my neck up and tense my stomach my abs and muscles are pretty big but you can't see them.

So yeah, it's been a week now but still haven't noticed anything, should i improve or am i doing ok and hopefully see results shortly?

Thank you so much

[cassiegose]

I would think your BMR is 1900-2200. This means that this is how many calories you burn just by breathing, digesting, and functioning. If you're pretty active you could be burning an extra 300-600 calories a day by working out (I have no idea how many calories you are actually burning in your workouts as the calculators on machines are usually not very accurate). So maybe shoot for 1800 calories a day and see how that works for you. Again, get 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and get the rest of calories from complex carbs and healthy fat.

The cardio will help you burn calories while you are doing it but the weight training will actually help to speed up your metabolism so you naturally burn more calories throughout the day. This is why i keep suggesting the weight training. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn naturally. If you feel like you MUST do cardio everyday then so be it. However, I would save the cardio for after weights on the weight days so you get the most out of your weight training workout.

Honestly the crunches aren't going to do a whole lot for you until you actually lose the fat on top of the muscles. They might burn a few calories but they aren't going to make your abs magically appear or make the fat on your stomach magically go away. You must lose the fat through a healthy diet and balanced workout routein that consists of BOTH weights and cardio.

Martin its only been a week. As I've said several times now you MUST be patient with this as you are not going to be seeing huge results after only a week.