Author Topic: I really need help. People who know what they are talking about answer in this.  (Read 2530 times)

Offline BearMills

  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 1125
  • Karma: +30/-2
  • Grizzly
    • View Profile
Ever since I was little I have had this belly fat problem. I have always wanted to get rid of it but never dedicated myself completely to getting rid of it. I am always trying to find out ways to hide it so you can't see it when I am wearing clothes. Can you guys please help me with a diet and workout routine to get rid of this? My goal is to get rid of it before school starts August 24th if I can't get rid of it completely I would still like to get rid of it fast. If I could get rid of this I would be a changed person so guys please help me out.

I have been trying to cut down on meal portions I tend to eat a lot but I am slowly lowering the meal portions and I am noticing I can't eat as much as I used to be able to. I try to do ab workouts but I notice that I am not consistent. I just want to lose that extra fat and be free. I hate taking my shirt off period, I feel embarrassed when I am at the beach or in the pool and it has been this way for the past 8 or so years. I am quite active I play lots of soccer, and Train 2 hours every day of the week/weekend if I can.

Here is what it looks like.



I want it to be flat and toned out.. Please help me!

« Last Edit: August 10, 2009, 12:00:15 PM by Alëx Mills »
Co-Founder

Offline Patrick Yang

  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 636
  • Karma: +55/-12
  • Outrunner
    • View Profile
Start by letting us know what you eat each day, with as much detail as possible, including portion sizes and beverages.  Also please give the particulars of your workout routine, again with as much detail as possible.  Your age, height, weight, and body fat percentage would also be helpful.

Also, you seem to have some misunderstanding about how fat works.  You can't spot burn.  That is, doing ab workouts doesn't burn the fat on top of the abdominals.  Instead, fat is deposited and burned according to a predetermined genetic pattern across your entire body.  Instead, what ab workouts do is condition your abdominal muscles, possibly to get bigger.

What this means is that you should focus on an overall reduction of body fat instead of just on the abs.
Training log.
Train hard, eat smart, and act with honor.

Offline BearMills

  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 1125
  • Karma: +30/-2
  • Grizzly
    • View Profile
Age: 16
Height : 6'4''
Weight : 213 Fluctuates up and down during the day. ( I am quite built up muscle wise)
BF : I don't know.


I will Modify this as the day goes along.
Yesterday:
Breakfast : Organic Oat Bar with berries
Lunch : Fresh White bread with Ham, Salami
Dinner : Fresh Bellpeppers Fried, Fresh Tri tip steak 4 slices weren't to big. Sliced potatoes very thing fried in Olive oil.
Desert : fresh bowl of berries (Strawberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries)

Today:
Breakfast : None  (woke up couple hours ago)
Lunch : bell peppers
Dinner: (N/A)
« Last Edit: August 10, 2009, 12:47:49 PM by Alëx Mills »
Co-Founder

Offline FastGuppy

  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 779
  • Karma: +11/-9
    • View Profile
This thread belongs in the diet section considering most of it will be loosed through diet.

You might hear things like cut back on carbs. Pizza, Cereal, Pasta, Bread, potatoes, and chips can cause this problem. Eat a lot of lean meats and a lot of veggies instead. However, you're just going to have to cut back on calories as well. We have a diet section with a lot of good stickies if you haven't seen it.


Edit:

Make sure you read these threads.
http://www.americanparkour.com/smf/index.php?topic=12681.0

http://www.americanparkour.com/smf/index.php?topic=10965.0
« Last Edit: August 10, 2009, 12:55:56 PM by FastGuppy »
"obsession is a great replacement for talent" -Steve Martin

Offline yougotkicked

  • Oryctolagus Cuniculus
  • *
  • Posts: 29
  • Karma: +1/-1
    • View Profile
i can relate, i've been struggling with my body fat for just about as long as i can remember.  in the past few years i have been making a lot of progress.  here are some of the things i found to be helpfull:

1)  build more muscle mass, you're obviously not devoid of muscle, but doing some weight lifting to build up some of your more commonly used muscles (legs, back, and abs mostly) will make your muscles burn more calories simply because your body will need more energy to support them.  this should make your usual workouts even more effective.

2)  stop drinking sugary pop, whis was honestly one of the easiest and best dietary choices i have ever made, coke zero and such taste just as good as regular pop but you won't add an extra 300 calories to your meal when you eat out. (restraunts refill your pop and such in an attempt to get more money, but you don't take note of it's dietary impact and just keep drinking it).

3)  don't under eat, i know this sounds weird but try not to skip meals or eat too little at a time, besides making you tired and less focoused all day, you will eat a lot more than you need to, and if your schedule is anything like mine, youll end up eating later at night, when your digestive system is beggining to shut down and everything you eat just turns right into fat.

4)  try and get a workout in after dinner (not too soon after or the workout will suck, it's no fun trying to keep from vomiting while running a few miles, i eat around 5-6 and workout 9-11).  exercise will shut down your digestive system and (if it's hard enough of a workout) make the idea of eating rather unappealing, this is another good way too keep from eating later at night.

5)  don't over-estimate how many calories you burn during a workout.  most of the calories we burn in a day are to maintain body temp and other non-muscular systems, unless your practically running a marathon you won't eat enough to justify adding much to your next meal.  walking a few miles is roughly equal to a piece of whole wheat bread.

6)  make sure you workout for long periods, you don't really start to burn fat for like 10 minutes, before that your just burning up your ATP reserves, replenishing them will burn fat, but you really are better off working out for a few hours at a time.

        im not a weight loss specialist or anything, and i certainly can't be sure of anything here helping you in a big way, but these are the things that i have found most usefull.  i still have a ways to go myself, im about 210lb atm, with a healthy body fat% i would probably weigh around 190, but i weighed 240 just a couple years ago, and i've grown 4 inches and gained muscle mass since then.
yes, your forum did just get a new troll, but in a good way :)

Offline Jerald Donald Konkel, aka JDK

  • Mangabey
  • ****
  • Posts: 330
  • Karma: +8/-7
  • Land softly and Roll Smoothly
    • View Profile
    • PunKurac Parkour
I look like that, But Its starting to go away........... I wouldn't worry about it. If you can move and manuvuer without it hindering you. then don't worry about it and it'll go away by itself...

btw,,, I used to weigh 220, no I weigh 180 and I'm still losing weight. So Parkour is great for Fattys like us...... hehe

"We're Apes, not monkeys" GPK
"Get off the roof, for your own safety" APK Roof Police


Offline jarcothe1

  • Guenons
  • **
  • Posts: 58
  • Karma: +0/-10
  • you controle your surroundings!
    • View Profile
    • Team Joke
just work out every day.... run for 4 miles or more when you buid up to it....swim alot....and parkour/freerun as much as possible...the key is to disaplin your mind and body to do a hard work out....dont give up becuase its a mind game witch takes up about 98% of controle....you body take in the outher 2 %....so just keep practiceing!

josh from team Joke
josh from team joke!

Offline Spencer B

  • the Romantic
  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 1019
  • Karma: +47/-25
  • ...*BANG*...
    • View Profile
Where's Chris when you need him?  ::) :P

Whatever, while I'm not as awesome as Chris, I can still help!

3)  don't under eat, i know this sounds weird but try not to skip meals or eat too little at a time, besides making you tired and less focoused all day, you will eat a lot more than you need to, and if your schedule is anything like mine, youll end up eating later at night, when your digestive system is beggining to shut down and everything you eat just turns right into fat.

On the contrary, fasting can be a very beneficial tool in weight loss. Read this thread. http://www.americanparkour.com/smf/index.php?topic=14288.0

4)  try and get a workout in after dinner (not too soon after or the workout will suck, it's no fun trying to keep from vomiting while running a few miles, i eat around 5-6 and workout 9-11).  exercise will shut down your digestive system and (if it's hard enough of a workout) make the idea of eating rather unappealing, this is another good way too keep from eating later at night.

I wouldn't recommend this because I feel it would highly degrade the quality of your workout. Eating and then exercising? Not only will food not look fun, but exercising will look like even less fun.

6)  make sure you workout for long periods, you don't really start to burn fat for like 10 minutes, before that your just burning up your ATP reserves, replenishing them will burn fat, but you really are better off working out for a few hours at a time.

This is definately not true. Depending on the type of workout, ten minutes can be 100X as beneficial as 4 hours. What I would suggest is HIIT. Sprint for a distance, preferably 400 meters balls-out, then rest, then repeat 3x. Not only is it great for reducing your mile time, it also increases how much energy your body burns, even resting, for up to 48 hours afterwards. (I think it's something like 500 more calories a day or something, but don't quote me on that.)

As was mentioned, strength training can help, but that is pretty mush personal preference I guess. (Some people seem to not like working with weights. ::) ) You would benefit from a calorie deficit in your every day diet too. about 500 calories I think is a good number. Also, as has been said, generally avoid bread and other forms of high processed carbs and you should do good.
www.cracked.com
www.tvtropes.org

There are times when you want to break down and rage at the heavens. Don't. Stay calm, and let the emotions flood in, accept them and then rise above them. Never dwell. Don't fear or worry. Anything worth thinking about is worth talking about. And... Good luck.

Offline Geoffrey Gonzales

  • Guenons
  • **
  • Posts: 74
  • Karma: +8/-5
    • View Profile
Exercise when you wake up, before breakfast.
Your body runs on fat whist sleeping, and only begins to use glycerol when sugar levels spike, ie. after a meal.
Also drink water often.

Offline Spencer B

  • the Romantic
  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 1019
  • Karma: +47/-25
  • ...*BANG*...
    • View Profile
Exercise when you wake up, before breakfast.
Your body runs on fat whist sleeping, and only begins to use glycerol when sugar levels spike, ie. after a meal.
Also drink water often.

Staying hydrated is a good idea.

But staying fasted after waking up and generally avoiding carbs won't have your sugar levels spike.
www.cracked.com
www.tvtropes.org

There are times when you want to break down and rage at the heavens. Don't. Stay calm, and let the emotions flood in, accept them and then rise above them. Never dwell. Don't fear or worry. Anything worth thinking about is worth talking about. And... Good luck.

Offline Geoffrey Gonzales

  • Guenons
  • **
  • Posts: 74
  • Karma: +8/-5
    • View Profile
Re: I need help. People who know what they are talking about answer in th
« Reply #10 on: August 10, 2009, 02:50:17 PM »
I didn't say stay away from carbs/sugars; but exercising while your body is mainly working on fat will help.

Interesting articles:
http://www.helium.com/items/393377-are-cardiovascular-exercises-before-breakfast
http://www.lifescript.com/Body/Shape/Fit-tips/Exercise_Before_Breakfast.aspx
« Last Edit: August 10, 2009, 02:55:26 PM by Geoffrey Gonzales »

Offline yougotkicked

  • Oryctolagus Cuniculus
  • *
  • Posts: 29
  • Karma: +1/-1
    • View Profile
3)  don't under eat, i know this sounds weird but try not to skip meals or eat too little at a time, besides making you tired and less focoused all day, you will eat a lot more than you need to, and if your schedule is anything like mine, youll end up eating later at night, when your digestive system is beggining to shut down and everything you eat just turns right into fat.

On the contrary, fasting can be a very beneficial tool in weight loss. Read this thread. http://www.americanparkour.com/smf/index.php?topic=14288.0

     i didn't get all the way through the thread, but i think i got the general idea of it.  while the method adressed in the thread is valid, it's a total re-structuring of the way you eat, not quite the same as trying to controll what you eat while on a traditional meal plan.  my suggestion for not under-eating is based more on the psychological effects of going for long periods without food when you body is not used to it.  this is something i know fairly well because i have been dealing with the concequences of my ADHD medication killing my appetite for 12 hours a day (im concious 14-17 hours a day and if i don't force myself to eat during those 2 hours i will easily consume 3000 calories in my remaining few hours of conciousness).  on days i don't take my medication i find that it is a lot easier to controll my appetite at night and rather difficult to controll it the rest of the day.

I wouldn't recommend this because I feel it would highly degrade the quality of your workout. Eating and then exercising? Not only will food not look fun, but exercising will look like even less fun.

   that would depend on how fast your metabolism is, i can workout just fine after a few hours of digesting time.  any good high-intensity workout will shut your digestive system down, THAT is why you won't want to eat, the idea isn't to make food unappealing, but to tell your body it's done eating for the day and burn calories at the same time.

     This is definately not true. Depending on the type of workout, ten minutes can be 100X as beneficial as 4 hours. What I would suggest is HIIT. Sprint for a distance, preferably 400 meters balls-out, then rest, then repeat 3x. Not only is it great for reducing your mile time, it also increases how much energy your body burns, even resting, for up to 48 hours afterwards. (I think it's something like 500 more calories a day or something, but don't quote me on that.)

      actually i am quite cetain about the first 10 minutes or so of exercise being fueld almost entirely by adenosine triphosphate reserves, i've had that information thrust upon me by four different classes.  when i said workout for longer periods i didn't necesarily mean to exercise continuously during those sessions, short burst training is every bit as important as endurance training, especially for something like parkour which could involve both long periods of endurance running and short burst exertion.  it's important to train all aspects of your body.
yes, your forum did just get a new troll, but in a good way :)

Offline David Glass

  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 906
  • Karma: +55/-7
  • CptBongue
    • View Profile
Hey, Alex

I took somewhat of a BlackBox approach with my diet, and it worked great

A little over a year ago, I was a lot like you, maybe worse. I began modifying my diet little by little, and monitorring the results VERY CLOSELY and VERY CAREFULLY

Why the Black Box? Because I wasn't really concerned with HOW the modifications I made worked, but just that they worked

We all have a good idea that eating high protein and lowering our carbs is good, I suppose, and we get a sense, when we look at certain meals that "Hey, I shouldn't be eating this".

I won't even try to prescribe a diet for you because that actually takes time, what I will suggest is, you prescribe a diet for yourself.

Read up on The Zone and Paleo diets, and try to progressively make your diet more like those... when I say "Progressively", I mean:

1) Weigh in and measure up (around your waist since this is your target area)
2)  start with that Oats and Berries bar, and substitute it for some Eggs and Berries.
3) Try this for a couple of weeks.
4) Weigh in again, substitute the salami and ham for some turkey and chicken, repeat

Do this with your exercise regime as well. Add more of this, less of that. Try another day a week for a couple of weeks... cycle it out for 2 weeks, see how it works for you

Any advice anyone gives you here will be awesome, but very hard to follow since the discipline to diet and exercise is something you will not acquire overnight, nor will you wake up one morning and be on a 100% Zone or Paleo diet... unless you have a coach standing next to you when you are eating... it's just not going to happen (realistically)

I was 235 lbs and am now 200. I am 37 years old and had this problem probably twice as long as you have, so, if I can do it, all of you can

If you need any help, over time, I'll be glad to

Good luck
Life can be divided in two phases: Before the first time, and After the first time
Traning Journal: http://www.performancemenu.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5147

Offline BearMills

  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 1125
  • Karma: +30/-2
  • Grizzly
    • View Profile

Hey, Alex

I took somewhat of a BlackBox approach with my diet, and it worked great

A little over a year ago, I was a lot like you, maybe worse. I began modifying my diet little by little, and monitorring the results VERY CLOSELY and VERY CAREFULLY

Why the Black Box? Because I wasn't really concerned with HOW the modifications I made worked, but just that they worked

We all have a good idea that eating high protein and lowering our carbs is good, I suppose, and we get a sense, when we look at certain meals that "Hey, I shouldn't be eating this".

I won't even try to prescribe a diet for you because that actually takes time, what I will suggest is, you prescribe a diet for yourself.

Read up on The Zone and Paleo diets, and try to progressively make your diet more like those... when I say "Progressively", I mean:

1) Weigh in and measure up (around your waist since this is your target area)
2)  start with that Oats and Berries bar, and substitute it for some Eggs and Berries.
3) Try this for a couple of weeks.
4) Weigh in again, substitute the salami and ham for some turkey and chicken, repeat

Do this with your exercise regime as well. Add more of this, less of that. Try another day a week for a couple of weeks... cycle it out for 2 weeks, see how it works for you

Any advice anyone gives you here will be awesome, but very hard to follow since the discipline to diet and exercise is something you will not acquire overnight, nor will you wake up one morning and be on a 100% Zone or Paleo diet... unless you have a coach standing next to you when you are eating... it's just not going to happen (realistically)

I was 235 lbs and am now 200. I am 37 years old and had this problem probably twice as long as you have, so, if I can do it, all of you can

If you need any help, over time, I'll be glad to

Good luck

That sounds like a great idea! I will substitute the Eggwhites for the oats and stuff like that. If I can dedicate myself to eating healthy I think I can do it. I think my problem was is that i wasn't dedicated enough to change.
« Last Edit: August 10, 2009, 04:50:08 PM by Alëx Mills »
Co-Founder

Offline Patrick Yang

  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 636
  • Karma: +55/-12
  • Outrunner
    • View Profile
     i didn't get all the way through the thread, but i think i got the general idea of it.  while the method adressed in the thread is valid, it's a total re-structuring of the way you eat, not quite the same as trying to controll what you eat while on a traditional meal plan.  my suggestion for not under-eating is based more on the psychological effects of going for long periods without food when you body is not used to it.  this is something i know fairly well because i have been dealing with the concequences of my ADHD medication killing my appetite for 12 hours a day (im concious 14-17 hours a day and if i don't force myself to eat during those 2 hours i will easily consume 3000 calories in my remaining few hours of conciousness).  on days i don't take my medication i find that it is a lot easier to controll my appetite at night and rather difficult to controll it the rest of the day.

On the other hand, I've found some people who have had difficulties losing weight with other dietary adjustments take to this very well.  Beside the other benefits of IF, it allows people who usually accumulate calories by snacking and drinking through the day to simply say no during their fasting period.

Also, in the end, Alex needs a net caloric deficit in order to achieve weight loss.  There's no way of getting around that.  That's why I find your advice not to undereat to be bizarre.  He may be able to achieve this by cleaning up his diet, though it's pretty hard to tell since he hasn't been posting portion sizes.


      actually i am quite cetain about the first 10 minutes or so of exercise being fueld almost entirely by adenosine triphosphate reserves, i've had that information thrust upon me by four different classes.

Sources, please.


Also: David's on the right track with black boxing your diet, though as he recommended, it's important to read up on nutrition as much as possible.  There's a thread about good books on this topic here.
Training log.
Train hard, eat smart, and act with honor.

Offline Spencer B

  • the Romantic
  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 1019
  • Karma: +47/-25
  • ...*BANG*...
    • View Profile
      actually i am quite cetain about the first 10 minutes or so of exercise being fueld almost entirely by adenosine triphosphate reserves, i've had that information thrust upon me by four different classes.

Sources, please.

XD

Anyways, I would dare say that everything he needs to know has been said.  :)
www.cracked.com
www.tvtropes.org

There are times when you want to break down and rage at the heavens. Don't. Stay calm, and let the emotions flood in, accept them and then rise above them. Never dwell. Don't fear or worry. Anything worth thinking about is worth talking about. And... Good luck.

Offline Bryan Augstein

  • Mangabey
  • ****
  • Posts: 268
  • Karma: +37/-10
  • Soggy Augi
    • View Profile
stress can be a large factor in fat levels, as well as some people are just genetically prone to storing fat around there mid-section, and there is nothing you can do about that. i also want you to realise that doing ab work outs does not mean you will lose fat around your abs - your body will store and use fat where ever the hell it pleases.

realisticly, 2 weeks is not enough time to lose a decent sum of fat. you had all summer to work on this, why would you wait until 2 weeks before school starts. there is no magic secret to losing wieght - it takes lots of time and lots of hardwork. no amount of help from this forum will change this, it comes down to whether or not you have the willpower to change. im am not trying to bash you, i just want you to look at this realisticly if you are indeed serious about this.

spencer is right about HIIT and tabata work outs. they will burn the most calories the quickest, but they are also the most grueling. it is VERY hard to complete tabata work outs if you do not do high intensity work regularly, or have high cardio vascular endurance. they also take a lot of time to recover from, so i dont think this would be best for you.

i would recommend just leading a better lifestyle in general, meaning being more active and eating better. this is very vague, yes, but it is the best way to lose weight and then keep it off for the rest of your life. as for being active - this is simple, walk to school instead of riding the bus. go play catch with a friend/dog. go hiking. or for heavens sake - just go train. stay off the couch (and this forum) and just move around. you will look better and feel better. diet - well, there is not much i can say that hasn't been said in chris's sticky (go read it)

lastly, ALL of this information has been posting hundreds of times, verbatim. a quick search would have saved you time.


6)  make sure you workout for long periods, you don't really start to burn fat for like 10 minutes, before that your just burning up your ATP reserves, replenishing them will burn fat, but you really are better off working out for a few hours at a time.


this is a pretty dumb statement considering all exercise has different levels of intensity. obviously you will use more energy faster sprinting than walking.
Noli timere

Offline yougotkicked

  • Oryctolagus Cuniculus
  • *
  • Posts: 29
  • Karma: +1/-1
    • View Profile
well, lacking a copy of my biology or health textbooks the best i could find is a few websites like this, it would seem that i was in fact wrong in my estimates and terminology, the whole system is a little more complicated than i recall (i really hated my biology class, but i heard adenosine triphosphate so many times in so many clases that part of it stuck).

On the other hand, I've found some people who have had difficulties losing weight with other dietary adjustments take to this very well.  Beside the other benefits of IF, it allows people who usually accumulate calories by snacking and drinking through the day to simply say no during their fasting period.

Also, in the end, Alex needs a net caloric deficit in order to achieve weight loss.  There's no way of getting around that.  That's why I find your advice not to undereat to be bizarre.  He may be able to achieve this by cleaning up his diet, though it's pretty hard to tell since he hasn't been posting portion sizes.

     the bottom line is different things work for different people, we can all give advise and tell our stories, but Alex is the only one who can find the system that will lead to his weight loss.
yes, your forum did just get a new troll, but in a good way :)

Offline BearMills

  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 1125
  • Karma: +30/-2
  • Grizzly
    • View Profile


but Alex is the only one who can find the system that will lead to his weight loss.


Yeah I think you're right.
Co-Founder

Offline Spencer B

  • the Romantic
  • Hirundo Rustica
  • *****
  • Posts: 1019
  • Karma: +47/-25
  • ...*BANG*...
    • View Profile


but Alex is the only one who can find the system that will lead to his weight loss.


Yeah I think you're right.

And I think my last post was proven horribly wrong by Brian's post. (+1 for that BTW)

And also, it really couldn't hurt for him to experiment with fasting though, could it?
www.cracked.com
www.tvtropes.org

There are times when you want to break down and rage at the heavens. Don't. Stay calm, and let the emotions flood in, accept them and then rise above them. Never dwell. Don't fear or worry. Anything worth thinking about is worth talking about. And... Good luck.