Fat Loss Query

AlanD

Hi,

Instead of hijacking someone else's thread I figured I'd start my own. I'm a 35 year old man, 6'01", currently weighing in at 201lbs, so 14st6.

I've been pretty active all my life, doing taekwondo for years in my early 20s til ankle injuries stopped me, doing 5 classes of step aerobics a week in my late twenties, kayak racing in my early thirties and now jogging. The odd time, illness or injury might have me on the sideline for a few weeks or months, but I always get back in to exercise.

I eat healthily, with low fat, unprocessed foods always.

But, I can never ever seem to lose the last bit of mid-riff fat that give rise to love handles and a tiny over hang. I'm fit enough to be tight, but I can never just get to that tight place, which pisses me off.

Here's my current diet/exercise plan, which has been in place for about a year now:

Jog about 20k per week in sets of 5k or 7k distances.
1600 calls of healthy food a day during the week and some more at the weekend, pretty much never going over my daily allowance.

I sit all day for work, but do as much exercise as I can fit in.

But, I still have the love handles and the overhang. The odd week, I drop the calories even more and I might drop a couple of pounds, but I end up exhausted. Some weeks, I'll try the eat often thing and end up putting on weight, even though my calories might just be about 2000 for the day consumed.

Any advice would be appreciated.

syklops

AlanD wrote: »

I eat healthily, with low fat, unprocessed foods always.

Can you give some examples of your meals with approximate portion sizes.

Also, for someone who is 6'1 and jogs 20k a week 1600 cals is very low.

AlanD

For example, breakfast would be coffee, sweetener, dash of low fat milk plus rice kris pies, about 3/4 cup of low fat milk and a tea spoon of sugar.

Lunch, 2 slices brown bread, 1 slice ham, 1.5 tablespoon of coleslaw, tea (w/sweetener)

Dinner, cous cous, chicken stir fry with veg (like mushrooms, peppers, onions), no oil, just 1-cal spray.

Most days are similar with just a variation of what goes with the cous cous.


I'd agree with you regarding the 1600cals vs 20k running. Some days I'm tired, but when I increase the calories, I put on fat. I reckon I'm easily burning through more than 1600cals a day.So why doesn't the last trappings of fat disappear?

cmyk

Are you sure you're eating 1600cals per day? and if so, how long have you been eating at that level? How much scale weight have you lost since eating at 1600?

There's plenty you can tighten up on here, namely a massive lack of protein, fat and maybe a different approach to your exercise.

syklops

When you said:

AlanD wrote: »

I eat healthily, with low fat, unprocessed foods always.

I really wasnt expecting

rice krispies, about 3/4 cup of low fat milk and a tea spoon of sugar.

and

no oil, just 1-cal spray.

Both are highly processed. I know the 1-cal spray is only one calorie, but you have to wonder what do they do to it to make it non-stick and 1 calorie. From purely a health point of view, and this is my own opinion, I'd much rather a small glug of olive oil.

I'd agree with you regarding the 1600cals vs 20k running. Some days I'm tired, but when I increase the calories, I put on fat.

Of course you will be tired, you just ran 20km.

Tbh 1600 cals, for a 6" male, is not enough to maintain weight before you add in any exercise. I would say your body is in 'starvation mode' and when as you say eat more calories, you put on fat its because it is storing as much as it can to keep you going.

Before you change anything I would go to a doctor to check nothing else is up, and maybe to a dietician. However, I would advise more protein in the morning. Consider some bacon and scrambled eggs instead of rice krispies for breakfast ergo ess carbs more protein.

How much chicken do you have in your stir fry?

AlanD

cmyk wrote: »

Are you sure you're eating 1600cals per day? and if so, how long have you been eating at that level? How much scale weight have you lost since eating at 1600?

There's plenty you can tighten up on here, namely a massive lack of protein, fat and maybe a different approach to your exercise.

Yeah I'm fairly certain I eat 1600. I use myfitnesspal to measure, weighing everything, calcing accurately.

I noticed only 2 weeks ago that my protein was low. Only about 30g a day. Which might have explained why I never felt I was getting stronger. So on my training days I add another 30g of protein in a whey shake.

AlanD

syklops wrote: »

When you said:

AlanD wrote: »

I eat healthily, with low fat, unprocessed foods always.

I really wasnt expecting

rice krispies, about 3/4 cup of low fat milk and a tea spoon of sugar.

and

no oil, just 1-cal spray.

Both are highly processed. I know the 1-cal spray is only one calorie, but you have to wonder what do they do to it to make it non-stick and 1 calorie. From purely a health point of view, and this is my own opinion, I'd much rather a small glug of olive oil.

I'd agree with you regarding the 1600cals vs 20k running. Some days I'm tired, but when I increase the calories, I put on fat.

Of course you will be tired, you just ran 20km.

Tbh 1600 cals, for a 6" male, is not enough to maintain weight before you add in any exercise. I would say your body is in 'starvation mode' and when as you say eat more calories, you put on fat its because it is storing as much as it can to keep you going.

Before you change anything I would go to a doctor to check nothing else is up, and maybe to a dietician. However, I would advise more protein in the morning. Consider some bacon and scrambled eggs instead of rice krispies for breakfast ergo ess carbs more protein.

How much chicken do you have in your stir fry?

You could very well be right about the starvation mode. Although im rarely hungry. Initially I lost 1 stone, but without much changing I put on about 6 pounds again and I've been solid since.

Not running the 20k in one go, I do 5k and 7k runs.

The one cal spray is just 2 squirts. Oh and I'd eat a lot of spicey foods to speed up the metabolism. Might not be working.

I like the idea of the nutritionist/dietician though. It could help me figure out my imbalances.

Not keen on the weight gain though if I up my calories