Getting rid of a belly

sceptre

Hmmm, PI seemed like the appropriate place to post this little query

I've developed a bit of a belly.

And I'd like to get rid of it.

I understand the idea that regardless of exercise, no fat is going to leave the body while the amount of calories consumed is greater than the amount used, if you follow me.

I'm not fat or anything - just a little more chubby than I used be (actually I'm 14 stone rather than the 10.5 I was when I was in competitive sport ten years ago but it doesn't show that much)

So with my student rate gym membership (70 euro for four months if there are no UL students who are unaware of the new fully-fitted gym), what kind of exercises can I do to remove this er, pregnant bump in the fastest (and least painful:)) way possible? Preferably on things like bikes and rowing machines - I feel like a plonker doing weights and situps in public*

bwt don't bother suggesting sex - it doesn't burn calories fast enough.



*what's with all those mirrorrs in the weights section of gyms anyway? Are prople that narcissistic?

LegacyUser

Ok. The enervate blandishment of lassitude here is inchoate. I think to exculpate the recalcitrant is a mendacious desuetude, although the raconteur of arrogate extrication is an apocryphal cormorant

daveirl

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daveg

if only all replyies were this helpful..

Oeneus

No no no! Post your program here. Lots of us might have a good use of it.

_sheep

you + seated rows* = no belly


*special machine, non moving seat but otherwise same as a rowing machine

do em properally - lower back pulled forward and shoulders flat and back then pull the chain (with a weight you can barely lift) and pull it using only the power of your arms, this did wonders for my belly but you cant beat sit-ups m8

(btw if you have a bad back dont even think about doing that)

LegacyUser

People get way too technical when on a diet. Start smoking.

l3rian

the hard way (the only way) :

dont eat any fatty foods, very hard

do 50 situps a day, no cheating, do slow situps, must feel the burn

do a good workout 3-4 times a week, as you said, jogging machine, cycling machine, or best of all, swimming, ask instructor for right program

good luck

Magic Monkey

Originally posted by daveirl


That's it but that's not the whole truth. If you want to lose weight the most you should really hope to lose in a week is about a pound. That is 3500 calories which is 500 a day. Now if you burn 250 extra and consume 250 less a day you'll get there easily.

Well, 2lbs. is the recommended limit, but 1lb is good for beginners. Bear in mind by "weight" you really mean bodyfat, and not lean-body mass (i.e. muscle). Read http://www.theministryoffitness.com/mof/library/articles/article18.htm for some basics on nutrition.
I agree above with daveirl - Figure out your AMR (active metabolic rate), and take 250kcals off via food intake, and do ~30mins cardio a day, for the other 250kcals.

Weight are good but if you are trying to lose weight they will only be a waste of time really. Once you're about 4 weeks into your program add in a little weight training but nothing major.

I disagree. Weight-training is probably the most important aspect to dieting. If you cut kcals, you will lose fat+muscle. Muscle uses more kcals than fat per .lb (I think it's 70-80kcals muscle: 10-20kcals fat, per hour; I forget though). If you lose muscle, then your BMR will decrease, meaning you will have to eat less kcals just to lose more fat, etc.

Weight-training stimulates muscle to "maintain" it's current state, when coupled with eating less kcals. But seeing as you're a beginner, you could probably actually *gain* muscle *whilst* dieting. This only usually happens with beginners, and, ahem, "assisted" athletes.

Another important thing you should consider is the timing of your meals. 6 meals of at most 700 calories is the best way to lose weight. yep that's right 6 small meals. Best have 3 at the normal times (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and then one before excersise one after [within 1 hour] and one whenever you get hungry.

The "eat over x meals per day" theory has been debunked, but I personally find it a better way to eat, due to stabilising blood-sugar levels, and not causing huge insulin spikes, etc. BTW, eat a.s.a.p after exercise, well, with 30mins (protein+carbohydrates), for glycogen super-compensation purposes (i.e. replacing lost muscle energy stores).

Read the articles here http://www.theministryoffitness.com/articles.htm for more info. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

Magic Monkey

Originally posted by l3rian
the hard way (the only way) :

dont eat any fatty foods, very hard

Emm, why not? Please, not the old chestnut that fatty foods make you fat! :rolleyes:

do 50 situps a day, no cheating, do slow situps, must feel the burn

Heavy Deadlifts would be better, and you'd get more out of them with the same time you'd put into 50 situps...

do a good workout 3-4 times a week, as you said, jogging machine, cycling machine, or best of all, swimming, ask instructor for right program

Try:-

Monday - Squats, Deadlifts, Calf Raises (Lower Body)
Tuesday - Cardio (Rowing, Running, Cycling, etc)
Wed - Rest
Thur - Bench Press, Chin-ups, Rows (Upper Body)
Fri - Cardio
Weekend - Off

Instructors are usually clueless when it comes to proper form for Weight-Lifting, better finding someone who knows their stuff and asking can you train in with them.

Monkey

sit-ups would be essential

smiles

There was a big thread here about this a few weeks back, scroll back and you should find it.


<< Fio >>

LegacyUser

I think cycling would be a very good option. give up caffeine. eat a lot of protein, it can actually take more energy to digest than u get from it.

LegacyUser

the one sure way of getting rid of that belly is top get one of those ab rollers these are very suitable as you can use it in the comfort of your own house which can incourage you to use it very frequently.
Another thing are you drinking alot of liquids normal or alcoholic??
as liquid retention can also can cause that belly of yours and will not be cured by dieting

daveirl

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Scruff

well however you decide to try and loose weight, make sure you always weigh yourself on a hard surface!

People weigh less on a hard surface

Sposs

If its just the Belly fat you want rid of,stick with sit-ups if your too embrassed to do them in the gym,try doing them in your bedroom before you go to bed every nite,

as for "the least painful way" theres no such thing,it will hurt like hell at the start but slowly you start to feel the benefit.

Combine them with so light jogging and abit of swimming and then you can eat what you want and still lose weight.

daveirl

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Sposs

I know but combined with some jogging and some swimming,he should lose the fat around his belly much quicker.

daveirl

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Magic Monkey

Originally posted by daveirl


Yeah but I'd be impressed if you could do that and not lose muscle mas

Yup, it's a theorital limit, but quite possible, seeing as he's just starting out. Plus, it's possible he'd gain some mass, too.

Yeah I know but for someone trying to lose weight it isn't the most important thing. Think of how many kcals you're burning while running, swimming or whatever and compare that to the rise in BMR from extra muscle mass and the extra cardio is far more useful IMHO and anyway swimming or running will increase muscle mass. I would agree that after say 6 weeks a weights program should be added.

I disagree, it IS the most important thing! Granted, he'll probably use more kcals from aerobic than anerobic (weight-training) work, but eventually, with no weight-training, dystrophy will kick in - he'll have to eat less just to keep losing fat, plus other crappy side-effects.

Anyways, he'll look better with the same (potentially more) mass+less bodyfat, than with less mass+less bodyfat. Weights should be done *in conjunction* with cardio, to maintain lean-body mass and reduce body-fat.

Either on thier own is not very good at both. BTW, swimming/running/cardio is useless for increasing muscle mass vs. weight training.

Well I was more trying to emphasis small meals, I was mainly trying to get across the point that you shouldn't skip meals and should definitely have a Lucozade Sport/Isostar/Gatorade before and after excercise.

BTW could everyone stop treating situps as if they are a magical cure. You can do all the situps you want and it won't make much difference. It's all about boday fat percentage. You should never do situps everyday anyway. You don't do Bicep curls everyday do you? Your abdominals are a muscle like any other and require rest too

Agreed.

Enygma

Sit-ups won't get rid of your belly and if they're not done properly will most likely give you bad posture you'll screw up your back. Remember you need to do reverse situps (I don't know what they're really called, back situps I guess) with your back to counter your stomach muscles.

I do 300 situps every second night, and I still have a bit of a belly. But my abs are pretty strong which is why I do the excercise in the first place.

Go running or head to the gym and hop on a cross-trainer for an hour (if you can )

daveirl

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LegacyUser

Originally posted by daveirl


Ever see the arms on Ian Thorpe, Legs on Lance Armstrong etc... You won't get huge size but will be lean etc.

They don't get like that just by swimming or running. You think Linford Christie looks like he does solely by sprinting?!?

daveirl

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LegacyUser

Originally posted by daveirl


No but my point is the vast majority of their exercise (Lance & Ian Thorpe anyway) is in the pool or on the bike.

Look at American Football players. *Huge* - Are they like that by playing football most of the time? Nope. It's by regular resistance training.

Armstrong and Thorpe, I would bet, spend an equal amount of time doing "in the field" training (cycling, or swimming) as well as resistance training. After all, they can only perfect their respective techniques to a certain degree, at which point they do weights to further increase performance.

Besides, just 'cos Armstrong, Thorpe or Christie have physiques like they do, it does'nt mean if you take up swimming/cycling/sprinting that you're going to look anything like them!

P.S Check out this:-
http://www.ridefast.com/ctscafe/memberjournals/lancearmstrong/11011999.htm
http://www.socialpages.com.pk/61/swimming.htm

daveirl

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Magic Monkey

Originally posted by daveirl


point taken but look at the World's strongest man competition all those guys do in weights and they don't look good. Find me anyone who does cycling that doesn't have muscluar calves?

World's Strongest Man - They need a reasonable level of bodyfat to compete (i.e. higher than a bodybuilder, or an athelete who mainly trains aerobically). Besides, theres absolutely no reason for them to look or to be lean for what they do; they just have to lift Very Heavy Things! (TM).

I agree that cyclists have muscular calves; they'd have to seeing as they are *constantly* training that body-part, regardless of it being aerobic work!

daveirl

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bucks73

There are conditioning / circuit training classes every evening in the UL gym and I have found these excellent. Circuits consist of weights, push-ups, ab crunches, steps, sprints etc.

Magic Monkey

Originally posted by daveirl

not arguing but why??? I've heard it a million times but it has never made any sense to me. I had always thought that depending on the sport 8-15% body fat would be ideal. some of those guys must be well into the 20's.

You hit the nail on the head there, "depending on the sport". Bodybuilders, Sprinters, Marathon runners, Cyclists, etc, all do better with a lower bf% (~ <10%). They need to be that lean. Bodybuilders, for obvious reasons, and runners/sprinters/cyclists as the excess fat will just slow them down. Also, do you know how much calories a e.g. professional cyclist has to eat daily whilst competing? From http://www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/aerodynamics2.html :-

"Stages can last for six to eight hours, covering 90-150 miles (145-240 km), and racers can burn over 10,000 calories a day."

Would they not have a better strength to weight ratio for example the lifting events if they had a lower BF%.

Strongmen don't compete in weight classes, so they don't need to be at a certain weight/bf%. Typically, too low a bf% will leave them weak - There's absolutely no WAY any of them will diet for the competition; you can bet they're stuffing their faces every day on the run-up to the competition. They need it to "keep their strength up".

BTW we're never gonna agree on how to get rid of a belly because there is no perfect way. If there was no one would have them.

Some ways are better than others, though, and I completely agree with you regarding spot reduction. As an aside, ever see Powerlifting on Eurosport? A lot of those guys have no need for Kevlar

daveirl

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Magic Monkey

Originally posted by daveirl


I know. I love to watch the Tour de France and am in awe of the athletes although I believe those who don't take EPO are in a tiny minority unfortunately.

Yeah, or those who use (Pseudo)Ephedrine - "But it's for my cold!!!"

Did you ever see any documentarys on adventure racing and in particular the Eco-Challenge Think of the energy requirements on that. It's one of my ultimate goals to do the Eco-Challenge one day. I don't know if I'll ever be able to. I have the mindset but whether when I'm in my late 20's I'll have the free time to train is another question.

Yup, I've seen Eco-Challenge. Regarding training, there's always 6am in the morning and lunch-time.

BTW we've gone way OT so to keep it on topic. Remember anyone trying to lose weight drink loads of water. In fact drinking cold water even burns calories!

Yeah, but it has to be very cold water (like ice cold) and even then the thermic effect of the body having to heat it up results in a not-great expenditure of kcals. 3ltrs a day is a good place to start, best consumed using a straw.

Caesar_Bojangle

You are better off joining a gym because ppl say yeah i am going to do 20 mins of cycling every evening then 2 hours swimming on sunday they never stick to it, but in a gym you have all the machine and weights you need/want under one roof.

Keep in mind, in every gym there is always someone uglier, fatter, older and in worse shape than you are, so when you feel down making no progress, just look at the old fat bald git in the corner on the bike struggling level 1.

But if you really want to lose weight ....................... you could always take a protein shake or even creatine which gives you more energy to lift weights/exercise and helps turn fat into muscle quicker by letting more water in the muscles or something.

LegacyUser

magic monkey, this guy wants to lose a belly, not body build, your suggested routine is great, i do similar myself, but he mentioned something about "least painful" + not many beginnners likes free weights straight away

sceptre, keep it simple, ask an instructer for a jogging or cycling or swimming routine, do it for at least 40 minutes, do the sit-ups, and work on the diet, 5 fat-free meals a day is good, finally 1/2 the work is attitude and keep doing it, for every week you take off it will take 2 weeks to get back to that level

l3rian

forgot to log-in, thats my post above above

LegacyUser

Well you could do what I'm doing right now...

I'm in a foreign country (china), with not a word of the language and therefore no means of ordering food (well, pointing and then handing over cash would do but the sheer annoyance of being ripped off when you do that will soon curtail your efforts) -
Oh that and being a veggie (where i am now i can see a Hot Dog stand with real dog...



b

Magic Monkey

Originally posted by Unregistered
magic monkey, this guy wants to lose a belly, not body build, your suggested routine is great, i do similar myself, but he mentioned something about "least painful" + not many beginnners likes free weights straight away

In that case, what you say below (bar the fat-free meals) is good advice; although it would be a lot more beneficial for sceptre if he did some all-over resistance work, and not just cardio.

But, horses for courses, and all that.

sceptre, keep it simple, ask an instructer for a jogging or cycling or swimming routine, do it for at least 40 minutes, do the sit-ups, and work on the diet, 5 fat-free meals a day is good, finally 1/2 the work is attitude and keep doing it, for every week you take off it will take 2 weeks to get back to that level

sceptre

Thanks for all the advice guys. Much appreciated, believe me.

Dave, I'll take you up on your kind offer of some advice, basic or otherwise. I'll be away for a few days starting tomorrow so I'll mail you on return (and go through all the comments in this thread properly)

Thanks people


(btw if anyone comes up and bounces me in the belly or anything odd at the IOFFL AGM you'll be getting a bang on the head:D)

GreeBo

Just wanted to say that you shouldnt drink litres of ice -cold water, especailly if you yourself are very warm, or in a warm atmosphere.

This is the reason most people get a dodgy stomach when they are on holidays.

All it will do is give your colon,stomach and intestines a nice freezing and give your good self a nice dose of the $hits.
(they cant process food when they get cold, so it takes the express route):eek:

tunney

This is the reason most people get a dodgy stomach when they are on holidays.

And thats the best case scenario. I spent 2 days in bed delerious(sorry about the spelling), as a result of playing fottball in 35 degree heat and then drinking alot of coke/water from the freezer. It was too much of a shock to the system.

I know. I love to watch the Tour de France and am in awe of the athletes although I believe those who don't take EPO are in a tiny minority unfortunately.

Dave, as much as I deep down agree with you it really does pain me to do so. I'd love to 100% believe that Lance and the boys, Lance in particular, was clean. Personally I'm inclined to believe he is.

Armstrong and Thorpe, I would bet, spend an equal amount of time doing "in the field" training (cycling, or swimming) as well as resistance training.

Dunno about thorpe but as for Lance he does do a fair whack fo resistance

http://www.lancearmstrong.com/lance/online2.nsf/html/training