A weird stage...

[Vagabond142]

Breakdown:

-Biking every day it's sunny, doing pushups and situps on alternating days and with some break days, haven't started running yet but that's coming next week.
-Eating 6 small meals a day and working hard to keep driving my sodium and bad fat intake down.

Problem:

I'm getting fitter and fitter. My stamina for exercise is way up, my legs don't gather acid nearly as quickly as they did when I started biking, and I'm overall able to do a lot more before gettng winded.

Thing is, it's still covered in a layer of body fat. :(

Since my last time posting on this area of the forums, I've lost 40 lbs (260 -> 220) in about 6 months of diet and exercise. Now I'm at the point that no matter what I do, how hard or not I push, my body isn't shedding flab. My arms and my legs are much more toned, but despite focusing on torso and chest exercise in the past couple of months, I'm just not losing the flab.

I want to be under 15% body fat or less by Christmas. I would ESTIMATE that this would equivocate to around another 20 lbs drop, right now I'm not interested in bulking or gaining strength, I want to first focus on getting my body back into a natural state of health, that being not flabby or fat.

Also, I would very much rather do this naturally. I don't want to have a row of pills with LSA, Vitamins, etc on my shelf.

I have made a LOT of lifestyle changes in the past as well... I play games a LOT less than I used to, I'm getting out much more, and I'm driving a lot less too (for example making the library a bike trip vs a 3 minute drive).

Now I want to break through this plateau and really start burning off torso and trunk fat so I can finally start focusing in on building strength :)

So, any advice, videos, plans, ideas? And please, if you have nothing nice to say or just want to troll this posting, don't post. I want honest and constructive feedback, because I want to keep a positive attitude about my exercising.

And at this time, I am ready to start "pushing till you puke" level of excercise if it loses me my flab.

[yellowsnow]

Sounds like you need to start changing up your routine. Your body has probably gotten used to all your routines, and you need to change it up to get further results.

Check out the thread on P90X. it's a killer workout, and lots of people have been successful with it. I just started the program a couple days ago, and it is kicking my ass. But, just stick with it, and results are sure to follow.

[Vagabond142]

Well... I have 2009's version of P90X regular on my computer (ripped the DVD's from a buddy), so come monday.... I guess it's start time o_O I just hope it gets the flab to go bye bye O_O

[yellowsnow]

Just stick with it! It's tough, but good for you ;) sounds like you have your diet all figured out, but give the nutrition guide a quick read too

[QR25DE-SER]

You said you hadn't started to run. I would suggest that. Gets your heart rate up so you sweat. I have a friend who was 280 & went down to 225 from running alot. If he couldn't run outside he was running on a treadmill everyday.

Now he is in construction all he does all day is lift a wheelbarrel with gravel over 50 times or more all day & this is pushing it up an incline.

Mind you he was at 240 before he got this job. Since the job about 3 months he has gotten bigger in the neck, the shoulders & the legs. He is working on his stomach (which needs alot of work ...a bit of flab). He will be starting to do a bit of pilates with me, because it does work.

I would start a running though...

:whipped:

[A790]

You can't spot reduce fat. Doing chest exercises won't help you get rid of chest fat.

It sounds like your issue is diet. Cut down on your carbohydrates, drink lots of water, and eat whole, balanced meals.

When I was cutting fat I'd hit the gym three days per week, cardio two days per week. My diet on non-gym days was protein + vegetable at every meal. Gym days was protein + vegetable + carb after I hit the gym. I was losing roughly 1lb-1.5lb every week consistently while still gaining strength.

[Oz-]

I agree with A790 on the diet. You may have to start doing a variety of things. If you are in the position financially, a nutritionist would help you quite a bit, one that I am thinking is Shelby Starnes

His log at Elite FTS
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/training-logs.asp?tid=163&__N=Shelby%20Starnes

[Vagabond142]

Right now I'm almost entirely cardio (5-6 days of biking, including hills, long distance, etc) and I'm doing 6 meals a day (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, recovery snack) as well as at least 3 liters of water per day.

I am trying to run a calorie deficit, and I used to be where i was consuming 3000 calories a day before and now am doing about 2250

but I honestly think my body is used to 2250-2500 now, and I may have to drop into the 1000's... my body needs, as calculated and averaged over about 100 of those calorie calculators, about 850 calories for life sustaining nutrition.

I am currently 183 centimeters tall on the dot, I weigh 219.7 in just my tighty whiteys, and I have a comfortable fit with size 38 waist khakis, but I do have a semi-beer gut (not a vicious one, but at least an inch and a half of fat over the six pack I keep warm under there)

I also have the problem of not having any weightlifting equipment, which is something P90X needs.... I use two milk jugs, wrapped in duct tape with sand in them, as barbells. I need to get one of those resistance band thingies for cheap, or borrow someones o_O I don't have a lot of money AT ALL (like, seriously less than $50 to my name right now) because of this damned job depressed city.

[Vagabond142]

well, i did the p90x pre-start fit test, and passed everything but chinups (don't have a chinup bar but I can do 2 if I really push myself and use the branch of the strong tree down at the park) and pushups (13 to failure, p90x recommends 15 min).

Also, on the subject of running... is there a good way/plan/program to ramp up running? I would like to be able to run 10 km without too much trouble within a year, I think that's a suitable goal to keep me increasing (safely) up to that point from a guy that only bikes for the moment. Who knows, maybe I should also set the goal to run in the mother's day 10k so I have a definite date set to be ready by? :)

I'm very serious about ramping up my workouts and body from slightly fat geek to fit and healthy geek :D I've gone from obese geek to slightly fat geek just off biking alone, so that's a start :p

[Vagabond142]

So, I'm kicking it into gear: http://forums.beyond.ca/st/308714/vagabonds-fat-ass-challenge-180-days/

[broken_legs]

Switch to "sports" exercises

Multi joint exercises that work stamina, strength and speed


Burpeess
Hill Sprints
Trail running
Box Jumping
rope climbing
Chin ups/pull ups
V Ups
Planks
mountain climbers
kettle bell swings
power cleans, deadlifts, good mornings

Theres lots more that I cant think of, but I find those seem to 'tighten up' the rest of the body when I've plateaued from just running and doing normal exercises


You can also try modulating your carbohydrate intake.

eg:

Day1: 0.5 g Carbs/pund body weight + 1.5g Protein
Day2: 0.5g Carbs + 1.5g protein
Day3: 0.5g carbs + 1.5g protein
Day4: 1.5g Carbs + Protein
Day5: 0.5g Carbs + protein
Day6: 0.5g Carbs + protein
Day7: 1.5g Carbs + protein

The idea is that you keep your metabolism high by bringing in hihger carb counts on some days, but then go back to fat burning on the lower carb days. eating carbs after workouts and in the mornings.