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Anonymous
Hey /fit/,

Recently I've been working on my abs. I'm in decent shape all around, but up untill a few months ago, I ate whatever I wanted and drank a ton of beer each weekend.

I have a spongy later of fat over my ab muscles that I've been trying to get rid of through diet. I exercise every other day or so with a mix of light weights and cardio.

What I'd like to know is this:
I've been trying to take in less calories, stopped eating junkfood and started to eat more healthily.
Oatmeal in the morning, veggies or a sandwich for lunch, etc.

If I'm not taking in enough calories, will it prevent me from losing that layer of fat?
I'm 20 years old, 5'9 and 177 lbs. I do work out, I look alright but I'm not incredibly committed to it. I just like to look alright and eat well.

Is it possible to not take in enough calories? I can't seem to lose that layer, and I've been working hard.

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>> Anonymous
Your best bet would probably be to focus on boosting your metabolism before you start taking in calories, so your body focuses on burning fat first instead of converting food into energy. (And thereby avoiding burning any fat period)

When you first wake up in the morn, try half an hour of cardio before you eat.

Granted, the layer around your abs will not magically disappear, cause your body'll slowly use up fat from every deposit it has available, but it should start helping you cut a little quicker.
>> Anonymous
If your calorie intake is too low then your body will just go into starvation mode, your metabolisms will slow and everything you eat will turn into fat. If you've been working out in the same way I would change it up a bit, your body gets conditioned to doing the same thing over and over again over time it becomes less effective for both weight lose and muscle building.
>> OP
I'm going to start doing a half hour of cardio every day.

Exercise bikes is about all I've got though, but I never did biking before so my body won't get used to it for a long time.

I never ate all that much. I think that I should be taking in around 2,900 calories a day to maintain my current weight, but I've been taking in much less than that for a long time now.
Just naturally, I don't eat that much.

Should I really be trying to cut my intake down to like 1600? Because I think my body is used to taking in around 2,200 already.
>> Anonymous
Rather than focus on the number, focus on the quality of the nutrients. Since you're trying to burn fat, avoid foods with an abundance of fats of all kinds. Particularly anything processed. Not saying cut fat period, because that's nearly impossible to do without cutting into basically all your other nutrients

Definitely try picking up several styles of cardio. Jogging, biking, and an intensive run with several different types of movement styles (the stuff you learned from school like gallops, cross-overs, and wind sprints) all make for a dynamic cardio workout. If you like jogging, learn to spontaneously decide to do those things.

I've been able to surprise quite a few other joggers and passerby when I suddenly decide this would be a perfect time to throw in a wind sprint, or gallop past a mother and her kids.

For biking, if you live near an area with plenty of hills or long stretches, make it a habit to try out and push through those areas each time.
>> OP
>>20432

Yeah, I live just on the verge of town, sort of in the country.

There is a ton of open land, hilly terrain and trails and such to jog on. I've never been a fan of jogging, and it's still incredibly snowy here. Ontario, Canada FTL.

Anyways, if I'm already eating well, not getting TOO MANY calories but I am getting enough nutrients, do you think that just keeping up on my cardio will cause me to start burning fat?
>> Anonymous
>>20419

I'm in the same situation, I work hard as hell in the gym, etc. (an hour and a bit of weights, intense running, etc) and eat a similar diet to OP, but I see minimal results even over a month or two
>> Anonymous
Keeping up your cardio will help, but also remember to keep adjusting. The worse thing you could do for cardio is one thing that you get used to quickly. Don't expect results immediately, consider this a life-long goal more than anything. Make it part of your lifestyle.

Also, timing for you cardio. Like I said before, consider doing cardio first thing in the morning to get the body to start burning at the fat.

You'll never be able to tell your body exactly where you want the fat to be burned, so just keep at it until your body starts working on the areas you want to cut.
>> OP
>>20439

Alright, so I want to keep at the cardio in different ways, often.
I'm fairly sure I'm eating well.

You say to not expect results immediately, but I'm trying to lose weight.
I was thinking I'd be able to lose a pound a week!

Am I not going about this the right way?
>> Anonymous
A pound a week in weight loss? If you'd like to lose most of your muscle mass instead, that'll work.

Fat has a larger volume than muscle, but muscle is far denser than fat. If a pound of muscle could be equated to your pinky finger, a pound of fat would be the palm of your hand.

If you're already low in the body fat percentages (9% or less), don't expect to lose a pound per week, unless you intend to overexercise and cripple yourself. A pound every 2-3 weeks is more reasonable with proper diet.

If you're already in as good a shape as you said you were, at this point the fat-burning battle is all uphill. Your body will not want to burn fat at this point, so any opportunity it gets to burn something else (Food calories, or even worse: muscle that isn't being excercised) it will use that opportunity instead of burning the fat reserves.
>> OP
>>20447

I'm at a higher percent than 9%, that's for sure.

The last time I actually used an electronic device to test it, I was 17%. I have a lot more muscle mass now than I did then, though.

You can vaguely see the outline of my abs. The top two "pieces" are fairly visible, with the middle being less so and the bottom looking soft.

It sounds as though I'll actually need to work intensely on cardio to burn fat.

I don't want to starve myself, but I also don't want to spend 6 months losing 7 pounds of fat. But by the sounds of it, it's one or the other.

If I'm still at 16% but with a decent amount of muscle mass, should I still have to do intense cardio to lose the remaining fat?
>> Anonymous
>>20455
Try swimming. It helped my abs out a lot. Biking too. Go for long term goal, something you can maintain for a lifetime.
>> OP
>>20457

BUT I WANT SIX PACK NAO
>> Anonymous
I think for 5'9 177lbs is too heavy unless you're really muscular. I'd have to see a picture.
You didn't mention what ab excercises you are doing. How many sit ups a day? Any "roll ups"? What about ab machines? (some are good, others are a waste of time). You can tell if they're good by how sore they make your abs.
>> Anonymous
It's recommended. If you keep hydrated with water, stick to your 2000 calorie diet (Try not to go any lower and keep it balanced), and keep your regular routine, the cardio'll help you out.

Since the last time you tested your fat percentage said 17%, you said you've been gaining more muscle mass. That's good. I'll just assume you're under 17% then.

At the state you're currently at, I'm sure the fat'll burn much faster than I said. Just realize that it won't start at the abs. You could try concentrating it a little by doing crunches and leg lifts, but it's not a guarantee that your body will start from the abs. It'll probably look to areas with a denser concentrations first, like love handles, thighs, and such.

Consider lots of stretching before and after each workout. Of course it's standard, but proper stretching helps bring out more definition, and could provide you with some slight motivational results. Taking in a full breath and holding it in your stomach instead of your chest for 30 seconds and releasing it slowly is a simple way to stretch the core outwards. There are also stomach vacuum exercises that really work the abs you could look into to further your concentration on your abs. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1hdtnACd8M)

If all else fails, consider the planche bodyweight training. It'll take longer with planche, but the overall increase in strength and physique could be more to your liking.
>> OP
>>20466
I know, 5'9" and 177lbs is classified as "overweight" for most.

I can't find any topless pictures at the moment, but I'm not fat. I have broad shoulders and thick legs, and the inch-or-so layer of fat on my abs is really the only part I'm concered with.

>>20467
Thanks for the input, I'll stick to the same diet and continue the cardio.
I've been doing some fairly intense ab work outs for a few months now, and I can feel the rock hard, rippling abs underneath that layer. I just need them to be more defined.

I do normal crunches and bicycle crunches nearly every day untill I'm sore enough that I just lie there thinking "fuck, my stomach". Then I stretch them out by lying on my stomach and pushing on the ground untill my arms are fully extended.
I usually feel pretty sore in the stomache area, and lately now that I've started on the exercise bike, my legs have been kind of sore through the day as well.
I've been doing the crunches (as well as my standard bicep and forearm curls that I started years ago and just kept doing around the same weight to keep my arms looking decent) for a long time, but I just wanted to confirm that with my diet, the cardio *will* eventually work.
>> OP
Also, I was just kind of confused about the caloric intake that was recommended to lose weight. I think it was stronglift.com that said I needed to take in around 2,500 to LOSE weight, but I don't think I even take that much in normally.

If I eat a bowl of instant oatmeal in the morning (370cal) a large coffee with two sugars (about 100), and then a turkey sub with milk for lunch (around 900), I'd still have to eat a fairly impressive dinner to get more than 1,000 calories out of it.

I don't usually eat that much, is the thing. If I ate what I described above, and then have pork and veggies and juice/milk for dinner, I would have eaten more than I usually do throughout the day.
>> Anonymous
>>20470
make sure you don't still work out while you are sore. You have to give your muscles time to rest and build up after a breakdown, otherwise you are wasting your workout.
>> Anonymous
>>20475

Though the website doesn't work, I can assume Stronglift.com was probably a sight for strongman competition, in which case, it recommended the average daily intake for the average human male, which wouldn't provide nearly enough calories for the level of workout a strongman competitor goes through.

To be blunt, the cardio will work. WHERE it decides to work is a whole different story. You'll see and feel the usual increase in stamina and endurance, which demands an increase in intensity. But where you'll see the fat burn is entirely up to your body.
>> Anonymous
>>20480

And listen to this man if you aren't already remembering to rest after a workout.
>> Anonymous
>>20481

...Dang, I can't believe I used sight for site.
>> OP
>>20481

I assumed the same, but it seems to be a normal site for getting fit.

Can anyone confirm the actual amount of calories I should be taking in to lose weight/burn fat, with daily cardio, crunches and light weights?