Low-carb diet .. and yet

[Thanatos]

I am still struggling to lose that last one inch around my waist. I've lost many inches around midsection but the last one inch doesn't come off.:mad:

Here is my diet, can someone please see if there's something wrong? I am an Indian and therefore vegetarian - I used this diet to lose lot of fat in my stomach but the last inch is not coming off.

1) waking up - Coffee (with milk and sugar)

2) breakfast after workout - corn flakes, milk (with protein shake), 5 almonds, 10 peanuts, 5 pistachio

3) Tea (with milk and sugar)

4) Lunch: hardly 100 grams of cooked rice, green veggies along with it, carrot.

5) Tea (with milk and sugar)

6) 2 biscuits, coffee (with milk and sugar), 10 peanuts

7) dinner: 4 rotis with indian side dish (hard to explain):(

8) Tea (with milk and sugar)

9) an hour before bed: Milk (no sugar)

This diet seems low carb and low fat, and I did lose fat all over the body, including midsection. But the last inch doesn't come off - so do I wait it out and hope it will come off eventually? Or must I change my diet? It already looks like my diet is low caloric........how can I reduce even more?

[RedAnarchist]

One of the best things you could do is remove all/most of the sugar you're putting into your drinks, that will make a difference.

It takes longer to see more results when you only have a small amount to go because your body is still holding onto that excess fat.

[brigadista]

Cut the biscuits sugar and starchy carbs (sorry!) up the green veg and no sugar and try not to eat after 7pm and 2 - 3 litres do water a day - if you can drink a litre of water after you wake up

[Thanatos]

Cut the biscuits sugar and starchy carbs (sorry!) up the green veg and no sugar and try not to eat after 7pm and 2 - 3 litres do water a day - if you can drink a litre of water after you wake up

thanks., What about orange? I eat one orange fruit a day - is the sugar in that a problem? I thought the vitamin C in it was useful...

[brigadista]

Sure the orange should be ok and anyway if you like it and it is healthy -
you could also try to cut the evening milk?

[RealYehuda]

Don't focus on carbs, focus on total calorie consumption. Weight gain/loss is basic thermodynamics at work.

[IWantToLearn]

Cut the biscuits sugar and starchy carbs (sorry!) up the green veg and no sugar and try not to eat after 7pm and 2 - 3 litres do water a day - if you can drink a litre of water after you wake up

I heard that according to studies there is no evidence that suggest that if you eat at night you are more prone to put on weight (apparently the amount of calories you consume is more relevant).
I think a litre of water is too much, it would upset my stomach in my case.

[Tenka]

The above advice is sound. There's also the possibility that it is loose skin. I was obese in my early teens but slowly came down to an average BMI until I was about 18/19 years of age, but there is still some unsightly flab over my abdomen, or what seems to be flab, which cannot be got rid of even though my rib cage can be easily felt through the skin above it. I have heard that loose skin is a problem with people who lose a lot of weight in a manner that could be described as "quick", and it can make them "still feel fat".

P.S. Before anyone suggests it: no, I'm not going to do abdominal exercises. I'd rather keep that saggy flab than have my midsection filled out with rock hard muscle. :glare:

[PhoenixAsh]

Thanatos....can you give us your:

age
height
weight
bf%
activity level??

[PhoenixAsh]

Depending on how bad the lose skin is:

1). Eat protein. Especially fatty fish. This helps with skin elastcity.

....in fact...changing to a raw diet will definitely reduce loose skin.

2). Scrub with salts or, cheaper, sand...which stimulates bloodflow and will increase elasticity

3). Castor oil rub. Just some teaspoons every night. Cheap and super super effective. You can mix with other scented oils as long as they are not salt or chlorine based.

4). good hydration

5). strength training... ;) OR....yoga...

[Thanatos]

Thanatos....can you give us your:

age
height
weight
bf%
activity level??

25, 5'11", 140, moderately active (office job but I work out for at least 20 mins 5 days a week- bf% could be 15% because I still have fat in lower belly. But only there. For the last two months, that's the only area where I have fat - every other area is completely normal (though not rock hard muscular). it is annoying:mad: because I quickly lost fat in every other area it was amazing ......... but this area alone just doesn't go away. But how does one know if it's fat or just loose skin? I am able to hold the flesh in the lower belly area - so I assume it is fat.

EDIT: I edited my OP with a new diet. Can u see if it's good?

[tallguy]

I am still struggling to lose that last one inch around my waist. I've lost many inches around midsection but the last one inch doesn't come off.:mad:

Here is my diet, can someone please see if there's something wrong? I am an Indian and therefore vegetarian - I used this diet to lose lot of fat in my stomach but the last inch is not coming off.

1) waking up - Coffee (with milk and sugar)

2) breakfast after workout - corn flakes, milk (with protein shake), 5 almonds, 10 peanuts, 5 pistachio

3) Tea (with milk and sugar)

4) Lunch: hardly 100 grams of cooked rice, green veggies along with it, carrot.

5) Tea (with milk and sugar)

6) 2 biscuits, coffee (with milk and sugar), 10 peanuts

7) dinner: 4 rotis with indian side dish (hard to explain):(

8) Tea (with milk and sugar)

9) an hour before bed: Milk (no sugar)

This diet seems low carb and low fat, and I did lose fat all over the body, including midsection. But the last inch doesn't come off - so do I wait it out and hope it will come off eventually? Or must I change my diet? It already looks like my diet is low caloric........how can I reduce even more?
If you eat less you'll lose weight and vice versa. It's really that simple to say and to understand. It's just very hard to do.

[Slavic]

25, 5'11", 140, moderately active (office job but I work out for at least 20 mins 5 days a week- bf% could be 15% because I still have fat in lower belly. But only there. For the last two months, that's the only area where I have fat - every other area is completely normal (though not rock hard muscular). it is annoying:mad: because I quickly lost fat in every other area it was amazing ......... but this area alone just doesn't go away. But how does one know if it's fat or just loose skin? I am able to hold the flesh in the lower belly area - so I assume it is fat.

EDIT: I edited my OP with a new diet. Can u see if it's good?

5' 11" 140lbs and you have an inch of fat??? How is that even possible.

I'm 5' 9" 135lbs and I'm super freaking thin. I wish I could put on more weight actually.

But I guess I'll give actual advice. Follow what real RealYehdua said. See if you can estimate how many calories you burn through out a day, and they just consume a diet with less calories.

[Thanatos]

5' 11" 140lbs and you have an inch of fat??? How is that even possible.

I'm 5' 9" 135lbs and I'm super freaking thin. I wish I could put on more weight actually.

But I guess I'll give actual advice. Follow what real RealYehdua said. See if you can estimate how many calories you burn through out a day, and they just consume a diet with less calories.

Yeah, I fall into the 'skinny fat' category. I am skinny, basically, but I have belly fat.:mad:

[Thanatos]

If you eat less you'll lose weight and vice versa. It's really that simple to say and to understand. It's just very hard to do.

I know. I did this quite successfully and lost a lot of fat. But suddenly two months ago it stopped. The fat in midsection just wouldn't go (even though I reduced it to a great extent the last inch or so doesn't come off). That's what frustrates me.:mad:

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Yeah, I fall into the 'skinny fat' category. I am skinny, basically, but I have belly fat.:mad:

Then you might want to consider a weight training program, or if you're already on one, increasing the intensity of it and making sure you are doing big, compound exercises that target your major muscles, in particular: squats and deadlifts (60% of your body's muscle is found at ass-level and below), either benchpress, press-ups or dumbell chest press, and dumbell shoulder press/dumbell arnie press.

You'll probably find that said 'inch of fat' will look far less significant when you've got a solid muscular base. At the moment, if you're really skinny, then that thin layer of fat will probably have a dis-proportionately negative visual effect. I wouldn't worry too much about trying to decrease your body fat too much (although it does help), just get on the weights and see how things look in 2-3 months.

[PhoenixAsh]

Let me explain something about fat.

Fat is stored under the skin (subcutaneous) but also inside your body between organs and in body cavities. We call this visceral fat...and we can't see it. It is this fat reserve which causes most of the obesity related health problems...and not so much subcutaneous fat. (We also have ectopic fat around the organs....which is again a different form of fat.)

So...

We burn fat from our fat storage and where we put it and remove it from is somewhat determined by our genes.

You store the most amount of fat around your mid section. Simply because that requires the least amount of energy to have it. Realizing this is part one. Part two is realizing that your body will naturally chose to reduce the fat storage in the least energy efficient storage parts first. So fingers, face, arms, legs, upper torso, butt and mid section....in that order. (except for women...who will lose fat last on hips and butt)

This means that belly fat will be the last to go.

It also means fat loss isn't entirely linear all over your body...and nor is the visibility of fat loss. You will NOTICE fat loss first in the parts that are the first to go. So...not noticing fat reduction MAY mean you aren't losing fat...but it does not necessarily follow.

As long as you are in a state of caloric deficit...you are burning fat.

Now...here we go more advanced.

When you lose fat you lose weight. When you lose weight you need less calories to maintain your body and keep up your energy expenditure. So the speed of caloric burn is decreasing over time. So you still lose fat...but you do so more slowly.

You can avoid this by strength training and building muscle. Muscle burn calories even when resting. More muscles mean a bigger consumption of energy. Or you can increasing your expenditure by upping cardio time or activity level.

So..there you have a very simplified way of explaining why you are not losing your belly fat as speedily as the rest of your body.

[Slavic]

Stuff about the body

Awesome, learn something new everyday.

To target something specifically in your diet, in a method to decrease caloric consumption, you state that you take in sugar with your hot beverages at 5 different intervals in the day.

If you are using one teaspoon of sugar per drink, one teaspoon is approx 16 calories, so 5 teaspoons a day is 80 calories.

2 teaspoons = 160 calories
3 teaspoons = 240 calories

If your hovering around a 1:1 calorie consumption:burn ratio, then this slight reduction might be enough to burn a little more of your fat storage. Also as everyone else stated, an increased weight lifting regimen will also up your calorie burn rate.

I am a Biochem graduate who works out exactly once a year for my annual military PT test. So my advice is qualified??? Maybe.

[BIXX]

Is there a very easy/effective way to count calories? I wanna count calories but the one I've been using says I have ~1000 calorie deficit, which doesn't seem right.

[Thanatos]

Is there a very easy/effective way to count calories? I wanna count calories but the one I've been using says I have ~1000 calorie deficit, which doesn't seem right.

I've had this problem too. But what I've done is to come as close as possible, plus focus on cutting foods which give high cals even in low amounts.

[Thanatos]

Then you might want to consider a weight training program, or if you're already on one, increasing the intensity of it and making sure you are doing big, compound exercises that target your major muscles, in particular: squats and deadlifts (60% of your body's muscle is found at ass-level and below), either benchpress, press-ups or dumbell chest press, and dumbell shoulder press/dumbell arnie press.

You'll probably find that said 'inch of fat' will look far less significant when you've got a solid muscular base. At the moment, if you're really skinny, then that thin layer of fat will probably have a dis-proportionately negative visual effect. I wouldn't worry too much about trying to decrease your body fat too much (although it does help), just get on the weights and see how things look in 2-3 months.

I can't do weights at the moment (personal situation), that's the issue. So I have to rely on bodyweight exercises.

Currently I do only inclined pushups and (tricep) chair dips - these two exercises cover chest, shoulder, and triceps. I am in double mind as to whether I must waste time doing ab exercises - they say when bodyfat comes down, the abs will 'show' even without exercise.

[Alan OldStudent]

I am still struggling to lose that last one inch around my waist. I've lost many inches around midsection but the last one inch doesn't come off.:mad:

Here is my diet, can someone please see if there's something wrong? I am an Indian and therefore vegetarian - I used this diet to lose lot of fat in my stomach but the last inch is not coming off.

1) waking up - Coffee (with milk and sugar)

2) breakfast after workout - corn flakes, milk (with protein shake), 5 almonds, 10 peanuts, 5 pistachio

3) Tea (with milk and sugar)

4) Lunch: hardly 100 grams of cooked rice, green veggies along with it, carrot.

5) Tea (with milk and sugar)

6) 2 biscuits, coffee (with milk and sugar), 10 peanuts

7) dinner: 4 rotis with indian side dish (hard to explain):(

8) Tea (with milk and sugar)

9) an hour before bed: Milk (no sugar)

This diet seems low carb and low fat, and I did lose fat all over the body, including midsection. But the last inch doesn't come off - so do I wait it out and hope it will come off eventually? Or must I change my diet? It already looks like my diet is low caloric........how can I reduce even more?

I could maybe offer some advice if you don't mind answering a few questions:


How tall are you?
What sex are you?
Roughly, what is your age?
How much exercise do you get?
Do you have any chronic medical condition, especially diabetes?

Any intelligent advice must take those factors into consideration. It's hard to get a one-size-fits-all type of answer.

Regards,

Alan OldStudent
The unexamined life is not worth living—Socrates
Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto—Violeta Parra

[tallguy]

I've had this problem too. But what I've done is to come as close as possible, plus focus on cutting foods which give high cals even in low amounts.
If you cut the food intake down still futher plus do some more excercise, the fat will go from your midriff because your body will be forced to use it to keep you alive. Where you may hit a problem with the above is to do with the normal variability in how different human bodies store spare fat. It may be that your body, at your age, is inherently inclined to store a bit of spare fat on your midriff. In order to shift that last bit, you might have to put your entire system under effective starvation conditions. At which point you might want to ask yourself if it's worth it.