[other one]

Seeing how this forum has been more than helpful in the past, pls let me ask about my specific situation.


I am female, 5ft8, 58 kilos. I wish to lose 2 pounds of body fat (pinchable). It looks ghastly as it's all concentrated around my middle and my bum, everywhere else looks nice, but the overall picture is distorted.

On a day without exercise my maintenance is 1600kcal. BMR is 1400kcal (and I never ever go below that). On exercise days, frankly I have no idea. I do weight lifting (20-30mins, exhausting) and I do cardio-HIIT (e.g. when I have to cycle into town/ when I walk anywhere) (sorry if that won't be the correct term.) I do not have a device to measure heart rate though, should I buy one? As I now have no clue how much more I should eat on exercise-days. Or indeed, I know you need moderate carbs and little protein pre-exercise, and lots of carbs and protein after exercise (both low fat?) (does it matter whether that's weight lifting or cycling?) how much should I eat precisely and when? (also high glycemic or not?)


Please thoughts? My priority now would definitely be 'lose the love handles' and flab from bum and lower abs, as I can't stand the sight of it. So I am willing to limit kcal as that seems to produce quicker results than exercise alone with eating lots?!

Many thanks!

[Classical Liberal]

You want to get rid of body fat. All you need to do is run a calorie deficit. You seem quite clued up on your required calories etc. You should do loads of cardio. I know people rave about the brilliance of HIIT (I think in practice peoples HIIT sessions are not remotely intense enough) , however I am still a fan of the good old fashioned 30 min jog. But anything that gets your heart rate elevated for over 15 mins is good. The more prolonged and regular your cardio is, the better. So everyday for 30 mins is ideal.

As for diet, just drink loads of water, dont gorge on fatty foods everyday and just don't starve yourself.

Or indeed, I know you need moderate carbs and little protein pre-exercise, and lots of carbs and protein after exercise (both low fat?)

Could you explain the rationale for this, I have never heard something like this.......

[BKS]

I think you are going to over complicate it. Sure those things matter to an extent but not enough to effect the average person. Keep doing the exercise you are doing but make sure you do something every day. Eat 1600 every day. Weigh yourself now then weigh yourself in two weeks and use the difference to guide if you should change your calories.

[other one]

(Original post by Classical Liberal)
You want to get rid of body fat. All you need to do is run a calorie deficit. You seem quite clued up on your required calories etc. You should do loads of cardio. I know people rave about the brilliance of HIIT (I think in practice peoples HIIT sessions are not remotely intense enough) , however I am still a fan of the good old fashioned 30 min jog. But anything that gets your heart rate elevated for over 15 mins is good. The more prolonged and regular your cardio is, the better. So everyday for 30 mins is ideal.

As for diet, just drink loads of water, dont gorge on fatty foods everyday and just don't starve yourself.



Could you explain the rationale for this, I have never heard something like this.......

thanks!
I read in many places that after weight lifting/HIIT cardio your body will need carbs as muscle glycogen stores are depleted. Protein is needed for muscle synthesis, esp after heavy weights. And post-exercise eating must happen within an hour. This seems to be the consensus of most weight lifting forums.

I cannot abide normal cardio, bores me rigid, to the extent that I could simply never keep it up long-term HIIT is much less boring though.

[TheInformer]

If as you say you have "love handles" and "flab", you will need to lose a lot more than 2lbs. You can easily lose 2lbs in a week or two. To get rid of my "love handles" after a year long bulk took 3 months of eating at a slight calorie deficit and weights. Do it slowly and you'll do it right.

Eat at a slight calorie deficit and keep lifting weights, throw in some HIIT a couple of times a week if you want to speed up the process.

Diet wise, I recommend not trying to over-complicate things as you seem to be doing. As long as you're eating at a deficit and you have plenty of protein, just make the rest up with fats and carbs. Combined with the gym work you will be an Adonis/Adonisette in no time. Simple as fawk.

[other one]

(Original post by TheInformer)
If as you say you have "love handles" and "flab", you will need to lose a lot more than 2lbs. You can easily lose 2lbs in a week or two. To get rid of my "love handles" after a year long bulk took 3 months of eating at a slight calorie deficit and weights. Do it slowly and you'll do it right.

Eat at a slight calorie deficit and keep lifting weights, throw in some HIIT a couple of times a week if you want to speed up the process.

Diet wise, I recommend not trying to over-complicate things as you seem to be doing. As long as you're eating at a deficit and you have plenty of protein, just make the rest up with fats and carbs. Combined with the gym work you will be an Adonis/Adonisette in no time. Simple as fawk.

thank you!

well, I have looked anorexic in the past and I don't want to again. (that was before I started weight lifting so had v little muscle too) maintenance seems 1600kcal, based on internet calculation (not experience), I usually try to do 1400, my BMR, but I don't think I burn 300kcal merely through weight training (or do I?) so I don't have a kcal deficit of 500 and it's not recommended to both weight train and cycle (HIIT) in the same day I guess?!

It's also incredibly difficult for me to eat only 1400 as I feel I am starving all the time even though I eat really healthily (ie fibre to keep me sated, vegetables and fruits and so on, not too much fat etc)! I also feel v cold so that again signals that maintenance would be a lot more than 1600kcal. then again, it's not as if fat is melting off me, regrettably so I feel I shouldn't go way above 1400kcal.

[TheInformer]

(Original post by other one)
thank you!

well, I have looked anorexic in the past and I don't want to again. (that was before I started weight lifting so had v little muscle too) maintenance seems 1600kcal, based on internet calculation (not experience), I usually try to do 1400, my BMR, but I don't think I burn 300kcal merely through weight training (or do I?) so I don't have a kcal deficit of 500 and it's not recommended to both weight train and cycle (HIIT) in the same day I guess?!

It's also incredibly difficult for me to eat only 1400 as I feel I am starving all the time even though I eat really healthily (ie fibre to keep me sated, vegetables and fruits and so on, not too much fat etc)! I also feel v cold so that again signals that maintenance would be a lot more than 1600kcal. then again, it's not as if fat is melting off me, regrettably so I feel I shouldn't go way above 1400kcal.

Are you male or female, guessing male.

What you could do is eat slightly more but increase the amount of exercise, maybe add an hours swim 3 times a week but add an extra 200 calories a day or something.

During an hours weight lifting (fairly intense) you should burn over 300 cals (or so I've read). Just monitor your weight, weigh yourself once a week or once every two weeks and try to aim for 1lb weight loss a week until you are happy with where your body fat level are then do a slow bulk from there.

[other one]

(Original post by TheInformer)
Are you male or female, guessing male.

What you could do is eat slightly more but increase the amount of exercise, maybe add an hours swim 3 times a week but add an extra 200 calories a day or something.

During an hours weight lifting (fairly intense) you should burn over 300 cals (or so I've read). Just monitor your weight, weigh yourself once a week or once every two weeks and try to aim for 1lb weight loss a week until you are happy with where your body fat level are then do a slow bulk from there.

no I am female!
said so in original post too!

[TheInformer]

(Original post by other one)
no I am female!
said so in original post too!

Ah my bad, got mixed up with a different thread. Same still applies.

[Spiral349]

As a point of minor concern, I'm a similar weight but a good 4 inches shorter. I imagine we are slightly different builds. Surely if you lose much weight anything over 4kg you'll technically be underweight.
And if its belly flab etc. your worried about concentrate on toning exercises but at the end of the day, people store fat in different locations. And being female you do naturally tend to store fat round the lower abdomen.

[other one]

(Original post by Spiral349)
As a point of minor concern, I'm a similar weight but a good 4 inches shorter. I imagine we are slightly different builds. Surely if you lose much weight anything over 4kg you'll technically be underweight.
And if its belly flab etc. your worried about concentrate on toning exercises but at the end of the day, people store fat in different locations. And being female you do naturally tend to store fat round the lower abdomen.

I know. I was once 54 kilos and looked anorexic.

I don't care that much about what the scales say, I want the mirror and my trousers to tell/show me that I want. And now, yes, being female and evolutionarily destined for bearing 8 children I will concentrate fat where women are evolutionarily meant to..

I have wide hips, but hip-waist ratio is 0.7 so that's great. it's flab on lower abs and on bottom and love handles that's really apparent, esp as I am v slim everywhere else! it's more the overall picture than anything else. I just don't carry off weight v well.

[Abbie1990]

Cut out carbs and don't eat fruit late at night.. sugar

[TheInformer]

(Original post by Abbie1990)
Cut out carbs and don't eat fruit late at night.. sugar

Source? Surprised you didn't throw in a cheeky "do situps" or "don't eat after 6".

[other one]

(Original post by Abbie1990)
Cut out carbs and don't eat fruit late at night.. sugar

(Original post by TheInformer)
Source? Surprised you didn't throw in a cheeky "do situps" or "don't eat after 6".

don't worry, I am not about to follow someone's stupid ungrounded advice with no scientific base. (with in fact scientific evidence speaking against their assertions..)

if people want to be foolish enough to think that the source of kcals matter, they are welcome to not eat carbs before bedtime or not eat carbs at all but survive on saturated fat, we are all 'cavemen' after all... (NOT!)


PS not v fond of Mark Sisson as you can tell..