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losing the gut

A question on losing it effectively

sillymunchie
sillymunchie g Scott Lazarevic
26 Post(s)
26 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: March 3, 2018
Posted

So the reason this has came up is i have been training for just over 1 year, and ive been seeing so much difference in my arms legs and chest, I hear that the gut is one of the last things to go, and then i hear stories of people that can not lose it due to it not being made of fat but the gut has become the stretched skin of many years of being over weight...

 

So the question i must ask is, is my lower body doomed to be stretchy skin sagging over my waistline, or with enough trainining and nutrition can i ever get it to the way it should be, nice tight and defined?

I actually asked a family member the same question as they are in the weight industry and they say that it is possible that your body can stretch too far that it can not return back to its original nature but each month i was losing 1 inch around it, so im fairly certain i havent hit that plateu yet, and figured this was the best time to also ask

What kind of exercises should i focus on to really define these muscles? the abs? the Lats? or more

 

currently have my training on hold due to an injury hopefully will be finding out whats happened, but when i return i might have to take my upperbody training slower, so this could be the perfect time for me to focus on some of these exercises.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: sillymunchie

So the reason this has came up is i have been training for just over 1 year, and ive been seeing so much difference in my arms legs and chest, I hear that the gut is one of the last things to go, and then i hear stories of people that can not lose it due to it not being made of fat but the gut has become the stretched skin of many years of being over weight...

 

So the question i must ask is, is my lower body doomed to be stretchy skin sagging over my waistline, or with enough trainining and nutrition can i ever get it to the way it should be, nice tight and defined?

I actually asked a family member the same question as they are in the weight industry and they say that it is possible that your body can stretch too far that it can not return back to its original nature but each month i was losing 1 inch around it, so im fairly certain i havent hit that plateu yet, and figured this was the best time to also ask

What kind of exercises should i focus on to really define these muscles? the abs? the Lats? or more

 

currently have my training on hold due to an injury hopefully will be finding out whats happened, but when i return i might have to take my upperbody training slower, so this could be the perfect time for me to focus on some of these exercises.

@sillymunchie Glad you have been making such positive changes and improvements!

 

Unfortunately loose skin is a real problem if you were extremely overweight. The higher your bf% was before you started to trim down, the higher the chance you'll have loose skin. While losing weight and weight training will help you tone things up, you're right that sometimes it can't all completely be gotten rid of. You may need surgery depending on how much there is. If you are still losing inches off your waist, that's great! Focus on that positive progress and just keep it going!

 

You can do some of the ab routines here on the site to really build the ab muscles, but the skin itself will only tighten up so much. For the lats you have things like pull-ups, pulldowns, single-arm dumbbell rows, underhand barbell rows etc.

 

Hope your injury recovers soon!

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luckyvenkat
luckyvenkat g lucky venkat
30 Post(s)
30 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: February 2, 2019
Posted
ways to lose belly fat.
  1. Don't eat sugar and avoid sugar-sweetened drinks.
  2. Eating more protein is a great long-term strategy to reduce belly fat.
  3. Cut carbs from your diet.
  4. Eat foods rich in fiber, especially viscous fiber.
  5. Exercise is very effective at reducing belly fat.
sillymunchie
sillymunchie g Scott Lazarevic
26 Post(s)
26 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: March 3, 2018
Posted

Well my body fat was at something along the lines of 45% + i have reduced that to where my upper abs are starting to show and i finally have my waistline back to the same wasteline i had when i was 16, im currently 35 so thats a good 18 years of weight taken off in the last year cant really complain at that, and i think last time i mesured i was down to the early 20% body fat, im still cutting and have been for the last year cant really complain at a 64 pound loss and with adjusting my eating habits after a 4 month plateu, i have managed to start the ball rolling again and the weight has started coming off again

 

Thanks venkat for that advice ^_^ i dont take added sugar at all these days, my protein intake has vastly changed over the year, and the carb intake has also been drastically reduced

i have been eating crackerbread, i think its called something else in the states but its mainly a source of fibre in them if you know what they are, a small layer of 0% fat cream cheese with 120g of protein shared between the 3 crackerbreads

with my main meals at the end of a day i attempt to have 10-15g of carbs half what i used to, and 25-30g of a protein source

and as for exercise until i hit this injury i was doing my strength training aswell as the couch to 5k program, i was 7 weeks out of 9 in

hoping to get back to training soon, spoke to a chiropractor and he says the injury wasnt as bad as I thought it was, and that i should start on the lower end of the scale with my exercises and during that focus on the movement over anything else that way my shoulder can heal and repair over time without worrying about whether im making it worse or not, i just have to make sure that i dont push it too hard too fast

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: sillymunchie

Well my body fat was at something along the lines of 45% + i have reduced that to where my upper abs are starting to show and i finally have my waistline back to the same wasteline i had when i was 16, im currently 35 so thats a good 18 years of weight taken off in the last year cant really complain at that, and i think last time i mesured i was down to the early 20% body fat, im still cutting and have been for the last year cant really complain at a 64 pound loss and with adjusting my eating habits after a 4 month plateu, i have managed to start the ball rolling again and the weight has started coming off again

 

Thanks venkat for that advice ^_^ i dont take added sugar at all these days, my protein intake has vastly changed over the year, and the carb intake has also been drastically reduced

i have been eating crackerbread, i think its called something else in the states but its mainly a source of fibre in them if you know what they are, a small layer of 0% fat cream cheese with 120g of protein shared between the 3 crackerbreads

with my main meals at the end of a day i attempt to have 10-15g of carbs half what i used to, and 25-30g of a protein source

and as for exercise until i hit this injury i was doing my strength training aswell as the couch to 5k program, i was 7 weeks out of 9 in

hoping to get back to training soon, spoke to a chiropractor and he says the injury wasnt as bad as I thought it was, and that i should start on the lower end of the scale with my exercises and during that focus on the movement over anything else that way my shoulder can heal and repair over time without worrying about whether im making it worse or not, i just have to make sure that i dont push it too hard too fast

@sillymunchie that's so awesome man! You must look like a completely different person now!

 

Are you tracking your macros overall? Because that's going to be key to losing the last bit of fat too. Given your at 20% with your body fat you can tighten up more for sure. If you got down to say 12% - 13% body fat that would make a big difference and the abs would show even more! But there is still a chance of loose skin hanging around.

 

Go to the @mealplan page if you haven't already to get some target numbers for your macros and calories. Getting about 1.2g - 1.5g protein per pound of lean bodyweight should be a target and yes, go easy on the carbs while trying to lose fat.

 

Good to hear the injury wasn't as bad as first thought! Make sure you are doing a good amount of shoulder warm-ups too!

 

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sillymunchie
sillymunchie g Scott Lazarevic
26 Post(s)
26 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: March 3, 2018
Posted

lol yeah my mom didnt even recognise me from a distance, back from visiting the family on sunday then hopefully back to training gotta start light and increase gradually to get full motion back but im definately wanting to get back to it, was so depressing helping my friend do things i couldnt do, an yup 12-15% was one of my original goals....

will defo give shoulder warm ups a try, was rescently watching one of your vids on the rotator cuff and think whilst imon much lighter weights this is the perfect time to start exersizes that will help develop the muscles around it because i never want to be hit this hard again it prety much stalled my entire upper body progress

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: sillymunchie

lol yeah my mom didnt even recognise me from a distance, back from visiting the family on sunday then hopefully back to training gotta start light and increase gradually to get full motion back but im definately wanting to get back to it, was so depressing helping my friend do things i couldnt do, an yup 12-15% was one of my original goals....

will defo give shoulder warm ups a try, was rescently watching one of your vids on the rotator cuff and think whilst imon much lighter weights this is the perfect time to start exersizes that will help develop the muscles around it because i never want to be hit this hard again it prety much stalled my entire upper body progress

@sillymunchie It's a good sign when your family notices you changing!

 

I know what it's like to have to take some time off - not cool at all! Haha. It won't take you too long to ease back into it if your muscle memory is good!

 

Yeah man you should always do some mobility for the rotator cuffs every day if you can. It's good to keep them mobile and healthy! Though that's true for every muscle group and joint really haha, but your shoulders are going to be used in almost everything so that's why we typically place a bit more emphasis there!

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sillymunchie
sillymunchie g Scott Lazarevic
26 Post(s)
26 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: March 3, 2018
Posted

My shoulders are really improving, and im back at half the weight i was originally lifting, but to increase the intensity i have been doing 20 reps at 15 kilo's per hand for the dumbell chest press, i have an 8 hour shift at work and rescently ive been losing alot more weight with my new macro's, 3-4 pounds a week, and thats eating close to 2100 calories a day, its crazy, and that leads me to a new line of thought, i have been following my BMR based on an active lift style of 3-4 nights a week at the gym, however i finally put on my fit bit today as i was heading off too work, and it turns out im making approx 15000 steps a shift and then hitting the gym straight after, this week alone i have done 64000 steps approx, and im the sort of person that just goes at it, and the work is constant everytime i checked my heart rate was at 110 (fat burning) and it got me wondering, A.... is that how i lost the weight so fast over the year, and B.... should i be considering upping my macro's, again according to the fitbit my BMR was like 3100 on the day i actually used it at work on top of that, when it comes to building muscle stage over cutting, will i have to eat more because of how active i am at work?

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: sillymunchie

My shoulders are really improving, and im back at half the weight i was originally lifting, but to increase the intensity i have been doing 20 reps at 15 kilo's per hand for the dumbell chest press, i have an 8 hour shift at work and rescently ive been losing alot more weight with my new macro's, 3-4 pounds a week, and thats eating close to 2100 calories a day, its crazy, and that leads me to a new line of thought, i have been following my BMR based on an active lift style of 3-4 nights a week at the gym, however i finally put on my fit bit today as i was heading off too work, and it turns out im making approx 15000 steps a shift and then hitting the gym straight after, this week alone i have done 64000 steps approx, and im the sort of person that just goes at it, and the work is constant everytime i checked my heart rate was at 110 (fat burning) and it got me wondering, A.... is that how i lost the weight so fast over the year, and B.... should i be considering upping my macro's, again according to the fitbit my BMR was like 3100 on the day i actually used it at work on top of that, when it comes to building muscle stage over cutting, will i have to eat more because of how active i am at work?

@sillymunchie If you are losing 3lbs - 4lbs every week consistently, then yes there's a good chance you actually are burning more like 3000 - 3100 calories per day, which would mean you could still be cutting on 2600 or so calories (rather than 2100) and still lose weight. Remember that slower weight loss is going to help you maintain as much muscle mass as possible.

 

And yes, that will also mean you will need to eat more to be in a surplus when you get into your lean bulk. If your job includes a lot of physical activity AND you're going to the gym, it's normal to need more food whether you're cutting or bulking. Which is a good thing really 😁 ðŸ‹ 

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sillymunchie
sillymunchie g Scott Lazarevic
26 Post(s)
26 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: March 3, 2018
Posted

haha yeah i know its a good thing, basically i work in a walmart type place, and my job is to constantly go back and forth all day with boxes of chips veg and chicken, some of these boxes weigh 12kg which may not be alot but in a 8 hour shift the ammount of shear volume and trying to pick up these boxes holding them as i fill the shelf, it gets intense, im more conserned of my lower back as my mid back rescently started to tighten from the strain of the job and its either me holding boxes up as i fill, or me constantly getting up and down and pulling on the schiatic nerve, either way my mid back muscles are jumping in to relieve some of that pressure, and yes i never planned to lose 5 pounds this week xD i just didnt put my job into consideration until i wore the fitbit and realized i was probably burning more then i realized

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: sillymunchie

haha yeah i know its a good thing, basically i work in a walmart type place, and my job is to constantly go back and forth all day with boxes of chips veg and chicken, some of these boxes weigh 12kg which may not be alot but in a 8 hour shift the ammount of shear volume and trying to pick up these boxes holding them as i fill the shelf, it gets intense, im more conserned of my lower back as my mid back rescently started to tighten from the strain of the job and its either me holding boxes up as i fill, or me constantly getting up and down and pulling on the schiatic nerve, either way my mid back muscles are jumping in to relieve some of that pressure, and yes i never planned to lose 5 pounds this week xD i just didnt put my job into consideration until i wore the fitbit and realized i was probably burning more then i realized

@sillymunchie Make sure you're doing some stretching after your work days then, as well as after your workouts. Maybe even foam rolling around your upper back to help relieve some of that tightness. If it's really bad you can always go and see a professional massage therapist too.

 

It's probably nice to know you can actually eat more now and still lose weight! Haha.

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sillymunchie
sillymunchie g Scott Lazarevic
26 Post(s)
26 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: March 3, 2018
Posted

haha, well i have my foam roller and i started doing stuff with it around the different joints, i heard that sometimes its not even the back causing it so aiming it at the surrounding joints is a good idea, the tightness isnt that bad yet, its just something im keeping an eye on, and funny you should mention stretches, because every day after work and a workout i have been doing the touch your toes stretching challenge to try and get more flexible, i can now touch my toes with the slightest bend and all is good and im gonna continue this for the long term as i also heard being flexible can help all things with weights as it can also help you avoid injury, and since my goals are to reach my 20's standards, im fairly certain its a good place to start ^_^

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: sillymunchie

haha, well i have my foam roller and i started doing stuff with it around the different joints, i heard that sometimes its not even the back causing it so aiming it at the surrounding joints is a good idea, the tightness isnt that bad yet, its just something im keeping an eye on, and funny you should mention stretches, because every day after work and a workout i have been doing the touch your toes stretching challenge to try and get more flexible, i can now touch my toes with the slightest bend and all is good and im gonna continue this for the long term as i also heard being flexible can help all things with weights as it can also help you avoid injury, and since my goals are to reach my 20's standards, im fairly certain its a good place to start ^_^

@sillymunchie Yeah that's very true, a lot of times pain in one area of your body can be being caused by tightness elsewhere. So it's a great idea to check your shoulders, elbows, even your chest for any tightness that might be pulling and causing back issues.

 

That's great about the toe touches! Being flexible definitely helps when it comes to lifting - easier to achieve full range of motion without issues if you are flexible! Keep up the great work!

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