Am I doing anything wrong?

[SunsetRunner]

Granted I have lost a lot of weight since Jan 2016. I was about 179 now I am within the ideal range for my height (between 139-155 ish). I am now 155 but I have very stubborn belly fat around my stomach and a little on my chest. I work out 3 to 4 times a week, mostly strength training. 

With the exception of one slice of daves power bread and a few triscuits mid day I cut out most carbs that arent fruit/veggies.

Typically every day I have

• coffe (no sugar, and less than 1 tsp of half and half)
• blueberries or mellon
• a banana
• two slices of turkey bacon
• a fried egg
• assorted nuts (Planters nutrition nuts with walnuts, peanuts, soy nuts, peacans)
• Tuna for lunch
• natural peanutbutter on daves power bread (only sort of simpe carb I typically eat)
• baby carrots
• grilled chicken breast
• assortyed veggies for dinner (sweet potato, cabbage, broccolli, greeen beans,black beans or any combination of those. 

I do love beer and cut back a lot recently. Maybe one a day if I feel like one on the weekday. Its a little more concetrated on the weekends. 

Is there anything I should cut out or maybe anything I should add into my diet? I feel like it should be working well in combination with my workout regiment but I feel stuck. Any ideas?

[vineviz]

Have you tried increasing your cardio exercise?

There are no proven ways to specifically reduce visceral fat, that I know of, besides moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise.

[UVcat]

I don't think carbs are the problem. If you want to lose fat, I think you have two choices:

- Continue to lose weight -- so, eat in a calorie deficit.

- Continue to lift weights (best if it were a structured lifting program) and wait for your body fat to decrease as your muscle mass increases ("recomposition"). 

The second method will be a lot slower, but if you really think you're at your ideal weight, that might be the better option.

I think that visceral fat is linked to insulin resistance, so if you already know that you are insulin resistant (T2 diabetes or pre-diabetes), maybe carbs *are* an issue for you. But in the absence of some health issue like that I don't think carbs, in and of themselves, cause fat to be stored at your waistline. (If it did, I wouldn't be pear-shaped! My diet is probably 60-70% carbs with a lot of those from bread, pasta, etc., yet essentially all of my fat is stored on my thighs.)

Hope this helps.

-UVc

[Labyrinth]

May be cut out the beer . try using as a treat say once a week. Bananas seem to have alot of cals. Trial and error always seems to work - if it is not working change a few things. Hope this helps

[SunsetRunner]

It may be time for you to re-assess your eating and fitness plans. What worked for you when you first lost your weight may no longer be as beneficial as it once was. Though I'm not in the gym every day at this point, I re-adjust everything every 5 years. And, make sure you eat enough to sustain your activity level because if you don't, it will work against you. Our bodies reach plateaus and get used to the every day same old routine and you can only cut so many calories out at some point.

[Dominique]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

I am within the ideal range for my height (between 139-155 ish).

---

How did you determine the ideal range for your height? I’m asking because BMI is often used for that (I know it’s debatable whether it should) and the normal range (BMI 18.5 to 24.9) is much larger than that. For instance, that range would be for me 123 to 166 lbs (I’m 174cm = 5’7").

The truth is if you think you’re still carrying too much fat and want to get rid of some of it, you’ll need to diet down to a lower weight, as suggested by @UVcat. Regardless of the content of your diet, it’s very unlikely your belly fat will melt away if you’re eating at maintenance.

"Body recomposition" works best for people who are carrying a lot of extra fat and are new to resistance training. If you’re in the normal weight range and have been lifting weights for some time, losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time while eating at maintenance will be very difficult and slow. I personally prefer to focus on them one at a time, alternating "cutting" phases focused on fat loss and "bulking" phases focused on gaining muscle.

[joggerjosh]

Science is simple. If you want to lose weight, then the source of fuel for your body to burn must include some of your own body fat. However, you have to "trick" your body into not noticing the loss of weight. A crash diet is the worse thing to do. I check every calorie I consume to make sure I run a small (about 100-300) calorie deficit. This is where a measurement of your daily calorie burn is key. Exercise's purpose is to help maintain one's weight. I have gone on week-long cardio marathons, jogging for 150 miles in 5 days, but not lost a single pound. There also must be a sort of contentment with your body weight; don't keep telling yourself you are too fat, because that just creates guilt. Just get into a healthy rhythm and give up a handful of calories daily. Also, I have found that when dieting (even simple diets), not all foods have to be as basic as grilled chicken and broccoli. Some sugar and fat helps compensate for my cravings and keeps me from snacking too much. I like to eat cereal with intermediate sugar content, but with no sugar added almond milk. I will also eat a moderate serving of fat in my dinners, but skip deserts and their empty calories. Don't castigate yourself to the point of breaking down. One final note: Sodas and beers are full of empty calories. Drinking these products is essentially throwing carbs and sugar into your body for fat storage. It is best to completely eradicate them from your diet. How about a flexible supplement? Wine, especially red wine, has many health benefits if consumed in moderation. If you can restrict your diet to supply the necessary energy and strength, you will be surprised how easy it is to maintain a healthy weight.

[aljoyner56]

Let's say probably nothing wrong, but nuts are high in fat even though they are good for you.  Raw nuts are better than buying those canned like Nutrition.  They have probably been roasted in some type of oil as well as all sorts of preservatives.  I still do nuts but buy raw and roast myself in oven or on stovetop with no added oil.

[Labyrinth]

Hi Joggerjosh , found your information very helpful . I started counting my cals so its been good and thinking Ok I am not overdoing it but I decided to cut back as I was staying the same weight and I wanted to lose a few kilos as I feel more comfortable about 4 ks. lighter.

Yes its about creating that balance and even having the odd bit of dark chocolate or one glass of red wine for a treat 🙂  

[Labyrinth]

I love raw nuts myself and tend to over do it even sometimes the healthy foods can be too much which is disappointing as personally I could live on fruit , nuts and berries LOL

[Labyrinth]

So true and great advice 🙂

[Labyrinth]

I think you are doing great s64 🙂 at least you are interested in keeping fit and healthy 🙂

[agavette]

Me too. I can't have nuts and nut butters in my house because I have no self control with them! It is very possible to pack on pounds while eating healthy whole foods if you ignore the amount you eat. 

[agavette]

I tend to carry my wait in the waist too. Going low carb is the only way I have found that reduces the fat in that area. I am trying to eliminate the high carbs in the evening and that seems to help too. I also found that I need to make sure I include cardio in my weekly workout schedule. 

[y2kcrash]

Not knowing much about your weightlifting routine it is hard to say exactly what is best for you. However  that said we all tend to be creatures of habit when it comes to such things. Follow the crowd so to speak.

The way in which you do your weight routine can influence greatly your progress.

Sticking to a set routine can result in your body adapting in the way you describe.

The way in which you perform your routine may need to be  adjusted some what if you have not  already done  so especially if your focus is to burn fat rather then focus on appearance.

I found what seems  to work  best for  me is  a 21 day cycle. Switch Routine Up.

Using an Circuit Training Type Routine.

(A Circuit Routine that involves a series of 6 to 8 different (exercises / sets)

( exercises examples  curls. chin lifts, bench press. wings etc)

done in continuous succession performing 10 to 15 reps of each.

Completing 4 to 5 cycles  of the Circuit  Routine without stopping.

The goal is to put together a routine which allows you to come just short of max  on the 10th to 15th  rep of each specific exercise  keeping in mind that you will also be repeating the complete circuit  4 to 5 times.

None stop start to finish. 

So it is important to ensure the placement of each type of exercise in the routine is such that your do not over work the same muscles group back to back.

Plus include between (at the end)  of each completed Circuit  a recovery set of crunches ( 25 to 50 reps ).

Less isolated  focused weight lifting and more circuit type training should raise your heart rate over the entire workout which should work in your favor  leaning towards more fat  burn versus strength  training for appearance solely. 

That said however muscle tone will still take place as well as gradually strength increases just not as much bulk .

But you have to decide  (Bulk for Appearance.) or  (Tone for Fat Burn )

May I also suggest that you as well start to measure Waist Circumference in conjunction with your weight  ( B.M.I ).

When it comes to belly fat and B.M.I. when you are on the upper limit of your B.M.I inside ( ideal )

Waist Circumference becomes more so important when it comes to health.

There are plenty of website that explain the right way to measure WC as well as what is ideal for healthy purposes for both male and females. When the Waist circumference is done properly and is above 102 cm for a male for example with a  B.M.I. such as yours when just inside Ideal then you are still at risk of health issues of concern.

Therefore the Ideal Waist Circumference for  males  is really much lower than the 102 cm  Upper Limit which is something one should  strive for once Ideal B.M.I. has been achieved.

Target  a Combination such as:

B.M.I. of  ( 23 to 24 ) with a Waist Circumference  measurement within a range of  (90 cm to 94 cm )

NOTE!

You  may not see a actual weight reduction if the weight routine is working in your favor.

Whereas the WC  measurement if done properly will show otherwise by a steady decline indicating  a situation  of abdominal fat loss replaced by overall muscle mass.