question...help?

[rainsong]

hey ladies! i have a question for you... here's a little about me first...

im 23 y/o, professional singer/vocal coach. i started training in january of 08 and to date, i have lost about 60 lbs. i feel great.

im just wondering... im starting to really be happy with most of my body except the middle... it seems like no matter what i do, i can't get rid of that little extra around the midsection... anyone have any suggestions for more effective fat loss in general and/or specific things for mid-section work?

thanks so much!

~lacie

 

[phoenix13]

congratulations on losing 60lbs. that is quite an achievement.

without knowing what your diet and training/cardio looks like presently, it's hard/nearly impossible to make suggestions on further fatloss.

you may want to consider hiring a nutritionist to set you up on a diet to help you reach your goals (if you have the $, it's a great investment...you learn alot about nutrition by having someone work with you). if you just want some general suggestions, post diet here and we'll see if we can get you progressing again.

 

[Sassy]

Congrats on the 60 lbs loss! Good job!

Exercising and changing your eating habits to more healthy foods and less fast food & junk food is always a good start especially for the average person who works office jobs and never works out. However, the key to fine tuning your body to look more sculptured with a low bf is diet, diet, diet.

I have been working out for over 20 years now. In my late 20's I noticed that I was starting to be more fat around my belly. This is hereditary... my mom's waist is the same way. Even though I was eating "healthy" and working out I was slowly getting my mom's belly. I asked several "trainers" from the gym where I worked out what to do, and their reply was diet and cardo. They were never much help from there. It wasn't until after my first competition that I realized I was totally eating wrong despite the fact I was trying to eat "healthy" per the FDA and other nutritionist recommendations. You really need to throw out what you were taught is healthy. Add more protein... no it will not hurt your kidney to get 1 to 1.5 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

The rest is carb/fat manipulation. The reason most of us can't help you with this, is because this can vary from individual to individual. It something you learn over time as you get to know what your body needs are. That's why is is easier to start with a trainer.

You are the right place to start learning about nutrition and training. There is a lot of information posted about diets and work out routines, etc.

 

[rainsong]

update

i do work with a trainer... he's great... my diet right now is very high protein...mostly chicken breast, broccoli, eggs, that sort of thing... i eat every two to three hours... and i take LBA's as a supplement...

 

[oldfella]

i do work with a trainer... he's great... my diet right now is very high protein...mostly chicken breast, broccoli, eggs, that sort of thing... i eat every two to three hours... and i take LBA's as a supplement...

Welcome to the board RS. First I want to say great job on the 60lb loss. That is an achievement on it's own. One thing in your question rang alarm bells with me. You asked about midsection work, as in is ther anything you can do extra for this. Short answer here is NO! do not increase the amount of ab work you do. Your trainer if any good at what he does should know this. Only do what you have to to keep abs tight. overdo these and your little belly will get bigger! Understand? It is all going to come down to how stubborn you can be with your diet. How long you are prepared to go on with your fat loss until that little roll is gone! That is all that will help you there, but please do not fall into the 1000 crunches a day club to get rid of the flab. That shit does not work! Just good sound nutrition and commitment in the gym. Using the LBA's is a great step to helping reduce Body fat levels. Use them at 3tbsp/day 3 x's per day. You will see a difference soon. Keep up the good work girl.

 

[rainsong]

thanks so much for all the words of encouragement! i feel so at home here already! yeah i guess it was my wishful thinking hoping that there was something extra i could do to get rid of that stubborn middle! i can't really complain... i've lost 9.5 inches off my waist!! but what can i say... im a perfectionist haha...

p.s. im ALWAYS open to suggestions and advice!!

 

[rainsong]

actually... food question

you know... i do have another question haha... don't hate me!

so... i march with a drum corps and we travel every weekend in the summer... so im at practice ALL DAY... so i need to be able to bring my own food/snacks... any suggestions for diet friendly snacks and/or meals that can travel? mainly in a cooler or just in a bag... no access to any sort of heating up device haha... its much appreciated! thanks!

 

[oldfella]

you know... i do have another question haha... don't hate me!

so... i march with a drum corps and we travel every weekend in the summer... so im at practice ALL DAY... so i need to be able to bring my own food/snacks... any suggestions for diet friendly snacks and/or meals that can travel? mainly in a cooler or just in a bag... no access to any sort of heating up device haha... its much appreciated! thanks!

Tin tuna or salmon, precooked sweet potato, rice cakes with a touch of peanut butter, precooked chicken breast, turkey meat, any type of vegetables really, protein drinks, celery, carrots, just think of anything that can be served cold and tastes pretty good that way. but these are a few things that jump out at me.

 

[phoenix13]

bump to oldfella's suggestions for the foods. since you are into LBA's, you may consider putting a bottle in your cooler. you can mix some in water and have a handful or two of almonds, cashews, etc., and/or veggies (plus ziploc baggies of precooked and weighed lean meat and sweet potatoes). that's what i do when i'm going to be on the road and busy. very convenient.

(i was in drum corps in high school what do you play?)

 

[Sassy]

i do work with a trainer... he's great... my diet right now is very high protein...mostly chicken breast, broccoli, eggs, that sort of thing... i eat every two to three hours... and i take LBA's as a supplement...

Sounds like you are well on your way... If you follow oldfella's suggestions then you'll have the extra tummy fat gone before you know it.

The key to our way of dieting is planning. Most of us cook our meals ahead of time and prepackage them and take them with us. Some people pick one day to cook all their meals. They prepack them and freeze them, so all they have to do is pull them out, heat it up and eat it. I or Everlast usually to cook every other day or two and package my meals for several days at a time. Then you don't have to freeze them.