Not sure wat im doing wrong.

[Body by Grunt]

ive been working out on and off for about 6-8 years now recently Ive been on deployment to japan with my marine corp unit for the last 6 months finally got a break from combat deployments. And in this time i got a LOT of time to get some working out in been working out pretty consistantly havent missed a work out yet at 5x per week. I uselly include about 15-30 min of cardio low intensity and high intensity every other day. I do ab work out as well. like legs lifts / weight crunches / and weighted hello dollys (which are like leg lifts but laying down with ankle weights on) Well in these 6 months i got my top 4 abs to show pretty nicely but for some reason in my lower belly area like starting at the belly button to bout a inch down i cant seem to loose that lingering fat that's right there not sure if im retaining that much water or wth. for some reason i just cant get those last 2 abs to show. Or that strip of lingering belly fat to go away. My diet has been pretty clean no candy no junk food no fast food mostly chicken breast/fish/steak/veggys/eggs/ a piece of bacon here and there. If anybody can offer any help or got a few tips or trick to help me out with this problem it would be GREATLY appreciated thank you for your time.

 

[Anti_hero]

you just have to get leaner

 

[Tom]

maybe...

I have that same annoying area of fat and I'm thinking it might possibly be
related to high levels of either cortisol or estrogen. i'm coming up on my yearly physical and getting those values tested. If you get your estradiol tested make sure as a male you get the ultra-sensative estradiol test.

 

[Body by Grunt]

I have that same annoying area of fat and I'm thinking it might possibly be
related to high levels of either cortisol or estrogen. i'm coming up on my yearly physical and getting those values tested. If you get your estradiol tested make sure as a male you get the ultra-sensative estradiol test.

And what would be some ways to resolve this problem if it is either high levels of cortisol or estrogen???

 

[Quad-smack]

And what would be some ways to resolve this problem if it is either high levels of cortisol or estrogen???

Stress management, good nights sleep, meditation, etc.
1500 to 3000 mg Vitamin C is the cheapest supplement to suppress cortisol. Cortisol peaks in the am so I take 1000 mg with breakfast and 500 mg with lunch.

Estrogen would be best controlled by a mild anti-aromitase inhibitor. I would start with blood tests 1st to see if you even have that problem.

Also look at your fructose / HFCS intake and reduce that to minimal. It does a nice job of hiding the abs.

 

[blackhole]

vitamin C suppresses cortisol? do you have any links about this i could read, sounds interesting

 

[Quad-smack]

Here's one that applies directly to weightlifters - not just Guinea Pigs.
You can also google ascorbic acid & cortisol and get plenty of hits.


Reduce Cortisol -- Try Asorbic Acid

by Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D.
A study of Junior National Team weightlifters showed that daily ingestion of 1,000 mg of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) had a significant impact on lowering one's body cortisol levels after hard training. Subjects were assigned to one of two groups equated for body weight and weightlifting totals lifted during training. One group received the ascorbic acid each day for 14 days while the other group received a placebo. The weightlifters participated in a competitive, high volume, high intensity training program. Both groups lifted at the same intensity and had equal lifting volume of training for the 14 days. Cortisol was lower at one hour and statistically significantly lower at 24 hours post exercise in the ascorbic acid supplemented group. Lower cortisol levels are important since excessive cortisol has be shown to have a detrimental inflammatory effect on muscle cells and suppresses the body's immune system.

Dosage Guidelines:

1,000 mg of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) taken on a daily basis will have a positive effect upon improved muscle health and recovery.
Joseph Marsit, et. al. Effects of Ascorbic Acid on Serum Cortisol and the Testosterone: Cortisol Ratio in Junior Elite Weightlifters. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 12: 179-184, 1998.

This article was published on Friday 23 June, 2006.

 

[bigfatandugly]

you just have to get leaner

agreed.

it not that you can't lose the fat there, it's just that your body is going to drop it's fat there last.

your body doesn't lose fat everywhere equally, it loses in specific places more quickly than others.

my legs for example come in about 5 weeks before my upper body. alot of guys upper bodies come in before their legs will.

i know exactly what you are talking about because i lose my fat in the exact same place as you last- just below the belly button.

just keep dieting, maybe carb cycle for a few weeks. could be also your metabolism has stalled out- take a day to enjoy foods you have been restricting yourself and see if thats the problem.


BFU

 

[chris250]

I'd say just up your cardio to 35 mins 4 to 5 times a week, post workout or first thing in the morning...

Diet sounds ok, training is ok-- But cardio might be the key to getting into better shape..If not, then its the diet that you need to work on...

chris

 

[KillerStack]

Less calories or more activity. Doesn't matter if the diet is "clean" if you have stabilized at that caloric level. Doubt it has anything to do with cortisol or estrogen (don't think estrogen really hinders fat loss either).