Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockchick26  Well,the way i see it,if you can work out and still have a stomach,obviously something is making it stay there,and it isn't from a lack of working out. I will try anything though cuz nothing has worked so far.
That website looked like it was more about bodybuilding than losing a pot belly! |
The website
is about bodybuilding and sculpting, and it's basic information is perfect for those who need to lose that potbelly, which in fact is a form of "bodybuilding". The term doesn't have to mean packing on pounds of muscle and getting ripped. It's simply the practice of developing your body to the point you feel good about it.
Having belly fat, even though you weigh lbs doesn't necessarily mean you are unhealthy or at risk. The
type of body fat is also important to consider.
Subcutaneous belly fat (or thigh fat, arm fat, back fat, etc.) lies under the skin and over the muscle.
Visceral fat lies inside the abdominal cavity and surrounds and cushions your abdominal organs. This type of fat in excess can give the appearance of the textbook "potbelly" and has a greater chance of being found caked inside your arteries. This doesn't make carrying a spare tire and love handles an OK thing, but visceral fat is the greater evil of the two. Either way, it would benefit you to lose both.
Now,
where you store fat and what
type of fat you have is hereditary. Some people are naturally "ripped" while others always seem to be fighting the flab. The typical diet and exercise will get those people only so far unless they elect to
drastically alter their diet, exercise regimen, and hence entire lifestyle.
Simply downing a square of dark chocolate, while considered a "power food" in my book and a healthy practice I myself indulge in, will not magically melt your unwanted fat away. The chocolate is healthy not so much for the fat content but for it's healthy dose of flavonoids - also found in red wine, tea, onions, and citrus.
You can create a metabolic shift in your body by first eating 4-6 smaller meals, instead of 3 large ones. It may help to look at it as 3 meals with 2 or 3 snacks throughout. Second, excluding animal fats and hydrogenated oils, and getting your daily allotment of fat from healthy sources like avocados, olive and canola oils, nuts/seeds, and cold water fish. Mono and polyunsaturated fats do help to liberate stored body fats to be metabolized - not to mention they prevent plaque build-up in your arteries.
In addition I recommend only whole grain, fruit and vegetable sources for carbohydrates. Eat the majority of carbs early in the day and after your daily workout. Cut carbs out after 4PM and don't eat within 2 hours of going to bed - though if you tend to stay up more than 4 hours or so after your evening meal I would recommend a small meal of protein/healthy fats.
You will probably find these recommendations in the Flat Belly Diet and they are common themes in other diets like the Zone and South Beach - for good reason. Whatever you happen to call your particular diet these are great tips to live with whether trying to lose fat or not.
Also, spot reducing of particular body fat deposits is thought not to happen, though some recent research is suggesting otherwise. It's effects may not be noticeable for most anyways. If you happen to be down to that last stubborn 5-10 lbs of fat fitness professionals recommend spot training to firm and tone these areas. It just so happens that
any exercise, whether spot training or whole body training, does have an effect on body fat -
so you end up losing it either way. If spot training feels good and you think it benefits you, there is no reason not to do it. Just don't forgo it in lieu of whole body training which requires more effort produces the best overall results.
Hope this helps and that I haven't confused anyone. I do have a BS in Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology, so feel free to ask for more advice.