How to improve current program

[xnez]

Okay here is my current program.

6 days a week in the morning i do 30 min. of cardio (fasting cardio since i eat breakfast after the workout), maintaining a heart rate of 150+ BPM

3 days a week in the evening I do a full body weight lifting program.

I want to get rid of fat around my mid section (i am a guy).

Should i look into using anything for this fat. I have read it is hard to get rid of due to lack of blood flow to the area. Should i use any type of supplement? I have read that asprine can work to help with this since it can increase blood flow.

Any thoughts on what i should do differently?

Also my diet is low fat, high in whole grains and vegtables. It is pretty good.

[VacMan]

xnez,

Congrats on your weight loss goals!

I'll keep this short and sweet.

The general concept you have (Eating correctly, performing cardio, and lifting weights) is absolutely great!

The most important elements that you will need to know for this program to be effective is:

1.) You cannot "spot reduce" which means there is no way to actually target belly fat, or any specific fat at all, you just need to lose fat in general and eventually the fat will come off your mid section.

2.) Even with the best workout routines and healthiest foods, you cannot lose wieght unless you are eating less calories than you are using.

I would suggest finding your resting metabolic rate, multiplying that by your activity level and subtracting 500 from that. (This will give you the calories you need to lose weight.)

A good equation for this is the Mufflin equation:

The Mufflin equation for RMR:

For men: (10 x w) + (6.25 x h) - (5 x a) + 5

Where:

w = weight in kg
h = height in cm
a = age

Activity Level Multipliers:

1.2 Sedentary Little or no exercise and desk job
1.375 Lightly Active Light exercise or sports 1-3 days a week
1.55 Moderately Active Moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days a week
1.725 Very Active Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week
1.9 Extremely Active Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job

Good luck!

[NotesMaeve]

I actually am going to suggest longer but less frequent cardio sessions. Your body needs time to rest.

I have toned stomach muscles and do no real ab exercises. I run 4x a week for 30 to 40 minutes and cycle a few times. That's it. Srsly.

I eat crap like donuts and cookies and ice cream, but in moderation. I also am looking forward tonight to a tasty veggie burger with avocado and ketchup in a tortilla. The key is balance.

[cyclwestks]

You might consider recording your meals on fitday; it's free & web based. This would help you after you estimate your metabolic rate like the above reply, & it would give you a good idea of your macro nutrient breakdown.

The advice I've gotten with supplementation is that it's kind of like a pyramid, & it's base is a good healthy diet. You might also consider varying the length & intensity of your cardio. Change up your workouts every 4-6 weeks as your body adapts. Above all, be patient.

[EnduranceNinja]

I second all the advice already said. I use fitday to make sure I am eating enough calories. For sure if you can workout cardio longer you need to burn more calories and cardio will do it. If time is limited split your cardio sometimes. being a first time dad I sometimes have to split up my longer runs and cycling. I do some in the am and more during the pm.

[escapee]

I have read that asprine can work to help with this since it can increase blood flow.

A more healthy option is to consume unprocessed whole food rich (Nuts & seed ) in polyunsatured fats as Prostacyclin, a hormone produced from undamaged omega 6 -> AA is the number 1 natural blood thinner.

Prostacyclin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Minimize the bad fats ( Hydrogenated fats, trans fats, oxidized fats from deep fried food ). Minimize the Refined carbohydrate.

Effect of hydrogenated and saturated, relative to polyunsaturated, fat on immune and inflammatory responses of adults with moderate hypercholesterolemia -- Han et al. 43 (3): 445 -- Journal of Lipid Research

In conclusion, our results suggest that consumption of hydrogenated fats may adversely affect the inflammatory process in atherosclerosis by increasing the PBMC production of inflammatory cytokines; however, it does not seem to adversely affect cellular immune responses. The impact of saturated fat on the production of inflammatory cytokines appears to be intermediate between that of polyunsaturated fat and hydrogenated fat. When the amount of fat in the diet was similar, consumption of soybean oil as a major source of fat significantly increased DTH response compared with the consumption of butter (high in saturated fat and cholesterol) and significantly decreased inflammatory cytokine production compared with the consumption of stick margarine (high in trans fatty acids). Therefore, use of vegetable oil in its natural state might be preferable over a hydrogenated form for people with hypercholesterolemia.

Inflammation -> blood clot/plague due to immune response-> poor blood circulation-> heart disease/stroke/cancer ......

Health and Age Centers

The researchers found that, after controlling for multiple confounders, including cardiovascular risk factors, the presence of diabetes, and levels of other fatty acids, a high serum level of linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat found in vegetable oils, was associated with a significantly reduced risk of ischemic stroke - odds ratios of approximately 0.65 for a 1-standard deviation increase in the linoleic acid level. Serum levels of saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids were not associated with an increased risk of stroke.

Surprisingly, omega-3 fatty acids -- the "heart-healthy" type of fat commonly found in fatty varieties of fish -- did not have an impact on stroke risk in this study. The authors speculate that, since Japanese consumers typically eat a lot of fish, everyone in the study was already getting the benefits of an omega-3-rich diet. On the other hand, studies done in Western countries where people typically eat less fish have shown a link between omega-3s and a reduced chance of stroke.

[escapee]

Also my diet is low fat, high in whole grains and vegtables. It is pretty good.

No I think It's not good at all... Low fat diet will destroy you in the long term. A balance diet is still the key to true health. Check out the time tested The Okinawan centenarian lifestyle

Okinawa Diet Food Pyramid

[cyclwestks]

Originally Posted by escapee

No I think It's not good at all... Low fat diet will destroy you in the long term. A balance diet is still the key to true health. Check out the time tested The Okinawan centenarian lifestyle

Okinawa Diet Food Pyramid

I'd never heard of the Okinawa program, but it is interesting. I agree completely with the caloric density idea. Bodybuilders call it "eating clean", & if you eat the right foods, you can actually be eating all the time & still only getting 1500-2000 calories.