trying to reduce body fat - stuck in a rut

Although I am in pretty good shape - I am fighting the battle of the bulge - specifically the tire around my belly. I train 4-5 days a week, have reduced my caloric intake to about 1800 calories a day - reduced saturated fats and simple carbs (Only fats are Olive Oil, and a little butter). I have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner - mainly red. I eat veges, lean meats, low carb pasta but can't seem to get past this hurdle. I really need to lose this excess fat around my belly. I'm soon to be 44 and other than taking 3 hours a day for training (I devote about an hour to freedive training) I'm not sure what else to do...

HELP!!!

Lipo.

Just kidding. Me too. I am getting a bike when I get back from LA, next week. Only thing left to do...burn more. Ask Ozzie...he may tell you to interval train a bit.

Good one Cat..

But seriously, I was training last year and lost the weight, but this year it seems as though I am training more and not getting anywhere - I gained some weight during the winter and haven't been able to take it back off..

Maybe I need to cut my caloric intake even more, but freedive training really raises my appetite..

yes, the ocean makes me ravenous.

I have gotten stuck all of a sudden too. (is this the middle age spread I keep hearing about?)

I thought the idea with interval training is that it ramps up your BMR.

Dude. Drop the alcohol, meat and pasta. As for the alcohol...how serious are you about freediving?

Switch to fish and chicken.

~Marlinspike

The drop the alcohol and pasta sugestion is sound advice.

If you are training with a higher level of intensity, you may have increased lean body mass while decreasing your overall % body fat. You may weigh more or the same, but you are leaner.

How many "meals" do you eat a day? If you space smaller meals out throught the day, your metabolism will increase. If you are eating two to three "big" meals a day, your metabolism will not be as high.

I would also suggest you be careful of overtraining based on your description. 1,800 calories is at the low end of calorie restriction. If you are not progressing or even digressing in your workout performance, you may need to consume more clean calories.

Cardio, cardio, cardio...at 1800 calories, if you were doing high intensity interval cardio workouts you would see the weight falling off. I was 185# (at 6 feet tall) and worked out every day. I dropped to 1800 calories, no bread, red meat, pasta, potatoes, basically went to 'negative calories foods' (google that for a list), kept my carbs to only after workouts (mornings) and added a protein supplement (ISOPURE ZERO CARB). My 1800 calories were about 55% protein, 35% carb and 10% fat, and I added a multi-OMEGA (3-6-9) supplement every day. 4x a week I do weights (one hour and focus on one of three body part workouts) and on those days do 35 mins. High Intensity Interval cardio. On the other 3 days, I am doing at leasy 60 mins. of cardio (and not coffee drinking cardio either...10K's on an elliptical for example) and abs work. I dropped 20 lbs. since March 17 and am now at 166#. Now I'll switch over to muscle building. You CAN'T burn fat AND build muscle at the same time (not significant muscle building) -- it's just physiologically impossible. PM me with an email address and I can send you the whole program tomorrow (I have it all in a word doc). Also, you have to religiously keep a record of your food intake. Don't put down the milk in your coffee? Have 3 of coffee cups a day? Add 300 calories for that 1 cup of milk you're adding in there (and that's if you're using 1% milk). The "I don't think about its" add up, so you really have to keep a good record. Portions are important too...you have to weigh and record everything.

Cowboy.. Much of what you stated I have begun to put into practice...

3 pounds in 2 days..

I am using a software program called DietPower and it has really helped with tracking food and water intake. It gives credits for exercise and as an example, I had a 700 calorie credit after all meals for the day - I was surprised at the loss already (The exercise was 32 sets of dynamic apnea x 25 meters with freedive gear - 25 meter surface, 25 meters underwater equates to one set - and 400 meters of actual swimming with only goggles)

Challenge with doing weights that as a freediver, it tends to be counterproductive when wanting to improve ones freediving. I have been chastised on more than one occasion by my mentor Aharon Solomons about doing weights. He feels more water time and cardio is a better solution. So far, he seems to be correct - as it pertains to freediving.

Add to that a complete tracking of food and water intake and it really helped keep me on track. Anyone looking for a tool to help them lose weight should look into this software app. I keep it on my laptop to help me when out and about...

I'll keep posting on my progress...

Marlinspike:

Dude. Drop the alcohol, meat and pasta. As for the alcohol...how serious are you about freediving?

Switch to fish and chicken.

~Marlinspike

Click to expand...

Marlin - I live in wine country here in Oregon (Pinot country to be precise) - My DR recommended a glass or two with dinner - specifically Red wine. Seems to help with digestion in the evenings as well - besides, look at the French freedivers - you want to tell them to give up wine???

Pasta isn't a big issue for me - when I do eat it, it's a low carb pasta and portion controlled. Meat wise - well, that's a given... But I do need to gnaw on a BBQ steak once in a great while..

I will say that portion control seems to be the key for me right now - and eating lots of fresh greens with dinner seems to really help as well...

Yes, the tracking is important (my coffee example). For me, it was the uptick in cardio and weights combined with the downtick in food. I've always maintained good shape, but at 47, I was noticing my middle expansion (ha). My pants were getting tighter, and I wasn't happy about it. Now I am back into my 33s Levis with room enough that I shouldn't have thrown out the 32s I had before. Amazing! Lots of water is good. Chromium Polynicotinate is a good supplement for fat busting. Portion control (as I said) is huge, because if you're looking up "how many calories" in a piece of salmon for example and its 256, that's for 6 oz. If you're eating 12 oz. (which isn't all that much), that's 562. I fill up on servings broccoli (40 cal), asparagus (35 cal), grapefruits (90 cal), Dannon Lite & Fit yogurts (60 cal). Hang in there - you'll get there. OH! I forgot the most important part - eat 5-6 evenly spaced meals/day. Yes, on 1800 calories that would mean 350/meal. In the end, you just have to find a formula that works for you!!!!

CN