General Discussion Triathlon Talk » looking to lose fat, not weight Rss Feed  
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2005-06-03 8:31 AM

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Regular
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Pittsburgh, PA
Subject: looking to lose fat, not weight
I've been reading a lot of the diet & weight loss posts lately, and while I find some of them to be awesome and inspiring I dont think any (or at most very few) apply to me.

I'm a 5'10" female, age 26, vegetarian, and I weigh about 142 lbs. I'm a medium to thin frame, and according to all the body weight charts I've seen if I lose more than 5 pounds I will be underweight for my height.

I dont want to lose any weight. I dont care too much about the numbers on the scale--I check once a week just to keeps tabs on things and make sure I'm not suddenly losing or gaining a lot. I just *really* want to lose all the extra flab around my mid-section (I'm sick of having rolls of fat when I sit down) I just started Olympic-distance training and I count my calories on fit day. I also just got back into Pilates for core training & stretching. But I just dont seem to be able to lose this stubborn fat. I would like to join in some of the weight loss challenges, but I dont really lose weight so it wouldnt be of any help.

If anyone knows of *anything* about this, please share. I'm getting really discouraged and its affecting my performance for training.


2005-06-03 8:53 AM
in reply to: #167837

Regular
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252525
Texas
Subject: RE: looking to lose fat, not weight
this is a great thread on trifuel.com about weight and body fat. shows that if you are serious about this, you can go to a lower BF%. Let me know what you think.

http://www.trifuel.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1595
2005-06-12 9:58 AM
in reply to: #167837


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Subject: RE: looking to lose fat, not weight
Cardio workouts will be what brurns your fat, fat does have weight to it but not as much as muscle. I would make sure you keep your protien intake at a good level because you don't want to lose any muscle from working out, also you can build muscle while losing fat which will offset the fat lose you may find you gain wieght while losing inches. You need to take a protien supplement, due to the fact your a vegatarian. Try including a strenght training in your training this will build muscle. Maybe 3 days a week, 3 sets of 15-20 reps, 2-3 excerises per body part, (chest, back, shoulders, tricepts, bicepts, quads, hamstrings, and calfs) will help build lean muscle,
2005-06-13 12:38 PM
in reply to: #167837

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Elite
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Bay Area, CA
Subject: RE: looking to lose fat, not weight
I took a look at your fitday journal and here is what I noticed about your diet.

(1) It looks light on protein to me. You should be shooting for 20% protein. Options: Add a protein supplement; Add eggs; Add beans (w/ a starch I believe makes a complete protein); Add more dairy.

(2) You are light on good carbs. I didn't see hardly any veggies in there, or any whole grain type items. Bagels are processed, white rice is processed. I'd make a couple of switches, maybe try switching brown rice for the white rice. Maybe eating oatmeal once a week. Do it a little bit at a time. Heavily processed starches (white bread, white rice, etc.) have a strong tendency to convert themselves right into fat. Note: When shopping for whole grain items check the ingredients. "Made from whole wheat" is differen than "Wheat flour, unbleached". The first is made from the entire wheat kernel (good), the second is basically flour that is brown instead of white (processed).

(3) Too many sweets. Try limiting yourself to one sugary item a day. Sugary stuff also goes right to the fat cells, unless you burn it off immediately. Donuts and Pop-Tarts in the same day is too much.

If you want to lose the fat while retaining the muscle, you might want to consider doing Body-for-Life for 12 weeks. It is not a triathlon program, but is specifically geared towards fat loss and muscle gain. It also has a good eating plan. The diet is somewhat heavy on protein, but it's a good balanced plan for gaining muscle.

Caveat: BFL will not get you ready for that Oly distance tri, so maybe get ready and do it as part of your off-season when you are not prepping for tri's.

Edited by cadreamer 2005-06-13 12:44 PM
2005-06-13 4:51 PM
in reply to: #167837

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Pro
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Evanston,
Subject: RE: looking to lose fat, not weight
Just my 2 cents here, the only time i ever lost the belly flab was when I did the Lemonade Diet, also known as the "Master Cleanser." Would NOT recommend this while you're training; maybe off-season. It's for cleaning out the digestive tract.

I have a BMI near the high end of the healthy range and body fat where you expect a woman to have body fat. Belly's usually the most stubborn for me. So I was SHOCKED by the flattish-bellied babe in the mirror after a week of the Cleanse. It came right back when I started eating again - which made me think that my "belly pooch" might be a result of my digestive system trying to deal with white flour/sugar/coffee (that's the worst stuff I put in my body) and not just all "fat" from calories. Don't know for sure. FWIW.
2005-06-14 10:45 AM
in reply to: #174159

Regular
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Texas
Subject: RE: looking to lose fat, not weight
the belly is the hardest region to get rid of by just training. Every trainer will tell you that belly fat is all about what you eat. if you want it to go change the way you eat.


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