While I am 99% sure this is going to be a silly question, I am going to ask it anyway.
Silly question in 3 - 2 - 1
Over the years, I have slowly witnessed by belly becoming larger (lots of flab/fat/rolls) - Question: Are there any specific things I can do to concentrate on loosing belly fat, specifically?
The only silly question is the one not asked.
Short answer, not for targeting your belly specifically.
Yeah, that's what I thought but wanted to ask anyway.
Entering a calorie deficit via diet and exercise will cause your body to burn through those extra fat stores, wherever they are. There is an adage in the fitness community that has a lot of truth to it "six pack abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym".
Never heard that before but that is a very interesting adage.
You can do all sorts of exercises to strengthen your core but they alone will not cause your belly to shrink. If you've ever seen those in the heaviest weight lifting classes or strong man competitions you'll see this in action. The core strength required for the kinds of weight they are moving is insane but most of them don't look like fitness models. Eddie Hall is probably the best example, when he is breaking world records for his pulls he generally isn't "lean".
Reminds me of, for example, professional football linemen - If you were to see them on the beach, you probably would think they are really out of shape and not very strong but the truth is that they are spectacular athletes and they are strong as crap!
I also offer up some of the most regurgitated and mindlessly repeated tips and blurbs. This is going to look like the worst Pintrest/Instgram fitspiration post you've ever seen. I do this not because I think they are special or unique points or I'm some magical diet guru but because they are actually crazy important and often hard to do at first.
Drink more water, it is good for you.
Get more sleep, it also is good for you.
Walk more, like a lot more. Try to sneak in walking wherever you can, I do it on my lunch break.
Write down what you eat. I know I said it in the other post but it is that important, especially starting out. For that matter you should probably be journaling in general but that is for another time.
Take a couple before pictures, you don't have to show anyone. But in a few weeks when you think you've gotten know where it is nice to have a reference point.
Set yourself up for success, if you have no viable eating option in the house of course you will opt for fast food/junk food.
It is still possible to lose weight eating nothing but Twinkies, it'll just be a lot harder. Focusing on nutrient rich foods helps you feel fuller for longer and provides the energy you need to be the badass you are.
Not all fast food is the devil. Many places have viable options to stay on your goals but also be convenient. This is doubly tricky because it isn't always the items you expect. A McDonald's salad can have more calories and fat than the McDouble . Take time to look at your options (preferably before you are starving).
How hungry you are is not indicative of how much food you need to eat, only how soon you should eat (this one is my biggest enemy).
Exercise is best when it is done as a celebration of what your body can do and not punishment for what you ate.
Finally, and this really is the most important, LOVE YOURSELF. I'm not saying you have to be happy with exactly how fit you are right now but remember to cut yourself some slack. You've survived a ton of crap to get to where you are, you've done some truly incredible things and your body was with you for the entire ride. This is just part of that incredible life you've lived so don't forget to be kind and patient with yourself.
I love your list. Walking is extremely important for us as we get older. And like I said before, if you use some kind of weight while you're walking it helps burn more calories. Average person burns 100 calories per mile walked. Adding 40lbs can double the calories burned in the same amount of time. It can be as easy as using a school back pack with 6 to 8 bricks in it. Most people I know start with twenty pounds in a back pack then add more weight as they grow stronger. I got in a verbal altercation with a park ranger a couple of years ago because my family and I were exercising on a walking/bike path at a local park. I have an old go-kart that doesn't have an engine on it and my family rides in it while I pull them in it using a 3/4" rope and belt harness. He pulled up in his pretty park ranger truck with pretty little yellow lights and told me I couldn't bring a go kart to the park. I told him no, park rules state no motorized vehicles. He said a go kart is a motorized vehicle even without a motor. So I walked away while he was still trying to convince me to take my "exercise equipment" back to the truck. 15 minutes later a cop shows up driving his squad car down the gravel road so he could talk to me about the "exercise equipment". He gets out, and after he stops laughing at us, tells us everything is fine and we could use the go-kart frame since it didn't have a motor. This was the second park that was upset with my motorless go-kart frame . Anyways, I told this story for an example to show how if you try different exercise and not the same thing everyday you'll probably be more successful because you won't get bored. Sometimes we walk, walk with weight, pull go-karts with crazy kids, or sometimes just walks the steps at our local stadium.
I freaking love sauces (BBQ, sweet and sour, teriyaki, salad dressings, ketchup, etc) so I think I'm going to have to find some alternatives to these sugar intense and fattening things that I literally use by the gallon presently. Any suggestions?
I freaking love sauces (BBQ, sweet and sour, teriyaki, salad dressings, ketchup, etc) so I think I'm going to have to find some alternatives to these sugar intense and fattening things that I literally use by the gallon presently. Any suggestions?
This is just my personal opinion from seeing so many people fail at weight loss. If you aren't doing any exercise right now, just start exercising. Don't worry about your diet for the first month. Just start walking about an hour to 1 and 1/2 hours a day. Doesn't matter if it takes you 25 minutes to walk a mile, just start. If you try to do too many things at once, like changing your diet at the same time, more than likely you'll fail. I think you said you stay right around 228lbs, correct? If the diet you're eating now
Helps you stay a steady 228lbs, by just starting to walk for 90 minutes a day, don't miss a day, you'll lose 10 to 12lbs the first month without changing your diet. Then after a month, change your diet very very slowly. Again, very slowly. You need to look at food as a drug you have been using to comfort your self. If you try to get rid of all your daily comfort foods, chips, soda, condiments or whatever it may be, your brain will freak out and you'll more than likely fail.
I freaking love sauces (BBQ, sweet and sour, teriyaki, salad dressings, ketchup, etc) so I think I'm going to have to find some alternatives to these sugar intense and fattening things that I literally use by the gallon presently. Any suggestions?
Hugh Nibley claimed he bumped into Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Gertrude Stein, and the Grand Duke Vladimir Romanoff. Dishonesty is baked into Mormonism.
I freaking love sauces (BBQ, sweet and sour, teriyaki, salad dressings, ketchup, etc) so I think I'm going to have to find some alternatives to these sugar intense and fattening things that I literally use by the gallon presently. Any suggestions?
I'm partial to the Red Duck line of condiments but there are tons of low sugar, low salt options on the market. The other option is to use what you already like but drastically reduce the quantity. There are also plenty of sauces/flavorings out there that are just naturally lower in junk given how they are made, Frank's Red Hot being one of my favorite among them. The salt content can be too high depending on health concerns but there is peppers, vinegar, water, salt and garlic in it. A little bit on my lunch time meal preparation goes a long way and adds a nice extra bit of flavor.
He/Him
“If you consider what are called the virtues in mankind, you will find their growth is assisted by education and cultivation.”
― Xenophon
Walking 90 minutes every day would be good, all right, but I wouldn't count on it to lose 10 pounds in a month.
3500 Calories per pound. Walking one mile at 230 pounds weight, according to online calculators, burns about 125 Calories. That'll go up a bit if you're walking up and down hills a lot, but it won't change much by walking faster—you'll just burn the Calories faster by covering the distance faster.
So you're going to have walk about 28 miles to lose a single pound. To lose 10 pounds, 280 miles.
70 miles a week isn't casual walking. It's intense training. Ten miles in 90 minutes is a hard enough run that doing it every day would wreck my knees.
That much extra work makes you hungry, too. Eat more and you undo the benefit; don't eat more, and you're as hungry as if you were dieting.
So you're going to have walk about 28 miles to lose a single pound. To lose 10 pounds, 280 miles.
(Not laughing at you, PG - laughing at the thought of me actually walking these distances. I think I'll start with a 20-30 minute walk every day and see where it goes)
For flavor enhancers: a little bit of citrus juice adds a nice zip to a lot of things. And I don't think there can be many calories in herbs and spices.
Even tiny bits of oil and butter have insane amounts of calories. One tablespoon of olive oil equals walking one mile.
Soy sauce is light as condiments go. Like 12-15 tablespoons to the mile.
I really believe that a daily 20-30 minute walk can make a big difference in weight loss, just not because it burns enough calories by itself. I think it just somehow keeps your body burning fat when you diet instead of going all lethargic instead. I am not a Biochemistry Guy, though, so this might be nonsense.
Last edited by Physics Guy on Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
For flavor enhancers: a little bit of citrus juice adds a nice zip to a lot of things. And I don't think there can be many calories in herbs and spices.
Even tiny bits of oil and butter have insane amounts of calories. One tablespoon of olive oil equals walking one mile.
Soy sauce is light as condiments go. Like 12-15 tablespoons to the mile.
I really believe that a daily 20-30 minute walk can make a big difference in weight loss, just not because it burns enough calories by itself. I think it just somehow keeps your body burning fat when you diet instead of going all lethargic instead.
Years ago this guy who was a friend of the family checked himself into a top-notch hospital for obesity, needed to loose a couple hundred pounds. He was successful. The big secret? Walking 7 miles a day.
. Take time to look at your options (preferably before you are starving).
. Anyways, I told this story for an example to show how if you try different exercise and not the same thing everyday you'll probably be more successful because you won't get bored. Sometimes we walk, walk with weight, pull go-karts with crazy kids, or sometimes just walks the steps at our local stadium.
