Lower abdominal fat

OK, word is I'm tired of being a fat bastard, so I ordered p90x.

Here's the thing, before I go into weightlifting seriously I was about 130 pounds, roughly around 12% bodyfat, I was really lean (pics below) but at the same time, as you can tell from the photo I still had unwanted fat at the bottom of my stomach. Even, now I'm much more bulky but still have this problem and have a funny feeling that it's not going to go away even when I do cut down to 10% bodyfat or so.

Anyone have any suggestions on what exactly I should do? How when I bulk down can I ensure that I don't maintain this? Or would that be even possible?

Edit:- this is me before I started weightlifting, not now as a fat bastard.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Fat is lost in predisposed areas.  Unfortunately for us guys, the last bits of fat to come off are usually in the stomach region.  This means fat is most often going to come off everywhere else in your body before it cuts into the fat stores in your stomach/lower abdominal region.  For Women, the last region is usually in the hips/buttocks. 

This is a huge reason why diets that aim to cut fat from a particular region of the body fail so often.  People see results in fat loss but not in the areas that they want (and it just so happens that men mostly want to lose stomach fat and women want to lose hip/butt fat, funny how our bodies make us work). 

Anyway, you most likely will see the results that you want but it might not be at 10, probably closer to 7 or 8 before it finally starts burning that stomach fat.  There is absolutely nothing you can do to change the order of this fat burning process outside of lipo or some goverment topical cream.  Spot reduction is a myth even though Twisted tried arguing with me once that it wasn't lol. 

All you can really do is stick with it.

Ah, thanks for the feedback. As you can tell in the photo above, I was decently lean, not sure on the exact body fat but I still had a bit of stomach fat.

8% bf would require me to get down to about 145 pounds! LOL

Would a veggies, fruit and high protein diet be ideal for significant cut?

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Yea, you should seriously look into cycling your carbs as well because that is the key.  The other things like protein, good fats (omegas, efas), fibrous carbs (can be eaten pretty much at will without counting towards your carb total), should be held constant. 

Fruits are great but keep them in moderation (small serving with each meal, watch out for high sugar contents as well). 

I would take some bcaa's, especially leucine, with your meals to help conserve your muscle mass while on a cut.  Other than that it really is pretty much cut and dry.  You might even want to look into an ECA/ECY stack to keep your energy levels up while carb depleted.

Thanks, some helpful advice there.

I was considering the BCAAs, as I've heard they are phenomenal while cutting.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

I have a similar problem with my stomach fat.  I was never skinny, I was always fat.  However, I recently got down to 165 from 200 and my bodyfat was around 6.6% at the lowest (measured by bio impedance method, so maybe not completely accurate) and my lower stomach fat was starting to come off, but it was still there a little bit.  I just couldn't take being that small for any longer, so I gave up on trying to lose it right then.

The moral of the story is that it will most likely come off, but you will have to work really hard at it and stick with it.      

try a intesen ab work out and running alot......intenese meanign lots of crunches, situps, isometrics, 6 icnhes etc etc

I noticed when I did my big cut my whole mid section in general just turned into abs... Like there was nothing surrounding my stomach nothing at all I could grab it just sunk in and nothing was there except abs.  The lower ones came out toward the end of the cut.   If you can't see the lower abs odds are you also don't have the definition in your back either,  But people tend to carry their fat in different areas of their bodies.

Nah Cougar.. Crunches etc do very little for burning fat.

Bro same problem here..It is giving me a huge appearance..like I don't look really fat, just big and not real cut up..ha if you can imagine I am 5 7 152 and most of the kids at my pool are skinny bitches that are like 5 10 125 and stuff like that..haha, kinda annoying but not a huge problem.

Goals by end of 2009:
Bench 205
Squat 255 ATG
Squat Clean 185

"There is no elevator to success, you must take the stairs."

Yep. I agree with all the posts above. You can choose where you want to build muscles but you cannot choose where you want to lose fat.

-Mike

Welcome to being a man MVP.  The majority of us store fat in our lower abs.  For most people that I've seen on various forums, the lower abs are the first place to gain fat during a bulk and the last place to lose fat during a cut.  I've been pretty hardcore lately on dieting and cardio, and I'm pretty cut all over, but the bottom part of my stomach still has flab on it. 

I believe that the only thing that you, I, or most other guys can do that want to lost "that last bit" is to just stick with it.  It will eventually go away, but it will be the very last place on your whole body.

About getting to 8% and being 145.  I don't think that's necessary.  I think that you can get to 8% or whatever bf goal you have simply by strict dieting (keto, or carb cycling, or whatever you choose), HEAVY & PROGRESSIVE lifting, and lots of high intensity and LSD cardio

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

why is that I can see the outline of my lower ab if i tense, but not my upper ab? strange ey....are the abs present below the belly? I think I've seen ppl have it, but it's like an 8 pack

brihead301


Welcome to being a man MVP.  The majority of us store fat in our lower abs.  For most people that I've seen on various forums, the lower abs are the first place to gain fat during a bulk and the last place to lose fat during a cut.  I've been pretty hardcore lately on dieting and cardio, and I'm pretty cut all over, but the bottom part of my stomach still has flab on it. 

I believe that the only thing that you, I, or most other guys can do that want to lost "that last bit" is to just stick with it.  It will eventually go away, but it will be the very last place on your whole body.

About getting to 8% and being 145.  I don't think that's necessary.  I think that you can get to 8% or whatever bf goal you have simply by strict dieting (keto, or carb cycling, or whatever you choose), HEAVY & PROGRESSIVE lifting, and lots of high intensity and LSD cardio

I forgot a lot about this thread. I at this time didn't know my bodyfat %, my current bodyfat% is 22%. I'm 5'7" and weighed 190 at the beginning of my cutting phase and I'm now weighing in about 184.

According to calculations, if I cut to about 160lbs I'll be right at or just under 9% bodyfat. 5'7" @ 160lbs is not only pretty big but depended upon the muscle mass that I can maintain, I'll look much bigger.

Below are my current 5RM's

Bench Press: 5RM | 235 | 1RM | 275
Squat: 5RM | 255 | 1RM | hasn't been tested
Deadlift: 5RM | 275 | 1RM | 335
OH Press: 5RM | 145 | 1RM | hasn't been tested
Pull-up: 10RM | rep tested --- only can complete about 10 reps at bodyweight.

If I can maintain somewhere around this...

Bench Press: 5RM | 220 | 1RM 255
Squat: 5RM | 225
Deadlift: 5RM | 255
OH Press: 5RM | 135
Pull-up: | 20 reps (this should increase as I lose weight)

Then I would consider myself  at a good strength for my bodyweight @ 160lbs.

I plan on doing a lot of bodyweight movements now, every night before I go to bed getting in some push-ups or pull-ups, sit-ups or hanging leg raises - according to my training manual bodyweight exercises can be done every day and since you're not adding any weight you don't need a lot of rest from them. One night it'll be like sit ups and push-ups, the other night pull-ups and leg raises, etc..

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

I just stumbled upon this thread and realize it's a little old but would like to throw in my two cents..

IMO.. when you're cutting it's best get it off as fast as possible.. don't screw around for 6-8 months doing a slow cut, your body is more likely to start eating muscles..

Drop the cals down in cycles starting at 200 below maintain and each week take off another 100 until you're about 500below.. do some type of hit of tabata daily, eat lean no sugar, little starchy carbs.. suffer.. but get it off as quick as possible..

I know some are going to jump in and say but hey.... my body will go into starvation mode and i'll loose muscle... !!!!

I don't think so...no need to worry about that until you get down to 7-8%.. then it's tough  and when you get that low, you may need to monitor your intake a little more carefully..

but until then.. don't mess around.. get the weight off as fast as possible... suffer!! but it wil be well worth it..

There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing

 

I completely agree smoundzou.

I would rather lose some strength doing a quick cut than cut for 8 months.

Three months is the amount of time I'd ideally like to spend at the most, I have 25lbs to drop, I've dropped six so far but I haven't been training due to a hectic schedule.

I'll gain strength back via muscle memory and progressive resistance.

I'm wanting to drop this fat off as quickly as possible, the lower I go in carbs and so forth the quicker I'll lose the weight and the quicker I'll get back to bulking.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

MVP, why is your lower body strength so weak compared to your upper body? lol.

Your bench is 235 and your deadlift is 275???? 40lb difference only?

I'm at 5'8, 139lbs. My bench is a measly 112.2lb 5rm, while my deadlift is 242lbs 5rm.

MVP


I'm wanting to drop this fat off as quickly as possible, the lower I go in carbs and so forth the quicker I'll lose the weight and the quicker I'll get back to bulking.

Join a hardcore MMA or MA class, with the 3-4 classes a week on top of my lifting schedule in the past 3 weeks I have gained more stomach definition than in the past 6 months of working out, while putting on 3 lbs.

I don't know if I wasn't doing cardio right, or if the kicks and 2 minute grappling matches over and over are just working my core like crazy but man that little bit of fat I had right below my belly button is just about gone and I have the nice V, the cuts down the side and the top 4 stomach muscles popping out.

I was a boxer for six months.. at the end of every session, we'd do 3 X 50 medicine ball sit ups.. every other session we'd get hit by the mitts on the way down, never did much for my stomach, I just need to lose some fat and my stomach will re-act accordingly.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

I've been basically "recomping".  I've been trying to get down to 175 (currently floating around 185 now), but I can't seem to do it.  My daily caloric intake is pretty damn low too (under 2000 calories per day).  I eat very little carbs during the week, but I'm not very strict during the weekends (I rationalize it being okay by telling myself that it's "carb loading").  

Now, that said about my 5-day/week strict diet, and 2-day not-so-strict diet.  I do have a desk job where I sit on my a** all day, but I train very hard in the gym 3 days/week, and I do MMA 3 days a week as well.  MMA is AMAZING cardio.  Sometimes my gym and MMA days are on the same day, but generally I'm training HARD 5 days a week in one way or another.

I can honestly say that by doing what I'm doing, I am gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously.  I keep getting more and more cut looking, yet I remain at around 185 lbs.  And I judge my level of "cutness" by my lower belly fat too.  It keeps getting smaller and smaller in that area.

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

brihead301


I've been basically "recomping".  I've been trying to get down to 175 (currently floating around 185 now), but I can't seem to do it.  My daily caloric intake is pretty damn low too (under 2000 calories per day).  I eat very little carbs during the week, but I'm not very strict during the weekends (I rationalize it being okay by telling myself that it's "carb loading").  

Now, that said about my 5-day/week strict diet, and 2-day not-so-strict diet.  I do have a desk job where I sit on my a** all day, but I train very hard in the gym 3 days/week, and I do MMA 3 days a week as well.  MMA is AMAZING cardio.  Sometimes my gym and MMA days are on the same day, but generally I'm training HARD 5 days a week in one way or another.

I can honestly say that by doing what I'm doing, I am gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously.  I keep getting more and more cut looking, yet I remain at around 185 lbs.  And I judge my level of "cutness" by my lower belly fat too.  It keeps getting smaller and smaller in that area.

How are you keeping your energy up without the carbs? I am about 5-8 lbs heavier than you and in the same place, lift 3 days MMA 3-4 days and when I go light on the carbs I feel like I am going to die in the afternoons.

I do eat some carbs.  My typical daily meal (on the "strict" days) looks like this:

7:30 am

1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 scoops whey
1 bananna

12:00 pm

Nice sized portion of grilled chicken and broccolli

5:00 pm
3 egg omellette w/ cheese and bacon

5:30 - gym

7:30 
 
protein drink that is all protien and no carbs or fat

7:30 - MMA

9:00 - 1 scoop of whey in water
1 banana

My carbs for the day are from bananas, broccolli, and milk in the morning.

I start to feel really burnt out come the end of the week, but I don't restrict myself from carbs on the weekends, so I feel nice and replenished by Sunday.  It's been working great for me so far.

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

Yeah the past couple weeks by the time Thursday rolls around im toast, maybe it is my diet. I guess I can try and fit an additional meal in there, I normally eat:

Breakfast - Bowl of oats with fresh cut strawberrys and a protien drink(just protien no fats or carbs)

10:30 - Leftovers! either chicken\pork\beef with beans(pinto\green) and some white rice and a bowl of spinach and an orange

2:00 - 1 piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter and a banana on it, bowl of spinach

1 hour before training I will eat something, sometimes a banana but usually a handful of spinach.

directly after training - Dark Mass(some protein and creatine)

hour after training - dinner! chicken\beef\pork with a bean and rice or another vegtable

Right before bed - casein shake(310 calories with carbs and protien)


oh and sorry to hijack the thread!

It sounds like you are eating plenty of carbs.  I'd say you probably just need more sleep.

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

brihead301
I've been basically "recomping".  I've been trying to get down to 175 (currently floating around 185 now), but I can't seem to do it. 

This is something that I'm worried about, cutting down to about 175 then not being able to lose more weight without having to drop training due to low energy levels. What was your bodyfat before your started cutting, Bri?

I'm 22% at like 188.. I got down to 183.. now I'm back up to 185.. I want to be about 160 without losing my strength but I know I can completely forget about that. F***ing weight, I started out at someone that could lose weight easy but gain it hard.. now I've reversed, I can gain 5lbs in one week easy, but I can't lose worth nothing... madness!!!!

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

MVP


I'm 22% at like 188.. I got down to 183.. now I'm back up to 185..

Are you sure about that 22%, you look no where near that. How tall are you?

I obviously hide it well.

I'm 5'7"

There's a more recent pic of me on my my space.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Here was me at about 215:

http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/before-my-2week-cut-pics-edited-m441479.aspx

Here was me a few weeks ago, at 185:

http://img30.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=sdc10189.jpg

I'm leaner now, but still 185.

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358

20lbs is a lot of weight.

How has this effected your strength? How much arm circumference have you lost?

The bottom imagine said imagine not found.

ACE-CPT, NASM-CPT, AFPA-Nutrition Consultant 

Ya I realized that, you just gotta go find the thread in critique my pictures called "I get better lookin everyday". 

It was 30 lbs. actually.  My waist definately trimmed down a lot, but I don't take measurments.  The only things I'm concerned with are strength and anything that helps me for fighting. Having a good physique is just a nice side effect. 

My squat and bench went down.  My deadlift, weighted pull-up, row, and OH press strength remained about the same.  I'm workin on getting my squat back up there though, because I'm not happy with it.

"True genius, in many fields of human endeavor, is often revealed in elegant simplicity."

- A smart man

Journal: http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=117358