Long Journey of Fat Loss plateau help needed

[vball]

Hello there, about 3 years ago, I started to get interested in health, working and all of that good stuff. The main reason being i wanted to loose weight, gain muscle, and look good for women. After loosing about twenty pounds, Right now I am 6 ft tall and 163 pounds and 18 years old. I am starting to gain some muscle now but there is still a little layer of fat that hides my abs from showing and I have been trying extra hard to eat right and stay determined to my workouts but I can seem to make that fat budge. Any advice is appreciated as long it is constructive. Thanks !!!!!

[vball]

Anyone have experience with this?

[vball]

No one at all?

[BigO]

Hello vball, at your height and weight you cant have much to lose. i would focus on building muscle, keep doing the full body routine such as abs and core exercises as well. As you build muscle your body will burn fat more efficiently. It takes more calories to support muscle so the more muscle you build the more fat yourbody will burn naturally. Everybody hits a sticking point and when you do it is usually a sign to change up a bit. Look at your routine and see if it is time to switch some things around.

[Boitim2]

keep your protein intake high and your carbs lower, eat allot of fresh veggies not too much starches, (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc) this should help you to rid of the unwanted fat, also try eating every 3-4 hr small portions, if your body knows it getting enough food it will not store it as fat it burn it up, no need to store it cause I'm getting a constant supply

[vball]

Hello vball, at your height and weight you cant have much to lose. i would focus on building muscle, keep doing the full body routine such as abs and core exercises as well. As you build muscle your body will burn fat more efficiently. It takes more calories to support muscle so the more muscle you build the more fat yourbody will burn naturally. Everybody hits a sticking point and when you do it is usually a sign to change up a bit. Look at your routine and see if it is time to switch some things around.

If I eat more calories wont I gain weight though ? And I know more protein less carbs but don't I need carbs to give me energy?

[RockstarParkingDude]

i know the exact plateau you mean, i hit that same one in the beginning of may. what you need to do to make the abs show more is this:

do weighted ab exercises on a decline bench.

exercise before you eat at all during the day.

run 3-4x a week before you eat at all during the day.

cut out excess carbs and sugar.

get slightly more tan.

seriously, its a few minor adjustments to the relationship between when you eat and when you exercise.

[RockstarParkingDude]

If I eat more calories wont I gain weight though ? And I know more protein less carbs but don't I need carbs to give me energy?

hes saying that if you gain muscle, and keep your calories the same, your body will burn more calories and you'll lose the fat. you do need some carbs for the body to function properly, but your body will burn fat (both stored and eaten) if you cut carbs out of your diet. good luck dude!

[vball]

i know the exact plateau you mean, i hit that same one in the beginning of may. what you need to do to make the abs show more is this:

do weighted ab exercises on a decline bench.

exercise before you eat at all during the day.

run 3-4x a week before you eat at all during the day.

cut out excess carbs and sugar.

get slightly more tan.

seriously, its a few minor adjustments to the relationship between when you eat and when you exercise.

Haha thanks for the advice but by before you eat at all during the day you mean before my first meal or every meal and is there actual scientific proof to this?

[JonasKay]

Haha thanks for the advice but by before you eat at all during the day you mean before my first meal or every meal and is there actual scientific proof to this?

First off, based off your stats you are actually pretty lean already, which means that it's only a matter of fine tuning your diet and caloric expenditure.

Second, you need carbs to function and do NOT avoid eating them (especially at your BMI) and ESPECIALLY before doing a heavy weight-lifting session. Refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and white breads avoid as much as possible.

Third, to answer your question above: It depends. When you hit a fitness plateau you are going to have to spend some time investigating what works for you and your body. I tried not eating anything before exercising in the morning (whether it was weight lifting or cardio) and i hated it. I NEED BREAKFAST!!! I always have some green tea, and usually have a protein shake first thing, then I have either three eggs (fried in a little coconut oil) or oatmeal. There have been scientific studies that have shown that doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach burns more fat than if you do it later on during the day and/or after a substantial meal. But there have also been studies that have shown that eating a good meal before any workout cycle (50% carbs and 50% protein) helps improve the intensity and duration of your workout. So -- it's up to you to find what works and what you like.

What really helped me out was not so much what I did in the morning (honestly) but what I ate at night. By not eating ANY starch or carbs after 5 pm i got ripped FAST. But I had to give my body a good month to adjust. Your 18, right? You got A LOT of time to try things out! G'Luck.