# Losing the potbelly!



## MattLovin85 (Aug 12, 2013)

Hi guys,

A problem that I am struggling with regardless of the consistently high amount of cardio I do....

Here is a pic of my current physique.....










As you can see, I'm not exactly muscular, nor am I slim. I am 28, 5ft10 and 176lbs

I cycle to work and back which is an 11 mile round trip at least 4 days a week, and average 12-14mph on my mountain bike. I have been doing this for the past 3 years

I lift on at least 3 days of the week (for about 2 years now), rotating the muscle groups worked managing only 30kg dumbbells on bench, 20kg dumbbells on shoulder press, 25kg bar on bicep curl. Most of these have not changed in 18 months while I try and slim down however no amount of diet tweaking seems to work and actually have ballooned more in the past few months filling my shirts around the belly rather than round the chest and shoulders like I should be....

I realise that most my results rely on a good diet and this is where I need some help. I have even tried switching to Intermittant Fasting and eat between 12pm and 8pm which hasn't yielded much result either.

Here are my macro's over past 2 days:



















Calories hover around the 2000 mark while cutting, but can't say this was any more useful than when I was at 2500 or 3000 calories.

Any guidance would be appreciated, although the above does not show the multivitamins, and omega 3 that I take in the mornings.


----------



## The Beast (Mar 10, 2005)

Hi,

It's difficult to comment on why you are not progressing. Your diet should be giving you some results at 2,000 calories a day, provided you stick to it.

You seem to be doing a decent amount of cardio and some weights, which is good, but your physique doesn't look like that of a person who has been training well for 2 years. I would need to see your routine to comment more, but you must be doing something wrong.

On the weight front, try keeping a food journal and reducing your calories down to 1,800 to see if that starts to reduce your weight. Weigh yourself weekly and record everything in the food diary (no cheating). If you still don't lose weight doing this, I'll be amazed. The weight will come off, but you have to remove any junk from your diet, be strict with yourself and go at it for a good while (it might take you 6 months to get to where you want to be).

Good luck

Keep at it on the training front, but really, I would need to see more detail about your weights routine to comment on that side of things.


----------



## lickatsplit (Aug 21, 2012)

why have your weights not changed for 18 months? have you stayed the same weight but upped the reps?

Are you doing crunches? if so drop them or ask someone to show you how to do them properly.

Leave the mountain bike for hte mountains and get a proper road bike


----------



## mp89 (Feb 26, 2014)

Has your diet been the same for 18 months as well as your training? It could be possible that you're on a plateu... The macro's you have indicated - are these the same every day or do you have cheat meals at weekend for example?

Also, no disrespect, but do you feel as though you're putting 100% effort into every session?

Definitely keep up the cycling to work but maybe also throw some HIIT sessions in there as well...


----------



## SK50 (Apr 7, 2013)

If you are not losing fat then you are eating too many calories.

That is the simple truth.


----------



## SK50 (Apr 7, 2013)

To expand on the above:

You are already doing a tonne of cardio - exercise is not the issue here.

You could, in fact, lose all of that fat quickly without any cardio at all - as long as your calories are correct. Reduce them.


----------



## Ben_Dover (Apr 12, 2012)

You should be losing fat on 2000 cals, are you a secret eater? Or is it 2000 calls every day without fail?


----------



## havering (May 14, 2013)

Not sounding harsh on you but you accurately tracking everything in that 2000 calories, sauces etc and when it says grams, portion size put the right measurements for the food. A lot of breakfast cereals use this trick 100 calories for a portion but a portion isn't enough to feed a small child, or other food items where they cleverly give you the calories for a half rather than the full amount.


----------



## MattLovin85 (Aug 12, 2013)

I will hold my hand up and say that my diet over the years has been terrible. Before I started exercising, I weighed less than 11st, I would eat a mountain of cereal for breakfast, a tescos sandwich for lunch, with crisps, coke, and usually a couple of chocolate bars, and a dinner would consist of breaded chicken, a couple of waffles and half a tin of beans most the time, or a massive spag bol, lasagne, pizza or whatever. Nothing healthy basically. Could easily snack on choccy hobnobs and fizzy drinks for the remainder of evening (not every night)....and avoided veggies like the plague! And was regularly going out with work getting smashed at least once a week. There was no muscle on me, but I carried all my fat around my gut and still was able to adequately fit in a medium t-shirt without feeling uncomfortable.

I started cycling to work, and the diet didnt change, and I can't say my physique changed too much either (didnt really weigh myself often). A year later and I start going to the gym and hitting weights, I put on some muscle and was lifting what I lift now within a few months with addition of protein shakes. Problem was, my gut wasn't going so I replaced my chocolate and crisps for fruit and a yoghurt and cut down on the sandwiches for work.... And removed a lot of carbs from my evening meals, being sure to eat as early as possible. Great! I lost nearly a stone! Majority when I was off work for 2 weeks annual leave.

Just over a year ago, I met my current gf and before long I was introducing vegetables into my meals, and trying all sorts. We also ate out a lot, usually McDonalds at the weekend while out and about and slowly but surely the weight creeped back on.

Started to monitor my intake, and aim for sub 2000 calories, eating healthy, and i was very slowly losing weight and coming down on my weights at gym.... Coming down to bench press 22kg!!!! My waist size came down, but gut.... Nope. Just before my holiday at the end of last year, I tried bulking up with USN hyperbolic mass and tons of protein from nuts, chicken and tuna and just eating and eating... I rapidly gained to 13st from 11st6 within a month but my weight-lifting quickly went up too doubling what I could lift on pec fly, and squat! I was cycling a lot faster to work. Sweeeet...until ur clothes are tight around waist.

Adjust diet again.... Replacing cereal for omelette with 3 eggs, and ham.... Chicken and rice for lunch OR tuna on ryvitas.... Then just meat and veg for dinner. No coke, no chocolate, no cake, no biscuits. Only drinks I was allowed was water or green tea. Fatty dinners were out the window. mcdonalds was avoided like the plague and was down to once every few weeks..... annoyingly though, i could eat so clean during the week and lose 3-4lbs.... Have 1 mcdonalds or kfc (medium meal) over the weekend and its all back by monday evening.

the gut is bigger than ever. if i tense (not sucking it in) it doesnt seem so bad and not exactly pinching mass amounts of fat but at a relaxed state its massive. Like an ethiopian.

What i am afraid of is undereating.... and losing loads of muscle again. Im weighing my food and including everything on my planner down to the oil i cook with....the exercise is there!! and the diet is there and cleaner than ever.... But the gut has never disappeared and seems bigger than years before when i ate rubbish.


----------



## SK50 (Apr 7, 2013)

Personally I'd just drop to 1500 kcal and get the job done as quickly as possible. The fat will fly off at a legit 1500 kcal and you really won't lose as much muscle as you think.

Don't overcomplicate it - just reduce the calories aggressively and the fat will go.


----------



## MyronGainz (Apr 29, 2013)

I believe muscle wasting on a cut is over-estimated as stated above. It ould be worthwhile getting some bloods done as 2000kcals and a lot of cardio but you stillaren't losing weight could point to a medical issue


----------



## Dazza (Aug 7, 2010)

Like @SK50 says, if it's not working go lower.

Just to give you an idea, I'm 218lb yet my carb intake is 80g if that.

It'll suck, you'll feel flat and have no energy nor patience but lose it you will.

Also biking is a bit weak for fat burning, hit a treadmill or cross trainer and get sweating.


----------



## Danny0907 (May 1, 2014)

Don't forget any sauces you may use. I've always found that was my downfall. Putting sauce on things adds more than you would think. Plus sugary drinks (energy drinks mainly) and spacing your meals out maybe and not scoffing 1000cals at a time (not that I'm saying your doing that). Apart from that I would just say maybe as others have said, are you putting 100% in? Its fair play doing cardio but obviously a big difference in running like a mutha f**a and walking like a tortoise.


----------



## MattLovin85 (Aug 12, 2013)

How long would you go on an aggressive cut for?


----------



## lm73 (Jan 2, 2014)

Reading between the lines I think you have been trying to hard diet wise

imo I would cut the calories right down keep it simple concentrate on loseing the bf fat

once ya get where ya want to be then do a slow lean bulk

good luck with it


----------



## SK50 (Apr 7, 2013)

MattLovin85 said:


> How long would you go on an aggressive cut for?


Until the fat is gone. Finish the job.

I would get to 10% bodyfat first (although the % is your own preference) then worry about building the muscle. (EDIT - not to say you shouldn't continue lifting weights - you'll still build some muscle while dieting)

That is how I would do it personally - there are many other options such as a slower recomp, but if you have a problem with dieting then get it done ASAP imo before something sidetracks you.


----------



## MattLovin85 (Aug 12, 2013)

A stupid question, but am i going for 1800 calories before or after taking into account cycling (supposedly 600ish calories burnt).


----------



## carrock (Apr 23, 2013)

Something wrong here

Either

You cycle downhill 11 miles to work and 11 miles downhill back again

Or

You are lifting tiny weights

Or

You are drastically underestimating your calories

Or

You have the metabolism of a tortoise

I would say you aren't training hard enough, and eating too much.

Doing that much cardio and weights at 2000 cals a day you should be approaching 10 to 12 % body fat and look muscular.

Try buying packaged food including salads and lean meats with calories on, and work out your total calories over the week-aim for about 12,000 cals over 7 days

Buy a heart rate monitor for cycling and cycle at about 70% of max heart rate. This will burn 1000 cals per day cycling to work and back.

Instead of chucking weights around do a BodyPump class where you work for an hour with minimal rest, doing compound moves, get your heart racing.

After a week of this you will lose a pound or two

If you don't, go to your doctor and get tested for low thyroid


----------



## night06 (May 1, 2014)

well id not do a "aggressive cut" you will crash your metabolism completly, since you seem to be a endomorph id try to give low carb a shot. start to reduce your carbs slowly and eat like 1800 calories max. per day. it will be hard but im pretty damn sure u will lose weight! and the most superior thing on diet is consistency from now on no more cheats!! you gotta stick to your diet calories. if you do so, you will have results - guaranteed!!

and hit the gym HARD dont train like a little sissy, since you are a beginner you can lose fat and build muscle at the same time!


----------



## MattLovin85 (Aug 12, 2013)

ha! I get tested last year for thyroid issues and came back with too much thyroxin... I have an overactive thyroid. Seems part time to me because it dont sound right to struggle with body fat if thats the case.


----------



## The Beast (Mar 10, 2005)

I'm with SK50 on this. Reduce to 1,500 kcals and get rid of all the fat.

I've done that recently and shedded 2 stone in about 3 months. I didn't gain muscle during this time, but I don't think I lost much either and I feel like a million dollars now.

You seem like you have been yoyo-ing a bit. It's time to knuckle down and get consistent mate!


----------



## M1lkyBarKid (Oct 8, 2009)

Matt I would look to do the following:


Get a heart rate monitor

Calculate maintenance calories, there are some reasonable online calculators, the one I use is http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Try to stay in deficit of about 500 cals a day

Keep tracking using myfitnesspal, put everything on there, track your exercise too

Keep it clean, a cheat meal maybe 1 every 2 weeks to keep you sane 

Mix up your weights regime, 5x5, pyramid, high reps, 8-12 range etc

Are you doing legs? This will help melt the fat.

Track your progress weekly, consistently weigh / measure at the same time on the same day per week

Don't worry too much about your macros at this stage, keep things simple, concentrate on staying in deficit.

Do HIIT


On the heart rate monitor, get one that measures your calorie burn, especially for your biking to and from work. Use it when you are lifting weighs to guage how hard you are working but DONT use the calorie burn as a guide of how many cals you have burnt lifting those weights, they are not designed to measure cal burn when weight training as your heart rate will increase when lifting to supply that particular muscle with blood and nutrients. Heart rate monitors are only fairly accurate when the whole body is involved, i.e. running, cycling etc..

When working out your cals, if your maintenance is 2000 and you exercise (including weights and cycling is 500 cals) then you have 2500 to work with in that day, if you eat 2000 then you are still in deficit of 500, I would aim for something between 500 - 700 cals as a deficit. Also be conservative about how many calories you burn when weight training, I would go for about 250 cals per session if you are gunning it. Obviously leg days are going to burn more. On rest days stick to the maintenance and get to 500 cals below that. I would imagine your body has got efficient at cycling too and from work, try and get some HIIT in there to shock the system.

Good luck mate!


----------

