# Pot Belly - not going away?



## seppuku (Dec 6, 2008)

Hi all,

Firstly can I say I'm not expecting instant results, I'm fully committed to training hard and eating right so don't flame me!

The problem I have is that I have developed something of a "pot belly" this year, and this was mainly why I decided to get my life in order and start training, and eating the right food. It's not a big, wobbly belly, it's basically you can see my dinner! The more I eat, the bigger it gets, until nature takes it's course and on a morning it's quite acceptable. It's annoying and demotivating to be honest! I have very little body fat (I'm about 6 foot 1 and weigh just over 12 stone) anywhere else.

I started at the gym about 2 months ago and have been going religiously three times a week, doing a full body workout and as many compound exercises as I can manage. Each time I go, I do as much cardio as possible - about 50% of my gym time is spent on cardio, a combination of cycling, running and rowing.

I've also totally revamped my diet, eating only clean, fresh food with load more protein. My typical diet is;

Breakfast

Oats w/ honey

Actimel

Mid-morning

Fruit

Cereal bar/protein bar

Lunch

Chicken/tuna with rice

Probiotic yoghurt

Mid-afternoon

Fruit

Cereal/protein bar

Dinner

Chicken/beef with fresh veg

PWO

Protein shake (Sci-Mx Lean grow MRF)

2 slices of brown bread with Peanut Butter

Supplements wise, every day I take:

Multi-vit, Omega 3, Cod Liver Oil, Glucosamine, Saw Palmetto and Vit C

I know I need to eat a lot more, I'm building it up as fast as I can but I'm not a natural eater and I'm already feeling bloated and uncomfortable most of the time as it is.

My question is - should I continue to eat more and forget about the distended belly for now, should I up my cardio even more (unfuelled cardio before breakfast every morning?) or what? I'm not sure what to do for the best as my goals seem contradictory eg. build muscle, but lose stomach!

Thanks in advance guys/gals!


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## Guest (Dec 23, 2008)

have high protein in every meal, your morning meal isnt good, you need protein, protein shake or a couple of eggs will do, your mid morning meal also I would prefer to have solid protein food in there instead of a protein bar, try get 40grams protein in each meal or so, lift heavy in the gym, and over time you will build more muscle, and more muscle will burn more fat overall.

Due to your weight of 12 stones at your height, I would rather just build muscle instead of worrying about fat/belly at this moment


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## seppuku (Dec 6, 2008)

Thanks a lot dude. Do you think I need to do more cardio, or will this restrict my muscle gains?

Duly noted on the diet, that's an easy fix.


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## bbeweel (Oct 7, 2008)

Its always good to add some cardio to your routine for general fitness but i would not worry about getting loads in,at your height and weight concentrating on building some quality mucle should be your main goal.


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## seppuku (Dec 6, 2008)

Thanks bbeweel, that's really reassuring.

One daft noob question though - when I eat more protein, how is this stored, and how does the body turn this into muscle?


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## Guest (Dec 23, 2008)

read up on www.bodybuilding.com I find this website a valuable tool in my early training days,

with the hard weight training you will be doing, you will be breaking down your muscle, so to recover, the protein you eat are basically building blocks, the more protein the moer building blocks you have, but only to a certain extent, dont overdo protein in each meal, 40grams per meal is sufficient,

also get good fats in- olive oil, salmon, tuna, fish is a good source of fats, avacados,

carbs for energy, when I use to bulk up, the more carbs I eat the bigger I got (and fatter as well) eat a reasonable amount in your meals.


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## Jimmy1 (Aug 14, 2003)

try cutting all carbs for a month

especially simple sugar

do this 100% strictly....then let us know how you get on


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## seppuku (Dec 6, 2008)

All carbs - wouldn't that leave me short of energy?


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## LiftHeavy (Oct 12, 2008)

have a look at the keto diet/ dave p diet on other threads


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## dixie normus (May 11, 2008)

Ectomorphs ([email protected] you will be one) should never go low carb. You will strip your body of muscle.

Are you sure that you do not just have a weak TVA or a misaligned pelvis thus making you think you have a pot belly.


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2008)

Jimmy said:


> try cutting all carbs for a month
> 
> especially simple sugar
> 
> do this 100% strictly....then let us know how you get on


 x2

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/losing-weight/46432-dave-palumbo-diet-opinion.html


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## seppuku (Dec 6, 2008)

dixie normus said:


> Ectomorphs ([email protected] you will be one) should never go low carb. You will strip your body of muscle.
> 
> Are you sure that you do not just have a weak TVA or a misaligned pelvis thus making you think you have a pot belly.


I'm targeting my TVA specifically to see if this is the case - thanks. My belly is firm, it's not flab sitting there, so I suspect this may well be what's happening, which in a way is better as it's something I can fix without interuppting my muscle building plans.


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## flapjack (Mar 1, 2008)

Change the focus mate. If you build a big pair of shoulders, some good lats, and some good pecs that belly won't look so big. Its all about perspective. My belly is a lot bigger than when I started training but it looks a lot smaller.

If you concentrate on good compound lifts your whole body (including belly) should rip into shape


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## seppuku (Dec 6, 2008)

i appreciate your post buddy, but I can't get used to this pot in front of me! After a meal I can feel it shifting about as I walk and I hate it.  when I look down I just think "this isn't mine!"

Apart from anything else, my upper abs aren't present until I tense them - then they come out with some presence, which is nice. It's like, when I tense my stomach, that's what I want it to look like all the time. When I relax it, it's just awful and I feel like starving myself for a few days so I can get back to how I looked as a scrawny teenager, which I know is wrong!!!!


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2008)

dixie normus said:


> Ectomorphs ([email protected] you will be one) should never go low carb. You will strip your body of muscle.
> 
> Are you sure that you do not just have a weak TVA or a misaligned pelvis thus making you think you have a pot belly.


 With all due respect he is very doubtfull a true ectomorph if he has a pot belly it is more likely he has low test out put probably due to his diet and life style.

Of course if point two is correct then point one may very well be accurate.

If a keto diet is not your cup of tea i would do this to your current diet.

Your problem is a lack of protein and too many fast carbs, yes fruit are healthy but some are far better than others in concern to insulin release.

Breakfast

Oats measure them out take in 50 grams cook with water

Actimel drop this get a digestive enzyeme pill

2 whole eggs. 5 egg whites

Mid-morning

2 slices Eezekial bread/any sprouted whole grain bread

peanut butter(use organic omega not the crap cheap stuff)

20 grams whey powder

Lunch

6 ounces Chicken/tuna

1 cup brown rice

green veg

Mid-afternoon

Protein shake 40 grams

apple

Dinner

6 ounces Chicken/beef with fresh veg only green veg

PWO

Protein shake

2 banana's(it looks like you like fruit)

Take a total of 20 grams of fish oil spead over the day

Do have a meal of whatever you like once per week to keep you from going mad.

Introduce heavy weight training into your program.

Cardio is not really needed for your weight mate.

Have patience and stick with it, give it 6 months and you will be a new man.


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## seppuku (Dec 6, 2008)

Thanks for typing all that up Con - I've seen your pics on here and you look great, so I know you're speaking from experience!

I think you've highlighted a few large problems - firstly, that I've been eating way too many carbs in general. When I had rice with a meal, I was having a full packet eg. 280g of brown rice with my chicken breasts, which I now realise is way too much. Also didn't realise the fast carbs in fruit was holding me back, I'll switch to apples where you've suggested, wouldn't say I particularly like fruit but as you say it's good for you generally speaking.

20g of fish oil seems like a hell of a lot - my current Omega 3 capsules are 1000mg, so I'd have to take 20 a day to hit that!! Is that right??

I'm working up to heavier weights, both to increase strength as well as mass, so that's well in hand. I would like to keep some cardio just for general fitness but I won't go mad with it.

Just bought a steamer for £15 in the sales, so it's fresh green veg ahoy!


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## seppuku (Dec 6, 2008)

Hi guys - apologies for resurrecting an ancient thread but thought it better than starting another!

Well, it's 3 years on - 3 years of happy, hard training! I've been attending the gym religiously twice a week, doing my compounds with my best form, and progressing my weight (albeit slowly). My diet has got even cleaner, although I'm still struggling to get protein in for breakfast, I don't eat processed foods, avoid fast carbs and eat plenty of meat, veg and homecooked meals 

However, my distended belly still remains, and I'm posting again because if anything it's got worse. OK I may have fallen off the wagon a little over xmas, but I wasn't troughing whole boxes of Quality Street or anything!

Just to reiterate my situation - I'm 12.5 stone, 6'1", with very little body fat. I struggle to put weight on, or take it off, but my physique is much better than it was 3 years ago. Still nowhere near a BBer physique, but definitely athletic, defined and trim. Apart from my belly!

I must be clear - it's not fat. It's hard to the touch, just like my abs, and sits just from my third ab down, if that makes sense. Someone earlier on mentioned it could be a weakness of the transverse abdominals, I'm guessing punishing it with hanging leg raises, windscreen wipers etc would help?

If it's not this, could it be anything else? I wondered if some kind of dietary problem that I'm hitherto unaware of could be the cause?

Not looking for a quick fix, just suggestions as to how I can work it off, or what I should be trying. Thanks in advance!


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## JimmyBe (Nov 8, 2011)

If your stomach in the morning is fine, but at the end of the day its bloated, it could be possible that you have a carb intolerance that makes you retain gas in your stomach, and water around your belly. If your diet is high in sodium you will also retain water in these areas.

It might not be specifically carb intolerance, i think you can be intolerant to all types of foods such as wheat and dairy.


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## zero2hero2013 (Jun 20, 2011)

hey mate, i am having a similar problem but well on the way to fixing mine, try looking into Lordosis, its the curvature in the bottom of the spine that pushes your internal organs out and making your lower abs stick out alot. read up and see if it fits.

Most people with this problem are office workers, the way you fix it isnt as obvious as you think, working the abs will actually make it worse.

if this is the problem mate let me know and il fill you in on the info i have learned and exercises that can help fix the lordosis and correct the pelvic tilt thats associated with it. a picture from side view would be great as you could spot it if you know what to look for.

good luck mate


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## gashead88 (Sep 30, 2011)

i'm quite interested in this as i feel i have the same problem....


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## bartonz20let (Aug 13, 2010)

Pics would help more mate if you feel it 100% isn't fat but i'd bet my money that it is.

Most blokes store the majority of fat around the mid section and smaller ammounts in other areas, I thought I only had fat around my stomach so started a keto diet to solve this, all of a sudden my shoulders chest and legs have started to look more defined because my body is using the small fat stores around these muscles.

Annoyingly fat loss progress is slower around my stomach than it is in other areas.

Like I say, pics would help and i'm sorry if you have a medical condition causing this but if not there is only really one culprit - fat. The only way to solve this is to train harder and eat cleaner.


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## zero2hero2013 (Jun 20, 2011)

ive done alot of research into this area and il post up in a new thread how to fix lordosis! please read if you think its helpfull.


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## seppuku (Dec 6, 2008)

Thanks fella - having googled lordosis and some pics, I look *exactly* like the examples. A lot of other things would make sense too - I sit down all day for my job, the front of my hips hurt after I've walked for a while and I do get lower back pain pretty frequently.

I'll check out your other thread!


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