Why do I still have belly fat?

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Stop drinking beer,thats the problem.i stopped 2 years ago.The weight fell off me.I'm now 79 kilo's,6ft tall and over 50.My Mrs thinks i'm still a hansum man.BTW the weight went from the problem areas i had as well.You,at 20 are still more 'elastic' than i am.

Try it.

[JSixpack]

Stop drinking beer,thats the problem.i stopped 2 years ago.The weight fell off me.I'm now 79 kilo's,6ft tall and over 50.My Mrs thinks i'm still a hansum man.BTW the weight went from the problem areas i had as well.You,at 20 are still more 'elastic' than i am.

Try it.

Or maybe drinking beer wasn't entirely the problem after all. According to http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=53&csex=m&cheightfeet=6&cheightinch=0&cheightmeter=180&printit=0&x=65&y=10, you're looking overweight by most ideal weight formulas; and your BMI is close to the top of the healthy range.

Could it be that the Mrs. isn't the most objective authority on the matter?

Edited June 12, 2016 by JSixpack

[namatjira]

If it's true you're quite fit otherwise, you sound like an IDEAL candidate for liposuction. Liposuction is not meant for weight loss but it is meant to deal with localized areas that patients have tried to address, and are unsuccessful. Very common. Good luck.

So the question for you now if you want to go that route is whether it's worth the money and small medical risk to do it, and also exactly WHERE to go to have it done.

I suppose also there is a cosmetic concern of loose skin after the procedure. But your youth is probably a big plus with that too ... more elasticity to adapt.

Not sure about that with lipo as opposed to natural weight loss ... should do some research.

Surgery would be so stupid.....recommending liposuction for a 20 year old is just plain stupid...

[robblok]

Stop drinking beer,thats the problem.i stopped 2 years ago.The weight fell off me.I'm now 79 kilo's,6ft tall and over 50.My Mrs thinks i'm still a hansum man.BTW the weight went from the problem areas i had as well.You,at 20 are still more 'elastic' than i am.

Try it.

Or maybe drinking beer wasn't entirely the problem after all. According to http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=53&csex=m&cheightfeet=6&cheightinch=0&cheightmeter=180&printit=0&x=65&y=10, you're looking overweight by most ideal weight formulas; and your BMI is close to the top of the healthy range.

Could it be that the Mrs. isn't the most objective authority on the matter?

I am not that much impressed with BMI and currently many others are not either. Anyone who lifts weights and gains some muscle screws up that formula.I am a prime example of it.

But as i stated before 6 pack is part genetics (and low bodyfat for sure). But its not only that if the muscles are bigger its easier visible but how big certain muscles get is determined by genetics. I got nice biceps but hardly need to train them, a friend had a great back also never had to put much effort in it. He could train biceps harder and better than me and I could do the same for back.. and still we would not get the same results. That is just how it is. You can always improve but how much depends for a large part on genetics (provided your doing the right thing)

[JSixpack]

Stop drinking beer,thats the problem.i stopped 2 years ago.The weight fell off me.I'm now 79 kilo's,6ft tall and over 50.My Mrs thinks i'm still a hansum man.BTW the weight went from the problem areas i had as well.You,at 20 are still more 'elastic' than i am.

Try it.

Or maybe drinking beer wasn't entirely the problem after all. According to http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=53&csex=m&cheightfeet=6&cheightinch=0&cheightmeter=180&printit=0&x=65&y=10, you're looking overweight by most ideal weight formulas; and your BMI is close to the top of the healthy range.

Could it be that the Mrs. isn't the most objective authority on the matter?

I am not that much impressed with BMI and currently many others are not either. Anyone who lifts weights and gains some muscle screws up that formula.I am a prime example of it.

Yeah I know but Khon Kaen Dave didn't leave us much info to work with. I figure if he's doing enough to gain significant muscle he'd have given that some credit along with the beer abstinence--as lifters never fail to mention their lifting. More likely he's in denial so's not to have to give up some other things as well. But let KKD himself weigh in . . . .

[Kerryd]

I am not that much impressed with BMI and currently many others are not either. Anyone who lifts weights and gains some muscle screws up that formula.I am a prime example of it.

But as i stated before 6 pack is part genetics (and low bodyfat for sure). But its not only that if the muscles are bigger its easier visible but how big certain muscles get is determined by genetics. I got nice biceps but hardly need to train them, a friend had a great back also never had to put much effort in it. He could train biceps harder and better than me and I could do the same for back.. and still we would not get the same results. That is just how it is. You can always improve but how much depends for a large part on genetics (provided your doing the right thing)

We (when I was still in uniform) thought that BMI was a joke. Like a lot of our fitness tests, it was developed (so we were told) using 19-20 year old university students (athletes I imagine) as the baseline and didn't take into consideration that not everyone is built the same or develops the same.

When BMI first started being used (in the Canadian military) I was posted to Germany. A lot of the guys spent a lot of time in the gym (and apparently steroids were available over the counter in France at the time). We had muscle bound freaks that were near Olympic level in weight lifting and near pro-level in body building but were failing the BMI, If you failed you were automatically referred to the Doc but the guidelines he had to use were frikken ridiculous. He told one guy that he had to lose 25 kgs, the guy asked him which arm they should amputate as he had next to no fat on him at all but the doc wasn't allowed to give him an exemption. He was told he had to do remedial physical training !!! (The guy in question actually had to have an operation a year later to have muscle removed from his calves because he'd gotten to the point where every time his calf muscles flexed it was trying to split the skin.)

As for running causing joint/tendon problems. When I first joined the army I knew squat about running. I used to buy flat soled running shoes because they were cheap and I was going through a pair every 6-8 weeks. I had problems for years. The first time I bought a pair of quality runners I was amazed. It felt like I had pillows on my feet !

Then one day we had an actual fitness instructor give us a class on running. Including how to stretch (and why) before and after running and how to run. Yes, how to run. Up to that point I was like a lot of the other guys who ran "flat-footed". Pick the foot up, move it forward, slap it to the ground. Repeat until the joint pain gets too bad.

The instructor taught us how to run "heel-to-toe". Pick the foot up, move it forward, land on the heel, rotate forward, spring off the toes. OMG ! I was in my 30s before I learned that ! Suddenly, running at a normal pace wasn't a torture session anymore. I sucked at running fast because I was a smoker at the time but I no longer had a problem with keeping up with the herd and I wasn't in pain all the time. Even running (jogging) in combat boots wasn't as much of a problem as it had been before.

If they'd taught us the proper way to run in basic training (or back in school for that matter), and the value of wearing proper foot wear, life would have been so much better. Turns out, running doesn't have to hurt, if you do it properly.

[Lumbini]

It's the kind of food you eat and possibly pre diabetes get an A1 C test and possibly it's over five . Half of all people in the United States now are either diabetic or have prediabetes what happens to the body with this condition create belly fat and the exercise is not as important as the diet although still key

Top 5 Signs You May Have Prediabetes

http://www.newsmax.com/t/newsmax/article/615481

Edited June 13, 2016 by Lumbini

[MissAndry]

As for running causing joint/tendon problems. When I first joined the army I knew squat about running. I used to buy flat soled running shoes because they were cheap and I was going through a pair every 6-8 weeks. I had problems for years. The first time I bought a pair of quality runners I was amazed. It felt like I had pillows on my feet !

I always have Reebock or Nike running shoes (usually the styles advertised for trail running).

Currently using Nike 'Wild Trail'.

I've also had Brooks Cascadia (didn't last well, 3 months and worn through).

They didn't help with the joint pains or tendon problems.

I guess they are all poor quality.

Edited June 13, 2016 by MissAndry

[SpokaneAl]

As for running causing joint/tendon problems. When I first joined the army I knew squat about running. I used to buy flat soled running shoes because they were cheap and I was going through a pair every 6-8 weeks. I had problems for years. The first time I bought a pair of quality runners I was amazed. It felt like I had pillows on my feet !

I always have Reebock or Nike running shoes (usually the styles advertised for trail running).

Currently using Nike 'Wild Trail'.

I've also had Brooks Cascadia (didn't last well, 3 months and worn through).

They didn't help with the joint pains or tendon problems.

I guess they are all poor quality.

Brands offer quality from low at low prices to much higher quality (and price), as well as for different types of feet - re: stability, neutral etc. I have seen some very poor quality shoes by name brands - as per usual, you get what you pay for.

I change shoes every 400 miles which is about every four months. The cushioning usually breaks down before the bottoms of the shoe show a significant amount of wear. Also, as I am sure you know, trail shoes are for trail running - they don't necessarily offer the cushioning of the better road shoes. In Thailand I had to find a place to run that was blacktop and not concrete - I find concrete surfaces very hard on my legs. I run in road running shoes, but then again, I am too clumsy for trails.

Edited June 13, 2016 by SpokaneAl

[MissAndry]

As for running causing joint/tendon problems. When I first joined the army I knew squat about running. I used to buy flat soled running shoes because they were cheap and I was going through a pair every 6-8 weeks. I had problems for years. The first time I bought a pair of quality runners I was amazed. It felt like I had pillows on my feet !

I always have Reebock or Nike running shoes (usually the styles advertised for trail running).

Currently using Nike 'Wild Trail'.

I've also had Brooks Cascadia (didn't last well, 3 months and worn through).

They didn't help with the joint pains or tendon problems.

I guess they are all poor quality.

Brands offer quality from low at low prices to much higher quality (and price), as well as for different types of feet - re: stability, neutral etc. I have seen some very poor quality shoes by brand names - supposedly - in the stores of Thailand.

I change shoes ever 400 miles which is about every four months. Also, as I am sure you know, trail shoes are for trail running - they don't necessarily offer the cushioning of the better road shoes. In Thailand I had to find a place to run that was blacktop and not concrete - I find concrete surfaces very hard on my legs. I run in road running shoes, but then again, I am too clumsy for trails.

Most of my shoes were purchased in the USA. The Brooks were $140 on special offer.

I've never bought any shoes in Thailand, only arrived last month.

I don't run on roads or tracks at all, they hurt too much. Trails only.

[SpokaneAl]

As for running causing joint/tendon problems. When I first joined the army I knew squat about running. I used to buy flat soled running shoes because they were cheap and I was going through a pair every 6-8 weeks. I had problems for years. The first time I bought a pair of quality runners I was amazed. It felt like I had pillows on my feet !

I always have Reebock or Nike running shoes (usually the styles advertised for trail running).

Currently using Nike 'Wild Trail'.

I've also had Brooks Cascadia (didn't last well, 3 months and worn through).

They didn't help with the joint pains or tendon problems.

I guess they are all poor quality.

Brands offer quality from low at low prices to much higher quality (and price), as well as for different types of feet - re: stability, neutral etc. I have seen some very poor quality shoes by brand names - supposedly - in the stores of Thailand.

I change shoes ever 400 miles which is about every four months. Also, as I am sure you know, trail shoes are for trail running - they don't necessarily offer the cushioning of the better road shoes. In Thailand I had to find a place to run that was blacktop and not concrete - I find concrete surfaces very hard on my legs. I run in road running shoes, but then again, I am too clumsy for trails.

Most of my shoes were purchased in the USA. The Brooks were $140 on special offer.

I've never bought any shoes in Thailand, only arrived last month.

I don't run on roads or tracks at all, they hurt too much. Trails only.

Well, if it hurts and injures you, I recommend you don't do it. I have several decades of running under my belt, and cannot imagine life without it, but that does not mean it is perfect for everyone.

I hope you find, or have found a lifetime sport that works for you.

[Fookhaht]

You need to get a check up if you drink. Sometimes an enlarged liver can drop into your gut area

[aneliane]

Lipo at 20?

This is madness.

Just change your diet.

[sead]

Well that is trans fats. Very difficult to burn. McDonald's. Burger King. KFC. Street food etc are full of that fat.

Google abit and you will learn more

[JSixpack]

My good deed for the day will be a roundup of misinformation, half-truths, irrelevancy, and mostly uselessness (if amusing) posted so far in the thread, sometimes amid good points w/i the same post. Yes I know you also said something else.

• you sound like an IDEAL candidate for liposuction
• It's those beers for doing a good job at the gym
• an enlarged liver can drop into your gut area
• 5 minutes per day doing gymnastics working these muscles.
• your parents,if they have a gut chances are you will have one also.
• AND muscle isolation. understanding how the abdominal muscles work
• have a glass of water with 2 tablespoons of honey and a freshly squeezed lime.
• Use the yoga ball to do side crunches for 5 sets of 12-15.
• Jogging/running damages joints and tendons? That old fable has been proven false many times over.
• Press ups in the morning on top of your team exercises
• try more in the line of sit-ups, swimming and jogging
• just holding your stomach tight for 5 minutes at a time a few times a day
• Core exercises- squats, deadlifts, pull-ups
• The chair is your enemy.
• Go to a gym and get correct instructions there
• Cleanse your colon and liver.
• add a few ab targeted exercises to your routine
• Tea with little honey
• as soon you burb for the first time, stop eating
• environmental pollution factors
• simple strength training program 3 days a week
• Stick to lean meat . . . and low fat whey protein. Do more condition training.
• find a variety that will strengthen your abs
• plastics can cause that. If you drink water from plastic bottles
• devise a system where you can make those areas cold (ice packs, getting wet etc).
• take up ballet
• Stop drinking beer,thats the problem
• that is trans fats. Very difficult to burn

Happens in all these weight loss threads. We should gather a ton of them and post them in a sticky w/ some references as to why.

I thought robblok and MissAndry gave best answers best overall. Of the course the VERY best was my own, LOL: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/924205-why-do-i-still-have-belly-fat/page-3#entry10847578

Cheers!

Edited June 18, 2016 by JSixpack

[elmo3334]

Wow! I'm amazed with all the responses I got!

Thank you guys for all the information! I'll probably go for the swimming lap suggestion that was popular in the thread, after all you can't go wrong with it during summer. But I think the issue has to do more with my diet and possibly some minor medical condition (if it was major I'd probably know it already). Wouldn't pre-diabetes show on my blood test scores?

These past 2 months a completely cut down on unhealthy foods and I'd like to hear your feedback on my choices to see maybe if I'm doing something wrong.

I drink a lot of water

No sugars whatsoever (occasionally have a little honey)

I have oatmeal, flax-seed, raisins and almonds

No bread or pasta (just brown rice now and then).

No alcohol or soda drinks

I have a lot of vegetable juices

A lot of salads with homemade vinaigrette that consists only of water/olive oil/vinegar mixed with some spices and garlic (no dairy products in it or syrups)

I eat meat 3-4 times a week (mostly chicken)

I stay away from milk but have Greek yogurt, feta cheese (small amounts) and boiled eggs

I eat my food with a lot of hot spices

I have some fruit (not too much though- mostly bananas)

I have beans and lentils (sometimes canned beans)

I eat potatoes and pop corn

and last but not least I think, I find it very difficult to cut down on sodium (I have a lot of Himalayan salt with my food).

So what do you think?

[tolsti]

What level of fitness or BMI do you need to climb up into a baht bus? Sometimes I have to grab the handles for support and other times I can just step on with no effort. Are there standardised step levels?

[elmo3334]

Wow! I'm amazed with all the responses I got!

Thank you guys for all the information! I'll probably go for the swimming lap suggestion that was popular in the thread, after all you can't go wrong with it during summer. But I think the issue has to do more with my diet and possibly some minor medical condition (if it was major I'd probably know it already). Wouldn't pre-diabetes show on my blood test scores?

These past 2 months a completely cut down on unhealthy foods and I'd like to hear your feedback on my choices to see maybe if I'm doing something wrong.

I drink a lot of water

No sugars whatsoever (occasionally have a little honey)

I have oatmeal, flax-seed, raisins and almonds

No bread or pasta (just brown rice now and then).

No alcohol or soda drinks

I have a lot of vegetable juices

A lot of salads with homemade vinaigrette that consists only of water/olive oil/vinegar mixed with some spices and garlic (no dairy products in it or syrups)

I eat meat 3-4 times a week (mostly chicken)

I stay away from milk but have Greek yogurt, feta cheese (small amounts) and boiled eggs

I eat my food with a lot of hot spices

I have some fruit (not too much though- mostly bananas)

I have beans and lentils (sometimes canned beans)

I eat potatoes and pop corn

and last but not least I think, I find it very difficult to cut down on sodium (I have a lot of Himalayan salt with my food).

So what do you think?

I think you are doing or eating something wrong, crap add ons are where the calories are...You must burn them off , reduce stuff so you/body will eat the fat......

This is all I eat throughout a week. What should I reduce or take out of my diet?

[MajarTheLion]

If it's true you're quite fit otherwise, you sound like an IDEAL candidate for liposuction. Liposuction is not meant for weight loss but it is meant to deal with localized areas that patients have tried to address, and are unsuccessful. Very common. Good luck.

So the question for you now if you want to go that route is whether it's worth the money and small medical risk to do it, and also exactly WHERE to go to have it done.

I suppose also there is a cosmetic concern of loose skin after the procedure. But your youth is probably a big plus with that too ... more elasticity to adapt.

Not sure about that with lipo as opposed to natural weight loss ... should do some research.

Liposuction at 20??

Crazy idea......I recommend you do 100 laps of the pool most days and eat a bit less....it will disappear in a month.

Amen to that. People are always looking for the easy way out. Very sad. Indeed less food and more exercise. It could also be the type of food the person eats. I notice when I don't eat well, I get bloated very quickly. As a wise man once told me, if it bloats you, it will probably make you fat.

Or based on the height/weight info I saw, I'd simply get over it.

[MajarTheLion]

Wow! I'm amazed with all the responses I got!

Thank you guys for all the information! I'll probably go for the swimming lap suggestion that was popular in the thread, after all you can't go wrong with it during summer. But I think the issue has to do more with my diet and possibly some minor medical condition (if it was major I'd probably know it already). Wouldn't pre-diabetes show on my blood test scores?

These past 2 months a completely cut down on unhealthy foods and I'd like to hear your feedback on my choices to see maybe if I'm doing something wrong.

I drink a lot of water

No sugars whatsoever (occasionally have a little honey)

I have oatmeal, flax-seed, raisins and almonds

No bread or pasta (just brown rice now and then).

No alcohol or soda drinks

I have a lot of vegetable juices

A lot of salads with homemade vinaigrette that consists only of water/olive oil/vinegar mixed with some spices and garlic (no dairy products in it or syrups)

I eat meat 3-4 times a week (mostly chicken)

I stay away from milk but have Greek yogurt, feta cheese (small amounts) and boiled eggs

I eat my food with a lot of hot spices

I have some fruit (not too much though- mostly bananas)

I have beans and lentils (sometimes canned beans)

I eat potatoes and pop corn

and last but not least I think, I find it very difficult to cut down on sodium (I have a lot of Himalayan salt with my food).

So what do you think?

I think your diet sounds fine. Hey, are there red beans and/or pinto beans available in Thailand, preferably dry?

[JSixpack]

Wow! I'm amazed with all the responses I got!

Thank you guys for all the information! I'll probably go for the swimming lap suggestion that was popular in the thread, after all you can't go wrong with it during summer. But I think the issue has to do more with my diet and possibly some minor medical condition (if it was major I'd probably know it already). Wouldn't pre-diabetes show on my blood test scores?

Depends which tests. All tests are not created equal.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prediabetes/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20024420

These past 2 months a completely cut down on unhealthy foods and I'd like to hear your feedback on my choices to see maybe if I'm doing something wrong.

I drink a lot of water

No sugars whatsoever (occasionally have a little honey)

I have oatmeal, flax-seed, raisins and almonds

No bread or pasta (just brown rice now and then).

No alcohol or soda drinks

I have a lot of vegetable juices

A lot of salads with homemade vinaigrette that consists only of water/olive oil/vinegar mixed with some spices and garlic (no dairy products in it or syrups)

I eat meat 3-4 times a week (mostly chicken)

I stay away from milk but have Greek yogurt, feta cheese (small amounts) and boiled eggs

I eat my food with a lot of hot spices

I have some fruit (not too much though- mostly bananas)

I have beans and lentils (sometimes canned beans)

I eat potatoes and pop corn

and last but not least I think, I find it very difficult to cut down on sodium (I have a lot of Himalayan salt with my food).

So what do you think?

Cut out: honey, raisins(!), brown rice, vegetable juices (pre-processed are sugary), fruits except berries, beans (esp canned beans--may contain added sugar), lentils, potatoes, popcorn. Go easy on the oatmeal, flax seeds, almonds and olive oil--could try diabetic salad dressing for a while or--cough--mustard.

If that doesn't help, then intermittent fasting (per my post above) most definitely will.

[Taggart]

I include plenty of potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, oats, barley and bread along with some vegetables and fruit in my diet and I'm slowly and steadily losing weight. Very little meat, fish or dairy. I just do my best to eliminate/minimize added oils and fats and just focus on minimally processed foods that are low in calorie density and as a group contain plenty of fibre. Easy for me to do when at home but very difficult when eating out whether when visiting Thailand or here in farangland. I don't count calories and I make sure I never go hungry and eat until I'm comfortably full. I also exercise for about half an hour most mornings doing aerobics from dvd's on the TV.

I'm certainly not perfect or religious about any particular diet regime and if I was the excess weight would probably come off faster but as long as it's going in the right direction, I'm happy.

[Tony125]

10 reasons why you still have belly fat

http://www.cheatsheet.com/health-fitness/10-reasons-why-you-dont-have-a-flat-stomach.html/?ref=YF&yptr=yahoo

[bkk6060]

You are eating too many carbs.

I know people think they are good for you but cereals, fruits, potatoes, etc. are not the best for weight loss.

Try a high protein diet. It will take about a week for your body to adjust but I guarantee you will get rid of that tire.

[Tony125]

Exercises and diet to lose belly fat ------ http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/weightloss/how-to-lose-belly-fat/ar-AAh933B?li=BBnba9O#page=1

[Saastrajaa]

Calorie deficit plus sit ups

Sit ups have NOTHING to do with losing belly fat. "Spot reducing" is a total myth.

[Rob13]

lol

[NancyL]

Consult the OP and calculate the guy's BMI. He's not overweight. He's right at the mid-point of what's considered a healthy weight for his height. He has what we ladies call a "figure flaw". Sure, it probably would be a good idea for him to work with a qualified trainer to develop muscles in the problem area. But, the fact is that people store fat unevenly in their body and when they work to lose weight, they lose it unevenly, also.

If he's very self-conscious about this area, then perhaps he should consider JT's suggestion for liposuction. He's in a great place to have it done economically by qualified people.

[balo]

Situps will fix it but you need to do lots of it , 100 every day, together with other exercises.

Edited June 28, 2016 by balo

[Ace of Pop]

All that heavy exercise is useless long term. You cant or dont want too when one gets older. Best to moderate ones diet early on. I didnt, ran about like sporting idiot when young now i regret it. The friends that did little dont have a prob, just me.