Getting rid of middle age belly fat!

rock_bus

Hi all

Looking on some advice on best way of reducing my belly.

On the whole people would think I’m very slim BUT I know I have a bit of a belly.

Know I’m not alone as a middle aged man (45) but find it really annoying that no matter what i do I can’t shift it from there.

I’m pretty fit and run, play football as well as cycle.
Diet is ok, don’t eat much fruit and vegetables but on other hand don’t have a lot of bad/junk food.
I know alcohol can be a big issue but only drink at weekends - bottle wine or few beers.

Anyone have any tips and advice? Or do I just accept that’s what happens with age as I still want to enjoy life and not give up all nice food and drink!

imposter2.0

Without knowing more about your diet (calling it 'ok' is not an adequate description), or the amount/frequency of your exercise regime it's impossible for anyone to offer any meaningful advice.

Diet/calorie management is the principal factor in weight loss though...

robertpb

"Don't eat much fruit and vegetables" should make your alarm bell ring.

When I was 18 I wore 29" jeans, I'm now 67 and wear 30" jeans, it's all about exercise and diet.

cougie

You can't spot reduce fat.

Eat less. Exercise more. But diet is the key. It's simple to eat 1000 calories. It takes a lot longer to burn them off.

rock_bus

Food wise, I tend to have porridge for breakfast, then meal deal lunch ie sandwich, snack and lunch, dinner is normally some sort of homemade curry, bolognaise, chilli etc with rice or pasta and then maybe some kind of snack eg couple biscuits.

At weekends me and wife will share bottle wine on a Friday and Saturday or few beers or gin and tonics

Exercise wise I am currently playing 5 aside and running 5k twice a week.

So damn frustrating as it’s litera only my belly and most people would probably say I could do with putting weight on!

cougie

Just because food is home made doesn't mean it's zero calories.

You're eating too much and two 5k and a footy match isn't enough. What's that 2 hours of exercise a week ?

mamba80

Rock bus wrote:

Food wise, I tend to have porridge for breakfast, then meal deal lunch ie sandwich, snack and lunch, dinner is normally some sort of homemade curry, bolognaise, chilli etc with rice or pasta and then maybe some kind of snack eg couple biscuits.

At weekends me and wife will share bottle wine on a Friday and Saturday or few beers or gin and tonics

Exercise wise I am currently playing 5 aside and running 5k twice a week.

So damn frustrating as it’s litera only my belly and most people would probably say I could do with putting weight on!

You might have body dysmorphia and need Psychiatric help?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder

Smaller portions and ditch the biscuits.

webboo

A colleague of mine went to see her GP about not being able to lose weight. She explained she was a vegetarian, only ate whole foods and nothing with additives or preservatives but she wasn't losing any weight. He suggested " Try putting less in your mouth love"

Matthewfalle

Meal deals are pretty rubbish as well nutritional wise.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

As a fellow MAMIL, who has lost ~15Kg since June 2016 my simple tips are...
Consume less calories
Consume more water, to make your stomach feel full and help your body burn fat
Do more exercise

For most mere mortals, including myself, a lot of it is simple will-power than a dark art.

meursault

Get a heart rate monitor, work out your zones.
More than two hour rides in low zones will optimise fat burning.

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/01/becoming-a-better-fat-burner.html

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/12/the-fat-burning-myth.html

If your local riding is anything like mine in Hertfordshire, there are hills everywhere, so impossible to always stay in low zones. So you get the equivalent of intervals anytime you ride. The best of both worlds!

mrb123

Pre breakfast excersise works for me, together with cutting out as much booze as possible.

norvernrob

I accept that I might not ever be quite as skinny as I'd like, but I also praise my luck for the fact I eat whatever I want (generally healthy meals but I have a MASSIVE sweet tooth), and weigh 2kg less now than I did when I was 20. (68kg v 70), mainly because I cycle to work regularly as well as still being a Postie.

Is that extra little bit of weight worth sacrificing nice things for? Not to me it's not.

surfercyclist

Just aerobic type exercise not enough, do some heavish weight training combined with cycling. If that fails, liposuction.....

reacher

SurferCyclist wrote:

Just aerobic type exercise not enough, do some heavish weight training combined with cycling. If that fails, liposuction.....

You can count on less than one hand in any gym the amount of guys with a toned slim middle that train on weights even less that train on heavy weights

birdie23

Rock bus wrote:

Food wise, I tend to have porridge for breakfast, then meal deal lunch ie sandwich, snack and lunch, dinner is normally some sort of homemade curry, bolognaise, chilli etc with rice or pasta and then maybe some kind of snack eg couple biscuits.

At weekends me and wife will share bottle wine on a Friday and Saturday or few beers or gin and tonics

Exercise wise I am currently playing 5 aside and running 5k twice a week.

So damn frustrating as it’s litera only my belly and most people would probably say I could do with putting weight on!

Too many carbs, too much sugar, not enough veg.

bigmitch41

BMI is a good starting point, try getting into the middle of the healthy range 21 or 22, and see how the belly is then.

surfercyclist

reacher wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

Just aerobic type exercise not enough, do some heavish weight training combined with cycling. If that fails, liposuction.....

You can count on less than one hand in any gym the amount of guys with a toned slim middle that train on weights even less that train on heavy weights

Then they are doing it wrong and/or eating incorrectly. A regime of correct diet combined with aerobic and anaerobic training WILL result in reduced fat around the middle and elsewhere. Trouble is people mainly do not have the discipline to commit to correct training and diet. Also, quite possibly those you have seen training on v heavy weight may not be concerned with a bit of belly fat, they maybe just want to get big and strong.

reacher

You did say heavyish weight training ? I'v never seen much evidence in gyms of people on that type of training having toned slim middle sections unless they are either young or into body building. It takes a lot of work to shift a pot in middle age, it's pretty much the last refuge for your unwanted carbs. Theirs quicker more effective ways to shift it than lugging heavy weights around in my opinion.

keef66

Diet for weight loss, exercise for fitness. Both is even better.

You don't get to choose where your body stores fat, nor can you decide where to lose it from. So if you have a bit of a belly, sit-ups and ab crunches, unless you do an insane amount, are not going to do the trick. But run a calorie deficit, and you will lose the fat.

Try keeping a food diary for a few days or preferably a typical week. Be completely honest about not only what you're eating and drinking, but also the quantities. Weigh / measure them if possible. You may be surprised by how many calories you do consume, and identify a few things you could cut out or reduce.

If you cannot exercise sufficient fork control or CBA calorie counting everything you shove in your face, maybe try 5:2 eating? Eat what you like 5 days a week and just 600 cals on 2 non consecutive days. It's the only way I managed to shift the 18 pounds I'd silently put on in my 50s, and I now eat like that all the time to maintain my weight.

And for the sake of your gut bacteria if nothing else, get some fruit and veg into your diet!

hypster

Interesting that you come on a to a cycling forum and list your exercise regime as a bit of footie and 2 x 5K runs per week although you state that you cycle but that says to me "not much". Your diet looks very carb heavy to me (including alcohol) and you also state very little fruit and vegetables which is not good in itself.

Cycling more and harder will help burn calories but you do need to restrict what goes in the old piehole unfortunately. The fact that you have belly fat attests to the fact that you are eating too much for what you are burning up.

joey54321

"Move more, eat less, mostly vegetables."

hillrunner

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Rock bus wrote:

Hi all

Looking on some advice on best way of reducing my belly.

On the whole people would think I’m very slim BUT I know I have a bit of a belly.

Know I’m not alone as a middle aged man (45) but find it really annoying that no matter what i do I can’t shift it from there.

I’m pretty fit and run, play football as well as cycle.
Diet is ok, don’t eat much fruit and vegetables but on other hand don’t have a lot of bad/junk food.
I know alcohol can be a big issue but only drink at weekends - bottle wine or few beers.

Anyone have any tips and advice? Or do I just accept that’s what happens with age as I still want to enjoy life and not give up all nice food and drink!

3 tips that worked for me
1. cut out the alcohol. you want it you have to work for it. Alcohol is just empty calories, but more importantly it slows your metobolism so it has a double-effect
2. go low carb. this doesn't mean no carb, but when possible always choose the no bread option. icelandic yogurt and maybe some berries and a low carb protein bar for breakfast. lunch is salad with lean meats. dinner can be a mix of lean protein ie. fish or turkey, some healthy carb like whole grain rice or bread. Note you can up the carbs a bit after a heavy workout, as these will go to just restore your glycogen levels and not get stored as fat.
3. In addition to regular workout plan, Fasted work-outs 1 to 2x per week. It takes willpower but if you can try to eat a bare minimum during the day, then get a nice 45 min to 1 hour workout in after work, your body will be forced to use fat as fuel. Note that your pace will suffer and you'll get that bonking feeling very quickly. Pace doesn't matter, just keep moving. Refuel afterwards. If you can't ride or run for whatever reason then do the elliptical or arc trainer at the gym. It is lower impact and is pretty effective at burning calories.

You'll feel like crap especially initially, but after the first week or two, your body will stop craving food as much. I did this and dropped from 14 to 15% body fat, to 10% to 11% body fat and lost ~10 lbs. My friend tried it and did the same with more extreme results.

daniel_b

For me, it's been a combination of things.

In my 40's now, things has slowly but significantly slipped.

The kind of thing I ignored, but then reality is brought home when you see a picture of yourself with a prominent gut!

In January I started a new regime of sorts.

300 calorie (Only worked this out 6 months down the line) breakfast smoothie 6 days a week
Signed up to Trainer Road - 7 hours of Turbo training a week
Cut down on alcohol, and or replaced with 0.5% alcohol beer (Erdinger) or ale (St Peters Without), but to be honest I don't drink that much anyway.
Tried to cut out completely chocolate, cakes and biscuits - those are my greatest downfall.
Replaced snacks in the evening, with either a smallish bowl of muesli and bran flakes with skimmed milk, or some bread, sans spread, with some nice jam.
Trying to find healthier alternatives for some meals - for example my daughter loves fish and home made chips (Ovevn not deep fried) so what I do is still make it for her, but for myself and my gf, we either have broccolli instead of chips, or reduce the amount of chips, and top up with broccolli, and or substitute for sweet potato chips.

I have had a couple of relapses during the year, the most recent one in the last couple of weeks actually, but other than that, I've been fairly successful in following it.

On the positive side, I have seen my FTP rate shoot up (Comparitively) and wanted to reduce my weight to specifically make the tum smaller, and also to make going up hills easier - I entered a couple of hill climbs last month which gave me something to really target and aim for.
Weight loss also boosts your Watts\kg amount as well, which is a nice motivator in itself, and I've set myself various targets such as FTP amounts, and Watt\KG amounts I would like to hit by the end of this year, and all the way up to next year.

Progress throughout the year was steady, looking back at a spreadsheet I kept, I probably lost on average 1kg per month, losses at the very start were more as you would expect.

Due to my relapse I have gone back up a bit, but at my best amount, after 10 months, I had lost 11.3kg.
At the moment, I am about 1kg above where I should be, and 2kg above what I was hoping to get to, but am planning to get back down there before the end of the year.

joey54321

hillrunner wrote:

3 tips that worked for me
1. cut out the alcohol. you want it you have to work for it. Alcohol is just empty calories, but more importantly it slows your metobolism so it has a double-effect
2. go low carb. this doesn't mean no carb, but when possible always choose the no bread option. icelandic yogurt and maybe some berries and a low carb protein bar for breakfast. lunch is salad with lean meats. dinner can be a mix of lean protein ie. fish or turkey, some healthy carb like whole grain rice or bread. Note you can up the carbs a bit after a heavy workout, as these will go to just restore your glycogen levels and not get stored as fat.
3. In addition to regular workout plan, Fasted work-outs 1 to 2x per week. It takes willpower but if you can try to eat a bare minimum during the day, then get a nice 45 min to 1 hour workout in after work, your body will be forced to use fat as fuel. Note that your pace will suffer and you'll get that bonking feeling very quickly. Pace doesn't matter, just keep moving. Refuel afterwards. If you can't ride or run for whatever reason then do the elliptical or arc trainer at the gym. It is lower impact and is pretty effective at burning calories.

You'll feel like crap especially initially, but after the first week or two, your body will stop craving food as much. I did this and dropped from 14 to 15% body fat, to 10% to 11% body fat and lost ~10 lbs. My friend tried it and did the same with more extreme results.

Just regarding 3 this isn't a fasted workout. If you eat anything that elicits a metabolic response during the day then workout in the evening you have broken your fast. I do intermittent fasting as a general diet pattern and often eat by 8PM, skip breakfast then go for a run at lunch (up to 10 miles recently) without any food. I have been doing IF for a while so I guess I have built up to it but it certainly doesn't feel that I am bonking and my pace is still pretty good.

hillrunner

joey54321 wrote:

hillrunner wrote:

3 tips that worked for me
1. cut out the alcohol. you want it you have to work for it. Alcohol is just empty calories, but more importantly it slows your metobolism so it has a double-effect
2. go low carb. this doesn't mean no carb, but when possible always choose the no bread option. icelandic yogurt and maybe some berries and a low carb protein bar for breakfast. lunch is salad with lean meats. dinner can be a mix of lean protein ie. fish or turkey, some healthy carb like whole grain rice or bread. Note you can up the carbs a bit after a heavy workout, as these will go to just restore your glycogen levels and not get stored as fat.
3. In addition to regular workout plan, Fasted work-outs 1 to 2x per week. It takes willpower but if you can try to eat a bare minimum during the day, then get a nice 45 min to 1 hour workout in after work, your body will be forced to use fat as fuel. Note that your pace will suffer and you'll get that bonking feeling very quickly. Pace doesn't matter, just keep moving. Refuel afterwards. If you can't ride or run for whatever reason then do the elliptical or arc trainer at the gym. It is lower impact and is pretty effective at burning calories.

You'll feel like crap especially initially, but after the first week or two, your body will stop craving food as much. I did this and dropped from 14 to 15% body fat, to 10% to 11% body fat and lost ~10 lbs. My friend tried it and did the same with more extreme results.

Just regarding 3 this isn't a fasted workout. If you eat anything that elicits a metabolic response during the day then workout in the evening you have broken your fast. I do intermittent fasting as a general diet pattern and often eat by 8PM, skip breakfast then go for a run at lunch (up to 10 miles recently) without any food. I have been doing IF for a while so I guess I have built up to it but it certainly doesn't feel that I am bonking and my pace is still pretty good.

Yes you are correct. Ideally you eat nothing. However I'm talking about eating something light at 9am and then don't eat the rest of the day, then run 6 miles at 6pm i noticed my body was pretty depleted and seemed to really accelerate the fat loss. As your body gets better at using fat as a fuel source you adapt to it I think but your pace will definitely suffer regardless vs. exercising fully fueled up.

simon_e

birdie23 wrote:

Too many carbs, too much sugar, not enough veg.

This.

bompington

Hey, I've got one weird tip to cut down belly fat!









...eat less.

reacher

That's only part of it, you see plenty of skinny guys with a pot belly, I'v seen guys diet right down and the pot stays virtually the same

keef66

If you disregard chronic malnutrition or other sinister causes, a pot belly in western males is invariably excess fat. Some of it visceral and some subcutaneous, but fat nonetheless. It's perfectly possible to be skinny everywhere else and have a belly; that was me 3 years ago. And eating less by adopting IF is how I got rid of it, because my modest exercise regime didn't change at all (but being 18 pounds lighter makes it a lot easier cycling uphill)

For many men the belly is the very last place you'll lose the fat, so you just need to stick with it. That's why it's important that whatever you're doing in terms of diet, eating patterns, exercise, recovery etc is sustainable, manageable, enjoyable even. It needs to fit well with your work and social life too. If you try extreme fad diets, rapid weight loss plans, gruelling fasted training at dawn etc you're much more likely to relapse or even give up entirely.

It's also worth remembering that we're not all the same, and we all have subtly different gut bacteria. Given the same diets, some people do put more weight on than others. Some lose weight easily and others struggle. Gut bacteria can influence our brains and hence the foods we choose, and even the exercise choices we make.

Whoever said "Eat food, not too much, mainly plants" had it about right. By food he meant things made from fresh ingredients your grandparents would've recognised.

In addition to the IF pattern of eating we try to include a lot of fruit, veg and pulses in our diet, and eat oily fish once or twice a week and meat only occasionally.

CptKernow

Not sure I like the "middle aged" implication here. Think it should be titled "lifestyle-related belly fat".

I'm 45 and have managed to keep a visible 6-pack since my teens. I don't do anything extreme or specific - just make sure I stay on top of the food to exercise ratio...

Oh and I don't drink much at all...