Not "fat", but not lean...HELP

Hey guys - I am 22 and I started working out in June. I was 165lbs then and I dropped down to 155. Now I am around 161 or so. Hopefully some of that is muscle now. My pants are lose and everything and I am seeing some development...however.....my stomach does not seem to want to lose that layer of fat in front and around the hips. I mean its not a pot belly or anything because when I stand up its flat but I would really liked to tone it up around there.....
Suggestions on how to change my diet?????
Thanks!
:lift:

what kind of diet do you have now?
Are you using any supplements or protien shakes?
and most importantly hows your water intake?

I'm sure one of us can give you a few tips. Welcome to AR btw!

What you are describing is high body fat percentage. It is not what you weigh, but the percentage of muscle to fat.

What you are trying to accomplish takes time and discipline. To really get cut up you need to be on a strict diet (I like the low carb thing, but there are other people that believe in low calorie) and lots of cardio. Running is a great way to really get cut. June to now is only three months and there are guys on this board who have been doing this for three decades. So make sure you are doing all you can and give it some time. Remember, that your skin is sreached out of shape from when you were heavier and it takes some time for your skin to tighten. If you make a good plan and stick with it you will accomplish your goals Tenley. I know you can do it!

Also make sure you have a good ab routine. That will help get the muscles to pop out once your body fat percentage is down.

thanks guys - i try to keep breads and pastas early in the day. i have looked at increasing my fruit content. Before working out I was not fat - mabye just "full" When I came back from a summer job people thought I was anoreix. However again - just want to add more muscle and trim the lines.

Thanks guy - How much cadio a week with adding muscle?
bye

the best amount would be none but 2 or 3 times 20 mins moderate intense shouldunt effect u much plus u can stay a lil leaner

Quote:

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Originally posted by Tenleyboy22
thanks guys - i try to keep breads and pastas early in the day. i have looked at increasing my fruit content. Before working out I was not fat - mabye just "full" When I came back from a summer job people thought I was anoreix. However again - just want to add more muscle and trim the lines.

Thanks guy - How much cadio a week with adding muscle?
bye

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Its really hard to lose fat and gain mass at the same time. I would suggest really working on one or the other. A lot of people bulk first then cut.

I hit a point too when people thought I looked anorexic. The fact was my bf% was 11%, good, but to really look ripped you really need to get down to the single digits.

The problem is when you lose weight in never comes off in the places you want it to come from. For me I lost a lot in my face yet lower abs were still mushy. Cardio is best for getting bf% down. Lots of people will tell you 2 days a week 20 minutes is all you need. This comes from the Bill Philips book Body for Life, one of the most poorly researched books ever to make it to press (yet its been the longest running book on the NY Times best seller list-- go figure). Personally I thionk you would do better with at least 30 minutes 4 times a week reasonable high intensity. The first 20 minutes of cardio you are burning those carb you arte ion the morning (the fruite you cite, and the oattmeal, etc.). You don't begin to burn any fat until the carbs you have ingrested have been exhausted. This is the reason low carb diets are as effective as they are.

Food for thought?

Quote:

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Originally posted by beenie


Its really hard to lose fat and gain mass at the same time. I would suggest really working on one or the other. A lot of people bulk first then cut.

I hit a point too when people thought I looked anorexic. The fact was my bf% was 11%, good, but to really look ripped you really need to get down to the single digits.

The problem is when you lose weight in never comes off in the places you want it to come from. For me I lost a lot in my face yet lower abs were still mushy. Cardio is best for getting bf% down. Lots of people will tell you 2 days a week 20 minutes is all you need. This comes from the Bill Philips book Body for Life, one of the most poorly researched books ever to make it to press (yet its been the longest running book on the NY Times best seller list-- go figure). Personally I thionk you would do better with at least 30 minutes 4 times a week reasonable high intensity. The first 20 minutes of cardio you are burning those carb you arte ion the morning (the fruite you cite, and the oattmeal, etc.). You don't begin to burn any fat until the carbs you have ingrested have been exhausted. This is the reason low carb diets are as effective as they are.

Food for thought?

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i agree totaly 20 minutes twice a week will not do fuck all for you,
4-5 days a week of atleast 30 minutes of cardio is ideal. some people prefer reasonably high intensity, however this may not be good for you in the sense that u want to maintain muscle mass. i would stick to 405 days at at least 30 minutes, doing 65% of your maximum hear rate, u can go a little higher, but dont be running hard, stick to a slow jog or a fast walk. also make sure u are lifting weights too. The more muscle your body has the easier it is to loose fat, because it help to raise your metabolism . you could even try an ECA stack with it and drink a shit load of water. try and drink 10 500 ml bottles a day

Thanks guys! Very helpful!

Quote:

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Originally posted by BullDogg20




i agree totaly 20 minutes twice a week will not do fuck all for you,
4-5 days a week of atleast 30 minutes of cardio is ideal. some people prefer reasonably high intensity, however this may not be good for you in the sense that u want to maintain muscle mass. i would stick to 405 days at at least 30 minutes, doing 65% of your maximum hear rate, u can go a little higher, but dont be running hard, stick to a slow jog or a fast walk. also make sure u are lifting weights too. The more muscle your body has the easier it is to loose fat, because it help to raise your metabolism . you could even try an ECA stack with it and drink a shit load of water. try and drink 10 500 ml bottles a day

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Someone is talking sense! Lower intensity does help preserve mass, but it seems to me that if you are doing lower intensity I would go longer to burn the same number of calories.