Help please.

[hfnj]

I'm 39, 5'6", 205 12%.
No matter what i do (carb cycle, extra cardio, T3, etc.) I can not lose the belly fat.
My split is arms one day, traps delts, chest, back, legs stomach.
I'm in much better shape then most my age, I have done several cycles, but just can't braek through.
Diet: Breakfast 1 whole egg 4 whites bowl oatmeal 4 slices turkey bacon
2nd meal Chicken breast or fish with whole grain rice.
Pre work vitargo and protein shake.
post work creatine and whey shake
snack granola bar or low fat yogart
3rd meal pork, turkey, or chicken with either whole grain rice or sweet potato and veg.
snack same as above
casein shake.
Any help would be great. Thanks.

[Damienm05]

If you have excess belly fat, you're well above 12% body fat. Regardless, your diet is very poor if you're trying not to carry any excess fat. I'm not even going to critique it, simply provide you with the guidelines.
You need to be eating many small meals throughout the day. Shoot for at least 6. Eat no more frequently than every 2 hours and don't wait longer than 4 hours in between meals during the day. Breakfast, pre-workout, and post-workout meals should contain 40g of complex carbs and 30-40g of lean protein. Beyond this, carbs should be eaten only as needed for energy. For example, if you work a desk job and watch TV until you go to sleep upon getting home at night - you should not include carbs in more than these 3 meals. Avoid simple carbs, even post-workout. All meals should be centered around lean protein, 20-40g. All meals that don't contain carbs should contain a healthy fat source. Shoot for at least 50g daily of poly/monounsaturated fat divided between several meals. A popular option, is a tablespoon of extra virgin oil or a serving of nuts. Make sure to weigh and measure everything however, because it's easy to think that handful of almonds is one serving when it's really 3. Eat lots of green veggies to fill you up in meals that don't contain carbs. Figure out your BMR and accordingly, your TDEE. Set your total calories for the day slightly below your TDEE on workout days and 500-700 below on days off. D0 cardio every day. Follow these rules and it won't take long. As of now, your diet isn't going to get you there.




Interchangeable lean protein sources:

The goal is to eat lean protein. Meats/other sources low in fat/carbs.

Ground beef (93% lean or better)
Lean steak (Flank, flat iron, or top sirloin)
Bison sirloin (the highest quality red meat)
Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Tuna (canned or sushi grade)
Salmon
Tilapia (mostly all white fish)
All shellfish
Venison
Whey protein (post-workout recovery purposes only)
Casein/Cottage cheese (before bed only)

Black-list protein:

Bacon
Sausage
Expensive fat-marbled Steaks (Ribeye, Strip, Filet)
Pork and beef ribs
Pork/Lamb chops
Restaurant ground beef (80/20 fat – most burgers)
Duck
Chicken legs/thighs
Chicken skin
Cheese

Interchangeable complex carbohydrates:

Complex carbs are now your creed. These are slower-digesting, natural, low on the glycemic index carbohydrates that digest slowly and provide us with sustained energy. They do not drastically affect our blood sugar and do not cause insulin spikes. Thus our body sees no reason to store them as fat, it would rather burn them for energy. Simple carbs such as enriched white breads/pastas/rice/potatoes/sugars (including most fruit) cause insulin spikes and are high GI foods. They should not be eaten when on a strict diet. Fruit can be consumed early in the day or pre/post-workout because of it’s high nutritional value but should usually be avoided due to being a form of simple sugar. Remember, healthy, low-calorie foods aren’t always the correct foods and such is the case with fruit.

Oats/Oatmeal
Grits/Cornmeal
Unsalted/non-buttered popcorn (great, low-cal snack)
Sweet potato (the best choice)
Butternut squash
Whole wheat pasta (not enriched)
Organic whole wheat bread (not enriched wonder bread crap)
Brown rice
Ezekiel bread
Swedish grain bread
Gluten free bread
Wheat couscous
Corn
Quinoa
Lentils
Beans
Many more, look up the GI (glycemic index) for healthy choices

Black-list carbohydrates:

White pasta
White Potatoes
White bread
Baguette
Bagels
Cookies, cake, muffins, cupcakes, all sweets basically.
White couscous
White rice
You get the idea…

Interchangeable fat sources:

We look for fat sources that are high in omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Also, many are high in protein. We do not want saturated fats such as butter, cream, meat fat. We don’t want test tube fats like trans (the worst). We want mono/polyunsaturated fats that our body can use for something other than calories. Remember, even good fats are high in calories.

Natural peanut butter (no sugar added, just roasted peanuts)
Natural almond butter
Cashews
Almonds
Peanuts
Flax seeds/oil
Salmon and Trout (great fatty proteins)
Fish oil
Extra virgin olive oil (should be used on all veggies/salads)
Chia seeds
Grapeseed oil
Macadamia nut oil
Udo's oil
Walnut oil
Sunflower seeds/oil

Acceptable miscellaneous foods:

These foods don’t provide much as far as macronutrients but are great for adding vitamins/minerals and taste. Notice some of these other foods are dairy. Dairy is another animal’s milk. We lack the enzymes to digest it as they do and it’s high in fat/sugar. It should only be eaten early in the day for nutrient purposes with the exception of whey and casein (cottage cheese).

Skim milk (Hood brand is only 45 calories and 3g of sugar per cup)
Greek yogurt (no sugar added)
Berries (all berries are much lower in sugar than other fruits and packed with fiber/nutrients – eat berries)
Green Vegetables. These are technically carbs but they are packed with fiber (a type of carb that isn’t used as energy or stored). In bodybuilding/nutrition – we refer to most vegetables as fibrous carbohydrates. While a serving of Broccoli may have 6g of carbs, 5 are from fiber. Meaning that it contains only 1g of storable carbohydrates. In addition, green vegetables are a calorie neutral/negative food (our body uses more calories to digest them than they contain – think celery). Veggies should be eaten with every meal. Every day. If you do this, you can become almost impervious to getting sick. Some vegetables are better than others for healthy diets.
Many non-green vegetables. Most are fine – just check labels, some have a good bit of sugar and should be eaten in moderation only (carrots)

[hfnj]

I have always been pretty cut. My son was hospitalized for an extended time last summer. During that time I lost mass and gained weight in my stomach. My stomach is not excessively fat, I have a two pack but can't get rid of the bottom. I went back on cycle: Cyp and Eq, I gained good mass. I never really needed to diet, I've been able to just eat and gain size but not fat. I appreciate the time you put in. Thanks. Btw, will I lose muscle eating 500-700 below my TDEE on days off? I won't lie, that scares me.

[Damienm05]

will I lose muscle eating 500-700 below my TDEE on days off? I won't lie, that scares me.

Not unless you're very active even on those days. As long as you keep your protein high and consume an energy source (carb/fat) with all of your meals, you'll be fine. Regardless, I never eat more than a couple hundred below when cutting; if you have the patience, it's better to eat right around TDEE and put in more cardio. I just suggested that since I know it's beach season and most are in a hurry to tighten up the lower abdomen.

[Ca$tro]

Sound like good advice from Damienm05, I am trying to improve my diet too. Good luck mate

[FireGuy]

How much cardio are you doing?

[sanman]

I started out with the belly fat also & took advice from lots of members on here about eating 6 small meals a day.I thought I will never lose that fat eating like that.Its been 4wks now & I am very satified so far with my results around my stomach.Lost my love handles and a lot of fat around the mid section .I did up my cardio to 45 to 50 mins 6days a wk from 30 mins & only 3 days a week.Now I know its all about diet & cardio to cut up!!!!!!