Stomach fat

One thing I have noticed with the yo-yo-ing of my weight over the last 10 years from 140-230!(due to pregnancies) is that the last place I put on fat is the first place it comes off. I talked to an accupuncturist recently for my !@#$% neck, and he said that my core body temperature was uneven (my yin and yang are whicked and whacked!). He mentioned that if I am cold (and I usually am, and my feet are usually like icicles- ask my hubby!) that my body will react by trying to warm my important organs first. Since most of those organs are in the belly area, my body is making me a nice, fat blanket. My body is so thoughtful! Ugh. So many pieces to the puzzle. I am aware of a lot of the information posted on this thread. I guess, in addition to my nutrition program, it really isn't a diet because my body isn't deprived of any nutrients or minerals, I need to run and lift more to increase my muscle mass to burn more calories. Eventually, I guess it will get to my stomach? And, I have noticed that when I am lifting (over a period of time) that I do tend to be warmer overall. Unfortunately for me, I won't be doing any running or lifting any time soon. :badday: :cane: I looked at surfers calorie burner and for me it said: to maintain- 2400 cal to lose fat 1900 and extreme fat lost 1450 cal. That seems really high to me. Did I check that I was female?!

Karen-- Weight maintenance is one of the most important physiological systems for our species, and because of famines and the hardscrabble existence of our ancestors, we have a bewildering array of redundant mechanisms that seem to conspire to send us this basic twin message: When food is available, eat as much as you possibly can, then take a nap. Obviously, some of us have stronger doses of these "survive starvation" genes than others, making weight loss a fiendishly difficult proposition. I spent 24 hours once in the indirect calorimetry chamber at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center (one of the top obesity research facilities in the world), and wrote about this experience and the various elements of metabolism for Men's Health. If you want, I can send you and anyone else interested a copy of the story-- drop me a line at jamesthornton1@comcast.net Some people, it seems, are preferential fat burners, while others burn their glycogen first in an effort to hold on to fat as long as possible. Though I suffer no end of genetic anomalies predisposing me to less than great conditions, from migraines to pathological whininess, I seem to have been spared some of the excessive fat-guarding that may be one of your genetic legacies. I think the big picture here is that we live in a can-do culture that lionizes self-reliance and control over your own destiny. Weight problems seem to be one of the last bastions where the "thin" are free to express their general condescension and criticisms of the plump. What a lazy pig? Etc. I think if the population at large had any idea just how incredibly difficult it is to lose weight and maintain this loss long term, there would be a lot more empathy for one another's respective plights. I am not saying to give up or surrender to the hopelessness of your situation. I am urging that you cut yourself a little slack, applaud your efforts, and don't criticize yourself for the difficulty you are having contending with physiological systems that never tire in steering you in the direction of eating and sleeping.

Hi! First, let me start by saying that in the nutrition/fitness industry, there is a saying that says "abs are made in the kitchen." Meaning you can exercise until you are blue in the face and if your diet sucks, you will just be sabotaging yourself. So with that said, you want to make sure your diet is in order. Fats, lots of veggies/fiber, whole grains, quality proteins, etc. You also want to make sure you are eating at the right calorie levels. You don't want to eat too much OR too little. A good calorie calculator is: www.freedieting.com/.../calorie_calculator.htm. Once you get you calorie requirements, you want to eat a little less (this is called cutting) but too much less (aim for about 500-1000 calories less). Once you begin cutting, you will start to loose fat and unfortunately, a little muscle. Second, the type of exercise you do is very important for burning fat. Swimming requires a lot of energy and will therefore aim for the fastest burning source... that is glucose. The body's glucose stores are used up quickly during a swim practice, so the body uses the next fastest source -- muscle. Fat is the last energy to be burned. So, two things will help prevent muscle loss and promote fat burning. 1) Drink a peri and post workout drink w/ carbs and protein. This will feed your body and stop catabolic muscle loss. 2) Get in the gym and lift. The more you work your biggest muscles, the more fat you will burn and the more muscle you will maintain. In the gym, I find deadlifts, squats, and bench to be the best fat burners. Finally, you cannot spot reduce fat. You can do all the crunches you want and you may have six pack abs, but if you have a layer of fat covering them, they will never show. Doing crunches also doesnt mean that you will burn belly fat. Your body determines which fat on your body to remove.

I looked at surfers calorie burner and for me it said: to maintain- 2400 cal to lose fat 1900 and extreme fat lost 1450 cal. That seems really high to me. Did I check that I was female?! That actually doesnt sound too high to me. Mine is around 3300-3500 maint and 2700 to lose! The activity multiplier makes the big difference.

Of course, I don't know if it does diddley squat about the ole tire. You mean "diddly" crunch (not squat, that's another bunch of muscles):)

Don't know, but smile and say thank you! I find this discussion interesting, and have to go back and research the order the body uses substrates. It is complicated, and lots of research is done on it. Pretty fascinating.

Doesn't the body convert the fat to glucose, and that is what the brain is using. Yes the ketones are a by-product, but I don't think the brain burns that does it?

I will look into this more, because from my biology, nutrition and physiology classes I have just taken, I don't know that this is true. Won't disagree absolutely, because my knowledge is just not good enough...yet. I also reviewed my exercise physiology book and it confirms that fat will be used before protein, that protein is used but sparingly. And of course the much preferred fuel is carbohydrates in the form of glucose. edited: There is quite a bit of information about the ketonic diet and how the brain actually changes to burn ketones. Very interesting stuff. There is a local baby that I know about that is on this diet and it probably has saved her life.

Karen, you said you are not lifting weights. You have to lift weights, if for any reason so you can lift your body when you are 80! I am a different body type from you, short and muscular, but part of the reason I am muscular is because I have been lifting weights for 25 years. I don't have the tummy pooch, and I think weight training helps a lot. My Mom and my sisters have it....they never lifted, and we all look very much a like, except weight training gives me a stronger body composition. So, resistance training is where it is at. Fit it in twice a week, somehow. NYsurfer, in my Exercise physiology class I don't remember them saying muscle is burned before fat. That sounds incorrect. In fact, it was taught that at rest, we burn a mixture of fat and carbohydrates, and exercise uses up your carbs, in the blood and then stored in the muscle and liver as glycogen. I need to look up once that is used up which substrate was used next, but I did not think it was muscle. That can happen on very low fat diet, where the muscle starts getting robbed. Carbs are the most effecient source, and muscle is actually a lot of work to catabolize. Fat gives you the most energy bang for your buck.

...I have been thin (under 10% body fat) 2 times in my life... But, these were not my healthiest times, just my leanest. My healthiest time I had a belly bulge, but great muscle mass, doing 3-4 3000m swim workouts a week with some weight training, but not a ton... A good point. What happened to the set point theory, where everyone has a personal ideal mass that isn't necessarily thin? I think it's still valid. I wasn't very healthy when at my thinnest, either. ...I think one of the main reasons for this order (under stress, of course) is that the brain wants glucose... its the only energy that the brain can use. So actual glucose goes first, then protein as it can be converted to glucose, then fat because fat turns into ketones, not glucose!... Children with certain kinds of epilepsy are sometimes put on ketogenic diets (very high fat) when they don't respond to medication.www.epilepsyontario.org/.../Ketogenic Diet After a time on this diet, their brains learn to use ketones for fuel and they can come off again. So, it is possible to use fat as brain fuel, which makes sense when you look at how few carbs are in a stone-age hunter-gatherer type diet. (Oddly enough, it also works for hot flashes. I tried it after a disastrous experience with HRTs - I ended up in the emergency ward with stroke-like symptoms. It actually did work - I went from 12-16 flashes a day to 3 or 4 - but unfortunately gained ten pounds in the process. It was an unpleasant diet, to say the least.)