Hi all,

Can anyone suggest an effective way to lose weight especially in tummy area?

I play 3-4 times(2-3 hour session) every week of badminton, 75% quite intensive games. However, still cannot manage to flatten the tummy.

I realise compare to last time(3kgs less - 67kg), i move slower on the court (especially going for net shots) nowadays due to my added 3 kgs. I also wants to reduce my weight to reduce pressure on my knees

I heard that doing sit-ups do not really help coz it build muscle below the layer of fat.

Aerobic exercises with a lot of twisting will help remove the fat, but i thought that badminton is a heavy aerobic exercise with a lot of twisting already.

Running is good i heard but is it true that only after extreme exhaustion when all water is lost from the body, then the fat will be burnt off? For example, only the last 1 km from 5km run, then u lose some fat?

Diet-wise, normal diet, very little fatty / oily foods, enough vege, average rice, some fibre, maybe too little fruits.

Do you want to lose weight or lose fat? There are number of ways to lose weight, but fat? Lifting weights by gives me the best results... increases the muscle mass and it'll naturally burn away the fat by itself. Dieting helps too... not eating less, but rather being picky about what goes into your stomach and striving to maintain a balance diet. If I were you, I would focus on strengthening the legs, back and abdominal muscles. Less on arms because it'll screw up your touch.

for me, it's all about diet.... depending on what i decide to eat, it decides if i got my mini 6 pac or my massive keg.... right now i'm on the massive keg stage... cuz i've decided to get... well... fat and lazy (just in time for provincials!!)

anyway, i think if you watch what you eat, and play as much badminton as you say you do, you'll begin to lose fat around the stomach area....

I agree with cappy that weight lifting is gonna help burn off the fat. However, to start burning fat, I think you need to trick your body into using up your blood sugar first. Do some cardiovascular exercise as warm ups for 1/2 hour or so, and then start pumping iron!

Of course, diet is very important too.

-Rick

Hi Cappy,

i thought fats are the only thing u can lose when u lose weight? :D

What do u mean by:

Lifting weights by gives me the best results ....increases the muscle mass and it'll naturally burn away the fat by itself

how can increasing muscle mass burn away the fat? :confused:

I heard that the fats on tummy is a deposit on ur abdomenal muscle, building muscles below it by sit-ups will not remove the fat :)

Yeah, i am picky on diet also, high fibre, less carbo /sugar, less fats, maybe not enough fruits though :)

One way to lose fats especially around the tummy area is to reduce carbo. Eat meat before you play badminton or any sports. After your activity.. try not to eat , just drink water. Do some sit-ups. This is the best and the most effective way to lose fats.

lifting weights builds muscle, if you eat a lot of protein while lifting weights when you get sore and rest your muscles heal themselves off the protein and get stronger, the more muscle in your body the more energy your body uses up so you burn carbs faster. When your out of carbs your body starts burning fat instead.
If you don't have big muscles, then Dieting and low cardio activity for long periods of time is key for losing weight, which is why I always have a problem losing weight because I get bored so I can't jog on a treadmill for 1 hr and get sick of eating the same stuff. You will burn more jogging slowly for long time then sprinting until ur tired for short period of time. Sports r great, but there is too much resting time and u will burn more just jogging for long time.

From What I have heard, swimming helps to make your body shape to look good :)
Also, swimming burns lots of fat out if you swim 2 hours (I think)

Lots of my friends went to swim for this reason. They think swimming is the least cost thing to reduce fat in the shortest amount of time.

Muscles weigh more than fat but muscles burn up fats for maintenance. So don't worry about weight gain in the beginning of regime, it'll stabilize later. As for fat in the abs area, it'll reduce itself once you start working on the muscles. You'll see guys in the gym with great looking cuts (or definition, or six packs), they do lots of reps to tone their abs muscles. Impressive looking but they may not be stronger than the regular weight lifer, size of the muscles counts too.


For baddy, best to do more strength training on lower body parts (ads, legs, etc...) and generally more toning (more reps with lighter weight) for your upper body. Also, very important to train stamina too... playing longer rallies might help but nothing beats proper aerobic training for stamina.

Agreed with bluejeff, swimming is really good and fun way to build stamina and lose weight.

Originally posted by crazy_smasher
Hi Cappy,

i thought fats are the only thing u can lose when u lose weight? :D

What do u mean by:

Lifting weights by gives me the best results ....increases the muscle mass and it'll naturally burn away the fat by itself

how can increasing muscle mass burn away the fat? :confused:

I heard that the fats on tummy is a deposit on ur abdomenal muscle, building muscles below it by sit-ups will not remove the fat :)

Yeah, i am picky on diet also, high fibre, less carbo /sugar, less fats, maybe not enough fruits though :)

There is an old BB's axiom that you must keep in mind: six-packs are built in the kitchen, not in the gym.

With that in mind, let's take a look at your goal: loose fat. (I don't you seriously wanted to reduce your lean body mass, which would increase your body fat percentage at the same weight.)

Your goal can be achieved using two ways:
1. reduce caloric intake
2. increase base matainance calories.

1. This is a misnomer because it isn't so much about eating less as it is about eating right. Starving yourself is counter productive and i'm sure you know that by now. Sparring the complex details, you only need to remember this one thing: avoid eating carbs and fats together. (Well, also remember that eat carbs and protein together, along with multivitamins and any supplements you're taking.)

2. Cardio is a waste of time because it only burns calories while you are doing it, and it doesn't even burn that much. The typical gym goer reading their newspaper on the treadmill or stationary bike would actually burn more calories eating a high-protein meal than exercising. Lifting heavy weights will burn about the same amount of calories during the workout, took less time, and has one very very important advantage: it will damage your muscles by ripping apart a lot of muscle fibers. This stimulates your body to build new muscle fibers, which takes up a HUGE amount of energy. This will burn far more calories than any cardio you do, and has the added benefit of making stronger and raising your base caloric maintaince as well.

Finally, remember to eat lots of small meals. This steadily feeds your body so that most of the energy is spent upon muscle repair, while at the same time raising your metabolism.

Most of the points i made has already been covered but i figured you want to know a little more about why. Thus.
1. lift heavy
2. eat lots of small meals
3. eat protein with carbs, but not carbs with fat.

Originally posted by cappy75
You'll see guys in the gym with great looking cuts (or definition, or six packs), they do lots of reps to tone their abs muscles. Impressive looking but they may not be stronger than the regular weight lifer, size of the muscles counts too.
That's actually a myth. ;)


ps. crazy smasher: if you go on a starvation diet like most girls do, you will find that you will lose almost entirely muscle and no fat at all. Upon eating little, your body will think there's a famine and try to burn up muscle to lower our base maintaince caloric ammount. The fat will stay. It works quite well in ensuring your survival in a famine, but is only counterproductive in loosing fat.

Originally posted by bigredlemon
ps. crazy smasher: if you go on a starvation diet like most girls do, you will find that you will lose almost entirely muscle and no fat at all. Upon eating little, your body will think there's a famine and try to burn up muscle to lower our base maintaince caloric ammount. The fat will stay. It works quite well in ensuring your survival in a famine, but is only counterproductive in loosing fat.

Point well made, BRL. Now only if the ladies would believe us on that one. :rolleyes: :o ;)

-Rick

Originally posted by crazy_smasher
Can anyone suggest an effective way to lose weight especially in tummy area?
You can't choose where to lose fat from. You're body decides for you.

Originally posted by crazy_smasher
Running is good i heard but is it true that only after extreme exhaustion when all water is lost from the body, then the fat will be burnt off? For example, only the last 1 km from 5km run, then u lose some fat?[/B]
Not true

Originally posted by bigredlemon
Cardio is a waste of time because it only burns calories while you are doing it
I thought there were plenty of studies that show that after as little as 15 minutes exercise, your metabolic rate remains raised for quite a time after you have finished exercising

Originally posted by delmonk
When your out of carbs your body starts burning fat instead.
Not true. It's not that simple. Your body uses different energy sources, sometimes concurrently, depending on the intensity and duration of the exercise.


there is plenty of stuff on the web, you've just got to find it. And then decide what to believe.
Try
http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/burning_calories/burn_more_calories
.htm

or better still
http://www.powerandintensity.com/trainingtips/muscle_Fuel.cfm

and
http://health.howstuffworks.com/sports-physiology2.htm

As it's been said you can't target areas of fat to loose.
To get a sixpack you have to get you overall body fat below 10-12%

Doing situps will increase the size of your abdominal muscles but it won't sepcifically reduce the fat in that area as it will be taken from the whole body.

I think some of the things said are misleading & taken out of context. The big issue is how your body gets it's energy.
Exercising uses energy, this energy is in the form of ATP (Aminotriphosphate I IRRC).
The body produces this ATP according to demand & the ease of production is as follows;
Sugars, Proteins, Fat.

The body stores limited supplies of sugars in the form of Glucogen in the blood & muscle tissue.
When you start exercising you will burn this 1st.
Once that is depleted the body will look for alternaltive ways to get ATP to your muscles.
It takes time for your body to metabolise Fat back into glocogen & ATP so if the intensity of the workout is high then the body will turn to canalibisation & convert muscle bulk into energy.
There is an equilibrium point where your bodies energy requirements are the same as the rate of fat conversion. This is often quoted as a percentage of heart rate (as it's a linear relationship to oxygen requirement). The easiest way to reach this state is through Cardio exercise.

High intensity workouts like Playing Badminton for an hour will burn the same amount of fat as low intensity cardio workouts.

Basically
1. Your body has to realise it's energy requirement has gone up & needs to start converting Fat into energy.
2. Your body can only convert Fat at a certain rate.
3. Any requirements above that rate will be satisfied by Muscle canibalisation (which will be rebuilt later either from body Fat or food).

This is why Cardio is still the best "Fat-burning" exercise. Going above the fat conversion rate just means your body looks for energy elsewhere.

On the issue of elevated metabolism levels. Yes your body will have a higher metabolism & your energy requirements will be raised as you rebuild "thicker" muscle fibre BUT if you eat straight away your body will quickly turn the sugars & carbohydrates & Protein that you've eaten into energy/ATP before it turns to bodyfat.

As mindfields says, Cardio is the best way of burning energy, to burn fat you have to excerise yourself at a constant level (some percentage of max theoretical heart rate. This excercise will burn fat directly, however the excercise must be for more than about half an hour for this to work. I think swimming is the best, as running too strenous/monotonous for 1hour, but swimming keeps you about the right level, and isnt that hard to do for an hour. Just thiunk about footwork patterns whilst excercising, passes the time.

I have the answer for you my friend.

DDR

It's amazing cardio and it's FUN! You will seriously do it for hours on end. The longest I've done DDR for is 5 hours straight.

Hopefully you have a ps2 or an X-box, so you can just buy the game and buy a DDR pad ($15 canadian)

Like I said, amazing fun cardio plus it works your leg muscles. Improves your reaction time, improves eye-leg coordination.

I concur. My gf played on her niece's over Xmas so we got one for our ps2 to help her lose weight. She hates that I am better at it than her. She clomps around on it like an bull in a china shop, but I am light on my feet because of badminton.

(and no, James, this isn't how I injured my ankle; it was WRC2 and running - honest)

The most effective way I can think of now is to get a knife and cut out the fat yourself:eek: (it might hurt a bit)

Hm.....too much of discovery channel tonight.... :p

Hey BRL,

You might wanna clarify which part of my quote is a myth;). What I stated were my observations in the gym.


Originally posted by bigredlemon
That's actually a myth. ;)


ps. crazy smasher: if you go on a starvation diet like most girls do, you will find that you will lose almost entirely muscle and no fat at all. Upon eating little, your body will think there's a famine and try to burn up muscle to lower our base maintaince caloric ammount. The fat will stay. It works quite well in ensuring your survival in a famine, but is only counterproductive in loosing fat.

Originally posted by Neil Nicholls
I thought there were plenty of studies that show that after as little as 15 minutes exercise, your metabolic rate remains raised for quite a time after you have finished exercising Yes but the main source of increased metabolism from cardio comes from increased heart rate during the workout, whereas the main increase from strength training comes from muscle repair, which continues on for around a week more. Cardio on the other hand is much much shorter. Weighlifters often have to eat 5000 calories a day just in order to maintain and repair their muscles. To get the same expenditure from cardio, you would have to run 12 hours a day.

Originally posted by cappy75
Hey BRL,

You might wanna clarify which part of my quote is a myth;). What I stated were my observations in the gym.


Originally posted by cappy75
You'll see guys in the gym with great looking cuts (or definition, or six packs), they do lots of reps to tone their abs muscles. Impressive looking but they may not be stronger than the regular weight lifer, size of the muscles counts too.

The myth is that high reps can be used to tone muscles... i'm saying that's not the case. Muscle definition comes from having low body fat, which comes from eating right. That is why they are weak. Having low body also means it's harder to put on muscle, which means they have less total muscle than others, which explains why they are weaker.

Big but weak muscles come from low reps. Recall that exercise tares the weak muscles. Fewer and lower reps means a higher weight, so there is high stress on the body to build new muscle. But since the muscle is damaged less, the weaker muscles are not destroyed. Thus, the average muscle strength per size is less than otherwise. High reps actually makes muscles stronger per given size since weak muscles are continually destroyed and replaced with stronger ones.

As said above there are many myths surronding weight loss:

Spot fat reduction is impossible, the only way to lose fat is by creating an overall calorie deficit

All weight lifting uses a lot of energy and so can be useful in reducing body fat.

High level aerobic work will burn more calories per minute than low level aerobic work, but since the duration is likely to shorter for the high level work, overall probably low level aerobic work is good for weight loss, combined with weights.

An average working man would consume and use 2500 calories a day, therefore if you go in the gym and work for an hour on the bike and it shows 400 calories that does not mean you have burned 400 calories in excess of what you would have used say shopping instead of going to the gym. You may have used 200 calories just shopping for instance. Therefore gym work is useful but needs to combined with a healthy diet.

spot reduction IS possible....


(just not naturally :))
You can buy creams with high content of chemical messengers that would accelerate fat burning in local areas.... but it's somewhat dangerous, incredibly painful, and expensive.

Originally posted by bluejeff
The most effective way I can think of now is to get a knife and cut out the fat yourself:eek: (it might hurt a bit)

Hm.....too much of discovery channel tonight.... :p

or do you mean lipo-suction?

I dunno... I would think a bigger sized weight lifter could lift heavier weight. The myth of the high reps/light weight goes pretty deep, I got "Men's Fitness" mags from years ago advocating that as muscle maintenance. Isn't lower reps/heavy weight suppose to train your slow twitching muscles?

As for muscle definition, I do agree with you... looks can be quite deceptive:).

Originally posted by bigredlemon
The myth is that high reps can be used to tone muscles... i'm saying that's not the case. Muscle definition comes from having low body fat, which comes from eating right. That is why they are weak. Having low body also means it's harder to put on muscle, which means they have less total muscle than others, which explains why they are weaker.

Big but weak muscles come from low reps. Recall that exercise tares the weak muscles. Fewer and lower reps means a higher weight, so there is high stress on the body to build new muscle. But since the muscle is damaged less, the weaker muscles are not destroyed. Thus, the average muscle strength per size is less than otherwise. High reps actually makes muscles stronger per given size since weak muscles are continually destroyed and replaced with stronger ones.

As a mid-distance runner, 8-10k, I can tell you that the best way to lose weight and INCREASE your fitness is by doing lots of cardio.

2. Cardio is a waste of time because it only burns calories while you are doing it, and it doesn't even burn that much. The typical gym goer reading their newspaper on the treadmill or stationary bike would actually burn more calories eating a high-protein meal than exercising. Lifting heavy weights will burn about the same amount of calories during the workout, took less time, and has one very very important advantage: it will damage your muscles by ripping apart a lot of muscle fibers. This stimulates your body to build new muscle fibers, which takes up a HUGE amount of energy. This will burn far more calories than any cardio you do, and has the added benefit of making stronger and raising your base caloric maintaince as well.

I don't agree with this, b/c cardio is not a waste of time, since by doing cardio exercises, (ie, running, biking), you're still ripping and building muscles. More importantly, you're raising your basal metabolic rate, (think of that is your calorie burner), which will increase the amount of calories you will burn. BUT they KEY to cardio is to do it for long periods of time, (at least 30min) and to do it regularily, (at least 3 times a week). Not only will you burn fat, you will also be increasing the efficiency of your lungs and heart, and will give your more 'second wind'.

The downside to lifting weights is that you increase the bulk of your body, and if you're just focusing on a certain groups of muscle, shifting the muscle equilibrium of your body, which can lead to postural or functional problems. (Unless you're doing high rep resistance type muscle training)

High intensity workouts like Playing Badminton for an hour will burn the same amount of fat as low intensity cardio workouts.

This is also not true. Both will burn the same amount of calories, but studies have shown that low intensity/high duration exercises burn more fat, since I guess there's more time for fat stores to be mobilized.

Anyways, once I started running, I went from a 29 waist to about a 27 (and i was pretty fit to begin with). You might not notice a weight reduction, but i guarantee that with increased cardio, you'll find that moving around the court won't be too much of a problem.

Originally posted by cappy75
I dunno... I would think a bigger sized weight lifter could lift heavier weight. The myth of the high reps/light weight goes pretty deep, I got "Men's Fitness" mags from years ago advocating that as muscle maintenance. Isn't lower reps/heavy weight suppose to train your slow twitching muscles?

As for muscle definition, I do agree with you... looks can be quite deceptive:). I used to read Mens Fitness and Mens Health alot until I realized how much mis-infomration they were spreading. (They've gotten a lot better recently, especially Mens's Health.) High reps does help with muscle maintaince. As I said above, low reps builds very large muscles that whereas high reps build smaller muscles that are stronger. Thus high reps would give you more strength per muscle size.

The myth i said referred to the belief that one would get the cut/ripped look by doing high reps. All the high rep lifting in the world isn't going to bring that without the right diet, and low rep lifts would bring that faster.

Originally posted by syslakm
As a mid-distance runner, 8-10k, I can tell you that the best way to lose weight and INCREASE your fitness is by doing lots of cardio.



I don't agree with this, b/c cardio is not a waste of time, since by doing cardio exercises, (ie, running, biking), you're still ripping and building muscles. More importantly, you're raising your basal metabolic rate, (think of that is your calorie burner), which will increase the amount of calories you will burn. BUT they KEY to cardio is to do it for long periods of time, (at least 30min) and to do it regularily, (at least 3 times a week). Not only will you burn fat, you will also be increasing the efficiency of your lungs and heart, and will give your more 'second wind'.

The downside to lifting weights is that you increase the bulk of your body, and if you're just focusing on a certain groups of muscle, shifting the muscle equilibrium of your body, which can lead to postural or functional problems. (Unless you're doing high rep resistance type muscle training)
Cardio is literally a waste of time for crazy_smasher's goal of flattening his tummy because it takes a lot of time. (30 minutes is not a lot of time.) You are a mid-distance runner so I have no doubt that you can manage an incredible pace. You can easily burn through 4-5000 calories on a busy day. The typical person doing cardio is going too slow to make a difference. As for the added bulk... you can't get the ripped muscle look if you have no sizable muscle. Bulking the muscles is the only way of acheiving crazy's goal of getting a six pack. (I presume he meant a six pack rather than just a flat but fatty stomach.)

The stated goals were
flatten tummy
reduce weight
improve badminton fitness

pumping iron and bulking up just to burn calories will increase weight, and do little or nothing for badminton specific fitness.

I think he needs a mixture of
Cardio work
speed work (Fartlek type, or shuttle run type stuff)
weight training (legs and core more than upper body)

the aim being speed, endurance, and strength

it would meet 2 of the goals... flatten stomach and reduce fat. I'll presume s/he meant fat and not weight. If she wanted to lose weight, drinking less water or not working out would do that pretty well.

Hi all,

Actually, the main objective is to flatten tummy coz 95% of my fat is there :D

Reducing fat on my tummy will efffectively reduce my weight.

i think when i do the lunges , the fat in the tummy weighs me down, preventing me from springing back or move around explosively :p Maybe i am exagerating :D

Some funny thing is that some people even with little exercise, oily foods, but have no tummy fat :) maybe it is gene factor and high metabolism

Thanks for all ur suggestions. i am trying to digest them now

Sorry i created a new threaded by clicking on wrong button.
Thousand apologies!!!:(

Well, I gotta agree with BRL then.
A healthy balanced diet is the best long-term solution.

Avoid gimmicky diets like the cabbage diet, or the grapefruit diet, of a low-fat diet, or the latest celebrity diet.

I generally diet just by counting calories, playing badminton, walking the dogs (sometimes with dumbells in a rucksack) and skipping a bit. But I really struggle to avoid junk food and chocolate.
Since 2001 I've lost 28lb, put 12lb back on, lost another 15lb, put 9lb back on, and now started losing again.

Relying too much on exercise to burn calories comes unstuck when you get injured.
The younger you are the easier it should be to lose weight.
I'm getting on a bit, and it's hard work.
It's all been worth it though.
Right now, I feel fitter than I ever remember.
I'm faster on the court than ever before, and have more endurance (I should have, not carrying 22lb handicap around with me)

So, good luck to you.

its ok if i'm in the "Normal" category for the Body mass index thing right? I mean i'm slap bang in the middle column of all the normal columns.....but i still have flab:) oh well....at least i'm feeling kinda fit.

Just play more badminton everyone:)

Losing fat would be losing weight... but losing muscle would be an ever faster and better form of losing weight. I really hope you don't mean to include losing muscle there too. Adding muscle will give you a six-pack washboard abs lookmuch faster and easier, but has the effect of adding weight since muscles weighs more than fat.


As for the same people with high metabolism you mentioned, here are a couple things to keep in mind:
1. Oily foods makes you feel full, so you end up eating less

2. Oily foods is very hard to digest. Eating 100 calories of fatty foods mean you might only GAIN 50 calories because of the energy cost of digesting and the inefficiency of absorpotion.

3. Carbs like bread, rice, and wheats are very easy to digest, so that you can gain 90 cals per 100 cals eaten.

4. Some people have very small frames. I knew this one girl who was thinner than a stick. But she had lots of soft pudgy fat everywhere. Lots of other girls I knew looked fatter but actaully had less fat. Reason? Because the first girl had a very small frame. I could wrap my hands around one side of her entire ribcage almost. Lots of people say asian females have no shape, curves. Reason: they are all fat! But are hiding that fat on a tiny but tall body. If you go around feeling girl's love handles of girls (like i do :o) you'd see that looking thin is quite different from being thin. That's why i'm suggesting adding muscle mass to your stomach area. It'll make you look thinner but actually it does increases weight there.

Originally posted by SheldonZhang
its ok if i'm in the "Normal" category for the Body mass index thing right? I mean i'm slap bang in the middle column of all the normal columns.....but i still have flab:) oh well....at least i'm feeling kinda fit.

Just play more badminton everyone:) You have to disregard the BMI because it does not consider so many factors that are important. Drinking lots of water would actually increase BMI, but is healthier for you. Eating more protein would also increase BMI (since your body takes more to digest protein, you need more water inside you.) and yet BMI would also go up.

You should instead consider lean body mass versus some index or look at your bodyfat percentage. The BMI scale is a rough estimate of the two i mentioned FOR WHITE AMERICANS ONLY, and is targeted at WHITE AMERICANS ONLY. Other ethnicities, espcially black and asian populations should ignore it.

Definetly agree with Neil that a healthy balanced diet is the long term solution. But the problem is defining what that diet is. I'd suggest avoid eating carbs and fats at the same time. Eat as you normally do. If you gain weight at the end of the week, reduce your calories by 500. If you maintain your weight, drop it by 250 cals. If you loose 1-2 pounds, keep doing what you're doing. If you loose more than 4 pounds, eat 250 more calories for each extra pound you lost past 2 pounds.

The reason is that if you are losing more than 1-2 pounds a week, then you are loosing a lot of muscle or water. We want to keep muscle to boost your metabolism. (2 poudns of fat is 7000 calories. If you have that much of a defecit, you are going to severly injure yourself in the longterm. Plus, 7000 cal defecit means you are eating 1000 cal less than you should be, a day! that's an extreme deviation.)

Originally posted by bigredlemon
<snip> ... looked fatter but actaully had less fat. Reason? Because the first girl had a very small frame. I could wrap my hands around one side of her entire ribcage almost. Lots of people say asian females have no shape, curves. Reason: they are all fat! But are hiding that fat on a tiny but tall body. If you go around feeling girl's love handles of girls (like i do :o) ... <snip>

And this is easily the most eye-catching paragraph of the ENTIRE thread!

-dave

Originally posted by wood_22_chuck
And this is easily the most eye-catching paragraph of the ENTIRE thread!

-dave you guys don't? You're missing out on all the fun :o :p

oh btw i need to clarify that pargraph. When I say they are fat, i mean they have a high bodyfat percentage. There isn't ALOT of fat in total amounts, but there is very little muscle to give that curvy defined look.

Originally posted by bigredlemon
you guys don't? You're missing out on all the fun :o :p

oh btw i need to clarify that pargraph. When I say they are fat, i mean they have a high bodyfat percentage. There isn't ALOT of fat in total amounts, but there is very little muscle to give that curvy defined look.

Well, you're the master here, BRL. Please enlighten us how you can do this and get away with it. :o ;) :D

But comparing guys to girls doesn't really work. Physiologically, girls are meant to have a higher fat content than us guys.

-Rick

p.s. I've put on my flame suit now, so the ladies may attack at will now. ;)

i was comparing asian girls to non asian girls. :p

Originally posted by SheldonZhang
its ok if i'm in the "Normal" category for the Body mass index thing right? I mean i'm slap bang in the middle column of all the normal columns.....but i still have flab:) oh well....at least i'm feeling kinda fit.

Body Fat is a better indicator. The ranges are supposed to be
For men
top athletes 6-13
fit people 14-17
normal 18-25
overweight 25+

For women
top athletes 14-20
fit people 21-24
normal 25-31
overweight 32+

As someone else said, women's bodies are different. they naturally have more fat.

It's a better indicator, but a lot harder to measure accurately.
BMI is easy to calculate, but takes no account of whether you are heavy because you're packed full of muscle, or because you're full of fat.

My current BMI is 26 which would indicate overweight. But my body fat is approx 19-21 %

BRL says
"Oily foods makes you feel full, so you end up eating less"
but I've read (in New Scientist I think) that fatty foods are slow to activate whatever it is in the brain that says "you're not hungry". So you keep eating because the body hasn't realised yet that you've eaten enough.

Starchy carbohydrates (rather than sugary carbohydrates) fill you up and they release energy slower than sugary carbohydrates, so your body goes for longer before feeling hungry again.

It's a better indicator, but a lot harder to measure accurately.

How would you suggest measuring it? I wouldn't have a clue where to start...

you can get skinfold calipers for around $20-50 depending on the features. They are the most accurate for the money. Other methods in the price range are a lot more unpredictable. Biometric impedence will see gaining muscle as gaining fat (due to extra water) :rolleyes:

I have some tanita body fat measuring scales, and also calipers.
I use the scales every morning and the calipers about once a month

as I've lost weight, the scales have said my body fat has come down from 25% to 18/19 %

I only got the calipers fairly recently, and they usually read about 1-2% below what the scales do.

I'm not too bothered about what the actual numbers are, as long as they are consistent. i.e. in the long term, I only care that the numbers are on a downward trend.

The scales give lower readings when you are dehydrated (1-2%), so you have to know that and not get excited.

When I started, with 25% body fat, that would be 147lb lean, 49lb fat.
At my lowest point, 18.5%, that would be 136lb lean, 30lb fat
losing 11 lean and 19 fat

If that 11lb lean was muscle, I haven't missed it. I don't lift weights so I don't know if I can lift more/less now than before. But I am fitter and faster. It might just be from not carrying all the excess fat.

I know I've lost fat, because I can see better muscle definition in legs,arms,chest

heh...i'm only 65kg (143 lbs) in total.....maybe should start working out in uni

Losing weight (or longing to be slimmer) requires a different "recipe" for everyone. Everyone is unique and so should be their "get fit" plans. If you're truly serious about trimming body fat but don't know how to go about it, your best bet is to hire a certified personal trainer, that really knows what they are doing, to make up a workout and diet for you. All you have to do is follow it to a "T" and you'll practically be guaranteed to get results. It isn't easy though so don't have any misconceptions of miracle diets or exercise gizmos.

If you want some quick tips that will generally work for anyone:

1. Wake up early (no later than 7am, between 5-6am would be ideal) and exercise before "starting your day".

2. Make sure your workouts raise your heart rate into your fat burning zone. Over doing it or going too easy will prevent you from gaining optimal results.

3. Eat right. Don't follow any miracle diets. Seeing a dietician or personal trainer would be the best method in this area. Depending on your age and lifestyle you may have to see a doctor before undertaking any diets.

4. Eat very small amounts per sitting but many times a day. Optimally it's like many small (and I mean tiny) meals every hour. Of course, this is really hard so again, consulting a professional to get a dietary regiment that best suits your lifestyle is important.

5. Stop eating by 7pm.

6. Sleep early. You'll most likely need it from all the exercising and dieting anyway heheh.

Again, these are just quick tips to show you what it really takes to lose weight/slim down. It's by no means gospel or will work for everyone. Unless you really know what you're doing (ie. you have a University degree in Human Kinetics or something like that) the only surefire way is to get professional help. There are too many people who think they know what is "right" or "good" that don't have a clue. Don't believe everything you read no matter who wrote it (ie. Atkins is a joke!). Only a seasoned professional with a history of proven results will show you the way to long lasting fitness.

Good luck! :)

Originally posted by bigredlemon
Big but weak muscles come from low reps. Recall that exercise tares the weak muscles. Fewer and lower reps means a higher weight, so there is high stress on the body to build new muscle. But since the muscle is damaged less, the weaker muscles are not destroyed. Thus, the average muscle strength per size is less than otherwise. High reps actually makes muscles stronger per given size since weak muscles are continually destroyed and replaced with stronger ones.
This is not true, from what I have read on bodybuilding.com
How big/strong your muscles rebuild depends on how much you overload them. Heigher weight + lower reps traumatizes the muscle without overworking it, and you get the opposite result from lower weight + high reps. The muscle isn't damaged less from lower reps and higher weight. I'm interested to know where you heard this, as virtually everything I've found on the subject states the exact opposite.

And yes there is a relation between muscle size and strength: bigger muscle means thicker muscle fibers means greater strength.

T-mag
http://www.t-mag.com/nation_articles/299prog.jsp

With low reps you get maximum gains of strength. At higher reps (8-12), you get maximum gains in muscle size (since less weight is used, you'll get less strength per muscle size.)

If you aren't overworking it with more weight, then you aren't adding on enough weight. Doing higher reps will get that pumped feeling more readily, but it doesn't mean you're gaining strength any faster than otherwise.

The best method I've seen for flattening and improving my mid-section for badminton has been pilates. It's much more effective than sit-ups because you have to hold the positions for a long time, and work the abs at various angles. Pick up one of the Mari Windsor videos, those I have found to be the best. There are a lot of other ones the other day when I was in the local blockbusters too.

I think you're right about Pilates, 604badder. It's definitely more effective than the old fashion crunch when it comes to strengthening the abdominals and back. Very similar to Yoga where one needs to maintain poise and balance. It works almost all the support muscles during exercise.

Originally posted by 604badder
The best method I've seen for flattening and improving my mid-section for badminton has been pilates. It's much more effective than sit-ups because you have to hold the positions for a long time, and work the abs at various angles. Pick up one of the Mari Windsor videos, those I have found to be the best. There are a lot of other ones the other day when I was in the local blockbusters too.

Originally posted by cappy75
I think you're right about Pilates, 604badder. It's definitely more effective than the old fashion crunch when it comes to strengthening the abdominals and back. Very similar to Yoga where one needs to maintain poise and balance. It works almost all the support muscles during exercise. if strength is important, you might want to try saxon bends and russian twists. They are great at strengthening the abdominal muscles (main and obliques) as well as the lower back (and shoulders too.) Great for packing on that six pack.

Originally posted by crazy_smasher
Hi all,

Can anyone suggest an effective way to lose weight especially in tummy area?

I play 3-4 times(2-3 hour session) every week of badminton, 75% quite intensive games. However, still cannot manage to flatten the tummy.

I realise compare to last time(3kgs less - 67kg), i move slower on the court (especially going for net shots) nowadays due to my added 3 kgs. I also wants to reduce my weight to reduce pressure on my knees

I heard that doing sit-ups do not really help coz it build muscle below the layer of fat.

Aerobic exercises with a lot of twisting will help remove the fat, but i thought that badminton is a heavy aerobic exercise with a lot of twisting already.

Running is good i heard but is it true that only after extreme exhaustion when all water is lost from the body, then the fat will be burnt off? For example, only the last 1 km from 5km run, then u lose some fat?

Diet-wise, normal diet, very little fatty / oily foods, enough vege, average rice, some fibre, maybe too little fruits.

Yes, there is a fun way to reduce weight around the tummy area. Play lots of singles. Notice how "skinny", without an once of fat and possessing rippling stomach muscles, some of of the top players were in the recent Asian zone Thomas cup round in Kuala Lumpur. If you want stomach muscles like Boonsak's, then play as many singles games as possible.

Just a thought, I lost half a stone in the last two weeks but have not changed shape at all, I don't look thinner and I don't feel as if I have lost muscle bulk where I would have expected it to go instead of fat.

In case you are wondering how I managed it, I got toothache and cant bite properly using my bottom 4 front teeth. Kind of puts a dampner on meal times having to eat soft food.

Soft food like ice scream before a match when it's about 5C outside?:rolleyes:
Given my current position, I think I'll have to impose on you a dietary programme.

Originally posted by crazy_smasher
Hi all,

Actually, the main objective is to flatten tummy coz 95% of my fat is there :D

Reducing fat on my tummy will efffectively reduce my weight.

i think when i do the lunges , the fat in the tummy weighs me down, preventing me from springing back or move around explosively :p Maybe i am exagerating :D

Some funny thing is that some people even with little exercise, oily foods, but have no tummy fat :) maybe it is gene factor and high metabolism

Thanks for all ur suggestions. i am trying to digest them now

Yep, that's me, I can eat so much and even greasy food that I am still thin.

If you want to get rid of the tummy, stomach crunches and sit ups, that's all I can say.

Best of luck!

Originally posted by Kennyb
If you want to get rid of the tummy, stomach crunches and sit ups, that's all I can say.
That won't work... see above for reasons ^^

Originally posted by bigredlemon
T-mag
http://www.t-mag.com/nation_articles/299prog.jsp

With low reps you get maximum gains of strength. At higher reps (8-12), you get maximum gains in muscle size (since less weight is used, you'll get less strength per muscle size.)
.
Bull, go read some articles and forum posts on www.bodybuilding.com

Originally posted by habib
Bull, go read some articles and forum posts on www.bodybuilding.com They're all in the top 5 most respected sites so I doubt they'll be contradicting each other much. But since you insist; links to relevant articles?

Originally posted by bigredlemon
That won't work... see above for reasons ^^

Huh... I've been doing that for a few years and my tummy is flat. :D

Originally posted by Dill
Just a thought, I lost half a stone in the last two weeks but have not changed shape at all, I don't look thinner and I don't feel as if I have lost muscle bulk where I would have expected it to go instead of fat.

In case you are wondering how I managed it, I got toothache and cant bite properly using my bottom 4 front teeth. Kind of puts a dampner on meal times having to eat soft food.

Make that 3/4 of a stone and drinking mainly water and eating either giant smarties or buttons because it's the only thing I can get into my mouth.

Originally posted by crazy_smasher
Hi all,

Can anyone suggest an effective way to lose weight especially in tummy area?

I play 3-4 times(2-3 hour session) every week of badminton, 75% quite intensive games. However, still cannot manage to flatten the tummy.

I realise compare to last time(3kgs less - 67kg), i move slower on the court (especially going for net shots) nowadays due to my added 3 kgs. I also wants to reduce my weight to reduce pressure on my knees

I heard that doing sit-ups do not really help coz it build muscle below the layer of fat.

Aerobic exercises with a lot of twisting will help remove the fat, but i thought that badminton is a heavy aerobic exercise with a lot of twisting already.

Running is good i heard but is it true that only after extreme exhaustion when all water is lost from the body, then the fat will be burnt off? For example, only the last 1 km from 5km run, then u lose some fat?

Diet-wise, normal diet, very little fatty / oily foods, enough vege, average rice, some fibre, maybe too little fruits.


I'm not connected with Cytodyne nor I'm posting an ad, but try taking Xenadrine EFX... with your usual play schedules

It has worked for me..

I play 3X a week on, 2 hrs every session... I started 180lbs, now I'm down to 150lbs...

Originally posted by Rome076
I'm not connected with Cytodyne nor I'm posting an ad, but try taking Xenadrine EFX... with your usual play schedules

It has worked for me..

I play 3X a week on, 2 hrs every session... I started 180lbs, now I'm down to 150lbs... Xenadrine does not contain either ephedrine or ephedra as it will be banned in the US and Canada (and presumably elsewhere as well) due to the health dangers. If you want ephedrine, you'll have to buy it either this week or possibly next. Except to pay a premium as all stores are backordered.

here's an interesting article
http://rss.ghostgym.net/articles/020928_fatmet.php

Originally posted by Dill
Make that 3/4 of a stone and drinking mainly water and eating either giant smarties or buttons because it's the only thing I can get into my mouth.

Make that a full stone!

Watch out for those supposed miracle fat burners or I think in the case of Xenadrine it's a fat emulsifyer of sorts. They have a lot of side effects which are not pleasant

Don't forget to tell us how quickly the weight goes back on after you get better, Dill ;)

I was thinking that the other day Neil.

At the moment I am having to use slim fast shakes to get nutrition and gain weight again (hopefully) since I still have a slight problem with solid foods.

Its funny how the banana and vanilla shakes both tase of condensed milk that is slightly off!

Have you tried Yop. It's a drinkable yoghurt. Nice in Raspberry flavour.
Don't bother with the little bottles, they're too expensive. Get the 750ml size.

what's a stone?

Originally posted by Dill
Make that a full stone!

Watch out for those supposed miracle fat burners or I think in the case of Xenadrine it's a fat emulsifyer of sorts. They have a lot of side effects which are not pleasant

A stone is 14 pound.
About 6.36 kg

Found an article about the "Fat Burning Zone" on Peak Performance
also mentions the post-exercise increase in metabolism we were talking about
or Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) as it calls it

Don't forget to tell us how quickly the weight goes back on after you get better, Dill ;)

I've been eating "properly" for about 1 1/2 weeks now and still only managed to put on 2-3lbs. :confused:

why not try doing Hula hoop? this exercise will foucus on your tummy.I guess it is effective to burn off the abdominal fats,and you can play Hula hoop indoor.It can save your time and money..Nevertheless,I don't do it usually but I tried it serveral times before.I can feel that it really work on your tummy coz the muscle there will shrink after the hoop strike around on your waist hundreds of times.

try it,you will marvel your tummy is getting flatter and flatter... :rolleyes:

There is no such thing as targeted fat burn. So working your abs doesn't mean you will be using the energy reserves (i.e. the fat) from that region. On the other hand, if you are using energy at a high rate (i.e. running, cycling, badminton!), then you will be using up fat overall.

.....this exercise will foucus on your tummy.I guess it is effective to burn off the abdominal fats,......r... :rolleyes:

great website, thanks for your recommendation......cheers:) and
http://health.howstuffworks.com/sports-physiology2.htm