losing fat (belly) without losing muscles
 

i realized that my body isnt proportional (arms too skinny for my body) so decided to go back to the gym and hit the weights. i also have a flabby gut so i definitely want to lose that but im a little confused how to work it right. From my understanding, if i eat right and hit intense cardio it helps with the fat loss but that also means im losing muscle mass. So how do i balance it out so i can increase muscle mass on arms but lose gut?

Do a balanced workout consisting of cardio and weight training.

The majority of people who have excess body fat are like that because of there diet. Try changing up your diet. If you want to start building up muscle mass and loosing excess fat you can do a lot of good through a proper diet.

Remove simple carbs from your diet (pop, white flower based products, candy ect) and focus on more whole foods. Simple meals are the best. Things like chicken, white fish, greens.
Stay hydrated as well, drink often and in small amounts when working out.

I think a simple work out would benefit you. Start of with 15-20 min of cardio to get your body working and ready for more. Hit the weights for another 30-45 min. Keep the weight moderate and the reps fast (this will also help to keep your heart rate up).
There is no point in going heavy until you are in better shape. If you go heavy now you will end up looking like one of those bloated guys at the gym in a supplement shirt...they may be able to lift a tank but they still look like a dough boy!
Keep your heart rate up, you will be burning the calories and building the muscle you want. Finish off with 30-45 of cardio again and I'm sure you will see results.

I have been doing this for a while now and I have lost over 70lbs and feeling and looking great. Still not at my goal weight or body shape but it takes time and dedication to do it properly. Its a lifestyle change really. Cant work out at the gym and then go out for a pizza, lots of self control needed when trying to live a healthy lifestyle.

Hope this is some help to you. And keep in mind what worked for me may not work for you. Also, when it comes to working out there are tons of different thought processes about getting into shape. Some will tell you hit the weights heavy, some will say do only cardio, others will say do focused workouts....for me working out my whole body and staying healthy is far more important than just big arms or a ripped chest.

I hope this is some help to you and best of luck getting those "guns"

Boosted

People underestimate lifting weights. I can tell you at the end of my workout I am out of breath, my heart rate is up, and I've burned a LOT of calories. That's simply from lifting hard, heavy, and not taking huge rests between sets. I've never done cardio and I have the type of body you would see on a fitness magazine cover. Diet is THE most important aspect of losing the gut. NOTHING you do in the gym will give you abs. Abs are made in the kitchen.

Berz out.

i guess that really holds true that abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. but that is an obstacle for me as i do not have a good discipline with my diet. sigh...
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Yea that's the hardest part man. Breaking bad habits and actually eating properly is harder than going to the gym for an hour a day. Diet is an all day workout. IF your not very good at dieting and watching what you eat check out IF (intermittent fasting) Skinnypup and a couple other RS members have had great success with it so far. Basically you only eat once a day in a specific time window. I don't know all the details but if you PM Skinnypup I'm positive he will give you more details. Also I think if you search it on RS there are a few posts with good links to info on that subject.

Berz out.

Get off your computer and go out for a run.
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I won't fail you but that's pretty weak advise for someone that expressing an interest in losing weight.

Berz out.

He could run 10 miles everyday for a year and see little to not results if he wasnt eating right

I was going to recommend www.leangains.com

The program consists of IF as part of your diet, and working out on a specific routine. I've been doing it for a little over a month now (the workout part). As every one is saying, the diet is the hardest part. I lasted on IF for 2 weeks, but after a year of stricter dieting, my brain gave up and I relapsed lol. Going to start IF again very soon.

However, as per the workout, I can attest for that. I stopped doing the same boring 5 day a week routine and followed the leangain method of 3x per week. I've gotten stronger along the way. A month go I maxed at curling 40's DB, and now I can do 50's ( that says alot since there is no DB training in the leangains program).

Definetly worth a read through.
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<= Horrible self-discipline when it comes to maintaining a diet.

In trying to maintain a proper diet, I've found convenience is my greatest ally. It's difficult for me to have the initiative to come home and make brown rice and broccoli after a long day, when it takes a fraction of the effort to make perogies. To combat that, I prep a weeks worth of food every Sunday and keep it in containers. It's never easier to just make perogies any more, so I don't find myself reaching for that excuse. I also never go to work without a lunch any more, because we all know how tempting it is to make poor food choices when going out for a quick lunch while at work.

listen you lose all your fat first even if u lose ur muscle then u do a huge bulk then cut again ok. if u wanna lose belly fat and keep muscle go celltech

MmMMmm answer your own question you have.

http://montaraventures.com/pix/yoda.jpg

And this is why you will always be fat.

Eat less, lift HEAVY. Forget cardio.

People who give anecdotal advice about achieving success are doing so in spite of the fact that they are doing the exercise, not because. If anything, large amounts of cardio are detrimental to you getting the fat off your belly.

Women: Running into Trouble

that was an ill advised comment, so I'll apologize for it.

But like most people have already said, a mixture of food and exercise.

I won't "forget cardio" since it is as beneficial, if not more, as weight lifting. Try doing 15 mins of HIIT after every weight workout.

ok let me just try to understand this...

-belly fat is lost in the kitchen
-eliminating carbs completely is bad
-lifting heavy and eating less burns fat since muscles burn fat

so from what i gathered, i dont need cardio that much to lose the gut but correct me if im wrong, doesnt no cardio mean i will be left with a flab of skin regardless if i lose fat from eating well? doesnt that where cardio should come in?

This is a little off-topic but is it possible to lose the "buttock fat"? I personally think my ass is fat because i can't fit some of my pants right anymore. I heard cardio is the only choice. Is there any solutions?

@haymura, eliminating carbs is going to make you die if you workout

you need carbs for energy, you can't just rely on chicken and beef, minimizing your carbs though isn't bad.. i'd suggest for you to take around 100-150g of carbs depending on your tolerance without carbs

and you don't need to do cardio to lose fat but it's a good idea to increase your vascular endurance, just do it after your workout to lose some extra calories if you need to

and @santoku why you so worried about dat ass :troll:

man you cant spot reduce :facepalm:

belly fat is fat like fat on the other parts of your body. You either, try to lose fat or get bigger, regardless, you will lose size if you wanna cut fat. You have to pick one.

Its nearly 2012 and people still have this idea of spot reduction?? its a myth. complete myth.

This really caught me off guard and I laughed out loud at work.
Thanks jerk

No. When you lose fat your skin automatically shrinks. Just like when you gain wait it also stretches. The time you get "flaps" of skin is with sudden and drastic weight loss.

Berz out.

I've been reading lots of information out there on this subject. It seems there is no magic formula for how much lifting/cardio to do.

It seems the key is clean up your diet, lift, and add cardio (not necessary but will speed up the process).

If you wanna lose fat without losing muscle just do a slow cut.. cut back calories from maintenance no more then about 500 calories.. EC stack is supposed to be anti catabolic to a certain extent.

I've started counting calories on myfitnesspal, it's a pretty awesome app. I've got issues with food and binging...so counting my calories for a week, without even trying to control my diet was a real eye opener... If you can't control your diet, just start counting calories anyways, just look at your normal calorie intake...should help motivate you.

forgive the dumb question but if i cut calories or eat less wouldnt that also affect my muscle mass? wouldnt eating less mean i cannot bulk up which results in a more skinnier build?

this whole workout thing is so rocket science to me. Id probably understand quantum physics first before understanding how to build my ideal body.