I’ve been a very active runner and triathlete for the last 5 years. It started with 5Ks and within a year I did my first marathon. A few years later(after doing shorter distance triathlons and a couple more marathons) I have done a both a half and full Ironman(both in 2021). Being 6’ 2â€, 170-175 lbs(a bit heavier now as I’m just coming off hernia surgery that sidelined me for a couple months), I consider myself in pretty good shape. But one thing that really bothers me, is I just can’t seem to get really lean. Especially around my belly(I think my body has normal distribution of fat, I use notice the tummy fat most). I look thin to most people, but I’ve got this pesky fat - I think the term is I’m “skinny-fatâ€. I did use to be a good bit heavier before I got into running, about 220 lbs at my heaviest in my beer and cigarettes days :).
According to my Garmin scale, I’m usually around 10% body fat at my leanest(around the time of peak fitness during the summer of a given year, just before a big race). I think its probably higher then that, like 15-20% just based on how I look. I have a good bit of “jiggle†in my tummy ALWAYS.
There are so many variables and every person is so different I hesitate to ask the question - but what should I focus on to try to get leaner? I don’t do very much strength training, my diet is definitely not awesome(hate veggies, love pizza), and I don’t take any supplements except the occasional protein shake when I’m having constant hunger during peak training.
A lot of what I read says I should be doing more strength/HIIT work and less cardio, but hows that going to work when all I do is cardio for training?!?! Just looking for thoughts on what others that have had issues like this have focused on.
Apologies for the long winded post. Wanted to hit all the key points of what I’ve been thinking.
Both total calorie intake, and food quality. It’s easier and less painful to operate at a small-to-moderate calorie deficit while training if you’re eating quality food, in my opinion. Go slowly while training - don’t attempt a large daily calorie deficit, hard to sustain, bad for morale, bad for training quality.
The key to weight loss is diet, exercise is important for health, but diet for weight loss. At the same time, I’m in a somewhat similar position as you trying to pull things together, you can do it!
I’m going to take an alternate opinion that you may just not have enough muscle to look “lean.†I look leaner right now 15lbs heavier than my cycling race weight simply because I have more muscle mass, even though my body fat % is higher. If you have no muscle mass you have to be extremely/unhealthy body fat% in order to get that “look.†Just my .02.
If you’ve never done it- tracking calories for a minimum of 2 weeks or so can really give you a gauge of what certain foods cost calories wise. Most people would be shocked at the amount of calories they actually take in.
A few of the easiest tricks to implement in your diet that are pretty seamless.
-quit drinking liquid calories (sweetened drinks, fruit juices etc…)
-minimize oil/fat usage when it comes to cooking (use a spray and only what is necessary)
-Leaner protein options. More egg whites less whole eggs, when buying ground meats go as lean as possible that you can be satisfied with. 93/7 chicken, turkey etc…
-Make an effort to find lower calorie options for your favorite foods. Ex: Maybe your current tortillas are 100cal/Tortilla. Look for tortillas that are 50-70cal/Tortilla.
Instead of Ben and Jerry’s an option like Halo top is 1/3rd if the total calories for a pint.
Generally people can make a few very small unnoticeable changes and it will make a large impact.
Also- HIIT is no more beneficial for weight loss than a slow steady state cardio is. What matters is the calories you burn. Long steady bouts of sustained cardio burns a shit ton of calories.
As other posted said, I would also consider lean mass, I do not think cutting more weight is going to get you to a good balance (aesthetics/performance).
Without regards to morphology, I am almost exactly the same height/weight as you and while there is always some room for improvement, especially as I age, I do not have much around the belly. I try to do an off-season weight program to build muscle mass (emphasis on legs/pelvis/core) and around this time of year I start to reduce this to just bodyweight stuff.
Point being, I have been below 170 twice (once for a marathon and another period for triathlon) and it is not sustainable nor does it produce best performance in Triathlon unless I catch the dip just right. Your weight seems in range, perhaps your proportions are not.
IMO, the increase in muscle mass from specific gains (targets/methods) at that weight will not hinder performance and arguably improve it (don’t do it by bench pressing alone;). You could even throw in some combo work like hill repeats to get the best of both worlds.
If you do not mind sharing or you could PM me, what is your waist circumference and age?
You really need to get an expert opinion on your body type. Ectomorph, Endomorph and Mesomorph, these will affect your weight and ability to gain and lose fat.
Then you have to look at where you are carrying weight. If you are a swimmer you carry a lot of upper body muscle and that can tip the scale. And so on through whatever sports, football, soccer, etc you played in your youth. That has an effect throughout your life on muscle and weight gain because of muscle memory.
Last but not least 6’2 and 170 is pretty lean, assuming you have some muscle. Which you have from doing the events you listed.
One of the problems you may have to consider is that when you lose a bunch of weight, you don’t lose the skin that used to cover it. So coming down from 220, you still have the skin that covered that. No amount of training, or dieting takes that away.
Sounds familiar - 6’4" and 185lbs or so, but with the wobbly belly fat that I’ve had since teens. Don’t eat too much crap, but love my bread, cereals and eggs.
I don’t fluctuate much even when training hard (for me), but I was most leanest when I was extra careful in the evenings. I know calorie in and out shouldn’t depend on timing, but I felt that having more time to walk/train off calories during the day and consuming low calories for the evening meal made the difference. I would eat small and early, then drink plenty of fluids/camomile tea between meal time and bed time. Often felt hungry but slept through it.
Thanks - I think I’ll start a food journal. I’ve done this in the past when I had a ulcerative colitis flareup a few years ago and always the weeks before a big race so I’m sure I’m getting what I need. This might shed some insight on things.
My jeans are 33 waist, but immediately above my belt line, I “balloon out” an inch or two, Right now my circumference around my belly button is 35.5. I’m 40 years old. Things are a big worse now as I just had hernia surgery and put on a few pounds from inactivity while I was healing up. I suspect this weight will slowly come off as I return to training…
If you eat less calories but good quality food, it’s going to tough to workout. But a month or so later, your body will realize “this guy is not giving me food!!†That’s when your body will start to burn reserved fat. If you have more muscle, your body will burn fat faster. How to get to that moment? It’s up to you because everyone is different. I did that and I’m at 4.9% body fat. Once you get there, it’s very easy to maintain.
I’ve been thinking this is probably a big part of the problem. My diet is really poor, but it may be time to finally learn to eat my veggies :).
Look man, you’re trying to lose those last few pounds, and think you may need to change your diet to less food and healthier food? This should have been obvious.
I don’t blame you for not knowing this, I blame the industry of fitness and weight loss. There is no money in telling you to eat veggies, eat a little less if you want to lose weight, a little more if you want to gain. No, no, you need to take MASS SAVER EXXXPLODE 9000, it’ll use scientific sounding words to shred away the fat.
It’s simple. You know what foods are good for you and which aren’t. Make some sacrifices to stick to it, and be patient, just like training.
I was somewhat confident what I need to do is dietary in nature. But I got into the trap of google-ing “how to cut belly fat” and read article after article saying to stop all the cardio and do more strength training. I also wondered if a supplement would help. Bottom line is, after reading a lot of folks posts on this thread, my refusal to eat well is what’s holding me back. So its time to stop putting it off and address my diet.
At least 1g protein for kg lean mass. Protein is important for leaning out. Also do some strength training. Also Desert Dude Diet. If you can get a dexa body scan you can get good info about lean mass and bone mass and whatnot. In the absence of that skinfold calipers are good. People here often recommend the book Racing Weight which I haven’t read but I would look at that over a nutrition coach w questionable credentials at a gym
If you want to use a race car analogy, don’t try to tune the engine and strip the chassis at the same time.
Either, or. Not both. I was having trouble not dropping weight but also not gaining power at the same time with bike stuff. This was the problem. You’d have to be super rigorous and patient to super slowly drop weight while still gaining “speed”.