Last pounds

[Builderofmuscle]

I've successfully lost over 20 pounds gradually over the past few months. Now I'm at that stage where I want to lose another 5 to 10 pounds. I know my metabolism has fired up becuase I've been eating a lot of junk lately and still haven't gained any weight. Any ideas on loseing those last few pounds? Should I step up on my training, go back to my original diet, or should I follow a different, stricter diet?

[KONY]

Originally Posted by Builderofmuscle

I've successfully lost over 20 pounds gradually over the past few months. Now I'm at that stage where I want to lose another 5 to 10 pounds. I know my metabolism has fired up becuase I've been eating a lot of junk lately and still haven't gained any weight. Any ideas on loseing those last few pounds? Should I step up on my training, go back to my original diet, or should I follow a different, stricter diet?

First and foremost, congrats on the weight loss! As for that last 5-10 pounds, you may just be in the middle of a plateau. Your junk food could rev-up your metabolism but just be sure you don't go overboard. If you still can't lose that extra 5-10 lbs, guess what? Perhaps, your body wasn't meant to be 5-10 lbs lighter. And you what is to blame? The answer lies within your name ... it's muscle! Remember that muscle always weighs more than fat. So be careful that you do not lose 5-10 pounds of muscle to get to your goal weight (unless that is ok with you, that is). A key thing is to be realistic about your body. When you build muscle, you have to stop eyeing the scale so much b/c it is deceptive. In my opinion, a better measure of your progress at this point will be your waist size. There's a formula using your waist size that is supposed to be more indicative of your fitness that your BMI. If you want to be even more accurate, just go down to your local fitness club. For a small fee, they will measure your body fat with calipers (or water tank for even more accuracy). You need to do this in order to guage where you are and where you want to be. You might find that you probably shouldn't try to lose any more weight. If not, you'll be able to guess how much more to lose.

[Builderofmuscle]

thanks a lot. I don't get on the scale too often, but I recently found i was 143 last week when I went to the doctor. I just measured my waist and it was 31.

[KONY]

Originally Posted by Builderofmuscle

thanks a lot. I don't get on the scale too often, but I recently found i was 143 last week when I went to the doctor. I just measured my waist and it was 31.

I had a really long reply that was deleted, I guess. Oh well. Basically, I stated that at 31 inches, you sound like you may be really lean. This makes the bodyfat testing more important. It is dangerous to have too little bodyfat. Best of luck on your future goals.

[Builderofmuscle]

that's the thing I don't get, at 143 and 31 inches, I should be lean, but I'm not. I still have a belly, not as big as before, but still a belly. I was thinking of doing low-rep ab work and put on muscle all over my body with either minimal cardio or short sprints. I'm already getting enough cardio from my martial arts.

[KONY]

Originally Posted by Builderofmuscle

that's the thing I don't get, at 143 and 31 inches, I should be lean, but I'm not. I still have a belly, not as big as before, but still a belly. I was thinking of doing low-rep ab work and put on muscle all over my body with either minimal cardio or short sprints. I'm already getting enough cardio from my martial arts.

Thats probably a good idea. The cardio you are currently doing could be countering your weightlifting. I'm no ab expert but it seems like you have to work your abs way more often than other muscle groups. Just make the necessary modifications to your exercise/ diet and give it some time. If you still can't get as lean as you want, it could be simply a genetic limitation. Some guys just simply don't get well-defined muscles. Some can get very big but no definition and others gets very defined but not very big. Your exercise routine can change this to the extent that your genetics allow you to. I'm not saying this to discourage you. I just say this b/c many folks refuse to accept this and end up doing extreme dieting/ exercising that actually end up hurting them while trying to get the perfect physique. Keep us updated on your progress.