After going through the my biggest body transformation in 2010, I can honestly say that I’m pretty confident in my ability to shed the fat. I believe progress pictures, what you see in the mirror, and how your clothes fit say much more than a number on a scale. You cannot focus on losing weight. The focus should be shifted over to improving lean muscle mass, and decrease body fat percentage.
I’ve been asked if getting a six pack is a realistic goal. My answer is always, “Of course, if you can handle it.” Everyone knows that the models we see in fitness magazines with the flat stomach and ripped abs don’t look like that all the time. But it is also possible that their abs are still very visible even after their photo shoot. Oh but that’s genetics, I’m naturally softer in the midsection. Yea that’s what I thought, until I actually told myself I was going to actually work for it.
This past October, I decided to gain more lean mass and get a little bigger while still maintain some sort of leanness. I started at 165 and then by the end of January I was 180. Yup 15 lbs and I’m happy to say it never got to a sloppy point. I made sure of that.
So presently, I’m starting to focus on shedding away the fat again. I really don’t need to have a six pack, but it’s not a bad thing if you can get it and know how to. After experimenting and doing several body fat shedding phases, I want to share with you the 4 simple ways towards getting rid of stubborn belly fat:
Progress pics say more than a number on a scale.
1. Diet. Diet. And did I mention diet? When I say diet, I’m not talking about one of those fad diets that are out there. I’m talking about healthy eating habits. If you know you don’t have a great diet, by just making small changes can make a huge difference. For example: no more fast food, no sodas, no candy, no ice cream, cut back on the adult beverages, and other small things. Rather than starting a whole new nutrition plan take it slow. It’s much easier to ease your way into having healthy eating habits and it’ll last longer. Your diet should be based around lean protein (chicken breast, fish, turkey breast, lean beef), vegetables, fruits, and complex carbs (oatmeal, sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice).
2. Resistance Training. The more lean muscle you have means the more fat you can burn. The more muscles you can stimulate during a workout, the more calories you burn. The simple formula for fat loss is to burn more calories than you consume. You see how important your diet is? But to help you out, I’ve written up several different types of workouts that are gear towards fat loss.
Aloha Friday Workout 2
Aloha Friday Workout 1
Build a Ku Body
Prisoner to The Treadmill
3. Cardio. In all honesty, I am not a big fan of cardio. I’d rather lift really hard to get a big sweat going than jogging, biking, or jumping on an elliptical. Cardio for me is a last resort to get rid of the straggling stubborn body fat. Although you won’t find me doing much cardio, it is still important for overall health especially for the heart. I’m a big believer if you have your diet right and workout hard enough with free weights, you’ll be just fine. The workouts I listed above will definitely get your heart thumping and sweat pouring.
4. Patience. Don’t expect to see much change after 1 week or maybe even 2 weeks. Remember, the number on the scale may be dropping but what do you look like? Are you losing the inches of the midsection you want? From experience, it’s been about 3-4 weeks until you actually see a visual difference or notice your jeans fit a little different from before. A lot of people feel discouraged after 1 week because they haven’t seen any changes. Like the saying goes, “Rome want’ built in one day.” It’s not about how fast you can lose the weight. It’s about if you can keep the weight off. Many who focus on attaining a certain weight tend to feel satisfied and go back to their normal habits only to find themselves putting weight back on even faster.