Training & Nutrition - How on earth do I have a gut?!?!

So I am 28, 6'2" and around 145-150lbs depending what time of the year it is. I am pretty active in several areas not just cycling, I regularly play pickup games of basketball, soccer or volleyball. My diet is pretty balanced I think, I on occasion have fried food just because(like once or twice a week). My legs are pretty muscular from all the cycling and running, my arms are like Andy Schleck's, but I have this flabby pooch protruding from my waist line. What gives???

Are you doing any other sort of cross training? Pushups, planks, pull-ups...all bodyweight exercises that can be done at home without any, or at least minimal, equipment. Besides all the great aerobic exercise it sounds like you're giving yourself, you need some toning and anaerobic exercise, too, to tone muscle on the rest of your body.

If you're interested, I've found rock climbing to be an incredible all-body toner. The Iron Gym door bar, by the way, as cheesy as all the commercials are, is great for the price. I've got one on the door to my kitchen.

Also, spend a week actually counting your daily caloric intake. You might be surprised if you end up snacking here and there.

6'2" and 150? no way you have a gut - your waist must be 28. I'm 6'2" and 230, and I know why I have one, ha ha

You are six foot two and weigh 145 pounds ?

6'2" and 150? no way you have a gut - your waist must be 28. I'm 6'2" and 230, and I know why I have one, ha ha
My pant size is 32" waist 34" inseam

Food allergies can trigger bloating.. but I'm not sure that would be flabby.

did you used to weigh more and now have loose skin?

No, I was 135 in high school and on into my early 20s. My job has changed to a desk job, but I have been making an effort to eat lighter and healthier and exercise. I just seems odd the only thing expanding is my gut.

Do you own a scale, or are you estimating?

I have a scale

I'm 6'1" and generally weigh 165 and while it's not a 6-pack there's no flabby belly going on. At 160 pounds I almost look anorexic. Not sure how you could have any flabby going on at 145-150... You sure it's not in your head? I just read yesterday that anorixia is becoming quite common in young males..

This might be weird, but can we see a photo? It's probably a little bit of bloating, not necessarily fat... At 150 lbs, it may possibly be psychological :(

You compared your arms to Andy Shleck; he's ~6'1" and around the same weight, so you're probably just missing some of his muscle mass and have poofier hair. A stick of butter only weighs 0.25 lbs, and if you had two of those stuck to your belly it'd be pretty flabby. :)

do situps and planks and such to tighten up those muscles. you can be pretty thin but still flabby in the middle.

Pregnant?
High-fiber diet?

:)

forget worrying about the pooch, you need to see someone about your body dysmorphic disorder.. at 6'3 when I was racing at 170, I was super fit, at 150lb you are very slim.

but I have this flabby pooch protruding from my waist line. What gives??? There is current research that supports the idea that certain adipose tissue deposits (fat cells) are only mobilized as a result or particular variations of hormones.

This theory explains why two women who are similarly obese will lose adipose tissue from differing parts of their frame at different rates and quantities. For instance, one women will lose most of their weight from their boobs before losing any weight from their thighs or butt. While another women may apparently lose most butt tissue while maintaining big boobs. (yeh :-) )

In your case, you may not be able to "lose the fat" until you have started to damage your muscle tissues. The only alternative is to invest time in performing specific abdominal exercises that will tension nearby tissues and "hide" most if not all of your paunch.

I've had a bit of tummy flab since somewhere in my 20s. It just seemed completely natural, a bit of an energy reserve for hard times. I have no idea why anyone wouldn't want it, unless one of my favorite quotes explains it. "Want to get your head screwed up? Watch a movie."

There have been at least 2 studies I've read about that found a few extra pounds added to your life expectancy. Here is one of them.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5630057/A-few-extra-pounds-helps-you-live-longer-study-finds.html

It may be that your body just likes to stash the fat there. Some will have more on their butts, some on their tights, yours just happen to be where you don't want it.

I don't know the answer, and nobody does. However, you are asking advice and I'll give you an opinion. Three potential problems. 1.) You are genetically pre-disposed to store fat in your gut. Most males have this problem, including me, but some more than others. 2.) You may be overly self-critical. True anorexics truly believe they need to lose weight, when anyone else that looks at them thinks they look too skinny. Ask a friend who'll tell you straight or post a pic and have a 3rd party assess your "gut." Seriously, you can't always trust yourself. 3.) It looks like all you do is aerobic exercise. You need to do some weight training also. Work the abs, pecs, back. I am like you, I bike, play soccer and basketball, probably 5-6 days per week. Forget working the legs, they get plenty of work-out and you'll just make yourself useless on the soccer field if you do a bunch of squats. Focus on the upper body. Sometimes you can't lose the last bit of fat from the abdomen, but if you build the abs enough, they'll still show through. Building the pecs and back will stretch the skin a bit over the abs, and proportionally make the gut look smaller.

Building the pecs and back will stretch the skin a bit over the abs, and proportionally make the gut look smaller.

This is actually an interesting point, minus the "stretching of the skin" idea. It is quite possible that your chest is rather small/undeveloped when compared to your abdomen. I am 6'3'' and 188 and I look as if I have a big belly compared to my chest (to myself). Could be a body portion issue due to having a small chest/pectoral region.

There is current research that supports the idea that certain adipose tissue deposits (fat cells) are only mobilized as a result or particular variations of hormones.

This theory explains why two women who are similarly obese will lose adipose tissue from differing parts of their frame at different rates and quantities. For instance, one women will lose most of their weight from their boobs before losing any weight from their thighs or butt. While another women may apparently lose most butt tissue while maintaining big boobs. (yeh :-) )

Hey, what's wrong with a big booty?

Don in Austin

Based on the info above, my best guess would be that you have a broken scale :) There's absolutely no way a 6'2" man with muscular legs and arms and 32" waist size can weigh 145 pounds. I am 5'6", moderately muscular, 33" waist pant size (the actual circumference is closer to 35" - considered overweight for my height), and I weigh 170 lbs.


You compared your arms to Andy Shleck; he's ~6'1" and around the same weight, so you're probably just missing some of his muscle mass

Andy Schleck is unusually slim. I doubt that he has much upper-body muscle mass. Compare with Lance Armstrong instead: 5'10" and 165 lbs.

with your height and weight, i wonder if you actually have a gut, or just think you have a gut...

anyways, the two best types of exercise (besides general cardio) that i know to work on your gut are plank exercises and leg raises...give those a shot...of course, nutrition and genes play a huge role...

I have plugged your numbers into this calculator

home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/

Assuming the 32" waist, it gives me the body fat percentage of 15%. (This is very approximate, because the tool is very sensitive to the waist circumference. Pant sizes can be off by as much as 4". It's best to measure your waist directly with a tape.) 15% would be consistent with small but definite gut. You'd start seeing the six pack at 8-10%.

This also means that you have very little muscle mass for a person of your height. A fit, well developed all-around athlete with your height would weigh closer to 210 lbs. Obviously, if you value cycling speed, getting that much mass would be counterproductive, but I would recommend to hit the weight room and to try to get at least to 170 before you try to burn off the remaining gut.

How is your posture? Do you slouch with shoulders forward and belly curved out? Try tightening you abs and see if the belly is still there? I have a problem like this--linked to low self-esteem I think--as the song says "walk tall, walk straight , look the whole world in the eye", just maybe.

Too much beer.

Post a picture. At 28 y/o, 6'2", 150, 32" waist, I find it very hard you have an actual gut. It could be your posture as you noted.

I learned this from my PT a while back, since I thought I had the same problem.

Stand in front of a mirror and turn to your side. Notice your natural stance as you relax in front of the mirror. Now pay attention to your lower back and then tighten your ass as if R. Kelly just showed up behind you. This will force your pelvis to rotate forward. If your "gut" disappears, you just have to work on pelvis rotation.

I think I'm similar to you... or was. When I was 165 i still had bit of a gut but my lbm was something like 130lbs. I'm 190 now though... 6'1''

I don't know. I don't hold much fat in my extremities but on my chest/back/stomach and butt. Could be due to stress/cortisol or just genetically the way I am.

The fastest way to lose the weight is to do high intensity intervals on the bike and metabolic circuits off the bike. You need to shock and aw your metabolism into a kickstart.

More endurance activities WON'T work. In fact, its one of the worst ways to do it. You will get more efficient at caloric expenditure and your body won't burn as many calories simply for the fact it doesn't have to.

Doing work specifically for the abs also won't flatten the stomach. Unfortunately, while it makes sense as to why it should, its one of the biggest myths in the fitness industry. For the fastest results, lift weights for about a month, you should notice a difference.

I have plugged your numbers into this calculator

home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/

Assuming the 32" waist, it gives me the body fat percentage of 15%. (This is very approximate, because the tool is very sensitive to the waist circumference. Pant sizes can be off by as much as 4". It's best to measure your waist directly with a tape.) 15% would be consistent with small but definite gut. You'd start seeing the six pack at 8-10%.

This also means that you have very little muscle mass for a person of your height. A fit, well developed all-around athlete with your height would weigh closer to 210 lbs. Obviously, if you value cycling speed, getting that much mass would be counterproductive, but I would recommend to hit the weight room and to try to get at least to 170 before you try to burn off the remaining gut.

I used that and it said i have a body fat of -1.2% weird.

I used that and it said i have a body fat of -1.2% weird.

Ha ha. What did you enter?

135 pounds, 5 foot 6, 26 inch waist

135 pounds, 5 foot 6, 26 inch waist

Hmm. Assuming that you're a male, measure your waist with a tape, one inch above the navel, with relaxed abs.

I am 5 foot 6 and my waist has never been smaller than 29 (not since I was a child), not even when I weighed 120.

30-31 inches makes more sense. so does 11.1 :p

My initial reaction was too be very sinical but I think you should considering seeking help. Maybe nutritional, maybe physciatric because I agree with you, it seems abnormal

http://0.tqn.com/d/addictions/1/G/O/1/-/-/bingeing-and-purging-by-Dimitri-Vervitsiotis-Getty.jpg
What's your secret to staying so thin?

What's your secret to staying so thin?

Are you trying to joke about bulimia?

everyone has problem areas. Im 180 pounds but Im skinny fat. I have no gut at all but I do have a spare tire around my chest and a double chin. Go figure. Carbs and beer will maintain a gut as well.

Based on your dimensions, I'd guess that you have very little real muscle mass. I see a lot of cyclists with basically no upper body, because they don't do anything other than cycling. With a low muscle mass, I think it is nearly impossible to be really healthy.

I'd suggest that you first learn a lot more about nutrition. It seems like there is so much crap food out there that you have to be really knowledgeable to avoid it. You need to cook for yourself so you know exactly what is going into your meals. You can't be eating out all the time and expect to be in good shape. There's a lot of high fat/empty calorie junk out there that you need to avoid, like sodas, full fat cheese, regular mayo, too much oil, french fries, fast food, etc.

You should also consider your genetics, you probably have a predisposition to your current body shape. What do your parents look like? I always look at people's wrists and ankles, as they aren't affected by diet or exercise much. People like me (and probably you) have thin wrists and ankles, and generally have thin builds. So, adding muscle mass is a bit of an uphill battle, but it can be done, it just takes more effort.

My pant size is 32" waist 34" inseam

pics, or it didn't happen.

Visiting a medical professional is the best advice.

There's a lot of high fat/empty calorie junk out there that you need to avoid, like sodas, full fat cheese, regular mayo, too much oil, french fries, fast food, etc.

easy on the cheese, good fats are esential. and all mayo is bad

That little stash of belly fat is very common on men. I'm guessing you can see your top 4 abs, but those bottom ones are covered with a 1/4" layer of fat. How it stays there, i can't say, but I know even body builders go through some interesting pre-competition routines like water loading followed by dehydration so that they can get that lean look.

I'm 6'1"-6'2" @ 158 and I've never seen my bottom 2 abs. I can feel them under the thin layer of fat, but they simply aren't popping like the others. My body fat is 7%.

My brother is 6'2" @ 130lbs and looks like a prison camp resident. He hasn't exercised in 15 years. Even he kinda has a thicker bit of skin around his belly.

I have noticed that when I primarily ride a road bike that I get a gut. Mountain biking with its twisting and upper body movements tend to keep my upper body tightened up. But with BB and your height and weight that you might be over critical of yourself.

I used that and it said i have a body fat of -1.2% weird.

A couple of months ago I had my body fat % calculated using water tank submersion - I did not realize that there were so many variables that could throw it off - like not exhaling completely enough, or not shaking air bubbles out of one's clothing, or having air bubbles trapped in one's bodily hair, etc. In any case, I came to about 20% (depressing), but this calculator gives me 8%. I know which I prefer, but I think this makes the calculator highly suspect.

A couple of months ago I had my body fat % calculated using water tank submersion - I did not realize that there were so many variables that could throw it off - like not exhaling completely enough, or not shaking air bubbles out of one's clothing, or having air bubbles trapped in one's bodily hair, etc. In any case, I came to about 20% (depressing), but this calculator gives me 8%. I know which I prefer, but I think this makes the calculator highly suspect.

Online calculators for this kinda thing are useless. The water tank is a pretty accurate method, but for weekly at home measurements I use a handheld omron unit in conjunction with fat calipers. They have always been within 0.5% of each other.

How much was the water tank test?

Online calculators for this kinda thing are useless. The water tank is a pretty accurate method, but for weekly at home measurements I use a handheld omron unit in conjunction with fat calipers. They have always been within 0.5% of each other.

Does that handheld unit use the same principle as scales with metal plates? I tried to track my body fat percentage using a scale with body fat sensors, and gave up because it was showing daily changes equivalent to gaining or losing over 1 pound of fat overnight.

With calipers, what formula do you use? I tried to take my measurements, but different calculators and formulas give different BF% (starting with the same skinfold thickness values), ranging from 13% to 23%.

How much was the water tank test?

A local university was recruiting endurance athletes to be subjects for a study. I volunteered, and did a cycling test on an ergometer where they measured my oxygen usage, HR and wattage, and the water tank test for free.

Eugenek, it uses the same principal but it uses your hands as the contact points. I hear its better, and I've never had a strange result over the last 2-3 years.
http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331921704&sr=8-1 is the body fat monitor I use.
http://www.amazon.com/AccuMeasure-MyoTape-AM-3000-Fitness-Personal/dp/B002VAPHXW/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1331921785&sr=1-1 is the fat caliper.

I can't claim they are absolutely accurate, but I can say they both give me the same results. The numbers also match up when my wife uses both of the tools. Certainly seems accurate enough to track fat level trends over time.

Wesley, that's awesome...hard to beat free. So they gave you your VO2 max number too? Sweet.