Originally Posted by
khatfull
I've lost ~105 pounds since 12/07...I was 276+ on 12/1/07 to about 167 at my lowest around 9/08 up to about 172 now after a lot of cycling that has build some leg mass and some upper body lifting. I'm 6'0"
Even after a 105 pound weight loss and a BMI from nearly incalulable to what it is today I still have an area of fat on the abs, the typical handles, and, weirdly, inside the thigs. I've generally been getting 20% calories from fat, 30% from protein, 50% from carbs....I track this on a daily basis. I get 2100 calories a day at a minimum when I do no exercise (rare)...I adjust my caloric intake upwards (yet still adhering to the ratios) if I get some or a lot of exercise.
Through this process I've adjusted those macronutrient ratios to up to 30% fat in the hopes that getting a bit more fat would convince my body that it didn't need to "hold on" to it. Didn't work. So, this past Monday in fact I've dropped to 10-15% fat to try to do something different to see if that will do soemthing different.
The two trainers I worked with during my weight loss both told me that if your goal is six-pack abs you first have to have abs though specific, targeted ab exercises. Once you have abs you need a good diet to reduce the body fat so that you can see them. Many people have six-pack abs right now....but simply can't see them due to belly fat.
Exercise is important, diet is really much more so.
You can try the lower fat, but it won't work either. I would suggest something more like a 40/30/30 fat/pro/carb.
The problem is when you adjust your fat down you still need the calories, and since pro almost always comes with fat, you cut some of that too. so now your on a 70% carb diet. And that means insulin a LOT of it. Insulin does one primary thing, control your blood sugar. It's how it does this that is the problem. It needs to move sugars into something it can store.... yep fat. So unless your metabolism is in raging adolescent mode, the only way to lose weight or fat with a high carb diet is severe calorie restriction. Either by eating a lot less or exercising a lot more (and not eating).