Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirth
Don't feel bad, I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm 24, 5'5, and 114 pounds. Except a got a little bit of a gut, even though I weigh so little.
I just don't know what to do... 2 weeks ago I started running every other day, I'm at 3 miles now when I run. Except, all this "eat more" stuff is really weird because I have a little gut that I want to lose, but I don't want to lose anymore weight because I'm 114, but I don't want to eat anymore cause I feel my gut will get bigger; it like, all doesn't make sense...
|
I responded to his post in
Tilted Nutrition. Generally, if you weigh 114 and want to get rid of your gut, you need to convince your body it doesn't need it. As mentioned in the other thread, one way to do this is through weight training. At 114, I can surmise that you don't have much muscle mass. Resistance training combined with cardio and proper nutrition (yes, even eating more) will tell your body that the fat in your gut is no longer required, so get rid of it.
Why does this happen?
You do things to your body that shocks it into tapping into the fat supplies accumulated there. Cardio increases your ability to convert things into energy and to transport things in your bloodstream. Resistance training does this too, but it also requires protein, carbohydrates, and, ultimately, fat in such a way that cardio alone would never.
Do you know what glycogen is? It's the prime fuel of muscles, similar to blood glucose but loaded into your muscles, lock and stock. Cardio uses mainly blood glucose and fat, and intense cardio uses some glycogen, but heavy resistance training taps into glycogen like you wouldn't believe.
How is glycogen replenished?
Your body uses mainly carbohydrates to replace it, but often fat stores are used where a steady stream of carbs won't do. This is why you find few people with a certain level of muscle mass with little belly fat. They are constantly burning energy (both carbs and fat) with their exercise and recovery. Your metabolism stays high for up to 24 hours after a resistance training session, mainly because your body is repairing muscle tissue and growing new tissue. This takes a lot of energy.
The biggest reason for extra fat on your body: It's being saved for a rainy day. Try giving your body that "rainy day" 3 days per week and see what happens to your gut after a couple of months.