Hey guys, I posted a pic of me in the "do i pass" thread a few days ago and got favorable responses (everyone who replied said i pass)...the problem is, i have to wear my pants REALLY REALLY REALLY low in order to hide my hip/thigh/butt area. I'm carrying some extra weight and unfortunately that's where it gets stored. It's kind of annoying because my pants are sagging so much that the legs are dragging everywhere and i sometimes i feel like they're gonna fall down. If I didn't wear Hollister clothes all the time, people would think I was a wigger. no joke.

Does anybody have a diet/workout plan that they've found to be successful in getting rid of hip fat?

I already go to the gym and am following a mass-gain plan from Muscle & Fitness. My shoulders have widened a lot, but so has my butt. Any help?

Unfortunately there is no way to spot-reduce any area, just generally losing fat is the best you can get. You also can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, one requires a calorie deficit and one requires a calorie surplus.

If you put more emphasis on the upper body when building muscle it might help you balance out, having more muscle overall will help you to burn the fat off later.

Lipo can remove fat cells.  Running will create the greatest fat loss.  Weightlifting for the upper body can build you up top and reduce the appearance of hips being too wide.  Swimming is great for upper body development (lots of GGs talk of their shirts no longer fitting after getting in shape through swimming) and is a great overall workout - you'll lose fat too.  And of course, if you go on T and workout, you'll realize much bigger gains in muscle development.

Some swimmers:



Dara Torres

Quote from: Jeatyn on August 12, 2010, 01:21:40 PM
Unfortunately there is no way to spot-reduce any area, just generally losing fat is the best you can get. You also can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, one requires a calorie deficit and one requires a calorie surplus.

If you put more emphasis on the upper body when building muscle it might help you balance out, having more muscle overall will help you to burn the fat off later.

I suppose I don't have a thing to back myself up but I've always operated under the assumption that it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.  It's about changing the quality of what you consume and using both cardio and weight lifting while exercising.  I could be wrong and would like to see some studies if I am.   

Using testosterone reportedly helps change your body shape.  As the excess fat from your hips moves to your stomach area.  I've been on T for 11 weeks and currently my hips are still to big for my taste but it's possible they have shrunk down somewhat.

I do want to build up more upper body strength and it is my goal to be able to do a pull-up unassisted eventually.  I'll get there I'm pretty sure if I keep on doing my best.

Like said,
You can't rly target losing fat, it has to be a whole body thing. And in order for you to lose fat, you have to do cardio. 3-4x a week, if you do this at a gym the machine figures out your target heart rate by your age weight and height. You can start off with 10mins, but you eventually want to get an hour in. Also, calorie count.. If you take in more calories than you burn, you'll gain fat.
Cut out sugars and some carbs; candy, juice, soda, bread, pasta.
Add in water, green tea, foods high in omega 3s, and high in protein. I also agree working on your upper body kind of evens you out in the hip to shoulder ratio.
Hope this helps.

You said in the do I pass thread that you're already on T, right?
If so...your fat pattern will start to change.
Cardio helps burn fat well. Sadly though the only thing that took the fat off my ass and hips was time on T. Targeting my stomach seemed to help a little with the hip fat, it was sorta like it pulled it all inward towards my gut, but at least less hips. Idk.

Quote from: Squirrel698 on August 12, 2010, 02:41:20 PM
I suppose I don't have a thing to back myself up but I've always operated under the assumption that it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

I have an open university degree in nutrition and exercise science if that counts for anything always been an interest of mine. I can't cite any specific studies but I can explain it....I apologise if I waffle, can't stop once I get started.

Muscle is built from protein, it's created when the fibres are torn - muscle is basically scar tissue, it gets rebuilt by protein in the diet after being torn from working out. So in order to build muscle effectively you need to eat more calories than your body burns off for energy, leaving some left over to rebuild your muscle fibres and make them bigger. This is why bodybuilders needs to eat truckloads of food.

On the other hand, to lose fat, I think we all know that you need to eat less calories than you consume. So the body heads to your fat reserves to burn it off for energy. So if you are in a calorie deficit, all the protein in your diet is already being burnt for energy, there's none left over to create new muscle fibres.

The reason you can't build and lose at the same time is because fat is much harder to turn into energy than protein is. In raw numbers a gram of fat contains 9 calories and a gram of protein contains 4 calories. The body much prefers heading towards the protein - the muscle - for it's energy needs, because it breaks down faster.  Fat is best used as a long term energy source rather than a quick burst, which is why you should eat before you work out - so you have glucose energy to be burned up to give the body an alternative to eating away at your muscle protein.

Muscle burns calories just by existing. So the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn just by sitting around on your ass - and the more effective your cardio workouts will be.

Well keep in mind that I had alot of rapid changes on T. The subcutaneous fat on my face started to redistibute very quickly...at around a month and my butt started to shrink around 1 mo too. It wasn't until now @ 13 weeks on T that my hip structure finally looks male to me. My fat seemed to taunt me for awhile....the fat would disappear from non male areas, then reappear. Over and over. It will do that early on. It also wasn't until I got on the right T dose that this change happened and stayed.

Jeatyn.

That was incredably interesting.

I hope you will post some more on this subject.

Thank you for the post Jeatyn!  There seems to be a lot of alternative points of view about this.  If there was a magical formula that worked everyone would use it.  I suspect that it is different for different people and you need to find what is right for you.

For example I've read that it is best not to eat before working out so it would force your body to dig deep into fat resources for energy.  I'm also confused because I know that if you eat to much then some of it will be stored as fat.  How do you know the right amount to eat to build muscle and not just add to the problem?  Would it be different on days you don't work out?

I don't mean to badger you at all and I appreciate your knowledge.  These are just things that I can't figure out. 

Not eating before a workout will technically dip into your reserves more, but it tends to burn more muscle than fat.

These numbers are just theoretical for simplicity, the actual math per individual person goes way deeper

Lets say you went for a run without eating and you burnt 500 calories.

If you had eaten a meal of around 250 calories, you would have only burnt off 250 calories from your run.

So at first glance, it looks like not eating would get you faster results.

If you have not eaten, the body has no immediate energy to feed off - and like I said before, muscle is easier and faster to break down than fat. Your body heads to the muscle, burning off what you worked so hard to build up. So most of that 500 calories you burnt off during the run will have came from your muscle - lets say a 60-40 split.

So you will have burnt off 300 calories worth of muscle and 200 calories worth of fat. Taking the numbers from before with 4 calories per gram of protein (muscle) and 9 calories per gram of fat. That works out to 75 grams of muscle burnt and 22.2 grams of fat.

If you have eaten, the immediate energy will come from the glucose energy stored inside your muscles from the meal you previously ate. Your body will not be forced to eat in to your muscle, you will also be able to work out for longer at a more optimum rate because you've fuelled your body before hand. So this time lets assume a 60-40 split in the opposite direction - bearing in mind we've only actually burned 250 calories this time and the other 250 came from the meal.

150 calories worth of fat and 100 calories worth of muscle were burnt. That's 16.6 grams of fat burnt and 25 grams of muscle.

For a slight sacrifice in fat burnt we've massively reduced the amount of muscle burnt during the workout.

Now here's the kicker that is hard to measure except under lab conditions: After a work out your body is a fat burning furnace, and the more muscle you have the more fat you will be burning during "down time"

Lets say that in a regular three hour time stretch your body would burn 250 calories (basing this on the governments average figures for the female bodied, it will be more if your male bodied/on T) - after a workout we can say you burn 150% of your average. So for three hours after your workout you've burnt an extra 375 calories. The vast majority of this will be from your fat, because it's a slower burning energy that feeds everything during downtime, organs etc. Lets say 80-20

Put it all together - for the workout + the 3 hours downtime you will have burnt:

Not eating: 875 calories - 55.5 grams of fat and 93.75 grams of muscle burnt

Eating: 625 calories - 49.9 grams of fat and 43.75 grams of muscle burnt

For almost the same amount of actual fat burnt you have burnt less than half the amount of muscle.....and in the long term that muscle will help you burn more calories during down time.

This is without adding in the variables from the fact that eating in general stokes your "fat furnace" a little bit anyway; and the fact that you will be able to work out longer and harder if you've eaten (and thus burn more calories in general) - so that 49.9 grams of fat burnt is an absolute minimum, the actual number will be higher.



I hope this wasn't too rambly, I could talk about this stuff all day long

TL;DR: If you eat before a workout then overall you will burn more fat than if you didn't

Thanks for posting, Jeatyn, that's interesting.

Awesome!  Feel free to ramble, I love learning about this kind of stuff.

I was wondering...should you do cardio workouts before or after strength training workouts?  Or not do them right after the other at all?  Which would be more important to someone getting started, building muscle or burning fat?  I seem to have an easier time building muscle than burning fat; just can't seem to lose much fat no matter how much cardio I do.  And I have to admit, weight training is much more fun than cardio (unless I'm swimming or skating).

Lots of questions I need to touch on the answer to, will try to give basic answers and you can ask for elaboration if you like or I'll end up writing a novel

@Squirrel:

If you eat more calories than you burn you will gain weight, whether or not this turns into fat or muscle depends on your exercise level and the type of food you're eating. The quality of calories is obviously very different in say 500 calories worth of chocolate and 500 calories worth of chicken. If you're interested I can do the actual numbers for you and tell you how many calories you would need to gain muscle if you PM me or to lose fat, whichever you're working on.


@Jmaxley

If you want to do a cardio and a strength work out on the same day then definitely do the cardio first. It's actually a great way to warm up the muscles as long as the cardio isn't too intense and knackers you out before you start lifting. As for which one is more important it would depend on what your starting point is and what your goals are.

This is really good info, I'm here taking notes!

It actually is possible to burn fat and build muscle.

Guys, remember to consult your doctor or a nutritionist to develop a meal plan suitable for your individual needs.
You can also meet with a personal trainer to create a workout plan, trained professionals usually know what they're talking about. They can build you a plan to fit your body type and goals.
Some ppl find it hard to lose fat no matter how much cardio they do. Although cardio is key, as you know bulding muscle is key as well to burn fat. Make sure you're getting your heart rate up, and build a good sweat. You can do anything from a high intensity sprint, to a low intensity walk, anything to get your heart pumping will help.
Its usually good to do your cardio before your strength training, to help your body warm up. Also don't forget to stretch before, work on your form during, and the cool down period after.

Quote from: Jeatyn on August 12, 2010, 10:00:51 PM
Not eating before a workout will technically dip into your reserves more, but it tends to burn more muscle than fat.

These numbers are just theoretical for simplicity, the actual math per individual person goes way deeper

Lets say you went for a run without eating and you burnt 500 calories.

If you had eaten a meal of around 250 calories, you would have only burnt off 250 calories from your run.

So at first glance, it looks like not eating would get you faster results.

If you have not eaten, the body has no immediate energy to feed off - and like I said before, muscle is easier and faster to break down than fat. Your body heads to the muscle, burning off what you worked so hard to build up. So most of that 500 calories you burnt off during the run will have came from your muscle - lets say a 60-40 split.

So you will have burnt off 300 calories worth of muscle and 200 calories worth of fat. Taking the numbers from before with 4 calories per gram of protein (muscle) and 9 calories per gram of fat. That works out to 75 grams of muscle burnt and 22.2 grams of fat.

If you have eaten, the immediate energy will come from the glucose energy stored inside your muscles from the meal you previously ate. Your body will not be forced to eat in to your muscle, you will also be able to work out for longer at a more optimum rate because you've fuelled your body before hand. So this time lets assume a 60-40 split in the opposite direction - bearing in mind we've only actually burned 250 calories this time and the other 250 came from the meal.

150 calories worth of fat and 100 calories worth of muscle were burnt. That's 16.6 grams of fat burnt and 25 grams of muscle.

For a slight sacrifice in fat burnt we've massively reduced the amount of muscle burnt during the workout.

Now here's the kicker that is hard to measure except under lab conditions: After a work out your body is a fat burning furnace, and the more muscle you have the more fat you will be burning during "down time"

Lets say that in a regular three hour time stretch your body would burn 250 calories (basing this on the governments average figures for the female bodied, it will be more if your male bodied/on T) - after a workout we can say you burn 150% of your average. So for three hours after your workout you've burnt an extra 375 calories. The vast majority of this will be from your fat, because it's a slower burning energy that feeds everything during downtime, organs etc. Lets say 80-20

Put it all together - for the workout + the 3 hours downtime you will have burnt:

Not eating: 875 calories - 55.5 grams of fat and 93.75 grams of muscle burnt

Eating: 625 calories - 49.9 grams of fat and 43.75 grams of muscle burnt

For almost the same amount of actual fat burnt you have burnt less than half the amount of muscle.....and in the long term that muscle will help you burn more calories during down time.

This is without adding in the variables from the fact that eating in general stokes your "fat furnace" a little bit anyway; and the fact that you will be able to work out longer and harder if you've eaten (and thus burn more calories in general) - so that 49.9 grams of fat burnt is an absolute minimum, the actual number will be higher.



I hope this wasn't too rambly, I could talk about this stuff all day long

TL;DR: If you eat before a workout then overall you will burn more fat than if you didn't

I'm not disagreeing with your science, but I think that obviously people do loose body fat and gain muscle all the time, especially when they do sport or if you start weight training often you will loose weight and then gain it back in muscle later. But I do have a problem getting rid of all (well almost all) my bodyfat and gaining muscle, I think it does depend on the person and there body type. its a very confusing thing.. a lot of people that train for muscle growth choose to put on weight, eat a lot and bulk up and then rapidly loose weight really fast to 'Cut'.. its not exactly healthy and I don't think everyone can do it.

This guy reckons you can do both...(not spam I promise)...


v x

@Jeatyn great info!

You can target muscle groups - but not target areas of fat, unfortunately. The overall, consistent (that's key - because if you don't exercise consistently you're not going to reap the benefits) workout is what helps burn fat for reasons Jeatyn mentioned.

I've had two personal trainers now and both had some different approaches. The first one had me doing some cardio before the workout the second had me doing it after the workout. I've found that I respond better to the before the workout cardio and it seems more logical to me to warm up the muscles before you use them and cardio is great for that. The first trainer also had me taking my protein shake within 30 min after the workout, where the 2nd one had me just taking within the hour before I worked out. That's another point that's debatable - when the perfect time to take your protein is. Some people who are really training hard do both before and after. In simple terms, the extra protein gives the muscles the fuel they need to build.

I'm actually trying to lose a few pounds, and turn more fat into muscle right now myself. I'm back on personal trainer #1's exercise program and it's a good all-around workout but he's included a number of targeted workouts that help my core muscles and hip and leg muscles. Over time as those muscles get built up and the fat burns off, I'll naturally end up with a more athletic body where my hips (granted I don't have HUGE hips, but they're there) will be less accentuated.