I'm once again turning to the good people here for help. I must, I repeat, I MUST lose my gut! It's driving me nuts and I'm obsessing about it.

Age: 31
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 165 lbs. (yes, my weight is already low, but I still have a dreadful spare tire. Pictures can be seen in this thread http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=2303&highlight=bied )

My plan is to cut my maintenance calories by 500, and combined with a regular workout schedule I'm hoping to get down to 10% BF for summer (my guess is that I'm around 17% right now).

Here's what my workout looks like:

Monday - Back

Warm up
Dead Lift 3 x 10
One-Arm Row 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
T-Bar Row 3 x 10
Pull-Ups 4 sets to failure
Bent Over Barbell Rows 3 x 10

Tuesday - Triceps/Biceps

Warm up
Close Grip Bench Press 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Dumbbell Kickbacks, super setted with Overhead Dummbbell Extensions 3 x 10 for both
Skull Crushers 3 x 10
Barbell Bicep Curls 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Preacher Curls 3 x 10
Hammer Curls 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Concentration Curls 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8

Wednesday - Abs/Cardio

Warm up
Weighted Decline Crunches 3 x 20
Weighted Crunches 3 x 20
Twisting Crunches 3 x 20 each side
Weighted Crunches 3 x 20
Run on treadmill for 30 minutes at 60% HRM

Thursday - Legs

Warm up
Squats 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Lunges 3 x 10 each leg
Leg Extension 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
SLDL 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Standing Calf Raises 3 x 20

Friday - Rest

Saturday - Chest/Shoulders

Warm up
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Incline Dumbbell Flyes 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Military Press 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Dumbbell Lateral Raises 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
Dummbell Front Raises 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8

Sunday - Abs/Cardio

Warm up
Weighted Lying Leg Lifts 3 x 20
Weighted Crunches 3 x 20
Hanging Leg Raises Crunches 3 x 8
Weighted Crunches 3 x 20
Run on treadmill for 30 minutes at 60% HRM

Here will be a typical day of eating:

Meal One:

One Srvg. Whey Protein - 110 calories
1/2 Cup Oatmeal - 150 calories
1 Tbsp. Natural Peanut Butter - 100 calories
3 Egg Whites - 51 calories

Meal Two:

1/4 Cup Dry Roasted, Unsalted Peanuts - 180 calories
1/2 Srvg. Whey Protein - 55 calories
1 Cup Cantaloupe - 55 calories

Meal Three:

1 Chicken Breast - 150 calories
2 Cups Broccoli - 50 calories
1 Tbsp. Reduced Fat Mayo - 50 calories
Lettuce/Tomato - 7 calories
1/4 Cup Dry Roasted, Unsalted Peanuts - 180 calories

Meal Four:

1 Slice of Whole Wheat Bread - 90 calories (pre-workout)
1 Tbsp. Natural Peanut Butter - 100 calories (pre-workout)
1/2 Srvg. Whey Protein - 55 calories (pre-workout)
1/2 Cup Orange Juice - 55 calories (post-workout carb and sugar punch)
1 Srvg. Whey Protein - 110 calories (post-workout)

Meal Five:

1/4 lb. Turkey Meat - 200 calories
1 Potato - 100 calories
1 Tbsp. Ketchup - 15 calories
Salad - 35 calories
1 Tbsp. Reduced Fat Dressing - 25 calories

Meal Six:

1/2 Cup Cottage Cheese - 90 calories
2 Cups Lettuce - 15 calories
1 Srvg. Whey Protein - 110 calories

Totals:
2,138 calories (my maintenance is around 2700)
153 grams of carbs
214 grams of protein
78 grams of fat
1750 milligrams of sodium
51 grams of sugar (???)

That should roughly be 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat. I would greatly appreciate any advice, do's/don'ts, critiques, and/or criticisms on this routine. I plan on reaching my goal this time!

Thanks.

I am not so sure that fat is the problem here. From the side picture it looks like your stomach is distended (enlarged stomach) you know the pictures of starving children with huge bellys. Most fat bellys have fat that hangs over the belt, yours does not. I do not see a larg amount of love handles either. I think you should see a doctor and see what's going on here. At 6' 1" 165 you are underweight, I remember reading your post 2 weeks ago I think it was and thought about what I just posted above.

Don't get alarmed I am not a doctor but it just seems to me something is not right here. I don't know if you were overweight at one time and are now down to 165 or if you perhaps drink lots of beer, or perhaps you stuff yourself too full when you eat but I would not think that likely as you are still only 165 lbs. Perhaps you have an intestine problem that is interfearing with your ability to process food, sometimes people can get large amounts of matter stuck to there intestines that can be cleaned out with a clensing program using psyllium husks, I once read of a man that had 50 lbs of matter built up in there he was around 600 lbs though but I would for sure check with a doctor before you do anything.

It's a good thought. I must admit, it has me a little freaked, but I probably should talk to my doctor. My thought was that I have been working my abs and trying this whole bulking thing over the past nine months while I still have fat in my gut. So, there is solid muscle underneath, but it just doesn't show because it's covered by a layer of fat. It's possible...

Before I started working out, my fat definitely hung over my belt, and I was drinking tons of alcohol at that time. But, I don't drink any more and I eat very carefully. During my transformation, I definitely saw my gut and my love handles shrink, but I was getting too skinny while the gut remained. I've always blamed it on too much cardio and not enough calories. So, that's when I decided to try bulking, but unfortunately that also kind of backfired because I hadn't lost the fat yet. My gut was definitely smaller this time last year. Not gone, but smaller.

I wasn't aware that 6' 1" 165 lbs was necessarily UNDERweight, although I know it's skinny. Nevertheless, I have been very skinny all my life. Up until I was 21 I was 6' 1" 135 lbs! Then my metabolism slowed and my decadent lifestyle remained the same, hence the major fat gains over the past 10 years.

My Tanita BF-679 scale consistenly pegs me at 15% body fat. Even while it has my weight jumping all over the place from one second to the next, the body fat has been right at 15% ever since I bought it two weeks ago.

Maybe I should post a few more pics to get some more feedback? I'd really love to get some opinions.

Okay, at the risk of eternally pissing everyone off on this forum, I snapped yet a few more photos after my workout today (sorry for the "self" photgraphs). One picture is of me sucking in my gut, the other is of me lettin' it all hang (I don't think they need to be labeled as to which is which...) :o

I don't know. To me, when I suck it in it looks like there is some loose skin around the navel area and some muscle in the upper portion. When I let it hang, it looks like fat merely blocking the muscle.

Any thoughts? Sorry to beat this to death, but it is literally driving me crazy.

Ok, I read over your post and I think you are doing the following things wrong:

1) Too many sets/exercises for back, biceps and triceps. You are overtraining those muscles and that will actually hinder your process.

2) Not enough cardio for a "fat loss" program. Try to make it at least 3-4x's per week. I also think you should either do 45-60mins at 60-70% max-HR or HIIT for 20-30mins. I personally would recommend you do both for now, mix it up with each session.

The diet looks pretty good to me, but I am no expert. I'm actually having my own diet plan forming troubles. Everything I read contradicts everything else. But what you planned out looks pretty good.

Interesting. I never even considered that I might be "overtraining" my back, biceps, and triceps. Which exercises should I eliminate?

As far as cardio, I'm a little bit wary of it because when I first started working out I was doing it 5 - 6 times a week, 45 minutes per session. I ended up looking like stick boy with a gut in just eight weeks. I think I might initially keep it at 2x per week, MAYBE 3x, and assess my progress after 4 weeks or so and see if I need to increase it. I would like the crux of this fat loss program to be weight training if possible.

Thanks so much for the input.

Interesting. I never even considered that I might be "overtraining" my back, biceps, and triceps. Which exercises should I eliminate?

I wouldn't so much "eliminate" certain exercises. I would rotate them. So for 2-3 weeks, I'd do 3 exercises for back and then the next 2-3 weeks, switch 1 or 2 of them. It has been said that you should always try and change your routine before your body adapts to it.

As for biceps and triceps... I have always done 9-12 sets but recently all these "professional" routines seem to only do 6-8 sets, usually split up among 2 exercises. I am going to do this for the next 2 months I think. 1 primary, big compound exercise and 1 secondary, more isolated exercise. It's not something you must do, but I am going to try it out. I don't plan to do bis/tris together though. I plan to do bis after back since back works bis as well and tris after chest since chest works tris.

I guess if you gave arms their own day then doing 3 exercises each wouldn't be too bad, but 12 sets seems overkill IMO for those muscle groups. If anything leave that for the chest.


As far as cardio, I'm a little bit wary of it because when I first started working out I was doing it 5 - 6 times a week, 45 minutes per session. I ended up looking like stick boy with a gut in just eight weeks. I think I might initially keep it at 2x per week, MAYBE 3x, and assess my progress after 4 weeks or so and see if I need to increase it. I would like the crux of this fat loss program to be weight training if possible.

Yeah, I guess I can understand that. You are more in need of muscle than stripping off fat, IMO. Just make sure you eat properly and don't do too much anaerobic exercise that will hinder your muscle growth. I honestly don't think doing a little extra cardio at 60-70% of your maxHR will effect your muscle growth if you eat properly, but it is up to you.

:gl: