Q&A for: 5-Dec-05
1135. Q:
Hi Mike.How can i lose the last bit of my belly?Iam lean and have obtained some muscles but it wont go.What can i do for this?I dont have fat anywhere else but only there anymore.Also,how can i find out my body fat percentage?
A:
To find the body fat percentage you need to get measured in the gym by a trainer using calipers or you can do it yourself at home by getting the body fat calipers that I have a link for right above (under 'got fat?' :). The calipers will come with instructions on how to use them and you'll plug the results you measure in my Body Fat calculator that you can find on my Articles page (look for 'Find Your Body Percentage' link).
The situation you described is very common for guys who've been exercising for awhile. You get pretty lean, probably around 12% body fat, but that last bit of fat on the stomach that's covering up your six-pack just won't go. Unfortunately there's no easy trick to fix this. There are two approaches you can take and describe them in Q&A #216.
If you really absolutely must see the six-pack you may also want to increase the amount of cardio you do quite a bit near the end of your fat-loss stage (as described in that Q&A) IN ADDITION to increasing weight training. But be prepared to lose much of your hard-earned muscle and risk injury under such an intensive regimen, and also be vulnerable to regainign the fat later. This would really be an extreme approach. If you can, avoid it, and just stick to one or the other approaches described in that Q&A.
1136. Q:
I find it vert difficult to stay motivated and focued on exercising. I attempted your programs and could only stick with them for mabey two weeks. I just get bored and it begins to feel depressing. Do you know anything about possible surgical solutions and information about them- such as how much fat can be removed, possible dangers and the percentage of actual injuries and what age you can have the surgery(ies) at? Because I've been trying to lose weight for 2 years now but I cannot stick with it.
A:
Surgical approaches are not my specialty at all, so I don't want to misinform you and give wrong information. I will say however that I've seen and heard of many cases when a person goes through liposuction and then regains all the fat back or has stomach stapling and still manages to keep or gain weight (in addition to the numerous adverse side-effects of stomach stapling). It's 'easy come, easy go' in action -- these people opt for an easy (though expensive!) fix and quite often the easy good results go out of the window quickly as they revert to their old eating habits and sedentary ways.
You are in complete control of your body and what it looks like. All you need is knowledge, discipline, and patience. Nothing is going to change in two weeks and not much may change in two months, but in two years you will be an entirely different person! You have to keep reminding yourself that you haven't become the way you are in just a few weeks, so there's no reason to expect it to change so quickly. It's a long path you're walking on. Take pride in little steps along the way, but don't expect to reach your destination quickly.
Try to find a support group, be it your family, friens, or just co-workers. Ideally you'd have a diet/workout buddy, but it's not necessary. Just find people that you can tell about your accomplishments (and complain about your setbacks) and who will always encourage you on. And don't give up on yourself so easily! You really absolutely can do it!
1137. Q:
MIke, just for like the last week a couple times a day ill get this shaky feeling kind of like shivering, in the area above my penis(sorry, lack of words) and below my stomach.. any idea what iti s? it only lasts for like 10 seconds
A:
Sorry, I have no idea. Only a doctor would be able to tell you what that is.
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