Do you all have potbellies?

O

onemoreset

New Member
Since we're all "Eating for Size", does it follow that everyone here has a big potbelly? I'm concerned about gettting it, and I hear it's almost impossible to get rid of.

Are we all doomed to have it, or can we do something about it?
 
Thanks. Great read.

But by "potbelly" I really meant two things: subcutaneous fat and abdominal distention (you know, the way your gut bulges out after a really big meal, regardless of the fat under the skin).

We can cut back if we notice subcutaneous fat, but is there any way to avoid a chronically distended gut? Do some foods aggravate it, like beer? I've been searching around the net for this, and it seems no one has any idea.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Abdominal distention is often caused by intestinal gas. This may result from eating fibrous foods such as fruits and vegetables. Legumes such as beans are common sources of intestinal gas. People who are lactose intolerant cannot properly digest dairy foods, and eating such foods may cause distention.
Distention resulting from a heavy meal will go away when the food is digested. Eating in moderation will help prevent swelling.
For distention caused by swallowing air, awareness often leads to self-control. Eat slowly, avoid carbonated beverages, avoid chewing gum or sucking on candies, avoid drinking through a straw, or sipping the surface of a hot beverage.</div>
Different foods arent going cause you to get a chronically distended gut 24/7, alcohol wouldnt be more of a cause than anything else. A beer gut is a result of to many calories from alcohol resulting in someone burning less fat for energy.

It would be a good idea to tighten the transverse abdominals which act like an internal girdle holding everything in tighter by using exercises like planks and stomach vacuums. Based on personal experience strengthen that and you will have a flatter stomach...though obviously it wont make up for simply having to much fat around your belleh.

Either way it wouldnt be impossible to get rid of, it should just be either to much fat...weak stomach muscles..or a combination of both. Pro's that have them is from abuse of growth hormone and things like that.
 
I'd say JonnyH is on the money, distended belly comes from mostly excess gas (temporary distention) and excess growth hormone (BB'ers on AAS) or weak stomach muscles coupled with excess calories (beer boep, classic pot belly type).

I don't think many of us have such, maybe some yeah, and those may be starting off, I for one can see clearly four of my ab muscles, and am currently aiming to see all six.
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I find straight leg leg lifts tend to suck my stomach in. Tightens the lower abs.

I don't think anyone who has been seriously lifting and eating right for a year or two have &quot;pot bellys&quot; sure they can carry a little more fat than they would like but it is a muscular build with a light layer on it.

Bob
 
So you mean the distended &quot;GH gut&quot;, no problem. Avoid HGH. Then do your regular ab workout as part of your training program. Additionally, add stomach vacuums - those silly looking waist trimmers that teach the transverse abdominus to hold the waistline in instead of letting it pooch out.

That's the difference between the old time bodybuilders and the new ones - less drugs then, and no stomach vacuums now.
 
Harsh dude.

Anyway, I've seen 300-pound obese men turn into fit 150-160 pound guys. Willpower, dedication. Really &quot;wanting&quot; it. Compared to that, getting rid of a pot belly is cake.
 
Beer will give you a pot belly no matter what you eat and how you train if you drink enough of it. Alcohol stops you metabolising fat and is also readily converted to bodyfat.
Visceral fat is the fat that is around your internal organs (not under your skin) and will make your gut stick out (beer belly). You could measure your bodyfat with callipers and have a reading of 15% or less and still have a massive gut. It is also the most unhealthy fat you can carry as far as I know.
The good news is that visceral fat has a high blood supply so is relatively easy to lose compared to subcutaneous fat.
The best way to get rid of it is to stop drinking beer and do regular weights and cardio.
J
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(Totentanz @ Sep. 27 2006,12:24)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">A pot belly is only impossible to get rid of if you are a puss totally lacking in willpower.</div>
Right on tot, I agree. A friend at the gym dropped 100 pounds in about a year, from 288 to 188. This guy is dedicated. He busts his hump all week with the weights and cardio.
 
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(onemoreset @ Sep. 27 2006,04:38)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Since we're all &quot;Eating for Size&quot;, does it follow that everyone here has a big potbelly?  I'm concerned about gettting it, and I hear it's almost impossible to get rid of.

Are we all doomed to have it, or can we do something about it?</div>
What's a big potbelly ?  If that's having a gut instead of a visible six pack, it's impossible to avoid that when you truly bulk &amp; pack on size.  Guys who have a six pack year round are frail little puppies who don't know what it means to grow, or they are guys who are just maintaining and look the same year after year.  Guts are FAR from impossible to get rid of, you just have to be willing to suffer and have patience.  It really sucks, but so does growth, just in a different way.   Bbing is all about suffering.  Most things in life that are worthwhile involve suffering.  A good and productive life has lots of suffering in it.  I'm suffering...losing another &quot;gut&quot;...and I'm hating it.  I want to kill.  Life is pretty cool, isn't it ?  Suffer, beyotch !
smile.gif
 
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(jvroig @ Sep. 27 2006,12:28)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Harsh dude.

Anyway, I've seen 300-pound obese men turn into fit 150-160 pound guys. Willpower, dedication. Really &quot;wanting&quot; it. Compared to that, getting rid of a pot belly is cake.</div>
I'm one of those.  I started at 300lbs and 60+% bodyfat.

Now I'm at 200lbs and stay between 7-13% bodyfat.  Now I'm bulking and have actually changed from 10-12% down to 9%...there has been some fat gain, but other gains are coming faster.

If you want it bad enough you can do it, if I made it - anybody can.

It just takes very careful attention to diet, dedication to training, and sticking with it without varying from a plan that is giving results.

If you say, well - I don't want to eat the same crap day after day...then that's fine, but it won't give you the results you want.  
You have to want it bad enough to put whatever food is required into your body - even if it tastes like goat's ass and put whatever effort is required out of your body - even if it's hard and it hurts.

If you don't want it bad enough to do that - then you won't get that kind of results.  BTW, if you can even see a faint outline of abs - then you are more fit than most of the people in the world...how much more - well, that's up to you and your own personal goals and desires.

One more thing - there's more to it than having abs. Finally to gain muscle I had to be willing to say goodbye to them temporarily and risk getting the bulk belly - it goes back to wanting something bad enough and being willing to do what it takes. Luckily, mine aren't gone but getting better even though I'm putting down 4.5K/day, now that I've increased it to 5K, I do expect them to leave soon.

Getting them back won't be a problem.
 
I kind of noticed something with myself...

I lost nearly 50 pounds before starting weight lifting. I got pretty thin, but still had a bit of a belly. Once I started gaining some weight back, it seems to all go to my belly, or at least the most noticable of the fat.

In fact, my arms are much more vascular, and my upper body is much more defined, but my belly and love handles are getting very big. It's like I've been re-distributing the fat.

It may just be a perception thing. I don't know.
 
<div>
(etothepii @ Sep. 28 2006,11:40)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I kind of noticed something with myself...

I lost nearly 50 pounds before starting weight lifting. I got pretty thin, but still had a bit of a belly. Once I started gaining some weight back, it seems to all go to my belly, or at least the most noticable of the fat.
...</div>
Thats typical for most men. First place you put the fat on is the abdomen, and it is also the LAST place you lose it from. Sucks!

I have a different &quot;problem&quot;. This sounds weird, but I believe I have a naturally distended belly. Sometimes I think that my ribcage ends too high up on my torso. My children seem to share this with me.

In fact, I am able to manipulate my belly, muscularly, to make myself look pregnant! Its a great stupid drunken trick.

Because of that, I usually have to keep in mind to tighten my abs a bit. Also, when I am a little fat, I can easily get that pot bellied look. Anyhow, thats how I look right now.

I'm dieting down slowly now, waiting for my shoulder to heal before I start a cutting cycle. Hate to cut right now, because I love the results my first HST cycle brought me, but I dont like being fat. Plus, for health reasons, I want to lose the roll..
 
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(Tradnyx @ Sep. 28 2006,12:41)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Because of that, I usually have to keep in mind to tighten my abs a bit. Also, when I am a little fat, I can easily get that pot bellied look. Anyhow, thats how I look right now.

I'm dieting down slowly now, waiting for my shoulder to heal before I start a cutting cycle. Hate to cut right now, because I love the results my first HST cycle brought me, but I dont like being fat. Plus, for health reasons, I want to lose the roll..</div>
I seem to have this problem also. Even 2 years ago before I started weight lifting, I was not fat. I was actually a skinny twerp, but I also had a little gut and some love handles. Strange. Anyway, my first cycle brought great results, and I contemplated cutting during the second cycle. But, I'm not going to. First cycle got me to 180lbs. I am hoping to get to 185 or 190 after the second cycle. Then start a cut and get to 170-175 lbs cut up. That was actually a LONG term goal for me, if I can get there this year, that will mean I hit my long term goal in less than 3 years. I'll be happy with that!

(and I'll probably still have the stupid little gut)
 
<div>
(vagrant @ Sep. 28 2006,11:06)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"><div>
(jvroig @ Sep. 27 2006,12:28)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Harsh dude.

Anyway, I've seen 300-pound obese men turn into fit 150-160 pound guys. Willpower, dedication. Really &quot;wanting&quot; it. Compared to that, getting rid of a pot belly is cake.</div>
I'm one of those.  I started at 300lbs and 60+% bodyfat.

Now I'm at 200lbs and stay between 7-13% bodyfat.  Now I'm bulking and have actually changed from 10-12% down to 9%...there has been some fat gain, but other gains are coming faster.

If you want it bad enough you can do it, if I made it - anybody can.

It just takes very careful attention to diet, dedication to training, and sticking with it without varying from a plan that is giving results.

If you say, well - I don't want to eat the same crap day after day...then that's fine, but it won't give you the results you want.  
You have to want it bad enough to put whatever food is required into your body - even if it tastes like goat's ass and put whatever effort is required out of your body - even if it's hard and it hurts.

If you don't want it bad enough to do that - then you won't get that kind of results.  BTW, if you can even see a faint outline of abs - then you are more fit than most of the people in the world...how much more - well, that's up to you and your own personal goals and desires.

One more thing - there's more to it than having abs.  Finally to gain muscle I had to be willing to say goodbye to them temporarily and risk getting the bulk belly - it goes back to wanting something bad enough and being willing to do what it takes.  Luckily, mine aren't gone but getting better even though I'm putting down 4.5K/day, now that I've increased it to 5K, I do expect them to leave soon.

Getting them back won't be a problem.</div>
lol, that's pretty amazing

Damn, 60% bf is morbidly obese to the max. That is FAT ! If I was 60% bf I'd weigh about 400 lbs. I can't imagine going from 60 to 7 percent. That's a huge transformation. Congratulations on that accomplishment. How long did it take you to do something like that ?
 
SteveJones, it was 3 years this past Monday the 25'th of September when I started. That's the day I was sitting in the floor at the hardware store looking for a pump to use on my little goldfish pond and couldn't get up from the floor and had to start using a cane. That day changed my life forever. When I was 17 and they said I had MS and may have some trouble walking or seeing from time to time, no big deal I thought. When I was 30 and they told me it had worsened and I'd be in a wheelchair by age 35, I didn't believe them and said, &quot;I'll never be a cripple you just wait and see&quot;. Then at 34, I almost was...simply because I was too fat to walk.

yeah, it was morbid.  I had gotten so that I was too heavy for my weakend legs to carry me without assistance.  Hadn't seen my feet or anything else I wanted to see below my waist for years.  Signs of DMII, constant thirst, constant blood glucose 250+, gaining weight rapidly on very little calories - everything was storing as fat, injuries on my shins of all places that were over 2 years old and hadn't healed yet.  Developed a right bundle branch block in my heart - all that by age 34...kind of sucked to be me.

Still get the shin injuries every other day - when I deadlift - but they are healed up just fine by the next day.

Now, it kind of doesn't suck to be me. Sure, occasionally the legs still give me problems but I can handle them better now and am not only still walking, but still working as a paramedic and doing rescue work and even 3 days ago managed to lift over 700lbs alone. It was a 650lb man on a 100+lb stretcher and once the front wheels went in, the other 5 people helping me stepped back away from it, like they thought the damn thing was going to finish loading itself - there I was supporting the load alone. A deep breath, blow out the abdomen and make the low back hard for my natural built in weight belt and in it went. When I recovered - then there was some cursing and shouting.
 
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